Aerosol delivery device providing flavor control - Patents.com

Abstract

To provide a cartridge capable of adding one or more flavor additives to an aerosol precursor composition as desired by a user.SOLUTION: The cartridge includes a first reservoir configured to contain an aerosol precursor composition, and an atomizer having a liquid transport element in fluid communication with the first reservoir and a heating element configured to vaporize the aerosol precursor composition transported by the liquid transport element. The cartridge also includes a second reservoir, the second reservoir including two or more separate chambers, where at least one of the chambers contains a flavorant. A flow of air is configured to pass adjacently to the atomizer to entrain particles of the aerosol precursor composition that are vaporized by the heating element. The flow of air is also configured to pass at least one of the chambers of the second reservoir to entrain the flavorant of the respective chamber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an aerosol delivery device, and more particularly to an aerosol delivery device including a reservoir and a vaporization assembly that can utilize electrical power to heat an aerosol precursor composition for the production of an aerosol. The aerosol precursor composition, which can incorporate materials and / or components that can be produced or derived from tobacco, or can incorporate tobacco, is heated by the vaporization assembly to generate an inhalable substance for human consumption. [Background technology]

[0002] Many smoking articles have been proposed over the years as improvements or replacements to smoking products based on burning tobacco. Exemplary replacements include devices in which a solid or liquid fuel is burned to transfer heat to the tobacco, or a chemical reaction is used to provide such a heat source. Examples include the smoking articles described in U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

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

[0004] Representative products that resemble many of the attributes of a traditional type of cigarette, cigar or pipe include ACCORD® by Philip Morris Incorporated, ALPHA™, JOYE 510™ and M4™ by InnoVapor LLC, CIRRUS™ and FLING™ by White Cloud Cigarettes, BLU™ by Lorillard Technologies, Inc., COHITA™, COLIBRI™, ELITE CLASSIC™, MAGNUM™, PHANTOM™ and SENSE™ by EPUFFER® International Inc., DUOPRO™, STORM™ and VAPORKING® by Electronic Cigarettes, Inc., EGAR™ by Egar Australia, eGo-C™ and eGo-T™ by Joyetech, ELUSION™ by Elusion UK Ltd, Eonsmoke EONSMOKE(R) by FIN Branding Group, LLC, FIN(TM) by FIN Branding 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 by PremiumEstore LLC CIGARETTE(TM), Ruyan America, Inc.Its brands are marketed as RAPP E-MYSTICK(TM) by Red Dragon Products, LLC, 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 The 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 RJ Reynolds Vapor Company, Mistic Menthol products by Mistic Ecigs, and Vype products by CN Creative Ltd. Still other electrical aerosol delivery devices, particularly those characterized as so-called e-cigarettes, are sold under the trade names COOLER VISIONS™, DIRECT E-CIG™, DRAGONFLY™, EMIST™, EVERSMOKE™, GAMUCCI®, HYBRID FLAME™, KNIGHT STICKS™, ROYAL BLUES™, SMOKETIP®, and SOUTH BEACH SMOKE™. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Pat. No. 9,078,473 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 [Patent Document 3] US Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 [Patent Document 4] US Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 [Patent Document 5] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0220232 [Patent Document 6] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0245659 [Patent Document 7] U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 [Patent Document 8] U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,901 [Patent Document 9] U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,874 [Patent Document 10] U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,875 [Patent Document 11] U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,671 [Patent Document 12] U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,586 [Patent Document 13] U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,594 [Patent Document 14] U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,977 [Patent Document 15] U.S. Patent No. 6,053,176 [Patent Document 16] U.S. Patent No. 6,164,287 [Patent Document 17] U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,218 [Patent Document 18] U.S. Patent No. 6,810,883 [Patent Document 19] U.S. Patent No. 6,854,461 [Patent Document 20] U.S. Patent No. 7,832,410 [Patent Document 21] U.S. Patent No. 7,513,253 [Patent Document 22] U.S. Pat. No. 7,896,006 [Patent Document 23] U.S. Patent No. 6,772,756 [Patent Document 24] US Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0095311 [Patent Document 25] US Patent Application Publication No. 2006 / 0196518 [Patent Document 26] US Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0126745 [Patent Document 27] US Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0188490 [Patent Document 28] US Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0272379 [Patent Document 29] US Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0260641 [Patent Document 30] US Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0260642 [Patent Document 31] US Patent Application Publication No. 2008 / 0149118 [Patent Document 32] US Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0024834 [Patent Document 33] US Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0307518 [Patent Document 34] International Publication No. 2010 / 091593 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Certain existing embodiments of the aerosol delivery device include a control body (i.e., a power supply assembly) and a cartridge (i.e., a reservoir housing). A power supply (e.g., a battery) can be disposed within the control body, and the aerosol precursor composition can be held and / or stored within the cartridge. It would be desirable to provide a cartridge that can add one or more flavor additives to the aerosol precursor composition according to the desires of the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In various implementations, the present disclosure provides a cartridge for use in an aerosol delivery device. In one implementation, the cartridge comprises a first reservoir configured to contain an aerosol precursor composition, and an atomizer comprising a liquid transport element in fluid communication with the first reservoir and a heating element configured to vaporize the aerosol precursor composition transported by the liquid transport element. In an exemplary implementation, the cartridge can further comprise a second reservoir, the second reservoir including two or more separate chambers, at least one of the chambers containing a flavoring agent. The cartridge is configured to direct a flow of air adjacent to and passing through the atomizer to entrain particles of the aerosol precursor composition vaporized by the heating element. The cartridge is configured to direct a flow of air through at least one of the chambers of the second reservoir to entrain the flavoring agent in the respective chamber.

