Electronic steam inhaler

Abstract

The invention provides an electronic vapor inhaler that allows capsules to be easily inserted into place and ensures a uniform airflow across a heated flavor-releasing medium. [Solution] The electronic vapor inhaler 10 comprises a housing 12 having a proximal end 14 and a distal end 16, a mouthpiece 18 at the proximal end 14 of the housing 12, and a chamber 24 for receiving a flavor release medium 40 and an induction heatable element. The electronic vapor inhaler 10 is equipped with an induction heating device 50 at the distal end 16 of the housing 12, and the induction heating device 50 is configured to inductively heat the induction heatable element, thereby heating the flavor release medium 40.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to electronic vaporizers, and more particularly to capsules containing a flavor release medium for use with an electronic vaporizer, the flavor release medium being capable of being heated to produce vapor for inhalation by a user.

Background Art

[0002] The use of electronic vaporizers (also known as e-cigarettes, e-cigs, and personal vaporizers), which can be used as an alternative to conventional smoking devices such as cigarettes, cigars, and pipes, is becoming increasingly popular. Electronic vaporizers, which are typically battery-powered, heat and atomize a nicotine-containing liquid to produce a vapor containing nicotine that can be inhaled by a user. The vapor is inhaled through a mouthpiece to deliver nicotine to the lungs, and the vapor exhaled by the user generally mimics the appearance of the smoke of conventional smoking devices. Inhalation of the vapor produces a physical sensation similar to conventional smoking, but harmful chemicals such as carbon dioxide and tar are not produced or inhaled because there is no combustion.

[0003] Currently, various electronic vaporizers are commercially available, but all have drawbacks that the present disclosure seeks to overcome.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a capsule for an electronic vaporizer is provided, the capsule comprising a shell for containing a flavor release medium, and an inductively heatable element disposed within the shell and configured to heat the flavor release medium, wherein at least a portion of the shell comprises a breathable material.

[0005] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic vaporizer is provided, the electronic vaporizer comprising a housing having a proximal end and a distal end, a mouthpiece at the proximal end of the housing, A capsule according to the first aspect of this disclosure, which is disposed within the enclosure, An induction heating device configured to inductively heat an induction-heatable element, thereby heating a flavor-releasing medium, and It is equipped with.

[0006] The capsules provide a user-friendly method for loading the flavor-releasing medium into the electronic vapor inhaler, avoiding the need for the user to directly handle the medium and thus reducing the possibility of leakage and waste. Since the flavor-releasing medium is placed into the shell during manufacturing to form a pre-fabricated capsule, its integrity, safety, and quality can also be guaranteed. Accurate administration of the flavor-releasing medium can also be ensured.

[0007] By positioning an inductively heatable element within the shell in close proximity to and in contact with at least a portion of the flavor-releasing medium, the flavor-releasing medium is rapidly and efficiently heated in the presence of an inductive magnetic field, resulting in a quick heating response with relatively low power requirements. The capsule has no moving parts whatsoever, and the heating element is a disposable item contained within the shell. The heating element is replaced each time the capsule is changed, so it is never used up and therefore does not degrade over time. This should be contrasted, for example, with existing e-vapor inhalers that have a resistance heating element in the inhaler housing that is used up or fails after a predetermined amount of use. In the event of failure, the e-vapor inhaler may need to be discarded entirely or replaced with a new one.

[0008] The breathable material allows ambient air to flow into the shell and through it as the user inhales through the mouthpiece, ensuring that the airflow is evenly distributed throughout the shell. This maximizes the release of flavor and aroma from the heated flavor-releasing medium, resulting in vapor that is more appealing to the user.

[0009] The flavor release medium may be any material that can be heated to release vapor for user inhalation. The flavor release medium may be tobacco or tobacco material and may be impregnated with a vapor-forming medium such as propylene glycol. However, the flavor release medium is not limited to tobacco, and any flavor release medium may be used. The flavor release medium may take any suitable shape, including fine fragments or pellets, or fibers.

[0010] Capsules are typically single-use, disposable items. They can therefore be easily and undamaged removed from the vapor inhaler once sufficient flavor and aroma are no longer released from the flavor medium. A new capsule, pre-filled with flavor medium, can then be easily inserted into its place.

[0011] The shell may include a base region and a sidewall region. The base region may be formed of a breathable material. The sidewall region may be formed of a breathable material. The base region and the sidewall region may be integrally molded. A uniform airflow is provided within the shell through the breathable base region and / or sidewall region, ensuring a uniform airflow across the heated flavor-releasing medium.

