Pressure-sensing user interface for aerosol delivery devices

Abstract

To provide an improved electronic device for aerosol delivery devices that can extend the usefulness of the device. [Solution] The aerosol delivery device 100 includes a housing 216 for holding an aerosol precursor composition, an aerosol generating component, and a processing circuit 208 configured to operate in an active mode to control power to the aerosol generating component. It also has a user interface including a pressure-sensitive surface and a pressure sensor that measures pressure and generates a corresponding signal in accordance with the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface. The processing circuit is also configured to receive a sequence of corresponding signals and to identify an action based on the level of the corresponding signals and, by extension, the sequence of the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface. The processing circuit is also configured to perform an action in response to a sequence of corresponding signals and, by extension, in response to a sequence of the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices such as smoking articles that generate an aerosol. The smoking article may be configured to heat, otherwise dispense, or otherwise generate an aerosol from an aerosol precursor, which may incorporate materials made from or extracted from tobacco, or otherwise incorporate tobacco, and the precursor is capable of forming an inhalable substance for human consumption.

Background Art

[0002] Over the years, many smoking articles have been proposed as improved or alternative smoking products to those that burn tobacco. Some exemplary alternatives include devices in which a solid fuel or a liquid fuel is burned to transfer heat to the tobacco or provide such a heat source, or in which a chemical reaction is used. Additional exemplary alternatives use electrical energy to heat tobacco and / or other aerosol-generating substrate materials, as described in U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The point of improvements or alternatives to smoking articles is typically to provide the sensation associated with smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe without delivering a significant amount of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products. To this end, numerous smoking products, flavor generators, and medicinal inhalers have been proposed that attempt to provide the sensation of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe without using electrical energy to vaporize or heat volatile substances or to burn tobacco to a significant degree. See, for example, various alternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and heat sources described in the background art described in U.S. Patent 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. Furthermore, various types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and electric heating sources, as referenced by trademark names and commercial sources in, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0220232 to Bless et al., are also referenced and incorporated herein by reference. Additional types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and electric heating sources, as referenced by trademark names and commercial sources, are enumerated in, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0245659 to DePiano et al., which are also incorporated herein by reference.As described, other representative cigarettes or smoking articles sold on the market include U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; U.S. Patents No. 4,922,901, 4,947,874, and 4,947,875 to Brooks et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,060,671 to Counts et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al.; and U.S. Patent No. 5,388,594 to Counts et al. U.S. Patent No. 5,666,977 for Higgins et al.; U.S. Patent No. 6,053,176 for Adams et al.; U.S. Patent No. 6,164,287 for White; U.S. Patent No. 6,196,218 for Voges; U.S. Patent No. 6,810,883 for Felter et al.; U.S. Patent No. 6,854,461 for Nichols; U.S. Patent No. 7,832,410 for Hon; U.S. Patent No. 7,510 for Kobayashi U.S. Patent Publication No. 3,253; U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 for Robinson et al.; U.S. Patent No. 7,896,006 for Hamano; U.S. Patent No. 6,772,756 for Shayan; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009 / 0095311 for Hon; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006 / 0196518, No. 2009 / 0126745, and No. 2009 / 0188490 for Hon; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009 for Thorens et al. This includes the patents described in U.S. Patent Publication No. / 0272379; U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2009 / 0260641 and 2009 / 0260642 to Monsees et al.; U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2008 / 0149118 and 2010 / 0024834 to Oglesby et al.; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010 / 0307518 to Wang; and International Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 091593 to Hon, which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0004] Representative products with many similar attributes to traditional cigarettes, cigars, or pipes include: ACCORD(R) by Philip Morris Incorporated; ALPHA(TM), JOYE 510(TM), and M4(TM) by InnoVapor LLC; CIRRUS(TM) and FLING(TM) by White Cloud Cigarettes; BLU(TM) by Fontem Ventures BV; COHITA(TM), COLIBRI(TM), ELITE CLASSIC(TM), MAGNUM(TM), PHANTOM(TM), and SENSE(TM) by EPUFFER(R) International Inc.; DUOPRO(TM), STORM(TM), and VAPORKING(R) by Electronic Cigarettes, Inc.; EGAR(TM) by Egar Australia; eGo-C(TM) and eGo-T(TM) by Joyetech; ELUSION(TM) by Elusion UK Ltd; EONSMOKE(R) by Eonsmoke LLC; and FIN Branding. FIN(TM) by Group, LLC; SMOKE(R) by Green Smoke Inc. USA; GREENARETTE(TM) by Greenarette LLC; HALLIGAN(TM), HENDU(TM), JET(TM), MAXXQ(TM), PINK(TM), and PITBULL(TM) by SMOKE STIK(R); HEATBAR(TM) by Philip Morris International, Inc.; HYDRO IMPERIAL(TM) and LXE(TM) from Crown7; LOGIC(TM) and THE CUBAN(TM) by LOGIC Technology; LUCI(R) by Luciano Smokes Inc.; METRO(R) by Nicotek, LLC; NJOY(R) and ONEJOY(TM) by Sottera, Inc.; NO.7(TM) by SS Choice LLC; PREMIUM ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE(TM) by PremiumEstore LLC; Ruyan America, Inc.RAPP E-MYSTICK(TM); RED DRAGON(TM) by Red Dragon Products, LLC; RUYAN(R) by Ruyan Group(Holdings)Ltd.; SF(R) by Smoker Friendly International, LLC; GREEN SMART SMOKER(R) by Smart Smoking Electronic Cigarette Company Ltd.; SMOKE ASSIST(R) by Coastline Products LLC; SMOKING EVERYWHERE(R) by Smoking Everywhere, Inc.; V2CIGS(TM) by VMR Products LLC; VAPOR NINE(TM) by VaporNine LLC; VAPOR4LIFE(R) by Vapor 4 Life, Inc.; VEPPO(TM) by E-CigaretteDirect, LLC; VUSE(R) by RJReynolds Vapor Company; MISTIC MENTHOL products by Mystic Ecigs; VYPE products by CN Creative Ltd.; IQOS(TM) by Philip Morris International; British American It is marketed as GLO(TM) by Tobacco; MARK TEN products by Nu Mark LLC; and JUUL products by Juul Labs, Inc. Furthermore, other electric aerosol delivery devices, and among others, those characterized as so-called e-cigarettes, are marketed under the trademark names COOLER VISIONS(TM); DIRECT E-CIG(TM); DRAGONFLY(TM); EMIST(TM); EVERSMOKE(TM); GAMUCCI(R); HYBRID FLAME(TM); KNIGHT STICKS(TM); ROYAL BLUES(TM); SMOKETIP(R); and SOUTH BEACH SMOKE(TM).

[0005] However, it is probably desirable to provide aerosol delivery devices with improved electronic components that can extend the usefulness of the device. [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] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 [Patent Document 4] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 [Patent Document 5] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0220232 Specification [Patent Document 6] U.S. 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 Specification [Patent Document 17] U.S. Patent No. 6,196,218 Specification [Patent Document 18] U.S. Patent No. 6,810,883 Specification [Patent Document 19] U.S. Patent No. 6,854,461 Specification [Patent Document 20] U.S. Patent No. 7,832,410 Specification [Patent Document 21] U.S. Patent No. 7,513,253 Specification [Patent Document 22] U.S. Patent No. 7,896,006 Specification [Patent Document 23] U.S. Patent No. 6,772,756 Specification [Patent Document 24] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0095311 Specification [Patent Document 25] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006 / 0196518 Specification [Patent Document 26] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0126745 Specification [Patent Document 27] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0188490 Specification [Patent Document 28] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0272379 Specification [Patent Document 29] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0260641 Specification [Patent Document 30] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0260642 Specification [Patent Document 31] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008 / 0149118 Specification [Patent Document 32] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0024834 Specification [Patent Document 33] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0307518 Specification [Patent Document 34] International Publication No. 2010 / 091593 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0007] The present disclosure relates to an aerosol delivery device configured to generate an aerosol, which may be referred to as an electronic cigarette, a non-combustion heated tobacco (or device), or a non-heated non-combustion device in some implementations. The present disclosure includes, without limitation, examples of the following exemplary implementations. MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0008] Exemplary Implementation 1: An aerosol delivery device comprising: a housing structured to hold an aerosol precursor composition; an aerosol generation component; a processing circuit configured to operate in an active mode, wherein in the active mode, the processing circuit is configured to activate the aerosol generation component and control power to the aerosol generation component to generate an aerosol from the aerosol precursor composition; and a user interface including a pressure-sensitive surface and a pressure sensor configured to measure pressure and generate a corresponding signal in response to the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface, wherein the processing circuit is at least configured to receive a sequence of corresponding signals, identify an operation from a plurality of operations based on the level of the corresponding signals in the sequence and thereby based on a sequence of the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface, different operations among the plurality of operations being distinguishable based on different levels of the corresponding signals in the sequence and thereby based on different sequences of the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface; and further configured to perform an operation in response to the sequence of corresponding signals and thereby in response to the sequence of the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface.

[0009] Exemplary Implementation 2: The aerosol delivery device of Exemplary Implementation 1, wherein the pressure sensor is a strain gauge sensor.

[0010] Exemplary Implementation 3: The pressure sensor is a force sensing device, an aerosol delivery device as in Exemplary Implementation 2.

[0011] Exemplary Implementation 4: An aerosol delivery device of Exemplary Implementations 1 to 3, wherein the multiple operations include operations for controlling the operating parameters of the aerosol generating component, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operations includes a processing circuit configured to perform operations for controlling the operating parameters of the aerosol generating component.

[0012] Exemplary Implementation 5: An aerosol delivery device of Exemplary Implementation 4, wherein the operation for controlling the operating parameters of the aerosol-generating component includes an operation for controlling power to deliver each power level to the aerosol-generating component, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operation includes a processing circuit configured to perform an operation for controlling power to deliver a first level of each power level to the aerosol-generating component.

[0013] Exemplary Implementation 6: Aerosol Delivery Device of Exemplary Implementations 1 to 5, further configured to: receive a second sequence of corresponding signals from a pressure sensor; identify a second action from a plurality of actions based on the level of the second corresponding signals of the second sequence and thereby based on a second sequence of the amount of force applied to a pressure-sensitive surface; and perform a second action to control power to deliver a second level of the respective power levels to an aerosol generating component.

[0014] Exemplary Implementation 7: The aerosol delivery device of Exemplary Implementation 6, wherein the second operation is a locking or unlocking operation, and the processing circuit configured to perform the second operation includes a processing circuit configured to change the locked state of the aerosol delivery device.

[0015] Exemplary Implementation 8: The aerosol delivery device further comprises a flow sensor configured to detect the flow of air through at least a portion of the aerosol delivery device, and a processing circuit configured to perform an operation to control the power to deliver a first level of each level only when the air flow is also detected, the aerosol delivery device of Exemplary Implementations 5 to 7.

[0016] Exemplary Implementation 9: An aerosol delivery device of Exemplary Implementations 5 to 7, wherein the user interface includes an indicator, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operation further includes a processing circuit configured to control the indicator to provide user-perceptible feedback indicating a first level of the respective power levels delivered to the aerosol-generating component.

[0017] Exemplary Implementation 10: An aerosol delivery device of exemplary Implementations 1 to 9, wherein the user interface includes an indicator, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operation includes a processing circuit configured to control the indicator to provide user-perceptible feedback indicating the remaining amount of aerosol precursor composition held by the housing.

[0018] Exemplary Implementation 11: Exemplary Implementations 1 to 10 of an aerosol delivery device, wherein the operation is a locking operation or an unlocking operation, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operation includes a processing circuit configured to change the locked state of the aerosol delivery device.

[0019] Exemplary Implementation 12: an aerosol delivery device of exemplary Implementations 1 to 11, further configured to: receive a second corresponding signal from a pressure sensor; identify a second action from a plurality of actions based on the level of the second corresponding signal and thereby based on the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface; and perform the second action in response to the second corresponding signal and thereby in response to the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface.

[0020] Exemplary Implementation 13: A control body for an aerosol delivery device, the control body comprising: a processing circuit configured to operate in active mode, in which active mode the processing circuit is configured to control power to the aerosol generating component to activate the aerosol generating component and generate an aerosol from an aerosol precursor composition; and a user interface including a pressure-sensitive surface and a pressure sensor configured to measure pressure and generate a corresponding signal in accordance with the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: receive a sequence of corresponding signals; identify an operation from a plurality of operations based on the levels of the corresponding signals in the sequence and thereby based on a sequence of the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface, the different operations among the plurality of operations being distinguishable based on different levels of the corresponding signals in the sequence and thereby based on different sequences of the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface; and perform an operation in response to a sequence of corresponding signals and thereby in response to a sequence of the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface.