[0008] In some implementations, the cartridge may further comprise at least one mask on one side of the second reservoir, the mask configured to allow air flow through the mask, and the mask and the second reservoir configured to be movable relative to one another such that the mask selectively and alternatively directs the air flow through selected one or more chambers of the second reservoir.

[0009] In some implementations, the chamber of the second reservoir includes an outer shell defining an inner surface surrounding an inner passage formed by a porous tube, the outer shell containing a flavoring agent, and the inner passage configured to allow air flow through the chamber to entrain the flavoring agent from the inner surface.

[0010] In some implementations, visual markings are provided on the cartridge to designate the chamber of the second reservoir.

[0011] In some implementations, the chamber comprises a hopper for staging the flavoring. In one example, the chamber further comprises an actuator for selectively releasing the flavoring from the hopper. In one implementation, the flavoring is encapsulated in a plurality of capsules. In one embodiment, the actuator is configured to break at least one of the capsules to release the flavoring. In one exemplary implementation, the actuator comprises a pair of gears. The gear teeth can cooperate such that rotation of the gears releases at least one capsule from the hopper and is configured to release the flavoring from the capsule, whereupon the flavoring is entrained by the air flow. In one example, the actuator is triggered by a mechanical button.

[0012] In some implementations, the cartridge further comprises a window into the hopper so that the amount of flavoring remaining in the hopper can be determined.

[0013] In various implementations, the present disclosure provides an aerosol delivery device. In one implementation, the aerosol delivery device includes a control body and a cartridge. In various implementations, the cartridge includes a first reservoir configured to contain an aerosol precursor composition, and an atomizer including a liquid transport element in fluid communication with the first reservoir and a heating element configured to vaporize the aerosol precursor composition transported by the liquid transport element. The cartridge of the exemplary implementation can also include a second reservoir, the second reservoir including two or more separate chambers, at least one of the chambers containing a flavorant. The cartridge is configured to direct a flow of air adjacent to and passing through the atomizer to entrain particles of the aerosol precursor composition vaporized by the heating element. The cartridge is configured to direct a flow of air through at least one of the chambers of the second reservoir to entrain the flavorant in the respective chamber.

[0014] In some implementations, the cartridge further comprises at least one mask on one side of the second reservoir, the mask configured to allow air flow through the mask, and the mask and the second reservoir configured to be movable relative to one another such that the mask selectively and alternatively directs the air flow through selected one or more chambers of the second reservoir.

[0015] In some implementations of the aerosol delivery device, the chamber of the second reservoir of the cartridge includes an outer shell defining an inner surface surrounding an inner passage formed from a porous tube, the outer shell containing a flavorant, and the inner passage configured to allow air flow through the chamber to entrain the flavorant from the inner surface.

[0016] In some implementations of the aerosol delivery device, visual markings are provided on at least one of the cartridge and the control body to designate the chamber of the second reservoir.

[0017] In some implementations of the aerosol delivery device, the chamber of the cartridge comprises a hopper for collecting the flavoring. In some embodiments, the chamber further comprises an actuator for selectively releasing the flavoring from the hopper. In some embodiments, the flavoring is encapsulated in a plurality of capsules. In some implementations, the actuator is configured to break at least one of the capsules to release the flavoring. In one implementation, the actuator comprises a pair of gears, the gear teeth cooperating such that rotation of the gears releases at least one capsule from the hopper and is configured to release the flavoring from the capsule, whereupon the flavoring is entrained by the air flow. In one example, the actuator is activated by a mechanical button.

