Heat conducting substrate for an electrically heated aerosol delivery device

Abstract

The present disclosure provides aerosol generating substrates and aerosol source members comprising the aerosol generating substrates, and methods of manufacturing the same.SOLUTION: The aerosol generating substrate may comprise a fibrous filler material, an aerosol forming material and a plurality of heat conducting constituents, wherein the substrate is formed as a sheet and the heat conducting constituents are part of the sheet. The heat conducting constituents may be incorporated into the sheet or formed on the surface of the sheet. In another example implementation, an aerosol source member may include a substrate portion formed of a collection of intermingled pieces cut from an aerosol substrate sheet. Additionally or alternatively, the substrate portion may be formed of a series of overlapping layers of the aerosol substrate sheet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery articles and their uses for providing tobacco components or other materials in inhalable form. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to substrate materials and aerosol source members containing the substrate materials for aerosol delivery devices and systems, such as smoking articles, that utilize electrically generated heat to heat tobacco or non-tobacco materials, preferably without significant combustion, to provide an inhalable substance in the form of an aerosol for human consumption. [Background technology]

[0002] Many smoking articles have been proposed over the years as improvements to or replacements for smoking products based on tobacco combustion. Exemplary alternatives have included devices that burn solid or liquid fuels to transfer heat to the tobacco or that use chemical reactions to provide such a heat source. Examples include the smoking articles described in U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0003] The focus of improvements or replacements for smoking articles has typically been to provide the sensations associated with smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes without delivering significant amounts of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products. To achieve this goal, numerous smoking products, flavor generators, and medical inhalers have been proposed that utilize electrical energy to vaporize or heat volatile materials, or have attempted to provide the sensations of smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes without burning significant amounts of tobacco. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al.; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 to Griffith, Jr. et al.; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 to Sears et al., which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, for various alternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and heat sources described in the background art. See also, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0220232 to Bless et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, for various types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and electrically-powered heating sources referenced by brand name and commercial source. Additional types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and electrically-powered heating sources referenced by brand name and commercial source are listed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0245659 to DePiano et al., which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Other representative cigarettes or smoking articles that have been described, and in some cases have been commercially available, include U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,922,901, 4,947,874, and 4,947,875 to Brooks et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,671 to Counts et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,594 to Counts et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,977 to Higgins et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,176 to Adams et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,287 to White; U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,218 to Voges; U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,883 to Felter et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,461 to Nichols; U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,410 to Hon; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,832,410 to Kobayashi, all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. U.S. Patent No. 7,513,253 to Ashi; U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al.; U.S. Patent No. 7,896,006 to Hamano; U.S. Patent No. 6,772,756 to Shayan; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0095311 to Hon; U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2006 / 0196518, 2009 / 0126745, and 2009 / 0188490 ... Thorens et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0272379; U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2009 / 0260641 and 2009 / 0260642 to Monsees et al.; U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2008 / 0149118 and 2010 / 0024834 to Oglesby et al.; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0307518 to Wang; and PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO2010 / 091593 to Hon.

[0004] Representative products that resemble many of the attributes of traditional types of cigarettes, cigars, or pipes include ACCORD® by Philip Morris Incorporated; ALPHA™, JOYE 510™, and M4™ by InnoVapor LLC; CIRRUS™ and FLING™ by White Cloud Cigarettes; BLU™ by Fontem Ventures BV; COHITA™, COLIBRI™, ELITE CLASSIC™, MAGNUM™, PHANTOM™, and SENSE™ by EPUFFER® International Inc.; DUOPRO™, STORM™, and VAPORKING™ by Electronic Cigarettes, Inc.; EGAR™ by Egar Australia; eGo-C™ and eGo-T™ by Joyetech; ELUSION™ by Elusion UK Ltd; EONSMOKE™ by Eonsmoke LLC; and FIN Branding. FIN (trademark) by Group, LLC; SMOKE (registered trademark) by Green Smoke Inc. USA; GREENARETTE (trademark) by Greenarette LLC; HALLIGAN (trademark), HENDU (trademark), JET (trademark), MAXXQ (trademark), PINK (trademark) and PITBULL (trademark) by SMOKE STIK (trademark); HEATBAR (trademark) by Philip Morris International, Inc.; HYDRO IMPERIAL (trademark) and LXE (trademark) by Crown7; LOGIC (trademark) and THE CUBAN (trademark) by LOGIC Technology; LUCI (trademark) by Luciano Smokes Inc.; METRO (trademark) by Nicotek, LLC; NJOY (trademark) and ONEJOY (trademark) by Sottera, Inc.; NO. by SS Choice LLC.7 (Trademark); PREMIUM ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE (Trademark) by PremiumEstore LLC; RAPP E-MYSTICK (Trademark) by Ruyan America, Inc.; RED DRAGON (Trademark) by Red Dragon Products, LLC; RUYAN (Registered Trademark) by Ruyan Group (Holdings) Ltd.; SF (Trademark) by Smoker Friendly International, LLC; GREEN SMART SMOKER (Trademark) by The Smart Smoking Electronic Cigarette Company Ltd.; SMOKE ASSIST (Trademark) by Coastline Products LLC; SMOKING EVERYWHERE (Trademark) by Smoking Everywhere, Inc.; V2CIGS (Trademark) by VMR Products LLC; VAPOR NINE (Trademark) by VaporNine LLC; VAPOR4LIFE (Trademark) by Vapor 4 Life, Inc.; VEPPO (Trademark) by E-CigaretteDirect, LLC; VUSE (Trademark) by RJ Reynolds Vapor Company; Mistic by Mistic Ecigs Menthol products; and Vype products by CN Creative Ltd. Still other electrically powered aerosol delivery devices, particularly those that have been characterized as so-called electronic cigarettes, have been sold under the trade names COOLER VISIONS™; DIRECT E-CIG™; DRAGONFLY™; EMIST™; EVERSMOKE™; GAMUCCI™; HYBRID FLAME™; KNIGHT STICKS™; ROYAL BLUES™; SMOKETIP™; SOUTH BEACH SMOKE™; IQOS™ by Philip Morris International; and GLO™ by British American Tobacco.

[0005] Articles that produce the taste and sensation of smoking by electrically heating tobacco, tobacco-derived materials, or other plant-derived materials have suffered from inconsistent performance characteristics. For example, some articles have suffered from inconsistent release of flavors or other inhalable materials. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a smoking article that can provide the sensation of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, and that does so without burning a substrate material, does not require a combustion heat source, and does so with enhanced performance characteristics. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 [Patent Document 3] US Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 [Patent Document 4] US Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 [Patent Document 5] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0220232 [Patent Document 6] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0245659 [Patent Document 7] U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 [Patent Document 8] U.S. Patent No. 4,922,901 [Patent Document 9] U.S. Patent No. 4,947,874 [Patent Document 10] U.S. Patent No. 4,947,875 [Patent Document 11] U.S. Patent No. 5,060,671 [Patent Document 12] U.S. Patent No. 5,249,586 [Patent Document 13] U.S. Patent No. 5,388,594 [Patent Document 14] U.S. Patent No. 5,666,977 [Patent Document 15] U.S. Patent No. 6,053,176 [Patent Document 16] U.S. Patent No. 6,164,287 [Patent Document 17] U.S. Patent No. 6,196,218 [Patent Document 18] U.S. Patent No. 6,810,883 [Patent Document 19] U.S. Patent No. 6,854,461 [Patent Document 20] U.S. Patent No. 7,832,410 [Patent Document 21] U.S. Patent No. 7,513,253 [Patent Document 22] U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 [Patent Document 23] U.S. Patent No. 7,896,006 [Patent Document 24] U.S. Patent No. 6,772,756 [Patent Document 25] US Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0095311 [Patent Document 26] US Patent Application Publication No. 2006 / 0196518 [Patent Document 27] US Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0126745 [Patent Document 28] US Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0188490 [Patent Document 29] US Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0272379 [Patent Document 30] US Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0260641 [Patent Document 31] US Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0260642 [Patent Document 32] US Patent Application Publication No. 2008 / 0149118 [Patent Document 33] US Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0024834 [Patent Document 34] US Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0307518 [Patent Document 35] International Publication No. 2010 / 091593 Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] (Summary of the Invention) The present disclosure relates to an aerosol-generating substrate, an aerosol source member, a method of manufacturing an aerosol-generating substrate, a method of manufacturing an aerosol source member, and a method of forming an aerosol source member, including, but not limited to, the following exemplary implementations.

[0008] Exemplary Implementation 1: An aerosol-generating substrate for use in an aerosol supply source member, the aerosol-generating substrate comprising a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and a plurality of thermally conductive components, the substrate being formed as a sheet, and the thermally conductive components being part of the sheet.

[0009] Exemplary Implementation 2: The aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, further comprising a binder material.

[0010] Exemplary Implementation 3: The aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the heat-conducting component is incorporated within the sheet.

[0011] Exemplary Implementation 4: The aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein a heat-conducting component is formed on the surface of the sheet.

[0012] Exemplary Implementation 5: The aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the form of the heat-conducting component includes at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

[0013] Exemplary Implementation 6: The aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the material of the heat-conducting component includes at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

[0014] Exemplary Implementation 7: The aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the heat-conducting component is formed in a segmented pattern.

[0015] Exemplary Implementation 8: The aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the segmented pattern is created using at least one of printing, laminating, stitching, and selective bonding.

[0016] Exemplary Implementation 9: The aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive components includes at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

[0017] Exemplary Implementation 10: The aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler comprises at least one of tobacco material and tobacco-derived material.

[0018] Exemplary Implementation 11: The aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler comprises a non-tobacco material.

[0019] Exemplary Implementation 12: The aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the segmented pattern is created using a masking template.

[0020] Illustrative Implementation 13: An aerosol source member for use with an aerosol delivery device, the aerosol source member comprising a substrate portion including a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and a plurality of thermally conductive components, the substrate portion being formed from a collection of intermixed pieces cut from an initial substrate sheet formed by the fibrous filler, the aerosol-forming material, and the plurality of thermally conductive components, and the thermally conductive components being incorporated within the initial substrate sheet.

[0021] Exemplary Implementation 14: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the substrate portion further comprises a binder material.

[0022] Exemplary Implementation 15: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the form of the heat conductive component in the initial substrate sheet includes at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

[0023] Exemplary Implementation 16: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the material of the heat-conducting component in the initial substrate sheet includes at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

[0024] Exemplary Implementation 17: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive components includes at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

[0025] Exemplary Implementation 18: An aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler of the initial substrate sheet includes at least one of tobacco material and tobacco-derived material.

[0026] Exemplary Implementation 19: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler of the initial substrate sheet may include a non-tobacco material.

[0027] Exemplary implementation 20: An aerosol source member for use with an aerosol delivery device, the aerosol source member comprising a substrate portion including a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and a plurality of thermally conductive components, the substrate portion being formed from a series of overlapping layers of an initial substrate sheet formed by the fibrous filler, the aerosol-forming material, and the plurality of thermally conductive components, and the thermally conductive components being incorporated within the initial substrate sheet.

[0028] Exemplary Implementation 21: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the substrate portion further comprises a binder material.

[0029] Exemplary Implementation 22: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the form of the heat conductive component in the initial substrate sheet includes at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

[0030] Exemplary Implementation 23: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the material of the heat-conducting component in the initial substrate sheet includes at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

[0031] Exemplary Implementation 24: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive components includes at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

[0032] Exemplary Implementation 25: An aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler in the initial substrate sheet comprises at least one of tobacco material and tobacco-derived material.

[0033] Exemplary Implementation 26: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler in the initial substrate sheet comprises a non-tobacco material.

[0034] Exemplary implementation 27: An aerosol source member for use with an aerosol delivery device, the aerosol source member comprising a wrap portion and a substrate portion comprising a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and multiple thermally conductive components, the substrate portion being formed from a collection of mixed small pieces cut from an initial sheet formed by the fibrous filler, the aerosol-forming material, and the multiple thermally conductive components, the thermally conductive components being incorporated into the initial substrate sheet, and the wrap portion comprising an overlap sheet configured to encase the substrate portion, the overlap sheet comprising the multiple thermally conductive components.

[0035] Exemplary Implementation 28: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the substrate portion further comprises a binder material.

[0036] Exemplary Implementation 29: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the form of the thermally conductive component of the overlap sheet includes at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

[0037] Exemplary Implementation 30: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the material of the thermally conductive component of the overlap sheet includes at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

[0038] Exemplary Implementation 31: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the multiple heat-conducting components of the substrate portion include at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

[0039] Exemplary Implementation 32: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler in the initial substrate sheet comprises tobacco or tobacco-derived material.

[0040] Exemplary Implementation 33: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler in the initial substrate sheet comprises a non-tobacco material.