[0021] Exemplary Implementation 14: The control body of Exemplary Implementation 13, where the pressure sensor is a strain gauge sensor.

[0022] Exemplary Implementation 15: The pressure sensor is a force sensing device, control body of Exemplary Implementation 14.

[0023] Exemplary Implementation 16: A control body of exemplary Implementation 13 to 15, wherein the operations include operations for controlling the operating parameters of the aerosol generating component, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operations includes a processing circuit configured to perform operations for controlling the operating parameters of the aerosol generating component.

[0024] Exemplary Implementation 17: A control body of Exemplary Implementation 16, wherein the operation for controlling the operating parameters of an aerosol generating component includes an operation for controlling power to deliver a respective power level to the aerosol generating component, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operation includes a processing circuit configured to perform an operation for controlling power to deliver a first level of the respective power levels to the aerosol generating component.

[0025] Exemplary Implementation 18: The control body of Exemplary Implementations 13 to 17 is further configured to: receive a second sequence of corresponding signals from a pressure sensor; identify a second action from a plurality of actions based on the level of the second corresponding signals in the second sequence and thereby based on a second sequence of the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface; and perform a second action to control power to deliver a second level of each power level to an aerosol generating component.

[0026] Exemplary Implementation 19: The control body of Exemplary Implementation 18, wherein the second operation is a locking or unlocking operation, and the processing circuit configured to perform the second operation includes a processing circuit configured to change the locked state of the control body.

[0027] Exemplary Implementation 20: Exemplary Implementations 17 to 19 of the control bodies, wherein the control body further comprises a flow sensor configured to detect airflow through at least a portion of the control body, and the processing circuit is configured to perform an operation to control the power to deliver a first level of each level only when airflow is also detected.

[0028] Exemplary Implementation 21: The control body of Exemplary Implementations 17 to 19, wherein the user interface includes an indicator, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operation further includes a processing circuit configured to control the indicator to provide user-perceptible feedback indicating a first level of the respective power levels delivered to the aerosol generating component.

[0029] Exemplary Implementation 22: The user interface includes an indicator, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operation includes a control body of exemplary Implementations 13 to 21, which includes a processing circuit configured to control the indicator to provide user-perceptible feedback indicating the remaining amount of aerosol precursor composition.

[0030] Exemplary Implementation 23: The control body of Exemplary Implementations 13 to 22, wherein the second operation is a locking or unlocking operation, and the processing circuit configured to perform the second operation includes a processing circuit configured to change the locked state of the control body.

[0031] Exemplary Implementation 24: The control body of Exemplary Implementations 13 to 23 is further configured to: receive a second corresponding signal from a pressure sensor; identify a second action from a plurality of actions based on the level of the second corresponding signal and thereby based on the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface; and perform the second action in response to the second corresponding signal and thereby in response to the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface.

[0032] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the Disclosure will become apparent from reading the following detailed description, along with the accompanying drawings which are briefly described below. The Disclosure includes any combination of two, three, four or more features or elements described herein, whether such features or elements are expressly combined or otherwise enumerated in the specific exemplary implementations described herein. The Disclosure is intended to be read as a whole so that, unless the context of the Disclosure clearly indicates otherwise, any separable feature or element of the Disclosure is considered to be combinable in any aspect or exemplary implementation.

[0033] Therefore, it will be understood that this brief overview is provided solely for the purpose of summarizing some exemplary implementations to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of this disclosure. Accordingly, it will be understood that the above exemplary implementations are merely examples and should not be interpreted in any way as narrowing the scope or spirit of this disclosure. Other exemplary implementations, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description, along with the accompanying drawings illustrating the principles of some described exemplary implementations.

[0034] While the aspects of this disclosure have been described in the general terms described above, please refer to the attached drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to a specific scale. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0035] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of an aerosol delivery device, including coupled cartridges and a control unit, according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a partial cutaway diagram of an aerosol delivery device, illustrating an exemplary implementation where the cartridge and the control unit are separated from each other. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of an aerosol delivery device comprising coupled control bodies and an aerosol source member, according to another exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of an aerosol delivery device comprising a control body and an aerosol source member, each isolated from the other, according to another exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] Figures 3 and 4 are front views of an aerosol delivery device, illustrating an exemplary implementation. [Figure 6] Figures 3 and 4 show cross-sectional views of an aerosol delivery device with an exemplary implementation. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol delivery device in another exemplary implementation. [Figure 8]This is a side view of an aerosol delivery device, including a cartridge coupled to a control unit, based on an exemplary implementation. [Figure 9] This is a partial cutaway diagram of an aerosol delivery device, including a cartridge coupled to a control unit, in an exemplary implementation. [Figure 10] These are schematic diagrams of aerosol delivery devices in various exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] This figure shows examples of suitable pressure sensors with various illustrative implementations. [Figure 12] This figure shows examples of suitable pressure sensors with various illustrative implementations. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0036] This disclosure is more fully described below with reference to its exemplary implementations. These exemplary implementations are described so as to make this disclosure thorough and complete and to fully convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. In fact, this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the implementations described herein; rather, these implementations are provided to satisfy the legal requirements to which this disclosure is applicable. As used in the specification and the appended claims, singular nouns such as “a,” “an,” and “the” refer to multiple subjects unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Also, while quantitative measures, values, geometric relationships, etc., may be referenced herein, unless otherwise specified, one or more of these may be absolute or approximate to accommodate acceptable variations that may occur due to technical tolerances, etc.

[0037] As described below, exemplary implementations of the present disclosure relate to aerosol delivery devices. Some aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure use electrical energy to heat a material (preferably without burning the material to a significant degree) to form an inhalable substance; and components of such systems have the form of articles that are most preferably compact enough to be considered as handheld devices. That is, the use of components of a preferred aerosol delivery device does not result in the generation of smoke in the sense that the aerosol is mainly produced from by-products of the combustion or thermal decomposition of tobacco; rather, the use of such preferred systems results in the generation of vapor resulting from the volatilization or vaporization of certain components incorporated therein. In some exemplary implementations, components of aerosol delivery devices may be characterized as e-cigarettes, which most preferably incorporate tobacco and / or tobacco-derived components and thus deliver tobacco-derived components in aerosol form.

[0038] Aerosol-generating component of a particular preferred aerosol delivery device can provide many of the sensations of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe used by lighting and burning the tobacco (and thus inhaling tobacco smoke) without causing any substantial degree of combustion of any of its components (e.g., the act of inhaling and exhaling, the type of taste or flavor, sensory effects, physical sensations, the act of use, and visual cues such as those provided by the visible aerosol). For example, a user of an aerosol delivery device in some exemplary implementations of the present disclosure can hold and use its components in the same way a smoker uses a conventional type of smoking article, inhaling from one end of the component for inhalation of the aerosol generated by the component, and puffing and inhaling at selected time intervals.

[0039] While this specification generally describes implementations related to aerosol delivery devices such as so-called “electronic cigarettes” and “heated tobacco products,” it should be understood that the mechanisms, components, features, and methods may be embodied in many different forms and can be associated with a variety of articles. For example, the descriptions provided herein may be used in relation to implementations of related packaging for traditional smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.), non-combustion heated cigarettes, and any of the products disclosed herein. Therefore, it should be understood that the descriptions of mechanisms, components, features, and methods disclosed herein are merely examples of implementations related to aerosol delivery devices and can be embodied and used in a variety of other products and methods.

[0040] The aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure may also be characterized as vapor products or drug delivery devices. Thus, such articles or devices may be adapted to deliver one or more substances (e.g., flavorings and / or pharmaceutically 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 aerosol form (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or droplets in a gas). For simplicity, the term “aerosol” as used herein means including vapors, gases and aerosols, whether visible or not, and regardless of whether they are in a form or type suitable for human inhalation, and regardless of whether they can be considered to resemble smoke.

[0041] During use, the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may be subject to many of the physical actions taken by an individual when using traditional types of smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, which are utilized by lighting and inhaling the tobacco). For example, a user of the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may hold the article in a manner very similar to that of traditional types of smoking articles, inhale from one end of the article for inhalation of the aerosol produced by the article, and puff at selected time intervals.

[0042] The aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure generally include several components housed within an outer housing, sometimes referred to as a body or shell. The overall design of the housing may vary, and the style or configuration of the housing that can define the overall size and shape of the aerosol delivery device may also vary. Typically, an elongated body resembling the shape of a cigarette or cigar may be formed from a single, one-piece molded housing, or the elongated housing may be formed from two or more separable bodies. For example, an aerosol delivery device may have a substantially tubular shape and thus an elongated housing that may resemble the shape of a conventional cigarette or cigar. In one example, all components of the aerosol delivery device are housed within a single housing. Alternatively, the aerosol delivery device may have two or more joined and separable housings. For example, an aerosol delivery device may have a control body at one end, comprising a housing containing one or more reusable components (e.g., an accumulator such as a rechargeable battery, rechargeable supercapacitor, solid-state battery (SSB), thin-film SSB, lithium-ion or hybrid lithium-ion supercapacitor, and various electronic devices for controlling the operation of the article), and at the other end, an outer body or shell comprising a disposable component (e.g., a disposable cartridge containing flavor) to which it can be detachably coupled. More specific forms, configurations, and arrangements of components within a single-housing type unit or within a multi-component separable housing type unit will be evident in light of further disclosures provided herein. Furthermore, considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices, various aerosol delivery device designs and component arrangements can be understood. For example, it will be understood that alternative non-tubular housing form factors may also be used, including device housings having a shape and size that is generally similar to cigarette packs and form factors, such as those used in GLO™ by British American Tobacco and IQOS™ by Philip Morris International, Inc.

[0043] As will be discussed in more detail below, the aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure comprise any combination of a power source (i.e., a power source), at least one control component (means for operating, controlling, regulating, and stopping power for generating heat, such as by controlling the flow of current from the power source to other components of the aerosol delivery device), a heating element (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), an aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a solid tobacco material, a semi-solid tobacco material, or a liquid aerosol precursor composition) capable of generating an aerosol when sufficiently heated, and a mouth end region or tip (e.g., an air channel defined to pass through the article so that the generated aerosol can be drawn out there upon inhalation). In some implementations, the power source comprises a single battery or a single battery cell. The power source can power a heating element configured to convert electricity into heat, thereby vaporizing the components of the aerosol precursor composition.

[0044] The alignment of components within the aerosol delivery device of this disclosure may vary. In a particular implementation, the aerosol precursor composition may be positioned near the end of the aerosol delivery device, which may be configured to be positioned near the user's mouth to maximize aerosol delivery to the user. However, other configurations are not excluded. Generally, the heating element may be positioned close enough to the aerosol precursor composition so that heat from the heating element can volatilize the aerosol precursor (as well as one or more flavorings, drugs, etc., which may also be provided for delivery to the user) and form an aerosol for delivery to the user. When the heating element heats the aerosol precursor composition, the aerosol is formed, released, or generated in a physical form suitable for inhalation by the consumer. Note that the terms used herein are interchangeable so as to include, forming or generating, forming or generating, and formed or generated. Specifically, inhalable substances are released in the form of vapors, aerosols, or mixtures thereof, and such terms are also used interchangeably herein unless otherwise specified.

[0045] As noted above, the aerosol delivery device may incorporate a battery, supercapacitor, SSB, or other power source to supply a sufficient current flow to provide the aerosol delivery device with various functionalities, such as powering the heating element, powering the control system, and powering the indicator. The power source can be implemented in various ways. Preferably, the power source is capable of rapidly activating the heating element to achieve aerosol formation and delivering sufficient power to power the aerosol delivery device throughout use for a desired duration. The power source is preferably small enough to fit conveniently inside the aerosol delivery device so that the aerosol delivery device can be easily handled. Furthermore, a preferred power source is sufficiently lightweight so as not to impair the desired smoking experience.

[0046] More specific forms, configurations, and arrangements of the components within the aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure will become apparent in light of the further disclosures provided below. Furthermore, the selection of components for various aerosol delivery devices can be understood by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Furthermore, the arrangement of components within aerosol delivery devices can also be understood by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices.