[0012] The shell may include a lid, which may be formed of a breathable material. The lid may be sealed to the upper periphery of the side wall region to close the shell. Heated air or vapor may therefore exit the shell through the breathable lid. If heated air exits the shell through the breathable lid, the heated air typically cools and condenses as it passes through the electronic vapor inhaler, forming vapor. In either case, vapor with an acceptable flavor and aroma is delivered to the mouthpiece for inhalation by the user.

[0013] Permeable materials are preferably electrically insulating and non-magnetic. Essential properties of these materials include high permeability for air to flow through them, resistance to high temperatures, and low cost. Examples of suitable materials include cellulose fibers, paper, cotton, and silk. This list is not exhaustive, and those skilled in the art will readily understand that many other permeable materials can be used. Permeable materials can also act as filters.

[0014] The lid may be perforated, for example, to provide an air outlet from the shell for heated air or steam.

[0015] The capsule may contain multiple induction-heatable elements. The number of induction-heatable elements may be selected to provide optimal heating of the flavor-releasing medium. The induction-heatable elements may be spaced apart from the base region and the lid. The induction-heatable elements may be spaced at regular intervals. The spacing of the induction-heatable elements substantially defines multiple adjacent regions for the flavor-releasing medium such that the induction-heatable elements and the flavor-releasing medium are alternately arranged between the base region and the lid.

[0016] One or each of the induction-heatable elements may be formed such that their cross-sectional shape substantially matches that of the shell. The shell may, for example, have a substantially circular cross-section, and one or each of the induction-heatable elements may include a substantially circular disk which may be coaxially arranged within the shell.

[0017] Each or one of the induction-heatable elements may include one or more openings. This can allow air to flow through each or one of the induction-heatable elements, thereby improving airflow through the shell and, consequently, improving airflow through the heated flavor-releasing medium.

[0018] The housing of the electronic vapor inhaler may include a chamber in which a capsule is removably disposed. The chamber may be thermally isolated from the external environment. The chamber may be located at any suitable position between the distal and proximal ends of the housing. In some embodiments, the chamber may be located at the proximal end. In other embodiments, the chamber may be located at the distal end. In the latter case, even if the temperature of the outer surface of the housing rises slightly as the contents of the shell are heated during the operation of the induction heating device, this temperature rise does not occur at the proximal end of the housing where the mouthpiece is located.

[0019] The induction heating device may include an induction coil. The induction coil may extend around the chamber.

[0020] The housing may include air inlets through which air can flow into the chamber and into the shell through a breathable material. Multiple air inlets may be provided. The housing may be fitted with an airflow control mechanism to modify the airflow through one or each of the air inlets, and consequently the airflow into the shell through the breathable material. This may allow the user to influence the amount of flavor and aroma released from the heated flavor-releasing medium during inhalation through the mouthpiece.

[0021] An electronic vapor inhaler may include a temperature sensor to measure the temperature inside the shell. The temperature sensor may penetrate the shell, for example, the lid, but this is not strictly required. Any suitable temperature sensor may be used, for example, a thermocouple, resistance temperature detector, or thermistor.

[0022] The temperature sensor may include a hollow passage that can also act as an air outlet to allow heated air or vapor to flow from the shell to the mouthpiece.

[0023] The electronic vapor inhaler may include a control device configured to energize an inductive heating device to maintain a substantially constant predetermined temperature within the shell. The control device may be configured to energize the inductive heating device based on the temperature measured by a temperature sensor, thereby creating a closed-loop feedback control device. However, it should be understood that temperature control can be achieved without using a temperature sensor to measure the temperature within the shell.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024] [Figure 1] It is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electronic vapor inhaler including a capsule according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] It is an enlarged view of the distal end of the electronic vapor inhaler shown in FIG. 1 and the capsule. [Figure 3] It is a schematic side view through the capsule shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. [Figure 4] It is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 2. [Figure 5] It is a view similar to FIG. 2 of an alternative embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0025] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described below by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] The electronic vapor inhaler 10 includes a generally elongated housing 12 having a proximal end 14 and a distal end 16. The electronic vapor inhaler 10 includes a mouthpiece 18 at the proximal end 14 through which a user can inhale vapor generated by heating a flavor-release medium 40. The electronic vapor inhaler 10 includes a control device 20 in the form of a microprocessor (not shown) and a power source 22 in the form of one or more batteries that can be inductively rechargeable, for example.

[0027] The housing 12 includes a chamber 24 into which a capsule 26 can be removably inserted. In the drawings, the chamber 24 is located at the distal end 16 of the housing 12, but this is not strictly required and it may be at any suitable location between the proximal end 14 and the distal end 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the chamber 24 is formed as a removable part and is accessed by removing it from the distal end 16 of the housing 12. In an alternative embodiment, the chamber 24 may not be removable and may be formed in the housing 12, and the chamber 24 may be accessed simply by removing an access cover or cap. In either case, the capsule 26 can be easily inserted into or removed from the chamber 24.