[0041] Exemplary implementation 34: An aerosol supply source member for use with an aerosol delivery device, the aerosol supply source member comprising a wrap portion and a substrate portion comprising a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material and a plurality of thermally conductive components, the substrate portion being formed of a series of overlapping layers of sheets formed by the fibrous filler, the aerosol-forming material, and the plurality of thermally conductive components, the thermally conductive components being incorporated within the sheets, the wrap portion comprising an overlapping sheet configured to encase the substrate portion, the overlapping sheet comprising the plurality of thermally conductive components.

[0042] Exemplary Implementation 35: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the substrate portion further comprises a binder material.

[0043] Exemplary Implementation 36: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the form of the thermally conductive component of the overlap sheet includes at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

[0044] Exemplary Implementation 37: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the material of the thermally conductive component of the overlap sheet includes at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

[0045] Exemplary Implementation 38: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the multiple thermally conductive components of the substrate portion include at least one of a metal mesh laminate or a metal fiber cloth laminate.

[0046] Exemplary Implementation 39: An aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler in the initial substrate sheet comprises at least one of tobacco material and tobacco-derived material.

[0047] Exemplary Implementation 40: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler in the initial substrate sheet comprises a non-tobacco material.

[0048] Exemplary implementation 41: An aerosol source member for use with an induction heating aerosol delivery device having a resonant transmitter, the aerosol source member comprising a substrate portion including a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and a plurality of thermally conductive components, the substrate portion being formed from a collection of mixed small pieces cut from an initial substrate sheet formed by the fibrous filler, the aerosol-forming material, and the plurality of thermally conductive components, the thermally conductive components being incorporated within the initial substrate sheet, and a resonant receiver configured to exhibit alternating current when the plurality of thermally conductive components are exposed to an oscillating magnetic field from the resonant transmitter.

[0049] Exemplary Implementation 42: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the substrate portion further comprises a binder material.

[0050] Exemplary Implementation 43: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the form of the heat conductive component includes at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

[0051] Exemplary Implementation 44: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the material of the heat conducting component includes at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

[0052] Exemplary Implementation 45: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive components includes at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

[0053] Exemplary Implementation 46: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler comprises at least one of tobacco material and tobacco-derived material.

[0054] Exemplary Implementation 47: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler comprises a non-tobacco material.

[0055] Exemplary implementation 48: An aerosol source member for use with an induction heating aerosol delivery device having a resonant transmitter, the aerosol source member comprising a substrate portion including a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and a plurality of thermally conductive components, the substrate portion being formed of a series of overlapping layers of an initial substrate sheet formed by the fibrous filler, the aerosol-forming material, and the plurality of thermally conductive components, the thermally conductive components being incorporated within the initial substrate sheet, and the aerosol source member comprising a resonant receiver configured to exhibit an alternating current when the plurality of thermally conductive components are exposed to an oscillating magnetic field from the resonant transmitter.

[0056] Exemplary Implementation 49: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the substrate portion further comprises a binder material.

[0057] Exemplary implementation 50: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the form of the heat conductive component includes at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

[0058] Exemplary Implementation 51: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the material of the thermally conductive component includes at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

[0059] Exemplary Implementation 52: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive components includes at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

[0060] Exemplary implementation 53: An aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler in the initial substrate sheet includes at least one of tobacco material or tobacco-derived material.

[0061] Exemplary Implementation 54: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler in the initial substrate sheet comprises a non-tobacco material.

[0062] Exemplary implementation example 55: An aerosol source member for use with an induction heating aerosol delivery device having a resonant transmitter, wherein the aerosol source member includes a base portion including a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and multiple thermally conductive components, the base portion being formed from a collection of granules formed by an extruded and spheronized mixture of the fibrous filler, the aerosol-forming material, and the multiple thermally conductive components, and the aerosol source member includes a resonant receiver configured to exhibit an alternating current when the multiple thermally conductive components are exposed to an oscillating magnetic field from the resonant transmitter.

[0063] Exemplary Implementation 56: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the substrate portion further comprises a binder material.

[0064] Exemplary Implementation 57: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the form of the heat conductive component includes at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

[0065] Exemplary Implementation 58: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the material of the heat conducting component includes at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

[0066] Example Implementation 59: The aerosol source member of any preceding example implementation or any combination of any preceding example implementation, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive components includes at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

[0067] Exemplary implementation 60: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler comprises at least one of tobacco material and tobacco-derived material.

[0068] Exemplary Implementation 61: The aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler may include a non-tobacco material.

[0069] Exemplary implementation 62: A method for manufacturing an aerosol-generating substrate for use in an aerosol supply source member, comprising the steps of preparing a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and a plurality of thermally conductive components, and forming a substrate sheet using the fibrous filler, the aerosol-forming material, and the plurality of thermally conductive components, wherein the thermally conductive components are part of the substrate sheet.

[0070] Exemplary Implementation 63: Any combination of the method for manufacturing an aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation, or any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the method further includes a step of providing a binder material, and wherein the step of forming the substrate sheet further includes using the binder material.

[0071] Exemplary Implementation 64: A method of manufacturing an aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein a heat-conducting component may be incorporated within the substrate sheet.

[0072] Exemplary Implementation 65: A method of manufacturing an aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein a heat-conducting component is formed on the surface of a substrate sheet.

[0073] Exemplary Implementation 66: A method of manufacturing an aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the form of the heat-conducting component includes at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

[0074] Exemplary Implementation 67: A method of manufacturing an aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the material of the heat-conducting component includes at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

[0075] Exemplary Implementation 68: A method of manufacturing an aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the heat-conducting component is formed in a segmented pattern.

[0076] Exemplary Implementation 69: A method of manufacturing an aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the segmented pattern is created using at least one of printing, laminating, stitching, and selective bonding.

[0077] Exemplary implementation 70: A method of manufacturing an aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive components includes at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

[0078] Exemplary implementation 71: A method of manufacturing an aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler comprises at least one of tobacco material and tobacco-derived material.

[0079] Exemplary Implementation 72: A method of manufacturing an aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler comprises a non-tobacco material.

[0080] Exemplary Implementation 73: A method of manufacturing an aerosol-generating substrate of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the segmented pattern is created using a masking template.

[0081] Exemplary implementation 74: A method for manufacturing an aerosol supply source member for use with an aerosol delivery device, the method including the steps of forming an initial substrate sheet comprising a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and multiple thermally conductive components, wherein the thermally conductive components are incorporated into the initial substrate sheet, cutting the initial substrate sheet into multiple pieces, forming a mixed collection of pieces from the multiple pieces of the initial substrate sheet, and using the mixed collection of pieces to form a substrate portion.

[0082] Exemplary Implementation 75: The method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the initial substrate sheet further comprises a binder material.

[0083] Exemplary implementation 76: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the form of the heat conductive component in the initial substrate sheet includes at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

[0084] Exemplary Implementation 77: A method for manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the material of the thermally conductive component in the initial substrate sheet includes at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

[0085] Exemplary implementation 78: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive components includes at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

[0086] Exemplary implementation 79: A method for manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler of the initial substrate sheet includes at least one of tobacco material and tobacco-derived material.

[0087] Exemplary implementation 80: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler of the initial substrate sheet includes a non-tobacco material.

[0088] Exemplary implementation 81: A method for manufacturing an aerosol supply source member for use with an aerosol delivery device, the method comprising the steps of forming an initial substrate sheet comprising a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material and multiple thermally conductive components, wherein the thermally conductive components are incorporated into the initial substrate sheet, overlapping multiple layers of the initial substrate sheet, and using the overlapping layers to form a substrate portion.

[0089] Exemplary Implementation 82: The method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the initial substrate sheet further comprises a binder material.

[0090] Exemplary implementation 83: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the form of the heat-conducting component in the initial substrate sheet includes at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

[0091] Exemplary implementation 84: A method for manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the material of the thermally conductive component in the initial substrate sheet includes at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

[0092] Exemplary Implementation 85: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive components includes at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

[0093] Exemplary implementation 86: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler in the initial substrate sheet includes at least one of tobacco material and tobacco-derived material.

[0094] Exemplary implementation 87: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler in the initial substrate sheet includes a non-tobacco material.

[0095] Exemplary implementation 88: A method for forming an aerosol supply source member for use with an aerosol delivery device, the method comprising the steps of: forming an initial substrate sheet comprising a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and a plurality of thermally conductive components, wherein the thermally conductive components are incorporated into the initial substrate sheet; cutting the initial substrate sheet into a plurality of pieces; forming a mixed collection of pieces from the plurality of pieces of the initial substrate sheet; forming a substrate portion using the mixed collection of pieces; and forming a wrap portion, wherein the wrap portion comprises an overlap sheet configured to encase the substrate portion, the overlap sheet comprising a plurality of thermally conductive components.

[0096] Exemplary Implementation 89: The method of forming an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the initial substrate sheet further comprises a binder material.

[0097] Exemplary implementation 90: A method of forming an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the form of the thermally conductive component of the overlap sheet includes at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

[0098] Exemplary Implementation 91: A method of forming an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the material of the thermally conductive component of the overlap sheet includes at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

[0099] Exemplary implementation 92: A method of forming an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the multiple thermally conductive components of the substrate portion include at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

[0100] Exemplary Implementation 93: A method of forming an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler in the initial substrate sheet includes at least one of tobacco material and tobacco-derived material.

[0101] Exemplary implementation 94: A method of forming an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler in the initial substrate sheet includes a non-tobacco material.

[0102] Exemplary implementation example 95: A method for manufacturing an aerosol supply source member for use with an aerosol delivery device, the method comprising the steps of forming an initial substrate sheet comprising a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material and a plurality of thermally conductive components, wherein the thermally conductive components are incorporated into the initial substrate sheet, overlapping multiple layers of the initial substrate sheet, forming a substrate portion using the overlapping layers, and forming a wrap portion, wherein the wrap portion comprises an overlap sheet configured to encase the substrate portion, the overlap sheet comprising a plurality of thermally conductive components.

[0103] Exemplary Implementation 96: The method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the initial substrate sheet further comprises a binder material.

[0104] Exemplary implementation 97: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the form of the thermally conductive component of the overlap sheet includes at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

[0105] Exemplary implementation 98: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the material of the thermally conductive component of the overlap sheet includes at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

[0106] Exemplary Implementation 99: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive components includes at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

[0107] Exemplary implementation 100: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler in the initial substrate sheet comprises tobacco or tobacco-derived material.

[0108] Exemplary implementation 101: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler in the initial substrate sheet includes a non-tobacco material.

[0109] Exemplary implementation 102: A method for manufacturing an aerosol source member for use with an induction heating aerosol delivery device having a resonant transmitter, the method including the steps of forming an initial substrate sheet comprising a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material and multiple thermally conductive components, wherein the thermally conductive components are incorporated into the initial substrate sheet, cutting the initial substrate sheet into multiple pieces, forming a mixed collection of pieces from the multiple pieces of the initial substrate sheet, and using the mixed collection of pieces to form a substrate portion, the method including a resonant receiver configured to exhibit an alternating current when the multiple thermally conductive components are exposed to an oscillating magnetic field from the resonant transmitter.

[0110] Exemplary Implementation 103: The method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the initial substrate sheet further comprises a binder material.

[0111] Exemplary implementation 104: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the form of the thermally conductive component includes at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

[0112] Exemplary implementation 105: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the material of the thermally conductive component includes at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

[0113] Exemplary implementation 106: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive components includes at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

[0114] Exemplary implementation 107: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler comprises tobacco or tobacco-derived material.

[0115] Exemplary Implementation 108: The method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler comprises a non-tobacco material.

[0116] Exemplary implementation 109: A method for manufacturing an aerosol source member for use with an induction heating aerosol delivery device having a resonant transmitter, the method including the steps of forming an initial substrate sheet comprising a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material and multiple thermally conductive components, wherein the thermally conductive components are incorporated into the initial substrate sheet, overlapping multiple layers of the initial substrate sheet, and forming a substrate portion using the overlapping layers, wherein the multiple thermally conductive components include a resonant receiver configured to exhibit an alternating current when exposed to an oscillating magnetic field from the resonant transmitter.

[0117] Exemplary Implementation 110: The method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the initial substrate sheet further comprises a binder material.

[0118] Exemplary implementation 111: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the form of the thermally conductive component includes at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

[0119] Exemplary implementation 112: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the material of the thermally conductive component includes at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

[0120] Exemplary implementation 113: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive components includes at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

[0121] Exemplary implementation 114: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler in the initial substrate sheet comprises tobacco or tobacco-derived material.

[0122] Exemplary implementation 115: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler in the initial substrate sheet includes a non-tobacco material.

[0123] Exemplary implementation 116: A method for manufacturing an aerosol source member for use with an induction heating aerosol delivery device having a resonant transmitter, comprising the steps of forming a mixture including a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material and multiple thermally conductive components, extruding and spheronizing the mixture into multiple granules, forming a collection of the granules, and using the collection of granules to form a substrate portion, wherein the multiple thermally conductive components include a resonant receiver configured to exhibit an alternating current when exposed to an oscillating magnetic field from the resonant transmitter.