[0047] As described below, this disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices. An aerosol delivery device may be configured to generate an aerosol (inhalable substance) by heating an aerosol precursor composition (sometimes called an inhalable substance medium). The aerosol precursor composition may comprise one or more of solid tobacco materials, semi-solid tobacco materials, or liquid aerosol precursor compositions. In some implementations, an aerosol delivery device may be configured to heat a fluid aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a liquid aerosol precursor composition) to generate an aerosol therefrom. Such an aerosol delivery device may include a so-called e-cigarette. In other implementations, an aerosol delivery device may comprise a non-combustion heating device.

[0048] Liquid aerosol precursor compositions, also called vapor precursor compositions or "e-liquids," are particularly useful in e-cigarettes and non-heating, non-combustion devices, as well as other devices that atomize or otherwise aerosolize a liquid to generate an inhalable aerosol. Liquid aerosol precursor compositions may contain a variety of components, including, for example, polyhydric alcohols (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol, or mixtures thereof), nicotine, tobacco, tobacco extract, and / or flavorings. In some examples, aerosol precursor compositions contain glycerin and nicotine.

[0049] Several liquid aerosol precursor compositions, which can be used in combination with various implementations, may contain one or more acids, such as levulinic acid, succinic acid, lactic acid, pyruvic acid, benzoic acid, fumaric acid, or combinations thereof. By including one or more acids in a nicotine-containing liquid aerosol precursor composition, a protonated liquid aerosol precursor composition containing nicotine in salt form can be provided. Representative types of liquid aerosol precursor compositions and formulations are described and characterized in U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,254,002 to Chong et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 0008457 to Zheng et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0020823 to Lipowicz et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0020830 to Koller, and International Patent Publication No. 2014 / 182736 to Bowen et al., and U.S. Patent No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., and these disclosures are incorporated herein by reference. Other aerosol precursors that may be used include aerosol precursors incorporated into any of the representative products identified above. The so-called “smoke juice” for e-cigarettes, available from Johnson Creek Enterprises LLC, is also desirable. Further exemplary aerosol precursor compositions are sold under the brand names BLACK NOTE, COSMIC FOG, THE MILKMAN E-LIQUID, FIVE PAWNS, THE VAPOR CHEF, VAPE WILD, BOOSTED, STEAM FACTORY, MECH SAUCE, CASEY JONES MAINLINE RESERVE, MITTEN VAPORS, DR.CRIMMY'S V-LIQUID, SMILEY E LIQUID, BEANTOWN VAPOR, CUTTWOOD, CYCLOPS VAPOR, SICBOY, GOOD LIFE VAPOR, TELEOS, PINUP VAPORS, SPACE JAM, MT, BAKER VAPOR, and JIMMY THE JUICE MAN.The implementation of foamed materials can be used in conjunction with aerosol precursors, as described, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0055494 to Hunt et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, the use of foaming materials is described, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 4,639,368 to Niazi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,178,878 to Wehling et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,223,264 to Wehling et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,974,590 to Pater et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,381,667 to Bergquist et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,424,541 to Crawford et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,627,828 to Strickland et al., and U.S. Patent No. 9,307,787 to Sun et al., as well as U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010 / 0018539 to Brinkley et al., and International Patent Publication No. 97 / 06786 to Johnson et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0050] The aerosol precursor composition may additionally or alternatively contain, but are not limited to, plant components (e.g., lavender, peppermint, chamomile, basil, rosemary, thyme, eucalyptus, ginger, cannabis, ginseng, maca, and rhizon), stimulants (e.g., caffeine and guarana), amino acids (e.g., taurine, theanine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan) and / or other active ingredients including pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, and pharmaceutical components (e.g., vitamins such as B6, B12, and C, and cannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD)).

[0051] Representative types of substrates, reservoirs, or other components for supporting aerosol precursors are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,528,569 to Newton, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014 / 0261487 to Chapman et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0059780 to Davis et al., and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0216232 to Bless et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, various wicking materials, as well as the composition and operation of those wicking materials in certain types of e-cigarettes, are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,640 to Sears et al., which is also incorporated herein by reference.

[0052] In other implementations, the aerosol delivery device may also comprise a non-combustion heating device configured to heat a solid aerosol precursor composition (e.g., an extruded tobacco rod) or a semi-solid aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a glycerin-filled tobacco paste). The aerosol precursor composition may include tobacco-containing beads, tobacco shreds, tobacco pieces, reconstituted tobacco materials, or combinations thereof, and / or mixtures of other tobacco forms mixed with aerosol-forming materials that form a substantially solid or moldable (e.g., extrudeable) substrate. Representative types of solid and semi-solid aerosol precursor compositions 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 Publication No. 2015 / 0083150 to Conner et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0157052 to Ademe et al., and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017 / 0000188 to Nordskog et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Further representative types of compositions and arrangements of solid and semi-solid aerosol precursor compositions include those found in the NEOSTIKS™ consuming aerosol source components for GLO™ products by British American Tobacco and the HEETS™ consuming aerosol source components for IQOS™ products by Philip Morris International, Inc.

[0053] In various implementations, the inhalable substance may specifically be tobacco components or tobacco-derived materials (i.e., materials found naturally in tobacco that can be isolated directly from tobacco or synthesized). For example, an aerosol precursor composition may include a tobacco extract or a small portion thereof combined with an inert substrate. The aerosol precursor composition may further include a composition containing unburned tobacco or unburned tobacco that releases an inhalable substance when heated to a temperature lower than its combustion temperature. In some implementations, the aerosol precursor composition may include tobacco condensate or a small portion thereof (i.e., the condensed components of smoke produced by the combustion of tobacco, leaving behind flavor and possibly nicotine).

[0054] The tobacco materials useful in this disclosure may vary and may include, for example, yellow tobacco, Burley tobacco, Oriental tobacco or Maryland tobacco, dark tobacco, dark-fired tobacco and Rustica tobacco, as well as other rare or specialty tobaccos or blends thereof. The tobacco materials may also include so-called “blended” forms and processed forms, such as processed tobacco stems (e.g., cut rolls or cut puff stems), volume-expanded tobacco (preferably in the form of cut fillers, such as puffed tobacco like dry ice-expanded tobacco (DIET)), and reconstituted tobacco (e.g., reconstituted tobacco produced using papermaking or cast-sheet processes). Various representative tobacco types, processed tobacco types, and tobacco blend types are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,836,224 for Lawson et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,924,888 for Perfetti et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,056,537 for Brown et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,159,942 for Brinkley et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,220,930 for Gentry, U.S. Patent No. 5,360,023 for Blakley et al., and U.S. Patent No. 6,70 for Shafer et al. These are described in U.S. Patent No. 1,936, U.S. Patent No. 7,011,096 for Li et al., and U.S. Patent No. 7,017,585 for Li et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,025,066 for Lawson et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004 / 0255965 for Perfetti et al., International Patent Publication No. 02 / 37990 for Bereman, and Fund.Appl.Toxicol., 39, pp. 11-17 (1997) for Bombick et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. Further exemplary tobacco compositions that may be useful in smoking devices, including those described herein, are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 for Robinson et al., which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0055] Furthermore, the aerosol precursor composition may include an inert substrate having an inhalable substance or its precursor incorporated therein or otherwise deposited on top of it. For example, a liquid containing an inhalable substance may be coated onto an inert substrate, or absorbed or adsorbed onto an inert substance, such that when heat is applied, the inhalable substance can be released in a form that can be drawn out from the article of the present invention through the application of positive or negative pressure. In some embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition may include a more flavorful tobacco blend in cut-filler form. In other embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition may include reconstituted tobacco materials as described in U.S. Patent No. 4,807,809 to Pryor et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,889,143 to Pryor et al., and U.S. Patent No. 5,025,814 to Raker, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. For further information regarding suitable aerosol precursor compositions, please refer to U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 916,834 to Sur et al., filed March 9, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0056] Regardless of the type of aerosol precursor composition to be heated, an aerosol delivery device may include a heating element configured to heat the aerosol precursor composition. In some implementations, the heating element is an induction heater. Such a heater often comprises an induction transmitter and an induction receiver. The induction transmitter may include a coil configured to produce an oscillating magnetic field (e.g., a magnetic field that changes periodically over time) when an alternating current is guided through it. The induction receiver may be at least partially located within or accepted within the induction transmitter and may include a conductive material (ferromagnetic material or aluminum-coated material). By guiding an alternating current through the induction transmitter, eddy currents may be generated within the induction receiver via induction. Eddy currents flowing through the resistance of the material defining the induction receiver may heat the induction receiver by Joule heating (i.e., by the Joule effect). The induction receiver may also define an atomizer which is wirelessly heated to form an aerosol from an aerosol precursor composition positioned in close proximity to the induction receiver. Various implementations of inductive heater-equipped aerosol delivery devices are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2017 / 0127722 to Davis et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication 2017 / 0202266 to Sur et al., U.S. Patent Application 15 / 352,153 to Sur et al., filed November 15, 2016, U.S. Patent Application 15 / 799,365 to Sebastian et al., filed October 31, 2017, and U.S. Patent Application 15 / 836,086 to Sur, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0057] In other implementations, including those described more specifically herein, the heating element is a conductive heater, such as in the case of an electrical resistance heater. These heaters may be configured to generate heat when an electric current is passed through them. In various implementations, conductive heaters may be provided in various forms, such as foils, foams, plates, disks, spirals, fibers, wires, films, threads, strips, ribbons, or cylinders. Such heaters often contain a metallic material and are configured to generate heat as a result of the electrical resistance associated with passing an electric current through them. Such a resistive heater can be positioned in close proximity to an aerosol precursor composition to heat the aerosol precursor composition and generate an aerosol. Various conductive substrates that may be used with this disclosure are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702. Other examples of suitable heaters are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,491,974 to DePiano et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0058] In some implementations, the aerosol delivery device may include a control body and a cartridge in the case of a so-called e-cigarette, or a control body and an aerosol source member in the case of a non-combustion heating device. In either the case of an e-cigarette or a non-combustion heating device, the control body may be reusable, while the cartridge / aerosol source member may be configured for a limited number of uses and / or be configured for single use. The cartridge / aerosol source member may contain an aerosol precursor composition. To heat the aerosol precursor composition, a heating element may be positioned in contact with or near the aerosol precursor composition, for example, across the control body and cartridge, or positioned within the control body where the aerosol source member can be positioned. The control body may include a power supply that may be rechargeable or replaceable, thereby allowing the control body to be reused with multiple cartridges / aerosol source members.

[0059] The control unit may also include means for activating the aerosol delivery device, such as a push button or touch-sensitive surface, for manual control of the device. Additionally, or alternatively, the control unit may include a flow sensor for detecting when the user inhales into the cartridge / aerosol source member, thereby activating the aerosol delivery device.

[0060] In various implementations, the aerosol delivery devices provided herein may have a variety of overall shapes, including, but are not limited to, an overall shape that can be defined as substantially rod-like, rod-shaped, substantially tubular, or substantially cylindrical. In the implementations shown in and described with reference to the accompanying figures, the aerosol delivery device has a substantially circular cross-section; however, other cross-sectional shapes (e.g., elliptical, square, rectangular, triangular, etc.) are also encompassed by this disclosure. Such language describing the physical shape of an article may also apply to its individual components, including the control body and the cartridge / aerosol source member. In other implementations, the control body may take on a different handheld shape, such as a small box shape.

[0061] In more specific implementations, one or both of the control unit and the cartridge / aerosol source component may be referred to as disposable or reusable. For example, the control unit may have a power source such as a replaceable or rechargeable battery, an SSB, a thin-film SSB, a rechargeable supercapacitor, or a lithium-ion or hybrid lithium-ion supercapacitor. An example of a power source is the TKI-1550 rechargeable lithium-ion battery manufactured by Tadiran Batteries GmbH in Germany. In another implementation, a useful power source could be the N50-AAA CADNICA nickel-cadmium battery manufactured by Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. in Japan. In yet another implementation, multiple such batteries, each providing, for example, 1.2 volts, may be connected in series.