[0018] In some implementations of the aerosol delivery device, the cartridge has a window into the hopper so that the amount of flavorant remaining in the chamber can be determined.

[0019] It will be understood that the above summary is provided only for the purpose of summarizing some exemplary aspects to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the present disclosure. Therefore, it will be understood that the above exemplary aspects are merely examples of some aspects and should not be interpreted in any way to narrow the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. It will be understood that the scope of the present disclosure encompasses many potential aspects, some of which are further described below in addition to those summarized herein. Furthermore, other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the described aspects.

[0020] The present invention includes, but is not limited to, the following embodiments: Embodiment 1: A cartridge for use in an aerosol delivery device, comprising: a first reservoir configured to contain an aerosol precursor composition; an atomizer comprising a liquid transport element in fluid communication with the first reservoir and a heating element configured to vaporize the aerosol precursor composition transported by the liquid transport element; and a second reservoir comprising two or more separate chambers, at least one of the chambers containing a flavorant, wherein the cartridge is configured to direct a flow of air passing adjacent to the atomizer to entrain particles of the aerosol precursor composition vaporized by the heating element, and the cartridge is configured to direct the flow of air through at least one chamber of the second reservoir to entrain the flavorant in its respective chamber.

[0021] Embodiment 2: The cartridge of any preceding embodiment, further comprising at least one mask on one side of the second reservoir, the mask configured to allow air flow through the mask, and the mask and the second reservoir configured to be movable relative to one another such that the mask selectively and alternatively directs the air flow through one or more chambers of the second reservoir.

[0022] Embodiment 3: The cartridge of any preceding embodiment, wherein the chamber of the second reservoir comprises an outer shell defining an inner surface surrounding an inner passage, the outer shell containing a flavorant, and the inner passage comprises a porous tube configured to allow air flow through the chamber to entrain the flavorant from the inner surface.

[0023] Embodiment 4: The cartridge of any preceding embodiment, wherein visual markings are provided on the cartridge to designate the chamber of the second reservoir.

[0024] Embodiment 5: The cartridge of any preceding embodiment, further comprising a hopper for collecting flavorings.

[0025] Embodiment 6: The cartridge of any preceding embodiment, further comprising an actuator for selectively releasing flavoring from the hopper.

[0026] Embodiment 7: The cartridge of any preceding embodiment, wherein the flavoring is encapsulated in a plurality of capsules.

[0027] Embodiment 8: The cartridge of any preceding embodiment, wherein the actuator is configured to break at least one of the capsules to release the flavoring.

[0028] Embodiment 9: The cartridge of any preceding embodiment, wherein the actuator comprises a pair of gears, the teeth of the gears cooperating such that rotation of the gears is configured to release at least one capsule from the hopper and release flavoring from the capsule, the flavoring then being entrained by the air flow.

[0029] Embodiment 10: The cartridge of any preceding embodiment, wherein the actuator is activated by a mechanical button.

[0030] Embodiment 11: The cartridge of any preceding embodiment, comprising a window into the hopper so that the amount of flavoring remaining in the hopper can be determined.

[0031] Embodiment 12: An aerosol delivery device comprising: a control body; a cartridge comprising a first reservoir configured to accommodate an aerosol precursor composition; an atomizer comprising a liquid transport element in fluid communication with the first reservoir and a heating element configured to vaporize the aerosol precursor composition transported by the liquid transport element; and a second reservoir comprising two or more separate chambers, at least one of the chambers housing a flavorant; wherein the cartridge is configured to direct a flow of air adjacent to and through the atomizer to entrain particles of the aerosol precursor composition vaporized by the heating element; and wherein the cartridge is configured to direct a flow of air through at least one chamber of the second reservoir to entrain the flavorant in the respective chamber.

[0032] Embodiment 13: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment, wherein the cartridge further comprises at least one mask on one side of the second reservoir, the mask configured to allow air flow through the mask, and the mask and the second reservoir configured to be movable relative to each other such that the mask selectively and alternatively directs the air flow through one or more chambers of the second reservoir.

[0033] Embodiment 14: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment, wherein the chamber of the second reservoir of the cartridge comprises an outer shell defining an inner surface surrounding an inner passage, the outer shell containing a flavorant, and the inner passage comprises a porous tube configured to allow air flow through the chamber to entrain the flavorant from the inner surface.