[0124] Exemplary Implementation 117: The method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the mixture further comprises a binder material.

[0125] Exemplary implementation 118: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the form of the thermally conductive component includes at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

[0126] Exemplary implementation 119: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the material of the thermally conductive component includes at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

[0127] Exemplary implementation 120: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive components includes at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

[0128] Exemplary implementation 121: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler comprises tobacco or tobacco-derived material.

[0129] Exemplary Implementation 122: A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation, wherein the fibrous filler comprises a non-tobacco material.

[0130] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below.

[0131] Having thus generally described aspects of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0132] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an aerosol delivery device according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, including a control body and an aerosol source member, wherein the aerosol source member and the control body are connected to each other. [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view of the aerosol delivery device of FIG. 1, in which the aerosol source member and the control body are separated from each other, according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an aerosol source member according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a substrate sheet according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 5]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a substrate sheet according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol source member according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol source member according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol source member according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol source member according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 1A-1C illustrate various operations in a method of manufacturing an aerosol-generating substrate for use in an aerosol source member according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 1A-1C illustrate various operations in a method of manufacturing an aerosol source member for use with an aerosol source delivery device, according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 1A-1C illustrate various operations in a method of manufacturing an aerosol source member for use with an aerosol source delivery device, according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] 1A-1C illustrate various operations in a method of manufacturing an aerosol source member for use with an aerosol source delivery device, according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a substrate sheet according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol source member according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol source member according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0133] The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to exemplary implementations thereof. These exemplary implementations are described so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Indeed, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these implementations are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," "the," and the like include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, while reference may be made herein to quantitative measures, values, geometric relationships, or the like, unless otherwise indicated, any one or more, if not all, of these may be absolute or approximate values ​​accounting for possible acceptable variations, such as those due to engineering tolerances or the like.

[0134] As described below, exemplary implementations of the present disclosure relate to aerosol-generating substrates for use in aerosol source members and aerosol source members for use with aerosol delivery devices. Aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure use electrical energy to heat materials (preferably without burning the materials to any significant extent) to form inhalable substances; components of such systems have the form of sufficiently compact articles to be considered handheld devices. That is, the use of preferred aerosol delivery device components does not result in the production of smoke, in the sense that the aerosol is derived primarily from by-products of tobacco combustion or pyrolysis. Rather, the use of these preferred systems results in the production of vapor derived from the volatilization or evaporation of certain components incorporated therein. In some exemplary implementations, the aerosol delivery device components may be characterized as electronic cigarettes, which most preferably incorporate tobacco and / or tobacco-derived components and thus deliver tobacco-derived components in aerosol form.

[0135] The aerosol-generating components of certain preferred aerosol delivery devices can provide many of the sensations of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe (e.g., the inhalation and exhalation routine, the taste or flavor type, the sensory effect, the physical sensation, the habit of use, the visual cues such as those provided by a visible aerosol, and the like) used by lighting and burning tobacco (and thus inhaling tobacco smoke) without any substantial degree of combustion of any of the components thereof. For example, a user of an aerosol delivery device according to some exemplary implementations of the present disclosure can hold and use the component, draw on one end of the piece for inhalation of the aerosol generated by the piece, puff or draw at selected time intervals, etc., much like a smoker uses a traditional type of smoking article.

[0136] Although the system is generally described with respect to implementations related to aerosol delivery devices, such as so-called "e-cigarettes" or "tobacco heating products," it should be understood that the features, components, features, and methods can be embodied in many different forms and associated with a variety of articles. For example, the descriptions presented herein may be used in conjunction with implementations of traditional smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.), heated non-combustible tobacco products, and associated packaging of any of the products disclosed herein. Accordingly, it should be understood that the descriptions of the features, components, features, and methods disclosed herein are discussed with respect to implementations related to aerosol delivery devices by way of example only, and can be embodied and used in a variety of other products and methods.

[0137] The aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure may be characterized as vapor products or pharmaceutical delivery articles. Accordingly, such articles or devices may be adapted to provide one or more substances (e.g., flavors and / or pharmaceutical active ingredients) in an inhalable form or state. For example, the inhalable substance may be substantially in vapor form (i.e., a substance in the gas phase at a temperature below its critical point). Alternatively, the inhalable substance may be in the form of an aerosol (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas). For simplicity, the term "aerosol" as used herein is meant to include vapors, gases, and aerosols in any form or type suitable for human inhalation, whether visible or invisible, and whether or not in a form that may be considered smoky. The physical form of the inhalable substance is not necessarily limited by the nature of the device of the present invention; rather, whether it exists in a vapor state or an aerosol state may depend on the nature of the medium and the inhalable substance itself. In some implementations, the terms may be used interchangeably. Accordingly, for simplicity, terms used to describe aspects of the present disclosure will be understood to be synonymous unless otherwise indicated.

[0138] The aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure generally includes several components disposed within an outer body or shell, which may also be referred to as a housing. The overall design of the outer body or shell may vary, and the format or configuration of the outer body, which may define the overall size and shape of the aerosol delivery device, may also vary. Typically, the elongated body, resembling the shape of a cigarette or cigar, may be formed from a single, integral housing, or the elongated housing may be formed from two or more separable bodies. For example, the aerosol delivery device may include an elongated shell or body whose shape is substantially tubular and thus may resemble the shape of a traditional cigarette or cigar. In one example, all of the components of the aerosol delivery device are contained within a single housing. Alternatively, the aerosol delivery device may include two or more joined and separable housings. For example, an aerosol delivery device may have at one end a control body including a housing containing one or more reusable components (e.g., an accumulator such as a rechargeable battery and / or a rechargeable supercapacitor, and various electronic components for controlling the operation of the item), and at the other end an outer body or shell removably connectable thereto that contains a disposable portion (e.g., a disposable flavor-containing aerosol source member). More specific formats, configurations, and arrangements of components within a single-housing unit or within a multi-piece separable-housing unit will become apparent in light of the further disclosure provided herein. Furthermore, the design and component arrangements of various aerosol delivery devices can be understood by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices.

[0139] As discussed in more detail below, the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure include some combination of a power source (i.e., a power supply), at least one control component (e.g., a means for activating, controlling, regulating, and terminating power for heat generation, such as by controlling current flow from the power source to other components of the article—e.g., a microprocessor, either separately or as part of a microcontroller), a heater or heat-generating member (e.g., an electrical resistance heating element or other component and / or an induction coil or other related component and / or one or more radiant heating elements), and an aerosol source member including a substrate portion capable of producing an aerosol upon application of sufficient heat. In various implementations, the aerosol source member may include a mouthpiece or tip configured to permit drawing of the aerosol delivery device for aerosol inhalation (e.g., a defined air flow path through the article so that generated aerosol can be drawn therefrom by drawing).

[0140] The alignment of components within the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may vary among various implementations. In some implementations, the substrate material may be positioned proximal to the heating element to maximize aerosol delivery to the user. However, other configurations are not excluded. In general, the heating element may be positioned sufficiently close to the substrate material so that heat from the heating element can volatilize the substrate material (and, in some implementations, one or more flavorings, medicinals, or the like, which may also be provided for delivery to the user) to form an aerosol for delivery to the user. When the heating element heats the substrate material, an aerosol is formed, released, or generated in a physical form suitable for inhalation by the consumer. It should be noted that the foregoing terms, when referring to release, releasing, releases, or released, are meant to be synonymous, including form or generate, forming or generating, forms or generates, and formed or generated. In particular, inhalable substances are released in the form of a vapor or an aerosol or a mixture thereof, and such terms are used interchangeably herein unless otherwise specified.

[0141] As described above, various implementations of the aerosol delivery device may incorporate a battery and / or other power source to provide sufficient current to provide various functions for the aerosol delivery device, such as powering the heating element, powering the control system, powering the indicators, and the like. As discussed in more detail below, various implementations may employ a power source. Preferably, the power source may be capable of delivering sufficient power to quickly activate the heating element to effect aerosol formation and power the aerosol delivery device throughout its desired duration of use. The power source is preferably sized to fit conveniently within the aerosol delivery device to facilitate easy handling of the aerosol delivery device. Examples of useful power sources include, preferably, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (e.g., rechargeable lithium-manganese dioxide batteries). In particular, lithium polymer batteries can be used because they offer a high level of safety. Other types of batteries, such as N50-AAA CADNICA nickel-cadmium batteries, may also be used. Furthermore, preferred power sources are sufficiently lightweight so as not to impair the desired smoking experience. Some examples of potential power sources are described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,484,155 to Peckerar et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0112191 to Sur et al., filed October 21, 2015, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0142] In further implementations, the power source may also include a capacitor. Capacitors can discharge more quickly than batteries and can be charged while a cigarette is being puffed, allowing the capacitor to discharge the battery at a slower rate than if it were used to directly power the heating element. For example, a supercapacitor—e.g., an electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC)—may be used separately from or in combination with a battery. When used alone, the supercapacitor may be recharged before each use of the article. Thus, the device may also include a charger component that can be attached to the smoking article between uses to replenish the supercapacitor.

[0143] Additional components may be utilized in the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure. For example, the aerosol delivery device may include a flow sensor (e.g., a puff-activated switch) that is sensitive to either changes in pressure or changes in airflow when a consumer inhales on the article. Other possible current activation / deactivation mechanisms may include a temperature-activated on / off switch or a lip-pressure-activated switch. An exemplary mechanism that can provide such puff-activation capability includes the Model 163PC01D36 silicon sensor manufactured by the MicroSwitch division of Honeywell, Inc., Freeport, Ill. Representative flow sensors, current regulation components, and other current control components, including various microcontrollers, sensors, and switches, for aerosol delivery devices are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Patent Nos. 4,922,901, 4,947,874, and 4,947,875, all to Brooks et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al., and U.S. Patent No. 8,205,622 to Pan, all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. See also the control scheme described in U.S. Patent No. 9,423,152 to Ampolini et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0144] In another example, a personal vaporization unit may include a first conductive surface configured to contact a first body part of a user holding the personal vaporization unit, and a second conductive surface configured to contact a second body part of the user, conductively isolated from the first conductive surface. Thus, when the personal vaporization unit detects a change in conductivity between the first and second conductive surfaces, the vaporizer is activated to vaporize the substance, resulting in vapor that can be inhaled by the user holding the unit. The first and second body parts may be the lips or a portion of the hand. The two conductive surfaces may also be used to charge a battery housed in the personal vaporization unit. The two conductive surfaces may also form or be part of a connector that can be used to output data stored in the memory. See U.S. Pat. No. 9,861,773 to Terry et al., incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0145] Further, U.S. Patent No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al. discloses an indicator for a smoking article; U.S. Patent No. 5,261,424 to Sprinkel, Jr. discloses a piezoelectric sensor that can be associated with the mouth end of a device to detect the user's lip activity associated with a puff and then trigger heating of the heating device; U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al. discloses a puff sensor for controlling the input of energy to a heating load array in response to a pressure drop through a mouthpiece; U.S. Patent No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al. discloses a receptacle for a smoking device that includes an identifier that detects non-uniformity in infrared transmittance of an inserted component, and a controller that executes a detection routine when a component is inserted into the receptacle; U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al. describes a defined, executable power cycle with multiple differential phases ... No. 5,934,289 discloses photonic-optronic components; U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al. discloses means for varying the resistance to draw through a smoking device; U.S. Pat. No. 6,803,545 to Blake et al. discloses specific battery configurations for use in smoking devices; U.S. Pat. No. 7,293,565 to Griffen et al. discloses various charging systems for use with smoking devices; U.S. Pat. No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al. discloses computer interface means for smoking devices to facilitate charging and enable computer control of the device; U.S. Pat. No. 8,689,804 to Fernando et al. discloses an identification system for smoking devices; and PCT Patent Application Publication WO 2010 / 003480 to Flick discloses a fluid flow sensing system for indicating puffs in an aerosol generation system, all of the foregoing disclosures are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0146] Further examples of components related to electronic aerosol delivery articles, and the disclosed materials or components that may be used in the devices of the present invention, are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,977 to Higgins et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,176 to Adams et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,287 to White; U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,218 to Voges; U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,883 to Felter et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,461 to Nichols; U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,410 to Hon; U.S. Pat. No. 7,513,253 to Kobayashi; U.S. Pat. No. 7,896,006 to Hamano; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,756 to Shayan. U.S. Patent Nos. 8,156,944 and 8,375,957 to Hon; U.S. Patent No. 8,794,231 to Thorens et al.; U.S. Patent No. 8,851,083 to Oglesby et al.; U.S. Patent Nos. 8,915,254 and 8,925,555 to Monsees et al.; U.S. Patent No. 9,220,302 to DePiano et al.; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006 / 019 to Hon US Patent Application Publication Nos. 6518 and 2009 / 0188490 to Oglesby et al.; US Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0024834 to Wang; US Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0307518 to Hon; PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO2010 / 091593 to Hon; and PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO2013 / 089551 to Foo, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Additionally, US Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0099877 to Worm et al., filed October 13, 2015, discloses an aerosol delivery device and a capsule that can be included in a fob-shaped configuration for an aerosol delivery device, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The various materials disclosed by the aforementioned documents may be incorporated into the devices of the present invention in various implementations, and all of the aforementioned disclosures are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0147] More specific formats, configurations, and arrangements of the various substrate materials, aerosol source members, and components within the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure will become apparent in light of the further disclosure provided below. Furthermore, the selection of various aerosol delivery device components can be understood by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Furthermore, the arrangement of components within the aerosol delivery device can also be understood by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices.