[0062] In some examples, the power supply is connected to any type of recharging technology and may be combined with it. Examples of suitable chargers include chargers that simply supply constant current or pulsed DC power to the power supply, fast chargers that add control circuits, three-stage chargers, induction-powered chargers, smart chargers, motion-powered chargers, pulse chargers, solar chargers, USB-based chargers, etc. In some examples, the charger includes a power adapter and any suitable charging circuit. In other examples, the charger includes a power adapter and the control body is equipped with a charging circuit. In these other examples, the charger may sometimes be simply called a power adapter.

[0063] The control unit may include any of several different terminals, electrical connectors, etc., for connecting to a suitable charger and, in some examples, for connecting to other peripherals for communication. More specific suitable examples include cylindrical connectors, cigarette lighter connectors, and DC connectors such as USB 1.x (e.g., Type A, Type B), USB 2.0 and its updated and additional versions (e.g., Mini A, Mini B, Mini AB, Micro A, Micro B, Micro AB) and USB 3.x (e.g., Type A, Type B, Micro B, Micro AB, Type C), and proprietary connectors such as Apple's Lightning connector. The control unit may connect directly to a charger or other peripheral, or the two may be connected via a suitable cable, which also has a suitable connector. In examples where the two are connected by a cable, the control unit and the charger or other peripheral may have the same or different types of connectors, and the cable may have one type of connector or both types of connectors.

[0064] In examples involving inductively powered charging, the aerosol delivery device may be equipped with inductive wireless charging technology, including an inductive transmitter and an inductive receiver for connecting to a wireless charger, charging pad, etc., that uses inductive wireless charging (e.g., wireless charging in accordance with the Qi wireless charging standard from the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC)). Alternatively, the power source may be recharged from 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. Furthermore, in some exemplary implementations in the case of e-cigarettes, the cartridge may include a single-use cartridge as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,639 to Chang et al., which is also incorporated herein by reference.

[0065] One or more connections may be used to connect the power supply to the recharging technology, some of which may involve a charging case, cradle, dock, sleeve, etc. More specifically, for example, the control unit may be configured to engage with a cradle which includes a USB connector for connecting to a power source. Alternatively, in another example, the control unit may be configured to mate into and engage with a sleeve which includes a USB connector for connecting to a power source. In these and similar examples, the USB connector may be connected directly to the power supply, or the USB connector may be connected to the power supply via a suitable power adapter.

[0066] Examples of power supplies are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,484,155 to Peckerar et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0112191 to Sur et al., filed on 21 October 2015, and these disclosures are incorporated herein by reference. With respect to flow sensors, typical current control 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., all of which are U.S. Patent Nos. 4,922,901, 4,947,874 and 4,947,875 to Brooks et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., and U.S. Patent No. 6,040 to Fleischhauer et al. This is described in U.S. Patent No. 560, U.S. Patent No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,205,622 to Pan, U.S. Patent Publication No. 8,881,737 to Collet et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,423,152 to Ampolini et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,439,454 to Fernando et al., and U.S. Patent Application No. 2015 / 0257445 to Henry et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0067] Input elements may be included with the aerosol delivery device (and may replace or supplement flow sensors). Inputs may be included to allow a user to control the functionality of the device and / or to output information to the user. Any component or combination of components may be used as inputs to control the functionality of the device. For example, one or more push buttons may be used, as described in U.S. Patent Publication 2015 / 0245658 to Worm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Similarly, a touchscreen may be used, as described in U.S. Patent Application 14 / 643,626 to Sears et al., filed March 10, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference. As a further example, components adapted to gesture recognition based on specific movements of the aerosol delivery device may be used as inputs. See U.S. Patent Publication 2016 / 0158782 to Henry et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. In yet another example, a capacitive sensor may be implemented in an aerosol delivery device to allow the user to provide input, such as by touching the surface of the device on which the capacitive sensor is implemented. In yet another example, a sensor capable of detecting motion associated with the device (e.g., an accelerometer, gyroscope, or photoelectric proximity sensor) may be implemented in an aerosol delivery device to allow the user to provide input. Examples of suitable sensors are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2018 / 0132528 to Sur et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2016 / 0158782 to Henry et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0068] As shown above, an aerosol delivery device may include various electronic components, such as at least one control component. A suitable control component may include several electronic components, which in some examples may be formed on a circuit board such as a printed circuit board (PCB). In some examples, the electronic component includes a processing circuit configured to perform data processing, application execution, or other processing, control, or management services, in one or more exemplary implementations. The processing circuit may include a processor embodied in various forms, such as a processor core, a microprocessor, a coprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, or one or more integrated circuits, such as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or several combinations thereof. In some examples, the processing circuit may include memory coupled to or integrated with the processor, which can store data, computer program instructions executable by the processor, several combinations thereof, and so on.

[0069] In some examples, the control component may include one or more input / output peripherals that can be coupled to or integrated with the processing circuit. More specifically, the control component may include a communication interface for enabling wireless communication with one or more networks, computing devices, or other appropriately enabled devices. An example of a suitable communication interface is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2016 / 0261020 to Marion et al., the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Another example of a suitable communication interface is the CC3200 single-chip wireless microcontroller unit (MCU) from Texas Instruments. Examples of suitable ways in which an aerosol delivery device may be configured to communicate wirelessly accordingly are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2016 / 0007651 to Ampolini et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2016 / 0219933 to Henry, Jr. et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0070] Further components may be utilized in the aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure. Examples of suitable components include indicators such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), quantum dot-based LEDs, which can be illuminated using the aerosol delivery device. Examples of suitable LED components, as well as their configuration and use, are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,499,766 to Newton, U.S. Patent No. 8,539,959 to Scatterday, and U.S. Patent No. 9,451,791 to Sears et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0071] Other indicators of operation are also covered by this disclosure. For example, visual indicators of operation include changes in the color or intensity of light to indicate the progress of the smoking experience. Tactile (tactile) indicators and audio indicators of operation are also covered by this disclosure. Furthermore, combinations of such operation indicators are also suitable for use in a single smoking article. In another embodiment, an aerosol delivery device may include one or more indicators or indices, such as a display, configured to provide information corresponding to the operation of the smoking article, such as the remaining power of the power supply, the progress of the smoking experience, indicators corresponding to activating a heat source, and / or similar.

[0072] Furthermore, other components are also considered. For example, 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 activity of a user's lips associated with inhaling and then trigger heating of the heating device; U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al. discloses a blow sensor for controlling the flow 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 in a smoking device that includes an identifier for detecting non-uniformity of the infrared transmittance of an inserted component and a controller that performs a detection routine when the component is inserted into the receptacle; U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al. describes a defined, viable power cycle with a number of differential phases; U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to Watkins et al. U.S. Patent No. 5,934,289 discloses photonic optronic components; U.S. Patent No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al. discloses means for changing inhalation resistance through a smoking device; U.S. Patent No. 6,803,545 to Blake et al. discloses specific battery configurations for use in a smoking device; U.S. Patent No. 7,293,565 to Griffen et al. discloses various charging systems for use with a smoking device; U.S. Patent No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al. discloses computer interfacing means for a smoking device to facilitate charging and enable computer control of the device; U.S. Patent No. 8,689,804 to Fernando et al. discloses identification systems for a smoking device; and International Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 003480 by Flick discloses a fluid flow sensing system indicating puffing in an aerosol generating system; all of the aforementioned disclosures are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0073] Further examples of materials or components that may be used herein in connection with electronic aerosol delivery articles include U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,666,977 to Higgins et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,053,176 to Adams et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,164,287 to White, U.S. Patent No. 6,196,218 to Voges, U.S. Patent No. 6,810,883 to Felter et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,854,461 to Nichols, U.S. Patent No. 7,832,410 to Hon, U.S. Patent No. 7,513,253 to Kobayashi, U.S. Patent No. 7,896,006 to Hamano, U.S. Patent No. 6,772,756 to Shayan, H U.S. Patent Nos. 8,156,944 and 8,375,957 for on, U.S. Patent No. 8,794,231 for Thorens et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,851,083 for Oglesby et al., U.S. Patent Nos. 8,915,254 and 8,925,555 for Monsees et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,220,302 for DePiano et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 20 for Hon This includes U.S. Patent Publication No. 06 / 0196518 and No. 2009 / 0188490 to Oglesby et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010 / 0024834 to Oglesby et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010 / 0307518 to Wang, International Patent Publication No. 2010 / 091593 to Hon, and International Patent Publication No. 2013 / 089551 to Foo, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017 / 0099877 to Worm et al. discloses capsules that may be included in aerosol delivery devices and fob configurations for aerosol delivery devices, which is incorporated herein by reference.Various materials disclosed in the aforementioned documents can be incorporated into this device in a variety of implementations, and all of the aforementioned disclosures are incorporated herein by reference.

[0074] Further features, controls, or components that may be incorporated into the aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure include U.S. Patent No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,934,289 to Watkins et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,365,742 to Hon, U.S. Patent No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005 / 0016550 to Katase, and Fernando These patents are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,689,804 for o et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 0192623 for Tucker et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,427,022 for Leven et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 0180553 for Kim et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014 / 0000638 for Sebastian et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014 / 0261495 for Novak et al., and U.S. Patent No. 9,220,302 for DePiano et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0075] Figures 1 and 2 illustrate an implementation of an aerosol delivery device, including a control body and a cartridge, in the case of an e-cigarette. More specifically, Figures 1 and 2 show an aerosol delivery device 100 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. As shown, the aerosol delivery device may include a control body 102 and a cartridge 104. The control body and cartridge can be aligned permanently or detachably in a functional relationship. In this regard, Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the aerosol delivery device in a coupled configuration, while Figure 2 shows a partially cut side view of the aerosol delivery device in a separated configuration. When the control body and cartridge are assembled, the aerosol delivery device may, in some exemplary implementations, be substantially rod-like or rod-shaped, substantially tubular, or substantially cylindrical.

[0076] The control body 102 and the cartridge 104 can be configured to engage with each other by various connections, such as press-fit (or interlocking fit), screw connections, and magnetic connections. Thus, the control body may include a first engaging element (e.g., a coupler) adapted to engage with a second engaging element (e.g., a connector) on the cartridge. The first and second engaging elements may be reversible. For example, either the first or second engaging element may be a male thread, and the other a female thread. As a further example, either the first or second engaging element may be a magnet, and the other a metal or a pair of magnets. In a particular implementation, the engaging elements may be directly defined by existing components of the control body and cartridge. For example, the housing of the control body may define a cavity at its end, which is configured to receive at least a portion of the cartridge (e.g., a storage tank or other shell-forming elements of the cartridge). In particular, the cartridge's mouthpiece may remain exposed to the outside of the control body cavity, while the cartridge's storage tank may be at least partially received within the control body cavity. The cartridge may be held within the cavity formed by the control body housing by interference fit (e.g., through the use of retaining elements and / or other features that create an interference engagement between the outer surface of the cartridge and the inner surface of the walls forming the control body cavity), magnetic engagement (e.g., through the use of magnets and / or magnetic metals positioned within the control body cavity and positioned on the cartridge), or by other suitable techniques.

[0077] As seen in the cutaway diagram in Figure 2, the control body 102 and the cartridge 104 each contain several respective components. The components shown in Figure 2 are representative of the components that may be present in the control body and cartridge, and are not intended to limit the scope of components covered by this disclosure. As shown, for example, the control body may be formed in a housing 206 (sometimes called the control body shell) which may contain control components 208 (e.g., processing circuits), a flow sensor 210, a power supply 212 (e.g., a battery, a supercapacitor), and an indicator 214 (e.g., an LED, a quantum dot-based LED), and such components may be variably aligned.

[0078] The cartridge 104 may be formed by a housing 216 (sometimes called a cartridge shell) that surrounds a reservoir 218 configured to hold the aerosol precursor composition and includes a heating element 220 (sometimes called a heater). In various configurations, such a structure may also be called a tank; therefore, terms such as “cartridge” and “tank” may be used interchangeably to refer to the shell or other housing that surrounds the reservoir for the aerosol precursor composition and includes the heating element.

[0079] As shown, in some examples, the reservoir 218 may be in fluid communication with a liquid transport element 222 adapted to draw up or otherwise transport the aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir housing to the heating element 220. Other configurations of the liquid transport element are also contemplated within the scope of this disclosure. For example, in some embodiments, the liquid transport element may be positioned close to the distal end of the reservoir and arranged across the longitudinal axis of the reservoir. In some examples, a valve may be positioned between the reservoir and the heating element and may be configured to control the amount of aerosol precursor composition passed from the reservoir to the heating element.