[0034] Embodiment 15: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment, wherein visual markings are provided on at least one of the cartridge and the control body to designate the chamber of the second reservoir.

[0035] Embodiment 16: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment, further comprising a hopper for collecting flavorings.

[0036] Embodiment 17: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment, further comprising an actuator for selectively releasing flavoring from the hopper.

[0037] Embodiment 18: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment, wherein the flavorant is encapsulated in a plurality of capsules.

[0038] Embodiment 19: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment, wherein the actuator is configured to break at least one of the capsules to release the flavorant.

[0039] Embodiment 20: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment, wherein the actuator comprises a pair of gears whose teeth cooperate such that rotation of the gears is configured to release at least one capsule from the hopper and release flavoring from the capsule, wherein the flavoring is thereafter entrained by the air flow.

[0040] Embodiment 21: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment, wherein the actuator is activated by a mechanical button.

[0041] Embodiment 22: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment, wherein the cartridge has a window into the hopper so that the amount of flavorant remaining in the chamber can be determined.

[0042] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly illustrated below. The present invention includes any combination of two, three, four, or more of the above-described embodiments, as well as any combination of two, three, four, or more features or elements described in this disclosure, regardless of whether such features or elements are explicitly combined in the description of a particular embodiment herein. The present disclosure, in any of its various aspects and embodiments, is intended to be read as a whole such that any separable features or elements of the disclosed invention should be considered as combinable unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0043] To facilitate an understanding of aspects of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale and in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, and in which the drawings are illustrative only and are not to be construed as limiting the present disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0044] [Figure 1] 1 shows a side view of an aerosol delivery device including a cartridge and a control body in an assembled configuration according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 2 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the control body of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 2 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the cartridge of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a cartridge for use in an aerosol delivery device according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] 5 shows an exploded view of a flavoring assembly according to an exemplary implementation of the cartridge of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 6 shows a schematic diagram of a flavoring reservoir according to an exemplary implementation of the flavoring assembly of FIG. 5. [Figure 7]1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a cartridge for use in an aerosol delivery device according to another exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 8 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a flavoring module according to an exemplary implementation of the cartridge of FIG. 7. [Figure 9A] 9 illustrates one exemplary implementation for operating the flavoring module of FIG. 8. [Figure 9B] 9 illustrates one exemplary implementation for operating the flavoring module of FIG. 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0045] The present disclosure will be described more fully below with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof. These exemplary embodiments are described so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Indeed, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural variations unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0046] This disclosure provides a description of an aerosol delivery device. The aerosol delivery device can use electrical energy to heat a material to form an inhalable substance, and such an article can be compact enough to be considered a "handheld" device. The aerosol delivery device can provide some or all of the sensations of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe (e.g., the manner of inhalation and exhalation, the type of taste or flavor, the sensory stimulant effect, the physical sensation, the usage, the visual stimuli such as those provided by a visible aerosol, etc.) without a significant degree of combustion of the components of the article or device. The aerosol delivery device may not generate smoke in the sense of an aerosol resulting from the by-products of tobacco combustion or pyrolysis, but rather the article or device can generate vapors (including vapors within the aerosol that can be considered as a visible aerosol that can be considered to be described as smoke-like) resulting from the volatilization or vaporization of certain components of the article or device, although in other implementations the aerosol may not be visible. In some implementations, the aerosol delivery device can incorporate tobacco and / or tobacco-derived components. The aerosol delivery device can therefore be characterized as an electronic smoking article, such as an electronic cigarette or "e-cigarette."

[0047] Although the system is generally described herein with respect to implementations related to aerosol delivery devices, such as so-called "electronic cigarettes," it should be understood that the features, components, features, and methods can be embodied in many different forms and associated with a variety of articles. For example, the description provided herein can be employed in combination with implementations of traditional smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.), non-combustion heating tobacco, and related packages for any of the products disclosed herein. Thus, it should be understood that the description of the features, components, features, and methods disclosed herein are described with respect to embodiments related to aerosol delivery devices by way of example only, and may be embodied and used in a variety of other products and methods.

[0048] The aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure can also be characterized as being a vapor product or drug delivery article. Thus, such an article or device can be configured to provide one or more substances (e.g., flavorings and / or active pharmaceutical ingredients) in an inhalable form or state. For example, the inhalable substance can be substantially in the form of a vapor (i.e., a substance in the gas phase at a temperature below its critical point). Alternatively, the inhalable substance can be in the form of an aerosol (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas). For simplicity, the term "aerosol" as used herein is meant to include vapors, gases, and aerosols in any form or type suitable for human inhalation, whether or not visible and in a form that can be considered as smoke.