[0148] In this regard, FIG. 1 illustrates an aerosol delivery device 100 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. The aerosol delivery device 100 may include a control body 102 and an aerosol source member 104. In various implementations, the aerosol source member 104 and the control body 102 may be permanently or removably aligned in a functional relationship. In this regard, FIG. 1 illustrates the aerosol delivery device 100 in a coupled configuration, while FIG. 2 illustrates the aerosol delivery device 100 in a decoupled configuration. Various mechanisms may connect the aerosol source member 104 to the control body 102, such as a threaded engagement, a press-fit engagement, an interference fit, a slip fit, a magnetic engagement, or the like.

[0149] In various implementations, the aerosol delivery device 100 according to the present disclosure may have a variety of overall shapes, including, but not limited to, those that may be defined as substantially rod-shaped, substantially tubular, or substantially cylindrical. In the implementation of Figures 1-3, the device 100 has a substantially round cross-section; however, other cross-sectional shapes (e.g., oval, square, triangular, etc.) are also encompassed by the present disclosure. Such language describing the physical shape of an article may also apply to its individual components, including the control body 102 and the aerosol source member 104. In other implementations, the control body may take on another handheld shape, such as a small box shape.

[0150] In certain implementations, one or both of the control body 102 and the aerosol source member 104 may be said to be disposable or reusable. For example, the control body 102 may have a replaceable or rechargeable battery, a solid-state battery, a thin-film solid-state battery, a rechargeable supercapacitor, or the like, and thus may be combined with any type of recharging technology, including connection to a wall charger, connection to an in-vehicle charger (i.e., cigarette lighter receptacle), connection to a computer through a universal serial bus (USB) cable or connector (e.g., USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, USB Type-C), etc., connection to a photovoltaic cell (sometimes also referred to as a solar cell) or solar panel, a wireless charger, such as a charger using inductive wireless charging (including, for example, wireless charging according to the Qi wireless charging standard from the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC)), or a wireless radio frequency (RF)-based charger. An example of an inductive wireless charging system is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0112196 to Sur et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Additionally, in some implementations, the aerosol source member 104 may comprise a single-use device. Single-use components for use with a control body are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,639 to Chang et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0151] In the implementation shown, the aerosol source member 104 includes a heating end 106 configured to be inserted into the control body 102 and a mouth end 108 from which a user draws to create an aerosol. At least a portion of the heating end 106 may include a substrate portion 110. As discussed in more detail below, in some implementations, the substrate portion 110 may include non-tobacco material, tobacco material, tobacco-containing beads, tobacco shreds, tobacco strips, reconstituted tobacco material, or combinations thereof, and / or a mixture of finely ground tobacco, tobacco extract, spray-dried tobacco extract, or other tobacco forms mixed with optional inorganic materials (such as calcium carbonate), optional flavors, and aerosol-forming materials to form a substantially solid or semi-solid substrate. Representative types of solid and semi-solid configurations and formulations are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,424,538 to Thomas et al.; U.S. Patent No. 8,464,726 to Sebastian et al.; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0083150 to Conner et al.; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0157052 to Ademe et al.; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017-0000188 to Nordskog et al., filed June 30, 2015, all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Other examples of substrates are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 to Griffith et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0152] In various implementations, the aerosol source member 104, or a portion thereof, may be wrapped in an outer overwrap material 112 (see FIG. 3 ). In various implementations, the mouth end 108 of the aerosol source member 104 may include a filter 114, which may be made of, for example, a cellulose acetate or polypropylene material. The filter 114 may also or alternatively contain strands of tobacco-containing material, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,814 to Raker et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In various implementations, the filter 114 may increase the structural integrity of the mouth end of the aerosol source member and / or provide filtering capabilities, if desired, and / or provide resistance to draw. The outer overwrap material may include a material that resists heat transfer, such as paper or other fibrous material, such as a cellulose material. The outer overwrap material may also include at least one filler material embedded or dispersed within the fibrous material. In various implementations, the filler material may be in the form of water-insoluble particles. Furthermore, the filler material may incorporate inorganic components. In various implementations, the outer overwrap may be formed of multiple layers, such as an underlying bulk layer and an overlying layer, such as a typical cigarette wrapper. Such materials may include, for example, lightweight "rag fibers" such as flax, hemp, sisal, rice straw, and / or esculenta. The outer overwrap may also include materials typically used in filter elements of conventional cigarettes, such as cellulose acetate. Furthermore, the excess length of the outer overwrap at the mouth end 108 of the aerosol source member may function simply to separate the substrate portion 110 from the consumer's mouth, or to provide space for positioning a filter material, as described below, or to affect the inhalation of the article or the flow characteristics of vapor or aerosol leaving the device during inhalation.Further discussion regarding the construction of outer overwrap materials that may be used with the present disclosure can be found in US Pat. No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0153] In various implementations, other components may be present between the substrate portion 110 and the mouth end 108 of the aerosol source member 104, and the mouth end 108 may include a filter 114. For example, in some implementations, one or any combination of the following may be positioned between the substrate portion 110 and the mouth end 108 of the aerosol source member 104: an air gap; a hollow tubular structure; a phase change material for cooling air; a flavor releasing medium; an ion exchange fiber for selective chemical adsorption; aerogel particles as a filter medium; and other suitable materials.

[0154] As discussed in more detail below, the present disclosure is configured for use with conductive and / or inductive heat sources to heat a substrate material to form an aerosol. In various implementations, the conductive heat source may include a heating assembly including a resistive heating element. The resistive heating element may be configured to generate heat when an electric current is directed therethrough. Conductive materials useful as resistive heating elements may have low mass, low density, and moderate resistivity, and may be thermally stable at temperatures experienced during use. Useful heating elements heat and cool quickly, thus resulting in efficient use of energy. Rapid heating of the element may be beneficial for nearly instantaneous volatilization of the aerosol precursor material in its vicinity. Rapid cooling prevents substantial volatilization (and therefore waste) of the aerosol precursor material during periods when aerosol formation is undesirable. Such heating elements may also allow for relatively precise control of the temperature range experienced by the aerosol precursor material, particularly when time-based current control is used. Useful conductive materials preferably do not chemically react with the materials being heated (e.g., aerosol precursor materials and other inhalable substance materials) so as not to adversely affect the flavor or content of the aerosol or vapor produced. Exemplary, non-limiting materials that can be used as conductive materials include carbon, graphite, carbon / graphite composites, metals, ceramics, such as metal and non-metal carbides, nitrides, oxides, silicides, intermetallic compounds, cermets, metal alloys, and metal foils. Refractory materials are particularly considered useful. A variety of different materials can be blended to achieve desired properties of resistivity, mass, and thermal conductivity. In certain implementations, metals that can be utilized include, for example, nickel, chromium, alloys of nickel and chromium (e.g., nichrome), and steel.Materials that can be useful in providing resistive heating are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,060,671 to Counts et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,093,894 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,224,498 to Deevi et al.; Sprinkel No. 5,228,460 to Jr. et al.; No. 5,322,075 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,813 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,936 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,850 to Das; U.S. Pat. No. 5,659,656 to Das; U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,855 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,225 to Hajaligol; U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,262 to Hajaligol; U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,692 to Das et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,368 to Fleischhauer et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0155] In various implementations, the heating element may be provided in various forms, such as in the form of a foil, foam, mesh, hollow ball, half-ball, disk, spiral, fiber, wire, film, thread, strip, ribbon, or cylinder. Such heating elements often comprise a metallic material and are configured to generate heat as a result of electrical resistance associated with passing an electric current therethrough. Such a resistive heating element may be positioned proximate to and / or in direct contact with the substrate portion. The heating assembly or heating element may be positioned within the control body and / or aerosol source member, as discussed in more detail below. In various implementations, the substrate portion may include components embedded in or otherwise part of the substrate portion (i.e., thermally conductive components) that can serve as or facilitate the function of the heating assembly. Some examples of various heating members and elements are described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0156] Some non-limiting examples of various heating member configurations include configurations in which the heating member or element is positioned proximal to the aerosol source member. For example, in some examples, at least a portion of the heating member may surround at least a portion of the aerosol source member. In other examples, one or more heating members may be positioned adjacent to the exterior of the aerosol source member when inserted into the control body. In other examples, at least a portion of the heating member may penetrate at least a portion of the aerosol source member when inserted into the control body (e.g., one or more points and / or spikes that penetrate the aerosol source member).

[0157] In various implementations, the heating member may take various forms. For example, in one implementation, the heating member may include a cylinder or other heating device positioned within the control body 102. In various implementations, the heating member may be composed of one or more conductive materials, including, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, platinum, gold, silver, iron, steel, brass, bronze, carbon (e.g., graphite), or any combination thereof. In various implementations, the heating member may also be coated with any of these or other conductive materials. The heating member may be positioned proximal to the engagement end of the control body 102 and configured to substantially surround a portion of the heated end 106 of the aerosol source member 104, including the substrate portion 110. In such an approach, the heating member may be positioned proximal to the substrate portion 110 of the aerosol source member 104 when the aerosol source member is inserted into the control body 102.

[0158] As discussed in more detail below, in various implementations, one or more thermally conductive components may be positioned within and / or on the surface of the substrate. In some implementations, the substrate may comprise a sheet, while in other implementations, the substrate may take a variety of different forms. In various implementations, the substrate may be used to create the substrate portion of the aerosol source member. Thus, in various implementations, the thermally conductive components increase heat conduction in the substrate portion when the heating element is heated. It should be noted that in some implementations, the heating element may comprise a cylinder, while in other implementations, the heating element may take a variety of forms and, in some implementations, may be in direct contact with and / or penetrate the substrate portion.

[0159] In addition to being configured for use with a conductive heat source as described above, the present disclosure may also be configured for use with an inductive heat source that heats a substrate portion to form an aerosol. In various implementations, the inductive heat source may include a resonant transformer, which may include a resonant transmitter and a resonant receiver (e.g., a susceptor). In some implementations, the resonant transmitter may be located within the control body 102, and the substrate portion may include a thermally conductive component that includes the resonant receiver. In other implementations, the thermally conductive component may facilitate the function of a separate resonant receiver or may provide an additional resonant receiver.

[0160] For example, in some implementations, the control body 102 may include a resonant transmitter, which may include, for example, a foil material, a coil, a cylinder, or other structure configured to generate an oscillating magnetic field. In some implementations, the thermally conductive component of the substrate portion may include a resonant receiver such that an alternating current is induced within the thermally conductive component of the substrate portion. In other implementations, the thermally conductive component of the substrate portion may facilitate the function of a separate resonant receiver or serve as a second resonant receiver, such that an alternating current is induced within the thermally conductive component in addition to the separate resonant receiver that may be positioned within the control body 102 in some implementations. For example, in various implementations, the resonant receiver positioned within the control body 102 may include one or more tips extending into or be surrounded by the substrate portion. Other possible resonant transformer components, including resonant transmitters and resonant receivers, are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 799,365, filed October 31, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0161] In other implementations, the resonant transmitter may include a helical coil configured to circumscribe the cavity within which the aerosol source member, particularly the substrate portion of the aerosol source member, is received. In some implementations, the helical coil may be positioned between the outer wall of the device and the receiving cavity. In one implementation, the coil turn may have a circular cross-sectional shape; however, in other implementations, the coil turn may have various other cross-sectional shapes, including, but not limited to, oval, rectangular, L-shaped, T-shaped, triangular, and combinations thereof. In another implementation, a pin may extend into a portion of the receiving cavity, and the pin may include a resonant transmitter, such as by including a coil structure around or within the pin. In various implementations, the aerosol source member may be received within the receiving cavity, and one or more components of the aerosol source member may act as a resonant receiver. For example, in some implementations, a heat-conducting component of the substrate portion may include the resonant receiver. In other implementations, the thermally conductive component may facilitate the function of a separate resonant receiver (e.g., pins, rods, and / or receiver particles) positioned in the aerosol source member. As described above, in various implementations of the present disclosure, the aerosol source member may include a substrate portion including a substrate material. In various implementations, the substrate material may include a substrate sheet. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a substrate sheet 200 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 4 illustrates a cast substrate sheet 200 including an aerosol-generating substrate. In the specific implementation shown in FIG. 4, the substrate sheet 200 includes a mixture of a fibrous filler material, an aerosol-forming material, a binder material, and multiple thermally conductive components. In some implementations, the fibrous filler material may include a plant-derived, non-tobacco material, such as a cellulose pulp material. In other implementations, the non-tobacco filler material may not be a plant-derived material.