[0080] Various exemplary materials configured to generate heat when an electric current is applied may be used to form the heating element 220. The heating element in these examples may be a resistive heating element such as a wire coil, a plate, or a microheater. Examples of materials on which the heating element can be formed include Kanthal (FeCrAl), nichrome, nickel, stainless steel, indium tin oxide, tungsten, molybdenum disilicate (MoSi2), molybdenum silicide (MoSi), aluminum-doped molybdenum disilicate (Mo(Si,Al)2), titanium, platinum, silver, palladium, silver-palladium alloys, graphite and graphite-based materials (e.g., carbon-based foams and threads), conductive inks, boron-doped silica, and ceramics (e.g., ceramics with positive or negative temperature coefficients). The heating element may be a resistive heating element or a heating element configured to generate heat through induction. The heating element may be coated with a thermally conductive ceramic such as aluminum nitride, silicon carbide, beryllium oxide, alumina, silicon nitride, or composites thereof. Exemplary implementations of heating elements useful for aerosol delivery devices according to this disclosure are further described below and may be incorporated into devices such as those described herein.

[0081] An opening 224 may be present in the housing 216 (for example, at the mouth end) to allow the discharge of the formed aerosol from the cartridge 104.

[0082] The cartridge 104 may also include one or more electronic components 226, which may include integrated circuits, memory components (e.g., EEPROM, flash memory), sensors, etc. The electronic components may be adapted to communicate with the control components 208 and / or external devices by wired or wireless means. The electronic components may be positioned anywhere within the cartridge or its base 228.

[0083] Although the control component 208 and the flow sensor 210 are shown separately, it is understood that various electronic components, including the control component and the flow sensor, may be combined on a circuit board (e.g., PCB) that supports and electrically connects these electronic components. Furthermore, the circuit board may be positioned horizontally to the diagram in Figure 1, in that it may be longitudinally parallel to the central axis of the control body. In some examples, the airflow sensor may have its own circuit board or other base element to which it can be mounted. In some examples, a flexible circuit board may be used. The flexible circuit board may be configured in various shapes, including substantially tubular shapes. In some examples, the flexible circuit board may be combined with a heater substrate, layered on it, or form part or all of it.

[0084] The control body 102 and cartridge 104 may include components adapted to facilitate fluid engagement between them. As shown in Figure 2, the control body may include a coupling 230 having a cavity 232 inside. The base 228 of the cartridge may be adapted to engage with the coupling and may include a projection 234 adapted to fit into the cavity. Such engagement facilitates a stable connection between the control body and the cartridge and can establish an electrical connection between the power supply 212 and control components 208 in the control body and the heating element 220 in the cartridge. Furthermore, the housing 206 may include an air intake 236, which may be a notch in the housing, in which case it is connected to the coupling and allows ambient air to pass around the coupling and into the housing, and the air then passes through the cavity 232 of the coupling and through the projection 234 into the cartridge.

[0085] Useful couplers and bases in accordance with this disclosure are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0261495 to Novak et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, a coupler 230 as shown in Figure 2 may define an outer circumference 238 configured to fit with an inner circumference 240 of a base 228. In one example, the inner circumference of the base may define a radius substantially equal to or slightly larger than the radius of the outer circumference of the coupler. Furthermore, the coupler may define one or more projections 242 on the outer circumference configured to engage with one or more recesses 244 defined on the inner circumference of the base. However, various other examples of structure, shape and components may be used to couple the base to the coupler. In some examples, the connection between the base of the cartridge 104 and the coupler of the control body 102 may be substantially permanent, while in other examples, the connection between them may be detachable so that, for example, the control body is reusable by one or more additional cartridges which may be disposable and / or refillable.

[0086] The reservoir 218 shown in Figure 2 may be a container or a fibrous reservoir, as described below. For example, in this example, the reservoir may include one or more layers of nonwoven fibers substantially formed in a tubular shape surrounding the inside of the housing 216. The aerosol precursor composition can be held within the reservoir. For example, the liquid component may be held by the reservoir sorptively. The reservoir may be fluidly connected to a liquid transport element 222. The liquid transport element can transport the aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir via capillary action or via a micropump to a heating element 220, which in this example is in the form of a metal wire coil. Thus, the heating element together with the liquid transport element is in a heating configuration.

[0087] In some examples, a microfluidic chip may be embedded in a reservoir 218, and the amount and / or mass of the aerosol precursor composition delivered from the reservoir may be controlled by a micropump, such as one based on microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology. Exemplary implementations of reservoirs and transport elements useful for aerosol delivery devices according to this disclosure are further described herein, and such reservoirs and / or transport elements may be incorporated into devices such as those described herein. In particular, certain combinations of heating members and transport elements, as further described herein, may be incorporated into devices such as those described herein.

[0088] When used, the user inhales into the aerosol delivery device 100, and the flow sensor 210 detects the airflow, activating the heating element 220 to vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition. Inhaling into the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device causes ambient air to enter the air intake 236 and pass through the cavity 232 of the coupling 230 and the central opening of the projection 234 of the base 228. Inside the cartridge 104, the inhaled air combines with the formed vapor to form an aerosol. The aerosol is removed from the heating element, sucked out, or otherwise extracted and released out through the opening 224 at the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device.

[0089] For further details regarding the implementation of an aerosol delivery device, including a control unit and cartridge, in the case of an e-cigarette, please refer to U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 836,086 to Sur, U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 916,834 to Sur et al., and U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 916,696 to Sur, filed on 9 March 2018, which is also incorporated herein by reference.

[0090] Figures 3 to 6 illustrate implementations of an aerosol delivery device, including a control body and an aerosol source member, in the case of a non-combustion heating device. More specifically, Figure 3 shows an aerosol delivery device 300 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. The aerosol delivery device may include a control body 302 and an aerosol source member 304. In various implementations, the aerosol source member and the control body can be aligned permanently or detachably in a functional relationship. In this regard, Figure 3 shows an aerosol delivery device in a coupled configuration, while Figure 4 shows an aerosol delivery device in a disconnected configuration. Various mechanisms can connect the aerosol source member to the control body, resulting in screw engagement, press-fit engagement, interlocking fit, sliding fit, magnetic engagement, and the like.

[0091] As shown in Figure 4, in various implementations of this disclosure, the aerosol source member 304 may include a heated end 406 configured to be inserted into a control body 302 and a mouth end 408 through which the user inhales to produce an aerosol. In various implementations, at least a portion of the heated end may contain an aerosol precursor composition 410.

[0092] In various implementations, the aerosol source member 304 or a portion thereof may be wrapped in an outer overlap material 412 which can be formed of any material useful for providing additional structure and / or support to the aerosol source member. In various implementations, the outer overlap material may include a material that resists heat transfer, which may include paper or other fibrous materials such as cellulose. The outer overlap material may also include at least one filler material embedded in 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 overlap may be formed of multiple layers, such as a bulk layer underneath and a layer that overlaps on top of typical packaging paper in cigarettes. Such materials may include, for example, lightweight “scrap fibers” such as flax, hemp, sisal, rice straw, and / or esparto. The outer overlap may also include materials commonly used in conventional cigarette filter elements, such as cellulose acetate. Furthermore, the excessive length of overlap at the mouth end 408 of the aerosol source member may function to simply separate the aerosol precursor composition 410 from the consumer's mouth, or to provide space for positioning the filter material as described below, or to affect inhalation in the article, or to affect the flow characteristics of the vapor or aerosol leaving the device during inhalation. Further discussion regarding the configuration of overlap material that may be used in this disclosure can be found in the aforementioned U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al.

[0093] In various implementations, other components may be present between the aerosol precursor composition 410 and the mouth end 408 of the aerosol source member 304, in which case the mouth end may include a filter 414, which may be made from, for example, cellulose acetate or polypropylene material. The filter may additionally or alternatively include a strand containing tobacco, as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,025,814 to Raker et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In various implementations, the filter can increase the structural integrity of the mouth end of the aerosol source member and / or provide filtration capacity as needed and / or provide resistance to inhalation. In some implementations, one or any combination of the following may be positioned between the aerosol precursor composition and the mouth end: voids; phase change material for cooling air; flavor release medium; ion exchange fibers capable of selective chemiadsorption; aerogel particles as a filter medium; and other suitable materials.

[0094] Various implementations of this disclosure utilize one or more conductive heating elements to heat the aerosol precursor composition 410 of the aerosol source member 304. In various implementations, the heating elements may be provided in various forms, such as foil, foam, mesh, hollow ball, half-ball, disc, spiral, fiber, wire, film, thread, strip, ribbon, or cylinder. Such heating elements often contain a metallic material and are configured to generate heat as a result of electrical resistance associated with passing an electric current through them. Such resistive heating elements may be positioned in direct contact with or in close proximity to the aerosol source member, particularly the aerosol precursor composition of the aerosol source member 304. The heating elements may be located within the control body and / or the aerosol source member. In various implementations, the aerosol precursor composition may include components (i.e., heat-conducting components) that function as a heating assembly or are embedded in or otherwise part of a substrate portion that can facilitate the function of the heating assembly. Several examples of various heating members and elements are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al.

[0095] Some non-limiting examples of various heating element configurations include configurations in which the heating element is placed near the aerosol source member 304. For example, in some examples, at least a portion of the heating element may surround at least a portion of the aerosol source member. In other examples, one or more heating elements may be positioned adjacent to the outside of the aerosol source member when inserted into the control body 302. In other examples, when the aerosol source member is inserted into the control body, at least a portion of the heating element may penetrate at least a portion of the aerosol source member (e.g., one or more prongs and / or spikes penetrating the aerosol source member). In some examples, the aerosol precursor composition may include a number of beads or particles that are in contact with the aerosol precursor composition, or embedded in the aerosol precursor composition, or otherwise are part of the aerosol precursor composition, which can function as heating elements or facilitate the function of heating elements.

[0096] Figure 5 shows a front view of an aerosol delivery device 300 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, and Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view through the aerosol delivery device of Figure 5. In particular, the control body 302 of the illustrated implementation may include an end cap including a housing 516 with an opening 518 defined at its engaging end, a flow sensor 520 (e.g., a blow sensor or pressure switch), control components 522 (e.g., a processing circuit), a power supply 524 (e.g., a battery, a supercapacitor), and an indicator 526 (e.g., an LED).

[0097] In one implementation, the indicator 526 may include one or more LEDs, quantum dot-based LEDs, etc. The indicator communicates with the control component 522 and may be illuminated, for example, when coupled to the control body 302, when the user inhales through the aerosol source member 304, as detected by the flow sensor 520.

[0098] The control body 302 of the illustrated implementation includes one or more heating assemblies 528 (individually or collectively referred to as heating assemblies) configured to heat the aerosol precursor composition 410 of the aerosol source member 304. While heating assemblies in various implementations of the present disclosure can take various forms, in the particular implementation shown in Figures 5 and 6, the heating assembly includes an outer cylinder 530 and a heating element 532, the heating element comprising a plurality of heater prongs (in various configurations the heating assembly, or more specifically the heater prongs, may be referred to as heaters) extending from a receiving base 534 in this implementation. In the illustrated implementation, the outer cylinder comprises a double-walled vacuum tube constructed of stainless steel to retain the heat generated by the heater prongs within the outer cylinder, more specifically, to retain the heat generated by the heater prongs within the aerosol precursor composition. In various implementations, the heater prongs may be constructed from one or more conductive materials, including, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, platinum, gold, silver, iron, steel, brass, bronze, graphite, or any combination thereof.

[0099] As illustrated, the heating assembly 528 may extend near the engaging end of the housing 516 and may be configured to substantially surround a portion of the heated end 406 of the aerosol source member 304 containing the aerosol precursor composition 410. In such a manner, the heating assembly may define a generally tubular configuration. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the heating element 532 (e.g., multiple heater prongs) is surrounded by an outer cylinder 530 to create a receiving chamber 536. In such a manner, in various implementations, the outer cylinder may include, but is not limited to, an insulating polymer (e.g., plastic or cellulose), glass, rubber, ceramic, porcelain, a double-walled vacuum structure, or any combination thereof, a non-conductive insulating material and / or a non-conductive insulating structure.