[0049] During use, the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may be subjected to many of the physical actions used by an individual when using a traditional type of smoking article (e.g., a cigarette, cigar, or pipe used by lighting and inhaling the tobacco). For example, a user of the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may hold the article as with a traditional type of smoking article, draw on one end of the article to inhale the aerosol produced by the article, smoke the cigarette for a selected time interval, etc.

[0050] The aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure generally includes a number of components disposed within an outer shell or body. The overall design of the outer shell or body can vary, and the format or configuration of the outer body can vary, which can define the overall size and shape of the aerosol delivery device. The elongated body, which typically resembles the shape of a cigarette or cigar, can be formed from a single, unitary shell, or the elongated body can be formed from two or more separable parts. For example, the aerosol delivery device can include an elongated shell or body. The elongated shell or body can be generally tubular in shape, thus resembling the shape of a traditional cigarette or cigar. However, various other shapes and configurations can be used in other embodiments (e.g., rectangular or fob shaped).

[0051] In one implementation, all components of the aerosol delivery device are housed in one outer body or shell. Alternatively, the aerosol delivery device can have two or more shells that are joined and separable. For example, the aerosol delivery device can have a control body at one end that includes a shell that includes one or more reusable components (e.g., a rechargeable battery and various electronics for controlling the operation of the item) and a shell at the other end and removably attached that includes a disposable portion (e.g., a disposable flavorant-containing cartridge). More specific forms, configurations and arrangements of components in a single shell-type unit or in a multi-piece separable shell-type unit will become apparent in light of the further disclosure provided herein. Furthermore, the design and arrangement of components of various aerosol delivery devices can be understood by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices.

[0052] The aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure can include some combination of a power source (i.e., an electrical power source), at least one control component (e.g., a means for activating, controlling, regulating, and / or terminating power for heat generation, such as by controlling current flow from the power source to other components of the aerosol delivery device), a heater or heat generating component (e.g., an electrical resistive or inductive heating element or component, sometimes commonly referred to as part of an "atomizer"), and an aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a liquid that can generate an aerosol upon application of sufficient heat, such as the components commonly referred to as "smoke juice," "e-liquid," and "e-juice"), and a mouth end region or tip (e.g., a defined air flow path through the article such that generated aerosol can be drawn from the mouth end region or tip upon inhalation) to the aerosol delivery device for aerosol inhalation.

[0053] The arrangement of components within the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may vary. In certain implementations, the aerosol precursor composition may be located near an end of the aerosol delivery device that may be configured to be located proximal to the user's mouth to maximize aerosol delivery to the user. However, other configurations are not excluded. In general, the heating element may be located close enough to the aerosol precursor composition such that heat from the heating element volatilizes the aerosol precursor (which itself may include one or more flavorants, medicaments, or other additives) to form an aerosol that can be delivered to the user. When the heating element heats the aerosol precursor composition, an aerosol is formed, released, or generated in a physical form suitable for inhalation by the consumer. It should be noted that references to release, releasing, releases, or released are meant to include the above terms interchangeably, such as form or generate, forming or generating, forms or generates, and formed or generated. Specifically, the inhalable substance is released in the form of a vapor or an aerosol or a mixture thereof, and such terms are also used interchangeably herein unless otherwise specified.

[0054] As described above, the aerosol delivery device can incorporate a battery and / or other power source (e.g., a capacitor) to provide sufficient current to provide various functions to the aerosol delivery device, such as powering the heater, powering the control system, and powering the indicators. The power source can take a variety of implementations. In one example, the power source can provide sufficient power to rapidly heat the heating element to provide aerosol formation and to power the aerosol delivery device through a desired duration of use. The power source can be sized to conveniently fit within the aerosol delivery device so that the aerosol delivery device can be easily handled. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the power source is lightweight enough so as not to impair the desired smoking experience.