[0162] In various implementations, tobacco materials that may be useful in the present disclosure may vary and may include, for example, iron-cured tobacco, burley tobacco, Orient or Maryland tobacco, dark tobacco, dark-fired tobacco, and rustica tobacco, as well as other rare or specialty tobaccos, or blends thereof. Tobacco materials may also include so-called "blend" forms and processed forms, such as processed tobacco stems (e.g., cut-rolled or cut-puffed stems), volume-expanded tobaccos (e.g., puffed tobaccos such as dry ice expanded tobacco (DIET), preferably in cut filler form), and reconstituted tobaccos (e.g., reconstituted tobaccos produced using papermaking or cast sheet processes). Various representative tobacco types, tobacco processing types, and tobacco blend types are described in U.S. Patents 4,836,224 to Lawson et al.; 4,924,888 to Perfetti et al.; 5,056,537 to Brown et al.; 5,159,942 to Brinkley et al.; 5,220,930 to Gentry; 5,360,023 to Blakley et al.; 6,701,936 to Shafer et al.; and 6,701,936 to Li et al. Nos. 7,011,096 to Li et al., 7,017,585 to Li et al., 7,025,066 to Lawson et al., 2004-0255965 to Perfetti et al., PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 02 / 37990 to Bereman, and Bombick et al., Fund. Appl. Toxicol., 39, 11-17 (1997), all of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. Additional exemplary tobacco compositions that may be useful are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al., all of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties.

[0163] In various implementations, the filler may include other fibrous materials, including, but not limited to, hemp, flax, sisal, rice straw, and / or espermum parkii. In various other implementations, the filler may include reconstituted tobacco alone or in combination with other fillers. Exemplary approaches and methods for providing reconstituted tobacco sheets, including casting and papermaking techniques, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,519 to Keritsis et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,484 to Clapp et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,906 to Young et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,854 to Kiernan et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,864 to Young et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,097 to Sohn et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,942 to Brinkley et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,076 to Brinkley et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,838 to Young et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,698 to Litzinger et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,237 to Young; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,707 to Kumar, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In some cases, processed tobacco, such as certain types of reconstituted tobacco, can be used as longitudinally extending strands. See, for example, the types of constructions described in U.S. Patent No. 5,025,814 to Raker, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Furthermore, certain types of reconstituted tobacco sheets can be formed, rolled, or assembled into desired configurations. In still other implementations, the fibrous materials may include various types of inorganic fibers (e.g., fiberglass, metal wire / screen, etc.) and / or (organic) synthetic polymers. In various implementations, these "fibrous" materials can be unstructured (e.g., randomly distributed, such as cellulose fibers in a tobacco cast sheet) or structured (e.g., wire mesh).

[0164] In some implementations, the aerosol-forming material may include glycerin or propylene glycol. Preferred aerosol-forming materials include polyhydric alcohols (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol, and triethylene glycol) and / or water, and any other material that produces a visible aerosol, and any combination thereof. Representative types of aerosol-forming materials are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,793,365 to Sensabaugh, Jr. et al. and 5,101,839 to Jakob et al.; PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 98 / 57556 to Biggs et al.; and Chemical and Biological Studies on New Cigarette Prototypes that Heat Instead of Burn Tobacco, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Monograph (1988), which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0165] As mentioned above, the present disclosure incorporates a binder material. In the illustrated implementation, the binder material includes ammonium alginate. Preferred binder materials include alginates, such as ammonium alginate, propylene glycol alginate, potassium alginate, and sodium alginate. Alginates, particularly high-viscosity alginates, may be used in conjunction with controlled levels of free calcium ions. Other suitable binder materials include hydroxypropyl cellulose, such as Klucel H from Aqualon Co.; hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, such as Methocel K4MS from The Dow Chemical Co.; hydroxyethyl cellulose, such as Natrosol 250 MRCS from Aqualon Co.; microcrystalline cellulose, such as Avicel from FMC; methylcellulose, such as Methocel A4M from The Dow Chemical Co.; and sodium carboxymethylcellulose, such as CMC 7HF and CMC 7H4F from Hercules Inc. Still other possible binder materials include starch (e.g., corn starch), guar gum, carrageenan, locust bean gum, pectin, and xanthan gum. In some implementations, a combination or blend of two or more binder materials may be used. Other examples of binder materials are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,839 to Jakob et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,887 to Raker et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In some implementations, an aerosol-forming material may be provided as part of the binder material (e.g., propylene glycol alginate). Furthermore, in some implementations, the binder material may include nanocellulose derived from tobacco or other biomass. In some other implementations, the binder may include cyclodextrin.

[0166] Some implementations may further include additional components, such as heat-resistant or flame-retardant / flame-resistant materials, such as ammonium phosphate. In some implementations, other flame-retardant / flame-resistant materials and additives may be included within the substrate sheet, including organophosphorus compounds, borax, hydrated alumina, graphite, potassium triphosphate, dipentaerythritol, pentaerythritol, and polyols. Others, such as nitrogenous phosphonates, monoammonium phosphate, ammonium polyphosphate, ammonium bromide, ammonium borate, ethanolammonium borate, ammonium sulfamate, halogenated organic compounds, thiourea, and antimony oxide, may also be used. In each embodiment of the flame retardant, flame retardant, and / or scorch retardant materials used in the substrate material and / or other components (whether alone or in combination with each other and / or other materials), the desired properties are preferably provided without undesirable off-gassing or melting-type behavior. Various techniques and methods for incorporating tobacco into smoking articles, particularly those designed to purposefully prevent the combustion of substantially all of the tobacco within the smoking article, are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,947,874 to Brooks et al.; U.S. Patent No. 7,647,932 to Cantrell et al.; U.S. Patent No. 8,079,371 to Robinson et al.; U.S. Patent No. 7,290,549 to Banerjee et al.; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007 / 0215167 to Crooks et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Additional additives and other potential enhancing components are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 707,461 to Phillips et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0167] The aerosol-generating substrate may also include a plurality of thermally conductive components. In various implementations, the thermally conductive components may be made of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material, a carbon material (e.g., graphite), or any combination thereof. Furthermore, in various implementations, the thermally conductive components may take the form of granules, powder, fibers, a mesh, a fiber cloth, or any combination thereof. In the implementation shown, the thermally conductive components include a plurality of metal fibers 202 mixed with other components of the substrate sheet 200 (e.g., fibrous filler, aerosol-forming material, and binder material). In some implementations, the substrate material may include a cast sheet having the thermally conductive components therein and / or thereon. In other implementations, the substrate material may include a combination of a cast sheet having the thermally conductive components therein and / or thereon and reconstituted tobacco. In still other implementations, the substrate material may include reconstituted tobacco having the thermally conductive components therein and / or thereon. In particular, in some implementations, the substrate material may include about 75%-100% (in some implementations, about 90%) cast sheet and about 0%-25% (in some implementations, about 10%) reconstituted tobacco in addition to the thermally conductive components. In other implementations, the substrate material may include about 100% reconstituted tobacco in addition to the thermally conductive components. In various implementations, the amount of thermally conductive components and / or the amount of non-conductive material may vary depending on the particular requirements of the substrate material and / or the aerosol source member incorporating the substrate material.

[0168] Similarly, in various implementations, the relative amounts of elements within each component may vary depending on the specific requirements of the substrate material and / or the aerosol source member incorporating the substrate material. For example, in one exemplary implementation including a cast sheet component and a reconstituted tobacco component, the amount of aerosol-forming material (e.g., glycerin) in the cast sheet component may be about 30%-60%, and the amount of aerosol-forming material (e.g., glycerin) in the reconstituted tobacco component may be about 10%-25%. In another exemplary implementation including about 100% reconstituted tobacco, the amount of aerosol-forming material (e.g., glycerin) may be about 5%-40%, and the amount of aerosol-forming material (e.g., glycerin) in the reconstituted tobacco component may be about 10%-25%.

[0169] In the exemplary implementation shown, the non-thermally conductive components of the base sheet 200 may include approximately 38% shred tobacco, approximately 53% glycerin, approximately 6% ammonium alginate, and approximately 3% ammonium phosphate. In another related, but non-tobacco, implementation, the base sheet 200 may include approximately 38% cellulose pulp, approximately 53% glycerin, approximately 6% ammonium alginate, and approximately 3% ammonium phosphate. In yet another related implementation, the base sheet may include approximately 90% reconstituted tobacco, approximately 8% cellulose pulp, and approximately 2% potassium carbonate. In some implementations, the reconstituted tobacco may have an aerosol-forming material absorbed and / or deposited thereon. For example, some implementations may have glycerin deposited on the reconstituted tobacco in the range of 20% to 50% or within that range. It should be noted that the amount of thermally conductive component added to the mixture, regardless of the composition of the remainder of the mixture, may vary according to various implementations, and thus the relative amounts of the thermally conductive component may be adjusted to meet particular requirements. It should be noted that any of the thermally conductive components and other portions or components of the substrate material and aerosol source member depicted in the figures of this disclosure are shown for ease of illustration, and thus the relative sizes and shapes of the thermally conductive components and other portions or components of the substrate material and aerosol source member are not necessarily realistically representative of the sizes and shapes of such elements.

[0170] In any event, in some implementations, the substrate sheet 200 may be constructed by a casting process, such as that described in U.S. Patent No. 5,697,385 to Seymour et al., the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, a binder material, and multiple thermally conductive components may be blended together to form a slurry, which may then be cast onto a surface (e.g., a moving belt). The cast slurry may then undergo one or more drying and / or doctoring steps to obtain a sheet of relatively consistent thickness. In the implementation shown, the resulting substrate sheet 200 includes multiple metal fibers 202 randomly (or substantially randomly) distributed within the thickness of the substrate sheet 200. In such an approach, the substantially random distribution of the thermally conductive components within the substrate sheet may increase the thermal conductivity of the substrate sheet (or a substrate portion made from the substrate sheet) in all directions. Other examples of casting and papermaking techniques are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,519 to Keritsis et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,484 to Clapp et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,906 to Young et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,854 to Kiernan et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,864 to Young et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,097 to Sohn et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,942 to Brinkley et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,076 to Brinkley et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,838 to Young et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,698 to Litzinger et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,237 to Young; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,706 to Kumar, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0171] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a substrate sheet 300 according to another exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 5 illustrates a cast substrate sheet 300 comprising an aerosol-generating substrate. In the specific implementation illustrated in FIG. 5, the substrate sheet 300 comprises a mixture of a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, a binder material, and multiple thermally conductive components. As described above, in various implementations, the thermally conductive components may be made of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material (e.g., graphite), a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material, and / or any combination thereof. Furthermore, in various implementations, the multiple thermally conductive components may be in the form of granules, powder, fibers, a mesh, a fiber cloth, and / or any combination thereof.

[0172] In the implementation shown, the thermally conductive component comprises a series of bands 302 spaced apart with a series of spaces 304 therebetween so as to form a segmented pattern. Furthermore, in the implementation shown, a series of bands 302 comprising the thermally conductive component are formed on the surface of a substrate sheet 300. While the bands 302 are shown substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the sheet 300, it should be noted that in other implementations, the bands may be configured at any angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the sheet, including, for example, being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sheet or at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the sheet. Thus, as discussed in more detail below, in various implementations of aerosol source members in which a substrate sheet is used as an overlapping substrate sheet, the resulting bands may have any orientation relative to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member, including, for example, being substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member (see, e.g., FIGS. 8 and 9 ) or being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member or at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the source member.

[0173] In various implementations, the substrate sheet 300 may be constructed as described above prior to the addition of the thermally conductive components. For example, while the relative amounts of the other (i.e., non-thermally conductive) components of the substrate sheet 300 may vary, in some implementations, these components of the substrate sheet 300 may include approximately 38% cut tobacco, approximately 53% glycerin, approximately 6% ammonium alginate, and approximately 3% ammonium phosphate. In other implementations, the sheet 300 may include approximately 38% cellulose pulp, approximately 53% glycerin, approximately 6% ammonium alginate, and approximately 3% ammonium phosphate. As described above, in some implementations, the substrate sheet 300 may be constructed by a casting process. For example, a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and a binder material may be blended together to form a slurry, which may then be cast onto a surface (e.g., a moving belt). The cast slurry may then undergo one or more drying and / or doctoring steps to obtain a sheet of relatively consistent thickness. As noted above, it should be noted that the amount of thermally conductive component added to the mixture, independent of the composition of the remainder of the mixture, may vary according to various implementations, and thus the relative amounts of the thermally conductive components may be adjusted to meet particular requirements.