[0100] In some implementations, one or more parts or components of the heating assembly 528 may be combined with, packaged with, and / or integrated with (e.g., embedded within) the aerosol precursor composition 410. For example, in some implementations, the aerosol precursor composition may be formed from the materials described above and may contain a mixture of one or more conductive materials. In some of these implementations, the contacts may be directly connected to the aerosol precursor composition so that when the aerosol source member is inserted into the receiving chamber of the control body, the contacts form an electrical connection with an electrical energy source. Alternatively, the contacts may be integrated with the electrical energy source and extend into the receiving chamber so that when the aerosol source member is inserted into the receiving chamber of the control body, the contacts form an electrical connection with the aerosol precursor composition. Because conductive materials are present in the aerosol precursor composition, applying power from the electrical energy source to the aerosol precursor composition allows current to flow, thus generating heat from the conductive materials. Therefore, in some implementations, the heating element may be described as being integrated with the aerosol precursor composition. In non-limiting examples, graphite or other suitable conductive materials may be mixed with, embedded in, or otherwise present on or within the material forming the aerosol precursor composition to create a heating element integrated with the medium.

[0101] As noted above, in the illustrated implementation, the outer cylinder 530 may also function to facilitate proper positioning of the aerosol source member 304 when the aerosol source member is inserted into the housing 516. In various implementations, the outer cylinder of the heating assembly 528 may engage with the inner surface of the housing to align the heating assembly with the housing. As a result of the fixed coupling between the heating assemblies, the longitudinal axis of the heating assembly may extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing. In particular, a support cylinder may extend from the opening 518 of the housing to the receiving base 534 to create the receiving chamber 536.

[0102] The heated end 406 of the aerosol source member 304 is sized and molded for insertion into the control body 302. In various implementations, the receiving chamber 536 of the control body may be characterized as being defined by a wall having an inner and outer surface, the inner surface defining the internal volume of the receiving chamber. For example, in the illustrated implementation, the outer cylinder 530 defines the inner surface that defines the internal volume of the receiving chamber. In the illustrated implementation, the inner diameter of the outer cylinder may be slightly larger than or approximately equal to the outer diameter of the corresponding aerosol source member (for example, to create a slip fit) so that the outer cylinder is configured to guide the aerosol source member to the control body in the appropriate position (e.g., a lateral position). Thus, the maximum outer diameter of the aerosol source member (or other dimensions depending on the specific cross-sectional shape of this implementation) may be sized to be smaller than the inner diameter (or other dimensions) of the inner surface of the wall at the open end of the receiving chamber of the control body. In some implementations, the difference in diameter between the aerosol source members may be small enough that they fit snugly into the receiving chamber and friction prevents them from moving without force. On the other hand, such a difference may be small enough to allow the aerosol source members to slide into and out of the receiving chamber without requiring excessive force.

[0103] In the illustrated implementation, the control body 302 is configured such that, when the aerosol source member 304 is inserted into the control body, the heating element 532 (e.g., a heater prong) is positioned approximately at the radial center of at least a portion of the aerosol precursor composition 410 at the heated end 406 of the aerosol source member. In such a manner, when used in combination with a solid or semi-solid aerosol precursor composition, the heater prong may be in direct contact with the aerosol precursor composition. In other implementations, such as when used in combination with an extruded aerosol precursor composition defining a tubular structure, the heater prong may be positioned inside a cavity defined by the inner surface of the extruded tubular structure and not in contact with the inner surface of the extruded tubular structure.

[0104] During use, the consumer initiates heating of the heating assembly 528, particularly the heating element 532 adjacent to the aerosol precursor composition 410 (or a particular layer thereof). Heating the aerosol precursor composition to produce inhalable material releases the inhalable material into the aerosol source member 304. When the consumer inhales at the mouth end 408 of the aerosol source member, air is drawn into the aerosol source member through an air intake 538, such as an opening or aperture in the control body 302. As the drawn-in material exits the mouth end of the aerosol source member, the combined mixture of the drawn-in air and the released inhalable material is inhaled by the consumer. In some implementations, to initiate heating, the consumer may manually activate a push button or similar component that causes the heating element of the heating assembly to receive electrical energy from a battery or other energy source. The electrical energy may be supplied for a predetermined period of time or may be manually controlled.

[0105] In some implementations, the flow of electrical energy is substantially absent between puffs in the device 300 (although the energy flow may continue to maintain a baseline temperature higher than the ambient temperature—for example, a temperature that facilitates rapid heating to the active heating temperature). However, in the illustrated implementation, heating is initiated by the consumer's puffing action through the use of one or more sensors, such as the flow sensor 520. When puffing is stopped, heating is stopped or reduced. When the consumer has puffed enough times to release a sufficient amount of inhalable material (for example, enough to be equivalent to a typical smoking experience), the aerosol source member 304 may be detached from the control body 302 and discarded. In some implementations, further sensing elements, such as capacitive sensing elements and other sensors, may be used as discussed in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 707,461 to Phillips et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0106] In various implementations, the aerosol source member 304 may be formed of any material suitable for forming and maintaining a reasonable conformation, such as a tubular shape, and for holding the aerosol precursor composition 410 therein. In some implementations, the aerosol source member may be formed of a single wall, or in other implementations, of multiple walls, and may be formed of a heat-resistant (natural or synthetic) material such that it maintains its structural integrity—e.g., does not degrade—at a temperature that is at least the heating temperature provided by an electric heating element, as will be discussed further herein. In some implementations, a heat-resistant polymer may be used, while in other implementations, the aerosol source member may be formed from paper, such as paper in a substantially straw shape. As will be discussed further herein, the aerosol source member may have one or more associated layers that function to substantially prevent the movement of vapor through it. In one exemplary implementation, an aluminum foil layer may be laminated on one surface of the aerosol source member. Ceramic materials may be used. In further implementations, insulating materials may be used to prevent unnecessary heat from being released from the aerosol precursor composition. Further illustrative types of components and materials that may be used to provide the above functions or that may be used as substitutes for the above materials and components may be of the type described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 00186757 to Crooks et al., and No. 2011 / 0041861 to Sebastian et al., which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0107] In the illustrated implementation, the control body 302 includes a control component 522 that controls various functions of the aerosol delivery device 300, including providing power to an electrically heated element 532. For example, the control component may include a processing circuit connected to a power supply 524 by conductive wires (not shown), which may be connected to further components as described herein. In various implementations, the processing circuit may control when and how the heating assembly 528, in particular the heater prongs, receive electrical energy to heat the aerosol precursor composition 410 for the release of an inhalable substance for inhalation by the consumer. In some implementations, such control may be activated by a flow sensor 520 as described in more detail above.

[0108] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the illustrated heating assembly 528 comprises an outer cylinder 530 and heating elements 532 (e.g., multiple heater prongs) extending from a receiving base 534. In some implementations, such as those in which the aerosol precursor composition 410 includes a tubular structure, the heater prongs may be configured to extend into a cavity defined by the inner surface of the aerosol precursor composition. In other implementations, such as the illustrated implementation, in which the aerosol precursor composition includes a solid or semi-solid structure, the multiple heater prongs are configured to penetrate the aerosol precursor composition contained in the heated end 406 of the aerosol source member 304 when the aerosol source member is inserted into the control body 302. In such implementations, one or more components of the heating assembly, including the heater prongs and / or the receiving base, may be constructed of non-stick or tack-resistant materials, such as certain aluminum, copper, stainless steel, carbon steel, and ceramic materials. In other implementations, one or more components of the heating assembly, including the heater prongs and / or receiving base, may include other coatings such as a non-stick coating including a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coating such as Teflon(R), or a non-stick enamel coating, or a ceramic coating such as Grebolon(R) or Thermolon(TM), or a ceramic coating such as Grebolon(R) or Thermolon(TM).

[0109] In addition, while the illustrated implementation has numerous heater prongs 532 substantially equally distributed around the receiving base 534, it should be noted that in other implementations, any number of heater prongs, including just one, may be used in any other preferred spatial configuration. Furthermore, the length of the heater prongs may vary in various implementations. For example, in some implementations, the heater prongs may have small protrusions, while in other implementations, the heater prongs may extend to any portion of the length of the receiving chamber 536, including up to approximately 25%, up to approximately 50%, up to approximately 75%, and up to almost the entire length of the receiving chamber. In yet other implementations, the heating assembly 528 may have other configurations. Examples of other heater configurations that can be adapted for use in this disclosure in accordance with the discussion provided above are 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., and Sprinkel These patents can be found in U.S. Patent No. 5,228,460 for Jr. et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,322,075 for Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,353,813 for Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,468,936 for Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,498,850 for Das, U.S. Patent No. 5,659,656 for Das, U.S. Patent No. 5,498,855 for Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,530,225 for Hajaligol, U.S. Patent No. 5,665,262 for Hajaligol, and U.S. Patent No. 5,573,692 for Das et al., and U.S. Patent No. 5,591,368 for Fleischhauer et al., which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0110] In various implementations, the control body 302 may include an air intake 538 (e.g., one or more openings or apertures) within it to allow ambient air to enter the receiving chamber 536. In such a manner, in some implementations, the receiving base 534 may also include an air intake. Thus, in some implementations, when a consumer inhales at the mouth end of the aerosol source member 304, air is drawn into the receiving chamber through the air intakes of the control body and the receiving base, proceeds into the aerosol source member, and can be drawn through the aerosol precursor composition 410 of the aerosol source member for inhalation by the consumer. In some implementations, the inhaled air carries the inhalable substance through an optional filter 414 and exits through the opening at the mouth end 408 of the aerosol source member. With the heating element 532 positioned inside the aerosol precursor composition, the heater prongs can be activated to heat the aerosol precursor composition, causing the release of the inhalable substance through the aerosol source member.

[0111] As described above with particular reference to Figures 5 and 6, various implementations of this disclosure heat the aerosol precursor composition 410 using a conductive heater. Also, as shown above, various other implementations use an induction heater to heat the aerosol precursor composition. In some of these implementations, the heating assembly 528 may be configured as an induction heater comprising a transformer with an induction transmitter and an induction receiver. In implementations where the heating assembly is configured as an induction heater, the outer cylinder 530 may be configured as an induction transmitter, and the heating elements 532 (e.g., multiple heater prongs) extending from the receiving base 534 may be configured as an induction receiver. In various implementations, one or both of the induction transmitter and / or induction receiver may be located within the control body 302 and / or the aerosol source member 304.

[0112] In various implementations, the outer casing 530 and heating element 532, serving as the inductive transmitter and inductive receiver, may be constructed from one or more conductive materials, and in further implementations, the inductive receiver may be constructed from a ferromagnetic material, including, but not limited to, cobalt, iron, nickel, and combinations thereof. In one exemplary implementation, the foil material is constructed from a conductive material, and the heater prongs are constructed from a ferromagnetic material. In various implementations, the receiving base may be constructed from a non-conductive and / or insulating material.

[0113] The outer cylinder 530 as an inductive transmitter may include a laminate with a foil material surrounding a support cylinder. In some implementations, the foil material may include printed electrical traces, such as one or more electrical traces that can form a helical coil pattern when the foil material is positioned around a heating element 532 as an inductive receiver. The foil material and the support cylinder may each define a tubular configuration. The support cylinder may be configured to support the foil material so that it moves to contact the heater prongs and thereby does not short-circuit with the heater prongs. In such a manner, the support cylinder may include a non-conductive material which may be substantially transparent to the oscillating magnetic field generated by the foil material. In various implementations, the foil material may be embedded in the support cylinder or otherwise coupled to the support cylinder. In the illustrated implementation, the foil material is engaged with the outer surface of the support cylinder, however, in other implementations, the foil material may be positioned on the inner surface of the support cylinder or completely embedded in the support cylinder.

[0114] The foil material of the outer cylinder 530 may be configured to produce an oscillating magnetic field (e.g., a magnetic field that changes periodically over time) when an alternating current is guided through it. The heater prongs of the heating element 532 are at least partially located within or received within the outer cylinder and may include a conductive material. Eddy currents can be generated within the heater prongs via induction by guiding an alternating current through the foil material. Eddy currents flowing through the resistance of the material defining the heater prongs may heat the heater prongs by Joule heating (i.e., by the Joule effect). The heater prongs are heated wirelessly, allowing an aerosol to form from the aerosol precursor composition 410 positioned near the heater prongs.

[0115] Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the aerosol delivery device 700 in another exemplary implementation. The aerosol delivery device 700 in Figure 7 is similar to the aerosol delivery device 300 in Figures 3 to 6 and is particularly suitable for segmented heating of the aerosol precursor composition 410. The aerosol delivery device 700 is similar to the control body 302, but includes one or more heating assemblies 728 (referred to individually or collectively as heating assemblies) configured to heat the aerosol precursor composition of the aerosol source member 304.