[0055] More specific forms, configurations and arrangements of components in the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure will become clear in light of the further disclosure provided below. Furthermore, the selection of various aerosol delivery device components can be understood in consideration of commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Furthermore, the arrangement of components in the aerosol delivery device can also be understood in consideration of commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Examples of commercially available products that may be included in the device of the present disclosure, as well as the components of the manufacturer, designer, and / or assignee of the components, and related technology that can be used in the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure, are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 222,615 by Watson et al., filed July 28, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0056] One exemplary implementation of the aerosol delivery device 100 is shown in FIG. 1. In particular, FIG. 1 shows the aerosol delivery device 100 including a control body 200 and a cartridge 300. The control body 200 and the cartridge 300 can be permanently or removably aligned in a functional relationship. Various mechanisms can connect the cartridge 300 to the control body 200 to provide threaded engagement, press-fit engagement, interference fit, magnetic engagement, and the like. The aerosol delivery device 100 can be substantially rod-shaped, substantially tubular, or substantially cylindrical in some implementations when the cartridge 300 and the control body 200 are in an assembled configuration. However, as noted above, various other configurations, such as rectangular or fob shapes, can be used in other implementations. Additionally, although the aerosol delivery device is generally described herein as being similar in size and shape to a conventional smoking article, in other implementations, a reservoir of a different configuration and larger capacity, sometimes referred to as a "tank," may be used.

[0057] In certain implementations, one or both of the cartridge 300 and the control body 200 may be referred to as disposable or reusable. For example, the control body 200 may have a replaceable or rechargeable battery and / or capacitor, and thus may be combined with any type of charging technology, including connection to a wall charger, connection to an automobile charger (i.e., a cigarette lighter receptacle), and connection to a computer via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable or connector (e.g., USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, USB Type-C), etc., connection to a photovoltaic cell (sometimes called a solar cell) or solar panel, or a charger using inductive wireless charging (e.g., including wireless charging compliant with the Qi wireless charging standard from the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC)), or a wireless charger such as a radio frequency (RF)-based charger. An example of an inductive wireless charging system is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0112196 by Sur et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Further, in some implementations, the cartridge 300 may comprise a disposable cartridge, as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,639 to Chang et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. For example, the cartridge 300 may contain a limited amount of an aerosol precursor composition therein to provide a number of sensations (e.g., inhalation and exhalation manner, taste or flavor type, sensory stimulating effects, etc.) of a particular amount of smoking of a conventional type of smoking article (e.g., cigarette, cigar, pipe, etc.). In some embodiments, the cartridge 300 may contain a specific amount of an aerosol precursor composition therein that corresponds to the amount of a conventional type of smoking article that would be consumed to obtain the smoking sensation of a typical amount of a conventional type of smoking article (e.g., a typical cigarette package - i.e., 20 cigarettes).

[0058] 2 shows an exploded view of a control body 200 of the aerosol delivery device 100 (see FIG. 1) according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. As shown, the control body 200 can include a coupler 202, an outer body 204, a sealing member 206, an adhesive member 208 (e.g., KAPTON® tape), a flow sensor 210 (e.g., a puff sensor or pressure switch), a control component 212, a spacer 214, a power source 216 (e.g., a capacitor and / or a battery that may be rechargeable), a circuit board with at least one indicator 218, such as a light-emitting diode (LED), that can communicate with a consumer regarding the status of the battery, flavoring, liquid, and / or combinations thereof using different types of sensors (pressure, resistance, humidity, etc.), a connector circuit 220, and an end cap 222. An example of a power source is described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,484,155 to Peckerar et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0059] With respect to the flow sensor 210, representative current regulation components and other current control components including various microcontrollers, sensors, and switches for aerosol delivery devices are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Patent Nos. 4,922,901, 4,947,874, and 4,947,875, all to Brooks et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al., and U.S. Patent No. 8,205,622 to Pan, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Also see the control scheme described in U.S. Patent No. 9,423,152 to Ampolini et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0060] In one implementation, the indicator 218 can comprise one or more light emitting diodes. The indicator 218 can be in communication with the control component 212 via the connector circuit 220 and can be illuminated while a user draws on a cartridge coupled to the coupler 202, for example, as detected by the flow sensor 210. The end cap 222 can be adapted to visualize the illumination provided thereunder by the indicator 218. Thus, the indicator 218 can be illuminated during use of the aerosol delivery device 100 to simulate a lit end of a smoking article. However, in other implementations, the indicator 218 can be provided in various numbers, can take different shapes, and can be an opening in the outer body (such as for the emission of sound when such an indicator is present).