[0174] In various implementations, the segmented pattern may be created in various ways, including, for example, by selective adhesion, metal printing, lamination, and / or stitching onto the formed substrate sheet 300. For example, in one implementation, the bands 302 may be created by selectively powder coating a thermally conductive component onto the surface of the substrate sheet 300. In another implementation, the bands 302 may be created by electrostatically attracting the thermally conductive component to the surface of the substrate sheet 300 and adhering the material to the substrate sheet 300 in a segmented pattern. In another implementation, the bands 302 may be created using a masking template. In another exemplary implementation, the bands 302 may be created by printing a conductive metal material (i.e., the thermally conductive component) onto the surface of the substrate sheet 300 in a segmented pattern. In another implementation, the thermally conductive component (e.g., in the form of a conductive thread) may be sewn onto the surface of the substrate sheet 300 to form the segmented pattern. In such an approach, by positioning a segmented pattern of heat-conducting components on the substrate sheet, the heat conduction of the substrate sheet or of a substrate portion made from the substrate sheet can be increased in one direction.

[0175] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a substrate sheet 1200 according to another exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 14 illustrates a cast substrate sheet 1200 including an aerosol-generating substrate. In the specific implementation illustrated in FIG. 14, the substrate sheet 1200 includes a mixture of fibrous filler, aerosol-forming material, binder material, and multiple thermally conductive components. As described above, in various implementations, the thermally conductive components may be made of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material (e.g., graphite), a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material, and / or any combination thereof. Furthermore, in various implementations, the multiple thermally conductive components may take the form of granules, powder, fiber, mesh, fiber cloth, or any combination thereof. In the illustrated implementation, the thermally conductive component includes a metal mesh 1202 laminated to the substrate sheet 1200. It should be noted that although mesh 1202 is shown with its pattern substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of sheet 1200, in other implementations the mesh may be configured at any angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the sheet. Thus, as discussed in more detail below, in various implementations of aerosol source members in which a substrate sheet is used as an overlapping substrate sheet, the mesh may have any orientation relative to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member.

[0176] In various implementations, the base sheet 1200 may be constructed as described above prior to the addition of the thermally conductive components. For example, while the relative amounts of the other (i.e., non-thermally conductive) components of the base sheet 1200 may vary, in some implementations, these components of the base sheet 300 may include approximately 38% cut tobacco, approximately 53% glycerin, approximately 6% ammonium alginate, and approximately 3% ammonium phosphate. In other implementations, the sheet 300 may include approximately 38% cellulose pulp, approximately 53% glycerin, approximately 6% ammonium alginate, and approximately 3% ammonium phosphate. As described above, in some implementations, the base sheet 1200 may be constructed by a casting process. For example, a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and a binder material may be blended together to form a slurry, which may then be cast onto a surface (e.g., a moving belt). The cast slurry may then undergo one or more drying and / or doctoring steps to obtain a sheet of relatively consistent thickness. As noted above, it should be noted that the amount of thermally conductive component added to the mixture, independent of the composition of the remainder of the mixture, may vary according to different implementations, and thus the relative amounts of the thermally conductive components may be adjusted to meet particular requirements.

[0177] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol source member 400 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. In the implementation shown, the aerosol source member 400 includes a substrate portion 402 and a mouth end portion 404. In various implementations, the substrate portion 402 may include a collection of mixed pieces 406 cut from an initial substrate sheet. For example, in the implementation shown, the collection of mixed pieces 406 is cut from an initial substrate sheet similar to or substantially the same as the substrate sheet 200 previously described with reference to FIG. 4 . Thus, the composition and configuration of the individual pieces 406 may be similar to or substantially the same as those previously described with reference to the substrate sheet 200. In particular, the mixed pieces 406 in the implementation shown may start as an initial substrate sheet including a mixture of fibrous filler, aerosol-forming material, binder material, and multiple thermally conductive components. See the discussion above regarding various possible fillers, aerosol-forming materials, binder materials, and thermally conductive components used in the initial substrate sheet, as well as the possible relative amounts of each. The initial substrate sheet may then be cut into a plurality of pieces (e.g., strips, sections, portions, etc.) and collected for use as substrate portion 402 of aerosol source member 400. In various implementations, the initial substrate sheet may be cut in a variety of different ways. For example, in one implementation, the initial substrate sheet may be cut using a mechanical cutter (e.g., a guillotine device and / or a paper shredder). In other implementations, the initial substrate sheet may be cut using a laser cutting and / or water jet cutting device. In other implementations, the initial substrate sheet may be fiberized. In other implementations, a hammer mill may be used to reduce the size of the initial substrate sheet, and the resulting sheet may then be subsequently cut using one or more of the methods described above.

[0178] As mentioned above, in some implementations, an initial substrate sheet may be constructed by a casting process, in which a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, a binder material, and multiple thermally conductive components may be blended together to form a slurry, which may be cast onto a surface (e.g., a moving belt, etc.). The cast slurry may then undergo one or more drying and / or doctoring steps to obtain an initial sheet of relatively consistent thickness. In the implementation shown, the resulting initial sheet may include multiple metal fibers randomly (or substantially randomly) distributed within the thickness of the sheet.

[0179] In various implementations, the mouth-end portion 404 of the aerosol source member 400 may include a variety of materials, which in some implementations may include a filter, as described above. Other materials that may be positioned in the mouth-end portion 404, either individually or in any combination, include, but are not limited to, tobacco blends, one or more flavorings, voids, and / or phase-change materials. The mouth-end portion 404 may also include a hollow tube structure. In various implementations, such tubes may be constructed from any of a variety of materials and may include one or more adhesives. Exemplary materials include, but are not limited to, paper, paper layers, paperboard, plastic, cardboard, and / or composite materials.

[0180] In various implementations, tobacco blends may contain various types and forms of tobacco in the form of blended cut filler. For example, certain popular tobacco blends for cigarette manufacturing, commonly referred to as "American blends," contain a mixture of shredded or chopped pieces of iron-cured, burley, and Oriental tobacco; such blends often also contain pieces of processed tobacco, such as processed tobacco stems, expanded, and / or reconstituted tobacco. The exact amount of each type or form of tobacco in a tobacco blend used to manufacture a particular smoking article can vary and be selected as designed, depending on factors such as the desired sensory characteristics (e.g., flavor and aroma). See, for example, the types of tobacco blends described in Tobacco Encyclopedia, Voges (ed.), pp. 44-45 (1984); Browne, The Design of Cigarettes, 3rd ed., p. 43 (1990); and Tobacco Production, Chemistry and Technology, Davis et al. (eds.), p. 346 (1999). See also U.S. Patent No. 4,836,224 to Lawson et al.; U.S. Patent No. 4,924,888 to Perfetti et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,056,537 to Brown et al.; and U.S. Patent No. 5,220,930 to Gentry; U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2004 / 0255965 to Perfetti et al.; and 2005 / 0066986 to Nestor et al.; PCT Application Publication No. WO 02 / 37990 to Bereman; and representative types of tobacco blends described in Bombick et al., Fund. Appl. Toxicol., 39, pp. 11-17 (1997), each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0181] As used herein, reference to a "flavoring agent" refers to a compound or ingredient that can be aerosolized and delivered to a user, and that provides a sensory experience in terms of taste and / or aroma. Exemplary flavorings include, but are not limited to, vanillin, ethyl vanillin, cream, tea, coffee, fruit (e.g., apple, cherry, strawberry, peach, and citrus flavors including lime and lemon), maple, menthol, mint, peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, nutmeg, clove, lavender, cardamom, ginger, honey, anise, sage, rosemary, hibiscus, rosehip, yerba mate, guayusa, honeybush, rooibos, yerba santa, bacopa monniera, ginkgo biloba, withania somnifera, cinnamon, sandalwood, jasmine, cascarilla, cocoa, licorice, and flavor and flavor packages of the type and characteristics traditionally used in cigarette, cigar, and pipe tobacco flavorings. Syrups, such as high fructose corn syrup, can also be used. Exemplary plant-derived compositions that may be suitable are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 9,107,453 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0152265, both to Dube et al., the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. The selection of such additional ingredients can vary based on factors such as the sensory characteristics desired in the smoking article, and the present disclosure is intended to encompass any such other ingredients that would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art of tobacco and tobacco-related or tobacco-derived products. See, for example, Gutcho, *Tobacco Flavoring Substances and Methods*, Noyes Data Corp. (1972), and Leffingwell et al., *Tobacco Flavoring for Smoking Products* (1972), the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. It should be noted that reference to flavor should not be limited to any single flavor mentioned above, but may actually refer to a combination of one or more flavors.

[0182] Some examples of suitable phase change materials include, but are not limited to, salts such as AgNO3, AlCl3, TaCl3, InCl3, SnCl2, AlI3, and TiI4; metals and metal alloys such as selenium, tin, indium, tin-zinc, indium-zinc, or indium-bismuth; and organic compounds such as D-mannitol, succinic acid, p-nitrobenzoic acid, hydroquinone, and adipic acid. Other examples are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,430,106 to Potter et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0183] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol source member 500 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. In the implementation shown, the aerosol source member 500 includes a substrate portion 502 and a mouth end portion 504. In various implementations, the substrate portion 502 may include a series of overlapping layers 506 of an initial substrate sheet (e.g., a collected web including the initial substrate sheet). For example, in the implementation shown, the series of overlapping layers 506 includes a series of layers of an initial substrate sheet similar to or substantially the same as the substrate sheet 200 previously described with respect to FIG. 4. In another exemplary implementation, the series of overlapping layers 506 of an initial substrate sheet may be similar to or substantially the same as the substrate sheet 1200 of FIG. 14. Thus, the composition and configuration of the layers may be similar to or substantially the same as those previously described with respect to the substrate sheet 200 or sheet 1200. In particular, the overlapping layers in the implementation shown may begin as an initial substrate sheet including a mixture of a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, a binder material, and multiple thermally conductive components. See the discussion above regarding various possible fillers, aerosol-forming materials, binder materials, and thermally conductive components for use in the initial substrate sheet, and possible relative amounts of each. The initial substrate sheet may then be folded into an overlapping configuration (e.g., a collected web) for use as the substrate portion 502 of the aerosol source member 500. It should be noted that in various implementations, the term "overlapping layers" may include bundled, clamped, and / or otherwise gathered layers, where the individual layers may not be apparent.

[0184] In various implementations, the mouth-end portion 504 may include a variety of materials, which in some implementations may include a filter, as described above. Other materials that may be positioned in the mouth-end portion, either individually or in any combination, include, but are not limited to, tobacco blends, one or more flavorings, voids, and / or phase change materials. The mouth-end portion 404 may also include a hollow tube structure. In various implementations, such tubes may be constructed from any of a variety of materials and may include one or more adhesives. Exemplary materials include, but are not limited to, paper, paper layers, paperboard, plastic, cardboard, and / or composite materials. See the above discussion of these components with respect to FIG. 6.

[0185] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol source member 600 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. In the implementation shown, the aerosol source member 600 includes a substrate portion 602, a mouth end portion 604, and an overlapping substrate sheet 608 extending around at least a portion of the substrate portion 602. In various implementations, the overlapping substrate sheet 608 may be separated from the optional outer overlapping material, as discussed above. In various implementations, the substrate portion 602 may include a collection of mixed pieces 606 cut from an initial substrate sheet. For example, in the implementation shown, the collection of mixed pieces 606 is cut from an initial substrate sheet similar to or substantially the same as the substrate sheet 200 previously described with reference to FIG. 4 . Thus, the composition and configuration of the individual pieces 606 may be similar to or substantially the same as that previously described with reference to the sheet 200. In particular, the mixed piece 606 of the illustrated implementation may begin as an initial substrate sheet comprising a mixture of fibrous filler, aerosol-forming material, binder material, and multiple thermally conductive components. See the discussion above regarding various possible fillers, aerosol-forming materials, binder materials, and thermally conductive components for use in the initial substrate sheet, and the possible relative amounts of each. The initial substrate sheet may then be cut into multiple pieces (e.g., strips, sections, portions, etc.) and collected for use as substrate portion 602 of aerosol source member 600.

[0186] As mentioned above, in some implementations, the initial substrate sheet may be constructed by a casting process, in which a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, a binder material, and multiple thermally conductive components may be blended together to form a slurry, and the slurry may be cast onto a surface (e.g., a moving belt, etc.). The cast slurry may then undergo one or more drying and / or doctoring steps to obtain an initial sheet of relatively consistent thickness. In the implementation shown, the resulting initial sheet may include multiple metal fibers randomly (or substantially randomly) distributed within the thickness of the sheet.