[0116] In a particular implementation illustrated in Figure 7, the heating assembly comprises an outer cylinder 530 and a segmented heater 730 including a plurality of heating elements 732, such as a plurality of conductive prongs (heater prongs) that are physically separated and spaced apart from one another. In some examples, each prong of the plurality of conductive prongs is one of the heating elements of the plurality of heating elements of the segmented heater. In another example, the plurality of heating elements may be or include physically separated resistive heating elements that can be positioned adjacent to each outer surface region of the aerosol source member. In yet another example, the plurality of heating elements may be or include physically separated coils capable of generating localized eddy currents within each region of the aerosol source member.

[0117] In an example where the multiple heating elements 732 are multiple heater prongs, these heater prongs may extend radially inward from the inner surface of the outer cylinder 330, thereby extending longitudinally along the aerosol precursor composition 410. In the illustrated implementation, the outer cylinder comprises a double-walled vacuum tube constructed of stainless steel to retain the heat generated by the heating elements (e.g., heater prongs) within the outer cylinder, and more specifically, to retain the heat generated by the heating elements within the aerosol precursor composition. As described above, in various implementations, the heating elements may be constructed from one or more conductive materials, including, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, platinum, gold, silver, iron, steel, brass, bronze, graphite, or any combination thereof.

[0118] In some examples, the heating elements 732 of the segmented heater 730 may be powerable to heat multiple areas of the aerosol precursor composition 410. The heating elements may be powered simultaneously to heat each of the multiple areas of the aerosol precursor composition. In some examples, the heating elements of the multiple heating elements may be powered separately. In some of these examples, one or more of the heating elements may be powered separately to heat one or more areas of each of the multiple areas of the aerosol precursor composition, and no other heating elements of the multiple heating elements are powered simultaneously.

[0119] Other implementations of the aerosol delivery device, control body and aerosol source member are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 916,834, U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 916,696, U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 836,086, and U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 976,526 to Sur, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0120] Figures 8 and 9 illustrate an implementation of an aerosol delivery device including a control body and a cartridge in the case of a non-heated, non-combustible device. In this regard, Figure 8 shows a side view of an aerosol delivery device 800 including a control body 802 and a cartridge 804 in various exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. In detail, Figure 8 shows the control body and cartridge coupled together. The control body and cartridge may be detachably aligned in a functional relationship.

[0121] Figure 9 illustrates the aerosol delivery device 800 in more detail through several exemplary implementations. As can be seen in the cutaway diagram shown therein, the aerosol delivery device can again comprise a control body 802 and a cartridge 804, each containing several respective components. The components shown in Figure 9 are representative of the components that may be present in the control body and cartridge and are not intended to limit the scope of components covered by this disclosure. As shown, for example, the control body can be formed from a control body housing or shell 906 that can include control components 908 (e.g., processing circuits), input devices 910, power supplies 912, and indicators 914 (e.g., LEDs, quantum dot-based LEDs), and such components can be variably aligned. Herein, a specific example of a suitable control component is the Microchip Technology Inc. PIC16(L)F1713 / 6 microcontroller, as described in Microchip Technology Inc., AN2265, Vibrating Mesh Nebulizer Reference Design (2016), which is incorporated by reference.

[0122] The cartridge 804 can be formed in a housing sometimes called a cartridge shell 916, which surrounds a reservoir 918 configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition and includes a nozzle 920 having at least one piezoelectric / pressure-magnetic mesh (aerosol-generating component). As described above, in various configurations such a structure may also be called a tank, and therefore the terms “cartridge,” “tank,” etc., may be used interchangeably to refer to the shell or other housing surrounding the reservoir for the aerosol precursor composition and including the nozzle.

[0123] The reservoir 918 shown in Figure 9 may be a container or a fibrous reservoir, as described below. The reservoir may be in fluid communication with the nozzle 920 for transporting the aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir housing to the nozzle. An opening 922 may be present in the cartridge shell 916 (e.g., at the mouth end) to allow the discharge of the formed aerosol from the cartridge 804.

[0124] In some examples, a transport element may be positioned between the reservoir 918 and the nozzle 920 and configured to control the amount of aerosol precursor composition transferred or delivered from the reservoir to the nozzle. In some examples, a microfluidic chip may be embedded in the cartridge 804, and the amount and / or mass of aerosol precursor composition delivered from the reservoir may be controlled by one or more microfluidic components. An example of a microfluidic component is a micropump 924, such as one based on microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology. Suitable examples of micropumps include the Model MDP2205 micropump and others from thinXXS Microtechnology AG, the mp5 and mp6 Model micropumps and others from Bartels Mikrotechnik GmbH, and the piezoelectric micropump from Takasago Fluidic Systems.

[0125] As also shown, in some examples, a microfilter 926 may be positioned between the micropump 924 and the nozzle 920 to filter the aerosol precursor composition delivered to the nozzle. Like the micropump, the microfilter is a microfluidic component. Examples of suitable microfilters include flow-through microfilters manufactured using lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology.

[0126] During use, when the input device 910 detects user input to activate the aerosol delivery device, the piezoelectric / pressure-magnetic mesh is activated to vibrate, thereby drawing in the aerosol precursor composition through the mesh. This forms droplets of the aerosol precursor composition that combine with air to form an aerosol. The aerosol is removed from the mesh, sucked in, or otherwise drawn out and exited through the opening 922 at the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device.

[0127] The aerosol delivery device 800 may incorporate an input device 910, such as a switch, sensor, or detector, for controlling the supply of power to at least one piezoelectric / pressure-magnetic mesh of the nozzle 920 when aerosol generation is desired (e.g., during inhalation in use). Thus, a way or method is provided to turn off power to the mesh when the aerosol delivery device is not being inhaled during use, and to turn on power to activate or trigger aerosol generation and distribution from the nozzle during inhalation. Additional representative types of sensing or detection mechanisms, their structure and configuration, their components, and their general operating methods are described above and in U.S. Patent No. 5,261,424 to Sprinkel, Jr., U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., and International Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 003480 to Flick, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0128] For further information regarding the above and other implementations of aerosol delivery devices in the case of non-heating, non-combustible appliances, please refer to U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 651,548 filed to Sur on 17 July 2017, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0129] As described above, the exemplary implementations of aerosol delivery devices may include a variety of electronic components, even in the context of e-cigarettes, non-combustible heating devices, or non-heated non-combustible devices, or even in the case of devices that further include one or more functions of e-cigarettes, non-combustible heating devices, or non-heated non-combustible devices. Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of a circuit 1000 that may be implemented in any one or more of the aerosol delivery devices 100, 300, 700, and 800, and / or incorporate their functions, according to various exemplary implementations of the Disclosure. In some more specific examples, the schematic diagrams show circuits that may be implemented in any one or more of the control bodies 102, 302, 702, or 802, and / or incorporate their functions. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the schematic diagrams are of circuits that may be implemented on cartridges of aerosol delivery devices, such as cartridges 104, 804, etc.

[0130] As shown in Figure 10, the circuit 1000 includes a control component 1004 (equipped with a processing circuit 1006) and a power supply 1008, which may correspond to, or include, one function each of the control bodies 102, 302, 702, 802, control components 208, 522, 908, and power supplies 212, 524, 912. The circuit also includes an aerosol generating component 1010 which may correspond to, or include, the function of the heating elements 220, 532, 732, or the piezoelectric / pressure-magnetic mesh of the nozzle 920. In some implementations, the circuit includes a terminal 1012 configured to connect the power supply 1008 to an aerosol delivery device, or in particular to a control body. The circuit may also include an aerosol generating component, or a second terminal 1014 configured to connect an aerosol generating component.

[0131] Circuit 1000 may include a sensor 1016 that corresponds to, or may include, the functionality of, a flow sensor 210, 520 or an input device 910. The sensor may be configured to detect airflow, generate a pressure measurement caused by the airflow through at least a portion of the housing of the aerosol delivery device (e.g., housings 206, 216, 516, 906), and convert the pressure measurement into a signal. Processing circuit 1006 may be configured to receive the signal and, in response, initiate an aerosol generation period. In some cases, a differential pressure may be deployed, which the sensor may be configured to measure ambient pressure, and which may then be used to determine the differential pressure when the user inhales into the aerosol delivery device.

[0132] In some examples, the processing circuit 1006 is configured to operate in active mode, in which active mode, the processing circuit is configured to control power to the aerosol generating component 1010 so as to activate the aerosol generating component and generate an aerosol from the aerosol precursor composition. In this regard, the processing circuit may be configured to switchably connect a power supply 1008 to a load 1018 containing the aerosol generating component 1010, thereby supplying power to the aerosol generating component. More specifically, for example, the processing circuit may be configured to receive a signal from the sensor 1016 and, in response, connect a power supply to a load containing the aerosol generating component, thereby supplying power to the aerosol generating component. The processing circuit may be configured to process the signal to determine an on / off state and may modulate the switching connection of the power supply to the load in proportion to the measured value / user input generated by the sensor. In some examples, the control component 1004 is located between the sensor and the load and further includes a switch 1020 controllable by the processing circuit to connect a power supply to the load containing the aerosol generating component and disconnect it therefrom.

[0133] In some examples, the circuit 1000 also includes a user interface 1022. As shown, for example, the user interface includes a pressure-sensitive surface 1024 and a pressure sensor 1026 configured to measure pressure and generate a corresponding signal in response to the force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface.

[0134] In some of these examples, the processing circuit 1006 may also be configured to receive a corresponding signal and to identify an action from a plurality of actions based on the level of the corresponding signal and thereby the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface 1024. Different actions among the plurality of actions may be distinguishable based on different levels of corresponding signals, where the signals correspond to different amounts of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface. The levels of the corresponding signals and the amounts of force may be expressed in any of several different ways, such as absolute values, relative values, fixed values, or ranges of values, and the levels and amounts may be expressed in the same way or different ways. For example, the corresponding signals may have a first level in the force range of 1 to 5 Newtons, a second level in the force range of 5.1 to 10 Newtons, and so on. The processing circuit may also be configured to perform actions in response to the corresponding signals and thereby the force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface.

[0135] In some examples, the processing circuit 1006 may receive a second corresponding signal from the pressure sensor 1026. As previously described, the processing circuit may identify a second action from a plurality of actions based on the level of the second corresponding signal and, thereby, on a second amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface 1024. Alternatively, the processing circuit may perform the second action in response to the second corresponding signal.

[0136] An operation may be identifiable from the level of a single corresponding signal from the pressure sensor 1026, or from the levels of a number of corresponding signals, which in some examples may be a specific sequence. In this regard, the processing circuit 1006 may be configured to receive a sequence of corresponding signals from the pressure sensor 1026. The processing circuit may identify an operation (or a second operation) from a number of operations based on the levels of the sequence of corresponding signals and, by extension, the sequence of force amounts applied to the pressure-sensitive surface 1024. The operation (or second operation) may then be performed in response to the sequence of corresponding signals and, by extension, the sequence of force amounts applied to the pressure-sensitive surface. As a non-limiting example, a sample sequence of force amounts applied to the pressure-sensitive surface may include a hard press, followed by a soft press, and then a hard press. Another example may include two or more presses having force amounts applied to the pressure-sensitive surface in a specific order, such as "hard press-soft press-soft press," "soft press-hard press-soft press," "hard press-hard press," or other sequence orders as needed. In these examples, "hard press" may correspond to a fixed amount or range of force, while "soft press" may correspond to a lower fixed amount or range of force.

[0137] The operation may be one of several different operations instructed through user input via the user interface 1022. In some examples, the operation may be a locking or unlocking operation, and the processing circuit may be configured to change the locked state of the aerosol delivery device, where the locked state may be either locked or unlocked. In this regard, when the aerosol delivery device is locked, the processing circuit may unlock the device in response to a corresponding signal from the user interface. Conversely, when the aerosol delivery device is unlocked, the processing circuit may lock the delivery device in response to a corresponding signal. In this way, a sequence of presses with different amounts of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface (as described above) may be used to change the locked state of the delivery device. For example, a sequence including "hard press-hard press-hard press" may be used to unlock the delivery device, and the same or a different sequence may be used to lock the delivery device. Other actions that can be instructed through the user interface include initiating a heater or user usage profile (which may include adjusting the operating parameters of the aerosol generating component 1010), controlling a power saving mode, enabling and disabling adjustments to the power applied to the aerosol generating component 1010 such as a “boost” mode in which power may be provided at an increased level to increase the amount of aerosol generated and / or power may be provided for a longer duration to extend the period in which aerosol is generated (enabling / disabling may also be based on airflow detected by sensor 1016), and / or controlling a stealth mode to enable and disable user-perceptible feedback.