[0028] The capsule 26, which is most clearly visible in Figures 3 and 4, comprises a shell 28 having a substantially circular cross-section in the illustrated embodiment. The shell 28 comprises a base 30 and side walls 32, which can be integrally molded. The side walls 32 have an upper periphery 33 that defines an opening 36 at the upper part 34 of the shell 28. In the illustrated embodiment, the diameter of the shell 28 gradually increases from the base wall 30 to the upper part 34, so that the shell 28 has a substantially frustoconical shape. This diameter, however, may be substantially constant so that the shell 28 has a substantially cylindrical shape.

[0029] The capsule 26 includes a lid 38 that is tightly attached to the upper part 34 of the shell 28 around the upper peripheral edge 33 of the side wall 32, for example, using a suitable adhesive or by any other suitable method. In the embodiments shown in Figures 1-4, both the base 30 and the side wall 32 are formed of a breathable material, allowing ambient air to flow into the shell 28. The lid 38 is also formed of a breathable material, allowing heated air or vapor to exit the shell 28 and flow along the conduit 15 to the mouthpiece 18. The breathable material typically includes cellulose fibers, but other materials may, of course, be used, as already described herein.

[0030] The shell 28 is filled with a flavor-releasing medium 40 before the lid 38 is sealed to the top 34 of the shell 28 around the upper peripheral edge 33 of the side wall 32. The flavor-releasing medium 40 typically contains tobacco or tobacco material, which may be impregnated with a vapor-forming medium such as propylene glycol, so that it can be heated to produce vapor for inhalation by the user through the mouthpiece 18 of the electronic vapor inhaler 10. When tobacco or tobacco material is used, the electronic vapor inhaler 10 can be used as an e-cigarette. However, as already described herein, materials other than tobacco may also be used.

[0031] The capsule 26 includes a plurality of inductively heatable elements 42 located within the shell 28, spaced roughly equally apart between the base 30 and the lid 38. The inductively heatable elements 42 contain any suitable material that increases in temperature in the presence of an induced magnetic field.

[0032] In the illustrated embodiment, the induction-heatable element 42 is a substantially circular disc shape whose cross-section substantially coincides with the substantially circular cross-section of the shell 28 (see Figure 4). However, the induction-heatable element 42 can take any suitable shape. As can be seen from Figure 4, the diameter of the circular induction-heatable element 42 is smaller than the diameter of the circular shell 28 so that air can flow between the periphery of the circular induction-heatable element 42 and the side wall 32 inside the shell 28.

[0033] The induction heating element 42 comes into contact with at least a portion of the flavor release medium 40. As a result When the induction-heatable element 42 is heated in the presence of an induction magnetic field, the flavor-releasing medium 40 tends to heat rapidly and uniformly across the shell 28. As a result, the temperature of the heated shell 28 is substantially uniform throughout.

[0034] The electronic vapor inhaler 10 includes an induction heating device 50, which comprises an induction coil 52 that can be energized by a power source 22. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, when the induction coil 52 is energized, a magnetic field is formed, which generates eddy currents in the induction heatable element 42, thus heating the induction heatable element 42. This heat is then transferred from the induction heatable element 42 to the flavor release medium 40, for example, by conduction, radiation, and convection.

[0035] The operation of the induction heating device 50 is controlled by the control device 20 to maintain the flavor release medium 40 within the shell 28 at a substantially constant temperature optimized for the release of flavor and aroma from the flavor release medium 40.

[0036] In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 and 2, the electron vapor inhaler 10 includes a temperature sensor 44 that penetrates the lid 38 and extends into the shell 28 when the capsule 26 is inside the chamber 24. The temperature sensor 44 measures the temperature inside the shell 28, and the control device 20 controls the operation of the induction heating device 50 based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 44.

[0037] If a user wishes to use the electronic vapor inhaler 10 to inhale vapor, the user may first need to gain access to the chamber 24 by removing the chamber 24 from the distal end 16 of the housing 12 (for example, by loosening a screw). The user then places a pre-manufactured capsule 26 into the chamber 24. The pre-manufactured capsules 26 are typically supplied in individually purchased packs, and the flavor-releasing medium 40 and induction-heatable element 42 are provided during the manufacture of the capsules 26 and are therefore already included in each capsule 26. Placing the capsule 26 into the chamber 24 is therefore a very simple process for the user.

[0038] The user then closes the chamber 24 by reattaching it to the distal end 16 of the housing 12 (for example, by screwing it back onto the housing 12). While the chamber 24 is being attached to the housing 12, the temperature sensor 44 penetrates the lid 38. The electronic vapor inhaler 10 can then be switched on by the user to a usable state, so that the induction coil 52 is energized as described above, heating the induction-heatable element 42 and the flavor-releasing medium 40 so that the flavor-releasing medium 40 is heated without combustion.