[0187] As described above, the aerosol source member 600 in the illustrated implementation also includes an overlapping substrate sheet 608 that extends around at least a portion of the substrate portion 602. In the illustrated implementation, the overlapping substrate sheet 608 is similar to or substantially the same as the substrate sheet 300 previously described with reference to FIG. 5 . Thus, the composition and configuration of the overlapping substrate sheet 608 may be similar to or substantially the same as those previously described with reference to the substrate sheet 300. For example, in the illustrated implementation, the overlapping substrate sheet 608 includes a mixture of a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, a binder material, and multiple thermally conductive components. As described above, in various implementations, the thermally conductive components may be made of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, in various implementations, the multiple thermally conductive components may be in the form of granules, powder, fibers, a mesh, a fiber cloth, or any combination thereof. In the implementation shown, the thermally conductive component comprises a series of bands 612 separated by a series of spaces 614 therebetween such that a segmented pattern is formed. Furthermore, in the implementation shown, the series of bands 612 comprising the thermally conductive component are formed on the surface of the overlapping substrate sheet 608. See further the discussion above regarding various possible fillers, aerosol-forming materials, binder materials, and thermally conductive components for use in the initial substrate sheet, and possible relative amounts of each.

[0188] As mentioned above, in some implementations, the overlapping substrate sheet 608 may be constructed by a casting process. For example, a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and a binder material may be blended together to form a slurry, and the slurry may be cast onto a surface (e.g., a moving belt, etc.). The cast slurry may then undergo one or more drying and / or doctoring steps to result in a sheet of relatively consistent thickness.

[0189] In various implementations, the segmented pattern may be created in various ways, including, for example, by selectively adhering, metal printing, laminating, and / or stitching onto the formed overlapping substrate sheet 608. For example, in one implementation, the bands 612 may be created by selectively powder coating a thermally conductive material onto the surface of the overlapping substrate sheet 608. In another implementation, the bands 612 may be created by electrostatically attracting a thermally conductive material onto the surface of the overlapping substrate sheet 608 and adhering a segmented pattern of this material to the overlapping substrate sheet 608. In another implementation, the bands 612 may be created using a masking template. In another implementation, the bands 612 may be created by printing a conductive metallic material onto the surface of the overlapping substrate sheet 608 in a segmented pattern. In another implementation, the thermally conductive material (e.g., in the form of conductive threads) may be sewn onto the surface of the overlapping substrate sheet 608 to form the segmented pattern. As noted above, in various implementations of aerosol source members in which a substrate sheet is used as the overlap substrate sheet, the resulting bands can have any orientation relative to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member, including, for example, bands that are substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member, such as the implementation shown. In other implementations, the bands can have any other angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member, including, for example, being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member or being at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member.

[0190] In various implementations, the mouth-end portion 604 may include a variety of materials, which in some implementations may include a filter, as described above. Other materials that may be positioned in the mouth-end portion, either individually or in any combination, include, but are not limited to, tobacco blends, one or more flavorings, voids, and / or phase change materials. The mouth-end portion 404 may also include a hollow tube structure. In various implementations, such tubes may be constructed from any of a variety of materials and may include one or more adhesives. Exemplary materials include, but are not limited to, paper, paper layers, paperboard, plastic, cardboard, and / or composite materials. See the above discussion of these components with respect to FIG. 6.

[0191] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol source member 700 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. In the implementation shown, the aerosol source member 700 includes a substrate portion 702, a mouth end portion 704, and an overlapping substrate sheet 708 extending around at least a portion of the substrate portion 702. In various implementations, the overlapping substrate sheet 708 may be separate from the optional outer overlapping material, as discussed above. In various implementations, the substrate portion 702 may include a series of overlapping layers 706 of an initial substrate sheet (e.g., a collective web including the initial substrate sheet). For example, in the implementation shown, the series of overlapping layers 706 includes layers of an initial substrate sheet similar to or substantially the same as the substrate sheet 200 already described in connection with FIG. 4. In another exemplary implementation, the series of overlapping layers 506 of an initial substrate sheet may be similar to or substantially the same as the substrate sheet 1200 of FIG. 14. Thus, the composition and configuration of the layers may be similar or substantially the same as those already described with respect to sheet 200 or sheet 1200. In particular, the overlapping layers of the illustrated implementation may begin as an initial substrate sheet that includes a mixture of fibrous filler, aerosol-forming material, binder material, and multiple thermally conductive components. See the discussion above regarding the various possible fillers, aerosol-forming materials, binder materials, and thermally conductive components, and the possible relative amounts of each, that may be used in the initial substrate sheet.

[0192] As noted above, in some implementations, the initial substrate sheet may be constructed by a casting process, in which a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, a binder material, and multiple heat-conducting components are blended together to form a slurry, which may then be cast onto a surface (e.g., a moving belt, etc.). The cast slurry may then undergo one or more drying and / or doctoring steps to obtain an initial sheet of relatively consistent thickness. In the implementation shown, the resulting initial sheet may include multiple metal fibers randomly (or substantially randomly) distributed within the thickness of the sheet. In some implementations, the initial substrate sheet may be a reconstituted tobacco sheet as described above.

[0193] As described above, the aerosol source member 700 in the illustrated implementation also includes an overlapping substrate sheet 708 extending around at least a portion of the substrate portion 702. In the illustrated implementation, the overlapping substrate sheet 708 may be similar to or substantially the same as the substrate sheet 300 previously described with reference to FIG. 5 . Accordingly, the composition and configuration of the overlapping substrate sheet 708 may be similar to or substantially the same as those previously described with reference to the substrate sheet 300. For example, in the illustrated implementation, the overlapping substrate sheet 708 includes a mixture of a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, a binder material, and multiple thermally conductive components. As described above, in various implementations, the thermally conductive components may be made of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, in various implementations, the multiple thermally conductive components may be in the form of granules, powder, fibers, a mesh, a fiber cloth, or any combination thereof. In the implementation shown, the thermally conductive component comprises a series of bands 712 separated by a series of spaces 714 therebetween such that a segmented pattern is formed. Further, in the implementation shown, the series of bands 712 comprising the thermally conductive component are formed on the surface of the overlapping substrate sheet 708. See further the discussion above regarding various possible fillers, aerosol-forming materials, binder materials, and thermally conductive components for use in the initial substrate sheet, and possible relative amounts of each.

[0194] As mentioned above, in some implementations, the overlapping substrate sheet 708 may be constructed by a casting process. For example, a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and a binder material may be blended together to form a slurry, and the slurry may be cast onto a surface (e.g., a moving belt, etc.). The cast slurry may then undergo one or more drying and / or doctoring steps to result in a sheet of relatively consistent thickness.

[0195] In various implementations, the segmented pattern may be created in various ways, including, for example, by selectively adhering, metal printing, laminating, and / or stitching onto the formed overlapping substrate sheet 708. For example, in one implementation, the bands 712 may be created by selectively powder coating a thermally conductive material onto the surface of the overlapping substrate sheet 708. In another implementation, the bands 712 may be created by electrostatically attracting a thermally conductive material onto the surface of the overlapping substrate sheet 708 and adhering a segmented pattern of this material to the overlapping substrate sheet 708. In another implementation, the bands 712 may be created using a masking template. In another implementation, the bands 712 may be created by printing a conductive metallic material onto the surface of the overlapping substrate sheet 708 in a segmented pattern. In another implementation, the thermally conductive material (e.g., in the form of conductive threads) may be sewn onto the surface of the overlapping substrate sheet 708 to form the segmented pattern. As noted above, in various implementations of aerosol source members in which a substrate sheet is used as the overlap substrate sheet, the resulting bands can have any orientation relative to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member, including, for example, bands that are substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member, such as the implementation shown. In other implementations, the bands can have any other angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member, including, for example, being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member or being at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the source member.

[0196] As discussed above, in various implementations, the mouth-end portion 704 may include a variety of materials, which in some implementations may include a filter, as discussed above. Other materials that may be positioned in the mouth-end portion, either individually or in any combination, include, but are not limited to, tobacco blends, one or more flavorings, voids, and / or phase change materials. The mouth-end portion 404 may also include a hollow tube structure. In various implementations, such tubes may be constructed from any of a variety of materials and may include one or more adhesives. Exemplary materials include, but are not limited to, paper, paper layers, paperboard, plastic, cardboard, and / or composite materials. See the above discussion of these components with respect to FIG. 6.

[0197] 15 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol source member 1300 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. In the implementation shown, the aerosol source member 1300 includes a substrate portion 1302, a mouth end portion 1304, and an overlapping substrate sheet 1308 extending around at least a portion of the substrate portion 1302. In various implementations, the overlapping substrate sheet 1308 may be separated from the optional outer overlapping material, as discussed above. In various implementations, the substrate portion 1302 may include a collection of mixed pieces 1306 cut from an initial substrate sheet. For example, in the implementation shown, the collection of mixed pieces 1306 is cut from an initial substrate sheet similar to or substantially the same as the substrate sheet 200 previously described with reference to FIG. 4. Thus, the composition and configuration of the individual pieces 1306 may be similar to or substantially the same as that previously described with reference to the sheet 200. In particular, the mixed pieces 1306 of the illustrated implementation may begin as an initial substrate sheet including a mixture of fibrous filler, aerosol-forming material, binder material, and multiple thermally conductive components. See the discussion above regarding various possible fillers, aerosol-forming materials, binder materials, and thermally conductive components for use in the initial substrate sheet, and the possible relative amounts of each. The initial substrate sheet may then be cut into multiple pieces (e.g., strips, sections, portions, etc.) and collected for use as substrate portions 1302 of the aerosol source member 1300.

[0198] As mentioned above, in some implementations, the initial substrate sheet may be constructed by a casting process, in which a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, a binder material, and multiple heat-conducting components are blended together to form a slurry, which may be cast onto a surface (e.g., a moving belt, etc.). The cast slurry may then undergo one or more drying and / or doctoring steps to obtain an initial sheet of relatively consistent thickness. In the implementation shown, the resulting initial sheet may include multiple metal fibers randomly (or substantially randomly) distributed within the thickness of the sheet. In some implementations, the initial substrate sheet may be the reconstituted tobacco sheet described above.

[0199] As described above, the aerosol source member 1300 in the illustrated implementation also includes an overlapping substrate sheet 1308 extending around at least a portion of the substrate portion 1302. In the illustrated implementation, the overlapping substrate sheet 1308 is similar to or substantially the same as the substrate sheet 1200 previously described with reference to FIG. 14 . Thus, the composition and configuration of the overlapping substrate sheet 1308 may be similar to or substantially the same as those previously described with reference to the substrate sheet 1200. For example, in the illustrated implementation, the overlapping substrate sheet 1308 includes a mixture of fibrous filler, aerosol-forming material, binder material, and multiple thermally conductive components. As described above, in various implementations, the thermally conductive components may be made of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, in various implementations, the multiple thermally conductive components may be in the form of granules, powder, fibers, a mesh, a fiber cloth, or any combination thereof. In the implementation shown, the thermally conductive component comprises a metal mesh 1310 laminated to the substrate sheet. See further the discussion above regarding various possible fillers, aerosol-forming materials, binder materials, and thermally conductive components, and possible relative amounts of each, for use in the initial substrate sheet.

[0200] As noted above, in some implementations, the overlapping substrate sheet 1308 may be constructed by a casting process. For example, a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and a binder material may be blended together to form a slurry, which may then be cast onto a surface (e.g., a moving belt, etc.). The cast slurry may then undergo one or more drying and / or doctoring steps to result in a sheet of relatively consistent thickness. In other implementations, the initial substrate sheet may be a reconstituted tobacco sheet as described above.

[0201] As noted above, in various implementations of the aerosol source member in which a substrate sheet is used as the overlapping substrate sheet, the resulting pattern can have any orientation relative to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member, including, for example, a pattern that is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member, such as the implementation shown. In other implementations, the pattern can have any other angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member.

[0202] In various implementations, the mouth-end portion 1304 may include a variety of materials, which in some implementations may include a filter, as described above. Other materials that may be positioned in the mouth-end portion, either individually or in any combination, include, but are not limited to, tobacco blends, one or more flavorings, voids, and / or phase change materials. The mouth-end portion 404 may also include a hollow tube structure. In various implementations, such tubes may be constructed from any of a variety of materials and may include one or more adhesives. Exemplary materials include, but are not limited to, paper, paper layers, paperboard, plastic, cardboard, and / or composite materials. See the above discussion of these components with respect to FIG. 6.