[0061] Additional components may be utilized in the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure. For example, U.S. Patent No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al. discloses a smoking article indicator, U.S. Patent No. 5,261,424 to Sprinkel, Jr. discloses a piezoelectric sensor that may be associated with the mouth end of the device to initiate heating of the heating device after detecting the user's lip activity associated with a puff, U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al. discloses a puff 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 that detects non-uniformity in infrared transmittance of an inserted component and a controller that executes a detection routine when a component is inserted into the receptacle, U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al. describes a defined viable power cycle having multiple distinct phases, and U.S. Patent No. 5,261,424 to Watkins et al. discloses a puff sensor that may be associated with the mouth end of the device to initiate heating of the heating device after detecting the user's lip activity associated with a puff, and U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al. discloses a puff sensor that may be associated with a puff of the user's lip activity associated with a puff of the heating device, and a puff sensor that may be associated with a puff of the user's lip activity associated with a puff of the heating device. No. 934,289 discloses photonic-optronic components; U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al. discloses means for modifying the resistance of draw through a smoking device; U.S. Pat. No. 6,803,545 to Blake et al. discloses certain battery configurations for use in smoking devices; U.S. Pat. No. 7,293,565 to Griffen et al. discloses various charging systems for use in smoking devices; U.S. Pat. No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al. discloses computer interface means for a smoking device to facilitate charging and enable computer control of the device; U.S. Pat. No. 8,689,804 to Fernando et al. discloses an identification system for a smoking device; and WO 2010 / 003480 to Flick discloses a fluid flow sensing system for indicating puffs of an aerosol generating system, all of the foregoing disclosures are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.Further examples of components related to electronic aerosol delivery articles and disclosed materials or components that can be used in the present articles include U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,977 to Higgins et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,176 to Adams et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,287 to White, U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,218 to Voges, U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,883 to Felter et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,461 to Nichols, U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,410 to Hon, U.S. Pat. No. 7,513,253 to Kobayashi, U.S. Pat. No. 7,896,006 to Hamano, U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,756 to Shayan, U.S. Pat. No. 8,111,226 to Hon, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,111,226 to Hon. Nos. 56,944 and 8,375,957 by Thorens et al., 8,794,231 by Thorens et al., 8,851,083 by Oglesby et al., 8,915,254 and 8,925,555 by Monsees et al., and 9,220,302 by DePiano et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006 / 0196518 by Hon. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0188490, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0024834 by Oglesby et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0307518 by Wang, WO 2010 / 091593 by Hon, and WO 2013 / 089551 by Foo, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. The various materials disclosed by the aforementioned documents can be incorporated into the present device in various embodiments, and all of the aforementioned disclosures are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0062] 3 illustrates the cartridge 300 of the aerosol delivery device 100 (see FIG. 1) in an exploded configuration. As illustrated, the cartridge 300 can include a base 302, a control component terminal 304, electronic components 306, a flow director 308, an atomizer 310, a reservoir 312 (e.g., a liquid tank or reservoir substrate), an outer body 314, a mouthpiece 316, a label 318, and first and second heating terminals 320, 321, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Markings 330 can be affixed to the label 318 or the outer body 314 to provide a user with an indicator of an internal component or function, such as a flavoring reservoir, as described below.

[0063] In some implementations, the first and second heating terminals 320, 321 can be embedded or otherwise coupled to the flow director 308. For example, the first and second heating terminals 320, 321 can be insert molded into the flow director 308. Thus, the flow director 308 and the first and second heating terminals are collectively referred to herein as a flow director assembly 322. Further description of the first and second heating terminals 320, 321 and the flow director 308 is provided in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0335071 by Brinkley et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0064] The atomizer 310 of the illustrated implementation can include a liquid transport element 324 and a heating element 326. The cartridge can further include a base transport plug that engages the base and / or a mouthpiece transport plug that engages the mouthpiece to protect the base and mouthpiece and prevent contaminants from entering therein prior to use, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 9,220,302 to Depiano et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0065] The base 302 can be coupled to a first end of the outer body 314, and the mouthpiece 316 can be coupled to an opposing second end of the outer body to substantially or completely enclose other components of the cartridge 300 therein. For example, the control component terminals 304, the electronic components 306, the flow director 308, the atomizer 310, and the reservoir 312 can be substantially or completely retained within the outer body 314. The label 318 at least partially surrounds the outer body 314, and optionally the base 302, and can include information such as a product identifier on the outer body 314. The base 302 can be configured to engage with the coupler 202 of the control body 200 (see, e.g., FIG. 2). In some implementations, the base 302 can include anti-rotation features that substantially prevent relative rotation between the cartridge and the control body, as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0261495 to Novak et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0066] Reservoir 312 can be configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition. Some representative types of aerosol precursor components and formulations are also described and characterized in U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 9,254,002 to Chong et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0008457 to Zheng et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0020823 to Lipowicz et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0020830 to Koller, and WO 2014 / 182736 to Bowen et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other aerosol precursors that can be used include those incorporated in VUSE® products by RJ Reynolds Vapor Company, BLU products by Lorillard Technologies, MISTIC MENTHOL products by Mistic Ecigs, and VYPE products by CN Creative Ltd. Also desirable is the so-called "smoke juice" for e-cigarettes available from Johnson Creek Enterprises LLC. Effervescent material implementations can be used with aerosol precursors, for example as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0055494 by Hunt et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.Additionally, the use of foamable materials is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,368 to Niazi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,878 to Wehling et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,264 to Wehling et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,974,590 to Pather et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,381,667 to Bergquist et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,424,541 to Crawford et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,627,828 to Strickland et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 9,307,787 to Sun et al., as well as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0018539 to Brinkley et al., and WO 97 / 06786 to Johnson et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Further description of the implementation of the aerosol precursor composition, including a description of the tobacco or tobacco-derived components contained in the aerosol precursor composition, is provided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15 / 216,582 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15 / 216,590, each to Davis et al., filed July 21, 2016, and each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