[0138] Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, multiple operations include operations for controlling the operating parameters of the aerosol generating component 1010, and the processing circuit 1006 configured to perform the operations includes a processing circuit configured to perform operations for controlling the operating parameters of the aerosol generating component. In some of these examples, the operations for controlling the operating parameters of the aerosol generating component 1010 include operations for controlling power to deliver respective power levels to the aerosol generating component. The processing circuit 1006 may then be configured to perform operations for controlling power to deliver a first level of the respective power levels to the aerosol generating component. Similarly, a second corresponding signal level may be used to identify a second operation, and the processing circuit may perform operations to deliver a second level of the respective power levels to the aerosol generating component. When sensor 1016 corresponds to flow sensors 210, 520, the processing circuit may be configured to perform operations for controlling power to deliver a first level (or second level) of the respective levels only when airflow is also detected by the flow sensors. Other examples of operations for controlling the operating parameters of an aerosol generating component include operations for controlling power to turn the aerosol generating component on or off, operations for controlling power to adjust the temperature of the aerosol generating component, and operations for controlling the vibration frequency of the aerosol generating component.

[0139] Some further examples of appropriate operation include feedback operation, such as indicating the charge state of the power supply 1008, the amount or remaining amount of aerosol precursor composition held by the aerosol delivery device, etc. In some examples, the user interface 1022 further includes indicators 1028, such as visual indicators, tactile indicators, or sound indicators, configured to provide appropriate user-perceptible feedback. In some of these examples, the processing circuit 1006 may be configured to control the indicators to provide appropriate user-perceptible feedback, such as user-perceptible feedback indicating the charge state, the amount of aerosol precursor composition, etc.

[0140] In some examples, the processing circuit 1006 may control indicator 1028 to provide user-perceptible feedback indicating the operation being performed. When changing the locked state of an aerosol delivery device, the processing circuit may control indicator 1028 to provide user-perceptible feedback indicating the locked state. When controlling the level of power delivered to the aerosol generating component 1010, the processing circuit may control indicator 1028 to provide user-perceptible feedback indicating the level of (e.g., a first, a second) of the respective power levels delivered to the aerosol generating component.

[0141] The pressure sensor 1026 of the user interface 1022 may be configured to measure pressure in one of several different ways. Examples of suitable pressure sensors include strain gauges, deflection sensors, capacitive pressure sensors, and force-sensing devices such as force-sensing resistors. In some of these examples, the sensor may respond to varying levels of deflection / pressure on the sensing surface. An example of a suitable strain gauge with some exemplary implementations is the RS Pro 632180 strain gauge manufactured by RS Components Ltd. In examples utilizing a capacitive pressure sensor, the time it takes to charge and / or discharge a variable capacitor may be measured. The presence of an object (e.g., a finger) or deflection of the pressure-sensing surface may cause a change in capacitance, which can be detected and measured by measuring the change in the charge-discharge time of the variable capacitor.

[0142] In some examples where the pressure sensor is a strain gauge, the strain gauge may be mounted on a rigid part of an aerosol delivery device, and a force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface 1024 may cause deformation of the strain gauge, producing a detectable change in its electrical resistance. The change in resistance corresponds to the applied force and, thereby, the amount of deformation, and the corresponding signal may be generated from the change in electrical resistance. Similarly, a force-sensing resistor is a material whose electrical resistance changes in response to an applied force, and the corresponding signal may be generated from the change in electrical resistance.

[0143] Figure 11 shows a strain gauge sensor assembly 1100 that may correspond to a pressure sensor 1026 in several examples. As shown, the strain gauge sensor assembly includes a strain gauge 1102 connected to a Wheatstone bridge 1104 configured to measure the aforementioned change in electrical resistance caused by the deformation of the strain gauge. The Wheatstone bridge may be connected to a power supply 1008 to provide its source voltage. The Wheatstone bridge may also be connected to an amplifier 1106, a filter 1108, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 1110 to amplify, filter, and convert the measurement into a corresponding digital signal, which may be transmitted to a processing circuit 1006. In some examples, one or more of the amplifier, filter, or ADC may be embedded in the processing circuit or otherwise implemented by the processing circuit. In other examples, other bridge circuits (e.g., capacitive bridges or Wien bridges) may be implemented instead of the Wheatstone bridge, and a frequency / timing mechanism may be used instead of an ADC. The mechanism may be located within the processing circuit as a functional hardware block or software component, or it may be a separate, dedicated component such as an Azoteq IQS127D touch controller.

[0144] Figure 12 shows a force-sensing sensor assembly 1200 that may correspond to a pressure sensor 1026 in some examples. As shown, the force-sensing sensor assembly includes a force-sensing device such as a force-sensing resistor 1202 connected within a voltage divider 1204, which has a force-sensing resistor and a second resistor 1206 connected in series. The input voltage to the voltage divider may be provided by a power supply 1008. The output voltage can correspond to a measure of the change in electrical resistance described above caused by the force applied to the force-sensing resistor. An ADC 1208 may be connected to the output of the voltage divider to convert the measurement into a corresponding digital signal, which may be transmitted to a processing circuit 1006. As previously mentioned, in some examples the ADC may be embedded in the processing circuit or otherwise implemented by the processing circuit.

[0145] The foregoing description of the use of the smoking article(s) can be applied to the various exemplary implementations described herein through minor modifications that may be obvious to those skilled in the art in light of further disclosures provided herein. However, the foregoing description of use is not intended to limit the use of the articles and is provided to satisfy all necessary requirements of this disclosure. Any elements of the smoking article(s) shown in Figures 1 to 12 or otherwise described above may be included in the aerosol delivery device according to this disclosure.

[0146] Those skilled in the art who benefit from the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings will likely envision many modifications and other implementations of this disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to any specific implementation disclosed herein, and that modifications and other implementations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Certain terms are used herein, but they are used in a general and descriptive sense only and not for limiting purposes.

Claims

1. A housing structured to hold an aerosol precursor composition, Aerosol generation components and A processing circuit configured to operate in active mode, wherein in active mode, the processing circuit is configured to activate an aerosol generating component and control the power to the aerosol generating component to generate an aerosol from an aerosol precursor composition, A user interface including a pressure-sensitive surface and a pressure sensor configured to measure pressure and generate a corresponding signal according to the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface. Equipped with, The processing circuit is at least, Receive the corresponding sequence of signals, Based on the corresponding signal levels of the sequence, and thereby based on the sequence of force amounts applied to the pressure-sensitive surface, different actions among the multiple actions can be identified based on different levels of the corresponding signals of the sequence, and thereby based on different sequences of force amounts applied to the pressure-sensitive surface. The device performs an action in response to a corresponding sequence of signals, and thereby in response to a sequence of forces applied to a pressure-sensitive surface. An aerosol delivery device, further configured as follows.

2. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is a strain gauge sensor.

3. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is a force sensing device.

4. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the operations include operations for controlling the operating parameters of the aerosol generating component, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operations includes a processing circuit configured to perform operations for controlling the operating parameters of the aerosol generating component.

5. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 4, wherein an operation for controlling the operating parameters of an aerosol generating component includes an operation for controlling power to deliver a respective power level to the aerosol generating component, and a processing circuit configured to perform the operation includes a processing circuit configured to perform an operation for controlling power to deliver a first level of the respective power levels to the aerosol generating component.

6. The processing circuit is, The second sequence of the corresponding signal is received from the pressure sensor. Based on the level of the second corresponding signal in the second sequence, and thereby based on the second sequence of the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface, the second action is identified from a plurality of actions. Perform a second operation to control the power so that a second level of the respective power levels is delivered to the aerosol generating component. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 5, further configured as follows.

7. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 6, wherein the second operation is a locking or unlocking operation, and the processing circuit configured to perform the second operation includes a processing circuit configured to change the locked state of the aerosol delivery device.

8. The device further comprises a flow sensor configured to detect the flow of air through at least a portion of the aerosol delivery device, The aerosol delivery device according to claim 5, wherein the processing circuit is configured to perform an operation to control power to deliver a first level of each level only when airflow is also detected.

9. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 5, wherein the user interface includes an indicator, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operation further includes a processing circuit configured to control the indicator to provide user-perceptible feedback indicating a first level of the respective power levels delivered to the aerosol generating component.

10. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the user interface includes an indicator, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operation includes a processing circuit configured to control the indicator to provide user-perceptible feedback indicating the remaining amount of aerosol precursor composition held by the housing.

11. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the operation is a locking operation or an unlocking operation, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operation includes a processing circuit configured to change the locked state of the aerosol delivery device.

12. The processing circuit is, A second corresponding signal is received from the pressure sensor. Based on the level of the second corresponding signal, and thereby based on the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface, the second action is identified from among multiple actions. In response to a second corresponding signal, and thereby in response to the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface, a second operation is performed. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, further configured as follows.

13. A processing circuit configured to operate in active mode, wherein in active mode, the processing circuit is configured to activate an aerosol generating component and control the power to the aerosol generating component to generate an aerosol from an aerosol precursor composition, A user interface including a pressure-sensitive surface and a pressure sensor configured to measure pressure and generate a corresponding signal according to the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface. Equipped with, The processing circuit is at least, Receive the corresponding sequence of signals, Based on the corresponding signal levels of the sequence, and thereby based on the sequence of force amounts applied to the pressure-sensitive surface, different actions among the multiple actions can be identified based on different levels of the corresponding signals of the sequence, and thereby based on different sequences of force amounts applied to the pressure-sensitive surface. The device performs an action in response to a corresponding sequence of signals, and thereby in response to a sequence of forces applied to a pressure-sensitive surface. A control body for an aerosol delivery device, further configured as follows.

14. The control unit according to claim 13, wherein the pressure sensor is a strain gauge sensor.

15. The control body according to claim 13, wherein the pressure sensor is a force sensing device.

16. The control body according to claim 13, wherein the operations include operations for controlling the operating parameters of the aerosol generating component, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operations includes a processing circuit configured to perform operations for controlling the operating parameters of the aerosol generating component.

17. The control body according to claim 16, wherein the operation for controlling the operating parameters of the aerosol generating component includes an operation for controlling power to deliver a respective power level to the aerosol generating component, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operation includes a processing circuit configured to perform an operation for controlling power to deliver a first level of the respective power levels to the aerosol generating component.

18. The processing circuit is, The second sequence of the corresponding signal is received from the pressure sensor. Based on the level of the second corresponding signal in the second sequence, and thereby based on the second sequence of the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface, the second action is identified from a plurality of actions. Perform a second operation to control the power so that a second level of the respective power levels is delivered to the aerosol generating component. The control body according to claim 17, further configured as follows.

19. The control body according to claim 18, wherein the second operation is a locking operation or an unlocking operation, and the processing circuit configured to perform the second operation includes a processing circuit configured to change the locked state of the control body.

20. The control unit further comprises a flow sensor configured to detect the airflow through at least a portion of the control unit, The control body according to claim 17, wherein the processing circuit is configured to perform an operation to control power to deliver a first level of each level only when airflow is also detected.

21. The control body according to claim 17, wherein the user interface includes an indicator, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operation further includes a processing circuit configured to control the indicator to provide user-perceptible feedback indicating a first level of the respective power levels delivered to the aerosol generating component.

22. The control body according to claim 13, wherein the user interface includes an indicator, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operation includes a processing circuit configured to control the indicator to provide user-perceptible feedback indicating the remaining amount of the aerosol precursor composition.

23. The control body according to claim 13, wherein the operation is a locking operation or an unlocking operation, and the processing circuit configured to perform the operation includes a processing circuit configured to change the locked state of the control body.

24. The processing circuit is, A second corresponding signal is received from the pressure sensor. Based on the level of the second corresponding signal, and thereby based on the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface, the second action is identified from among multiple actions. In response to a second corresponding signal, and thereby in response to the amount of force applied to the pressure-sensitive surface, a second operation is performed. The control body according to claim 13, further configured as follows.

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