[0039] When a user places their mouth over the mouthpiece 18 and inhales, ambient air is drawn into the chamber 24 through the air inlet 54. The ambient air enters the shell 28 through the base 30 and side walls 32, which are formed of a breathable material as described above. This airflow is schematically shown by line 56. As the air flows through the shell 28, it is heated, and the heated air, having the appropriate aroma and flavor, flows out of the shell 28 through the breathable lid 38, as shown by line 58. As the heated air flows along the conduit 15, it cools and condenses to form vapor that can be inhaled by the user through the mouthpiece 18. The control device 20 may include a temperature selection device to allow the user to select a desired vapor inhalation temperature, since the optimal vapor temperature at the mouthpiece 18 is a matter of personal preference.

[0040] It is understood that during inhalation and as ambient air flows into and through the shell 28, the induction coil 52 may be energized as needed to maintain a substantially constant temperature within the shell 28. This consequently ensures that the temperature of the vapor inhaled by the user through the mouthpiece 18 remains substantially constant.

[0041] When the flavor and aroma of the vapor supplied to the mouthpiece 18 reach a level that the user deems unacceptable, the chamber 24 can be accessed, for example, by removing it from the distal end 16 of the housing 12. The used capsule 26 is then removed and discarded, and a new capsule 26 may be placed in the chamber 24 before the chamber 24 is re-equipped to the distal end 16 as described above to prepare the electronic vapor inhaler 10 for use.

[0042] Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the electronic vapor inhaler 60. The electronic vapor inhaler 60 shares many common features with the electronic vapor inhaler 10 shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4, and corresponding features are therefore indicated by corresponding reference numerals.

[0043] The electronic vapor inhaler 60 uses a modified temperature sensor 62 having a hollow passage 46, through which heated air or vapor flows out of the shell 28 via the hollow passage 46 and along the conduit 15 to the mouthpiece 18. Therefore, in this alternative embodiment, it is not strictly necessary for the lid 38 to contain a breathable material. To accommodate the temperature sensor 62, each induction-heatable element 42 includes a central gap 64. These gaps also tend to improve airflow through the shell 28.

[0044] While exemplary embodiments have been described in the preceding paragraphs, it should be understood that various modifications may be made to these embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the claims should not be limited to the exemplary embodiments described above. Each feature disclosed herein, including the claims and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent, or similar purpose unless explicitly stated otherwise.

[0045] For example, it is not necessarily required that both the base 30 and the side walls 32 of the shell 28 be made of a breathable material; it is sufficient if only one of them is made of a breathable material. In this case, it may be preferable that the base 30 be made of a breathable material so that air flows through the shell 28 between the base 30 and the top 34, thereby exposing almost all of the flavor release medium 40.

[0046] In practice, as described above, it is sometimes desirable to use multiple induction-heatable elements 42, but a single induction-heatable element 42 may be used to achieve the required heating of the flavor-releasing medium 40.

[0047] Unless the context explicitly requires otherwise, words such as “equipped with” or “possessing” should be interpreted in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense, that is, “including, but not limited to.”

[0048] Any combination of the features described above in all possible modifications thereof is included in the present invention unless otherwise shown herein or unless it is clearly inconsistent with the context.

Claims

1. A housing having a proximal end and a distal end, The mouthpiece at the proximal end of the housing, A chamber for receiving a flavor-releasing medium and an induction-heatable element, An induction heating device at the distal end of the housing, configured to inductively heat the induction-heatable element disposed within the chamber, thereby heating the flavor release medium. An electronic vapor inhaler equipped with, The chamber is located at the distal end of the housing, and the induction heating device comprises an induction coil extending around the chamber. Electronic steam inhaler.

2. The electron vapor inlet according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes an air inlet, and air can flow into the chamber through the air inlet.

3. The electron vapor inhaler according to claim 2, wherein the air inlet is located at the distal end of the housing.

4. The electron vapor inhaler according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a conduit between the chamber and the mouthpiece.

5. The electron vapor inhaler according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a control device and a power source disposed within the housing between the induction heating device and the mouthpiece.

6. The electronic vapor inhaler according to claim 5, referencing claim 4, wherein the control device and the power source are arranged around the conduit.

7. The electron vapor inhaler according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the control device is configured to activate the induction heating device in order to maintain a substantially predetermined temperature inside the chamber.

8. The electron vapor inhaler according to claim 7, further comprising a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature inside the chamber, and the control device being configured to activate the induction heating device to maintain the substantially predetermined temperature based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.

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