[0203] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol source member 1400 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. In the implementation shown, the aerosol source member 1400 includes a substrate portion 1402, a mouth end portion 1404, and an overlapping substrate sheet 1408 extending around at least a portion of the substrate portion 1402. In various implementations, the overlapping substrate sheet 1408 may be separate from the optional outer overlapping material, as discussed above. In various implementations, the substrate portion 1402 may include a series of overlapping layers 1406 of an initial substrate sheet (e.g., a collective web including the initial substrate sheet). For example, in the implementation shown, the series of overlapping layers 1406 includes layers of an initial substrate sheet similar to or substantially the same as the substrate sheet 200 already described in connection with FIG. 4. In another exemplary implementation, the series of overlapping layers 1406 of the initial substrate sheet may be similar to or substantially the same as the substrate sheet 1200 of FIG. 14. Thus, the composition and configuration of the layers may be similar or substantially the same as those already described with respect to sheet 200 or sheet 1200. In particular, the overlapping layers of the illustrated implementation may begin as an initial substrate sheet that includes a mixture of fibrous filler, aerosol-forming material, binder material, and multiple thermally conductive components. See the discussion above regarding various possible fillers, aerosol-forming materials, binder materials, and thermally conductive components, and the possible relative amounts of each, for use in the initial substrate sheet.

[0204] As noted above, in some implementations, the initial substrate sheet may be constructed by a casting process, in which a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, a binder material, and multiple heat-conducting components are blended together to form a slurry, which may then be cast onto a surface (e.g., a moving belt, etc.). The cast slurry may then undergo one or more drying and / or doctoring steps to obtain an initial sheet of relatively consistent thickness. In the implementation shown, the resulting initial sheet may include multiple metal fibers randomly (or substantially randomly) distributed within the thickness of the sheet. In other implementations, the initial substrate sheet may be the reconstituted tobacco sheet described above.

[0205] As described above, the aerosol source member 1400 in the illustrated implementation also includes an overlapping substrate sheet 1408 extending around at least a portion of the substrate portion 1402. In the illustrated implementation, the overlapping substrate sheet 1408 is similar to or substantially the same as the substrate sheet 1200 previously described with respect to FIG. 14 . Thus, the composition and configuration of the overlapping substrate sheet 1408 may be similar to or substantially the same as those previously described with respect to the substrate sheet 1200. For example, in the illustrated implementation, the overlapping substrate sheet 1408 includes a mixture of fibrous filler, aerosol-forming material, binder material, and multiple thermally conductive components. As described above, in various implementations, the thermally conductive components may be made of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, in various implementations, the multiple thermally conductive components may be in the form of granules, powder, fibers, a mesh, a fiber cloth, or any combination thereof. In the implementation shown, the thermally conductive component comprises a metal mesh 1410 laminated to the substrate sheet. See further the discussion above regarding various possible fillers, aerosol-forming materials, binder materials, and thermally conductive components, and possible relative amounts of each, for use in the initial substrate sheet.

[0206] As noted above, in some implementations, the overlapping substrate sheet 1408 may be constructed by a casting process. For example, a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and a binder material may be blended together to form a slurry, which may then be cast onto a surface (e.g., a moving belt, etc.). The cast slurry may then undergo one or more drying and / or doctoring steps to result in a sheet of relatively consistent thickness. In other implementations, the initial substrate sheet may be a reconstituted tobacco sheet as described above.

[0207] As noted above, in various implementations of the aerosol source member in which a substrate sheet is used as the overlapping substrate sheet, the resulting pattern can have any orientation relative to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member, including, for example, a pattern that is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member, such as the implementation shown. In other implementations, the pattern can have any other angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member.

[0208] As discussed above, in various implementations, the mouth-end portion 1404 may include a variety of materials, which in some implementations may include a filter, as discussed above. Other materials that may be positioned in the mouth-end portion, either individually or in any combination, include, but are not limited to, tobacco blends, one or more flavorings, voids, and / or phase change materials. The mouth-end portion 404 may also include a hollow tube structure. In various implementations, such tubes may be constructed from any of a variety of materials and may include one or more adhesives. Exemplary materials include, but are not limited to, paper, paper layers, paperboard, plastic, cardboard, and / or composite materials. See the above discussion of these components with respect to FIG. 6.

[0209] 10 illustrates various operations in a method 800 of manufacturing an aerosol-generating substrate for use in an aerosol source member, according to exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. In various implementations, method 800 may include providing a fibrous filler material in operation 802, providing an aerosol-forming material in operation 804, providing a binder material in operation 806, and providing a plurality of thermally conductive components in operation 808. Method 800 may further include forming a substrate sheet using the fibrous filler material, aerosol-forming material, binder material, and a plurality of thermally conductive components in operation 810. In various implementations, see the fibrous filler material, aerosol-forming material, and binder material, as well as the substrate sheet, previously described with respect to FIGS. 4-5 .

[0210] 11 illustrates various operations in a method 900 of manufacturing an aerosol source member for use with an aerosol source delivery device according to exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. In various implementations, the method 900 may include, in operation 902, forming an initial substrate sheet including a fibrous filler material, an aerosol delivery device, a binder material, and a plurality of thermally conductive components. The method 900 may further include, in operation 904, cutting the initial substrate sheet into a plurality of pieces, in operation 906, forming a mixed collection of pieces from the plurality of pieces of the initial substrate sheet, and in operation 908, using the mixed collection of pieces to form a substrate portion. In various implementations, the fibrous filler material, aerosol delivery material, binder material, and thermally conductive components, as well as the substrate sheet, are described above with respect to FIGS. 4-6 and 8.

[0211] 12 illustrates various operations in a method 1000 of manufacturing an aerosol source member for use with an aerosol source delivery device according to exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. In various implementations, the method 1000 may include, in operation 1002, forming an initial substrate sheet including a fibrous filler material, an aerosol delivery device, a binder material, and a plurality of thermally conductive components. The method 1000 may further include, in operation 1004, overlapping multiple layers of the initial substrate sheet and, in operation 1006, forming a substrate portion using the overlapping layers. In various implementations, see the fibrous filler material, aerosol delivery material, binder material, and thermally conductive components, and substrate sheet previously described with respect to FIGS. 4-5, 7, and 9.

[0212] 13 illustrates various operations in a method 1100 of manufacturing an aerosol source member for use with an aerosol source delivery device, according to exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. In various implementations, the method 1100 may include, at operation 1102, forming a mixture including a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, a binder material, and a plurality of thermally conductive components. The method 1100 may further include, at operation 1104, extruding and spheronizing the mixture into a plurality of granules, and forming a collection of the granules at operation 1106. The method may further include, at operation 1108, using the collection of granules to form a substrate portion. It should be noted that in some implementations, the granules may be encapsulated spheres.

[0213] The present disclosure provides aerosol-generating substrates and aerosol source members for use in aerosol delivery devices that use electrical energy to heat a heating element, i.e., heat a substrate material to form an inhalable substance such as an aerosol (preferably without burning the substrate material to any significant extent), and that are sufficiently compact to be considered "handheld" devices. In certain implementations, such devices may be specifically characterized as smoking articles. As used herein, the term refers to a device or article that provides the taste and / or sensation (e.g., feel or mouthfeel) of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe without the actual combustion of any component of the device. The term smoking device or article does not necessarily indicate that the device produces smoke in the sense of combustion or pyrolysis by-products during operation. Rather, smoking refers to the physical actions of an individual in using the device—e.g., holding the device in one's hand, drawing on one end of the device, and inhaling from the device. In further implementations, the devices of the present invention may be characterized as vapor-generating devices, aerosolization devices, or pharmaceutical delivery devices. Accordingly, the devices may be configured to provide one or more substances in an inhalable form.

[0214] As mentioned above, the aerosol source member and the control body can be provided together as a complete smoking article or medication delivery article, although the components can also be provided separately. For example, the present disclosure also encompasses disposable units for use with reusable smoking articles or reusable medication delivery articles. In certain implementations, such disposable units (which may be aerosol source members, as shown in the accompanying figures) can include a substantially tubular-shaped body having a heating end configured to engage a reusable smoking article or medication delivery article, an opposing mouth end configured to deliver an inhalable substance to a consumer, and a wall with outer and inner surfaces defining an interior space. Various implementations of aerosol source members (or cartridges) are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0215] In addition to disposable units, the present disclosure may further be characterized as providing a separate control body for use with a reusable smoking article or a reusable medication delivery article. In certain implementations, the control body may generally be a housing having a receiving end (which may include a receiving chamber with an open end) that receives the heating end of a separately provided aerosol source member. The control body may further include an electrical energy source that provides power to the electric heating member, which may be a component of the control body or may be included in the aerosol source member used with the control unit. For example, in some implementations, the electrical energy source may power one or more heating assemblies, which in some implementations may be conductive heat sources and / or inductive heat sources. In some implementations, one or more of the heating assemblies may be independent and / or separate from one or more other heating assemblies. Thus, in some implementations, there may be one or more conductive heat assemblies. In other implementations, there may be one or more inductive heat assemblies. In still other implementations, there may be one or more conductive heat assemblies and one or more inductive heat assemblies. In various implementations, the control body may also include additional components, including a power source (such as a battery), components for activating current to the heating element, and components for regulating such current to maintain a desired temperature for a desired time and / or for cycling or stopping the current when the desired temperature is reached or the heating element has heated for a desired length of time. In some implementations, the control unit may further include one or more pushbuttons associated with one or both of the components for activating current to the heating element and the components for regulating such current. The control body may also include one or more indicators, such as a light that indicates when the heater is heating and / or indicates the number of puffs remaining on an aerosol source element used with the control body.

[0216] Although some figures described herein show the control body and aerosol source member in operative relationship, it is understood that the control body and aerosol source member may exist as separate devices, and therefore any discussion presented elsewhere herein with respect to combined components should also be understood to apply to the control body and aerosol source member as individual and separate components.

[0217] In another aspect, the present disclosure may be directed to a kit providing various components described herein. For example, the kit may include a control body with one or more aerosol source members. The kit may further include a control body with one or more charging components. The kit may further include a control body with one or more batteries. The kit may further include a control body with one or more aerosol source members and one or more charging components and / or one or more batteries. In further implementations, the kit may include multiple aerosol source members. The kit may further include multiple aerosol source members and one or more batteries and / or one or more charging components. In the above implementations, the aerosol source member or the control body may be provided with a heating element included therein. The kit of the present invention may further include a case (or other packaging, carrying, or storage component) for housing one or more of the additional kit components. The case can be a reusable rigid or flexible container. Furthermore, the case can simply be a box or other packaging structure.

[0218] Many modifications and other embodiments of the present disclosure will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. It is to be understood, therefore, that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

1. 1. A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member for use with an aerosol delivery device, comprising: forming a mixture including a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and a plurality of thermally conductive components; forming a plurality of granules from the mixture; forming a mass of granules; forming a substrate portion of an aerosol source member using a collection of granules; A method comprising:

2. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of forming a plurality of granules comprises extruding and spheronizing the mixture into a plurality of granules.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mixture further comprises a binder material.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the material of the thermally conductive component comprises at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fibrous filler comprises at least one of a tobacco material and a tobacco-derived material.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fibrous filler comprises a non-tobacco material.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the form of the heat-conducting component comprises at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of thermally conductive components comprises at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of encasing the substrate portion with an overwrap sheet.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the overwrap sheet comprises a series of bands formed on a surface of the overwrap sheet.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the series of bands comprises a thermally conductive component.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the material of the thermally conductive components of the series of bands comprises at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

13. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the series of bands are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source member.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of heat conducting components comprises a resonant receiver configured to exhibit an alternating current when exposed to an oscillating magnetic field from a resonant transmitter.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of thermally conductive components of the overlapping sheet include resonant receivers configured to exhibit alternating current when exposed to an oscillating magnetic field from a resonant transmitter.

16. 1. A method of manufacturing an aerosol source member for use with an aerosol delivery device, comprising: forming a substrate sheet comprising a fibrous filler, an aerosol-forming material, and a plurality of thermally conductive components; Cutting the substrate sheet into a plurality of small pieces; forming a collection of pieces from a plurality of pieces of the substrate sheet; forming a substrate portion of an aerosol source member using a collection of small pieces; A method comprising:

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the substrate sheet further comprises a binder material.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the thermally conductive component is incorporated into the substrate sheet.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the thermally conductive component is formed on a surface of the substrate sheet.

20. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the form of the thermally conductive component comprises at least one of a granular form, a powder form, a fiber form, a mesh form, and a fiber cloth form.

21. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the material of the thermally conductive component comprises at least one of a metal material, a metal alloy material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, and a polymer fiber material coated with a metal material.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein the thermally conductive component is formed in a segmented pattern.

23. The method of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of thermally conductive components comprises at least one of a metal mesh laminate and a metal fiber cloth laminate.

24. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the fibrous filler comprises at least one of a tobacco material and a tobacco-derived material.

25. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the fibrous filler comprises a non-tobacco material.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the segmented pattern is created using a masking template.

27. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of encasing the substrate portion with an overwrap sheet.

28. The method of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of heat conducting components comprises a resonant receiver configured to exhibit an alternating current when exposed to an oscillating magnetic field from a resonant transmitter.

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