[0067] The reservoir 312 can include multiple layers of nonwoven fibers formed into the shape of a tube that surrounds the interior of the outer body 314 of the cartridge 300. Thus, for example, the liquid component can be sorptively held by the reservoir 312. The reservoir 312 is in fluid communication with the liquid transport element 324. Thus, the liquid transport element 324 can be configured to transport the liquid from the reservoir 312 to the heating element 326 via capillary action or other liquid transport mechanisms. The reservoir 312 is not limited to an absorbent reservoir substrate type. The reservoir 312 can include a housing or tank that holds the aerosol precursor in a free-flowing liquid form. The reservoir 312 can be refillable or not.

[0068] As shown, the liquid transport element 324 can be in direct contact with the heating element 326. As further shown in FIG. 3, the heating element 326 can include a wire defining multiple coils wound around the liquid transport element 324. According to some embodiments, the heating element 326 can be formed by winding a wire around the liquid transport element 324, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,210,738 to Ward et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Furthermore, in some implementations, the wire can define a variable coil spacing, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,277,770 to DePiano et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. The heating element 326 can be formed using various implementations of materials configured to generate heat when an electric current flows through them. Examples of materials from which the wire coil can be formed include Kanthal (FeCrAl), Nichrome, Molybdenum Disilicide (MoSi), Molybdenum Silicide (MoSi), Aluminum Doped Molybdenum Disilicide (Mo(Si,Al)), graphite and graphite-based materials, and ceramics (e.g., positive or negative temperature coefficient ceramics).

[0069] However, various other implementation methods can be employed to form the heating element 326, and various other implementations of the heating element can be employed in the atomizer 310. For example, a stamped heating element can be used in the atomizer, as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0270729 to DePiano et al., which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In addition to the above, additional exemplary heating elements and materials for use in the atomizer can be found in U.S. Patent No. 5,060,671 to Counts et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,093,894 to Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,224,498 ... Sprinkel et al., and U.S. Patent No. 5,311,133 to Sprinkel et al. No. 5,228,460 to Jr. et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,322,075 to Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,353,813 to Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,468,936 to Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,498,850 to Das, U.S. Patent No. 5,659,656 to Das, U.S. Patent No. 5,498,855 to Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,530,225 to Hajaligol, U.S. Patent No. 5,665,262 to Hajaligol, U.S. Patent No. 5,573,692 to Das et al., and U.S. Patent No. 5,591,368 to Fleischhauer et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Additionally, chemical heating may be used in other implementations. Various further examples of heaters and materials used to form heaters are described in US Pat. No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., which is incorporated herein by reference as noted above.

[0070] A variety of heater components can be used in the aerosol delivery device. In various implementations, one or more microheaters or similar solid-state heaters can be used. Microheaters suitable for use in the presently disclosed device and atomizers incorporating microheaters are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,881,737 by Collett et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0071] The first heating terminal 320 and the second heating terminal 321 (e.g., negative and positive heating terminals) are configured to engage opposing ends of the heating element 326 and form an electrical connection with the control body 200 when the cartridge 300 is connected thereto (see, e.g., FIG. 2). Furthermore, when the control body 200 is coupled to the cartridge 300, the electronic component 306 can form an electrical connection with the control body via the control component terminals 304. Thus, the control body 200 can use the electronic control component 212 (see FIG. 2) to determine whether the cartridge 300 is authentic and / or perform other functions. Furthermore, various examples of electronic control components and functions performed by electronic control components are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 by Sears et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0072] During use, a user can draw on the mouthpiece 316 of the cartridge 300 of the aerosol delivery device 100 (see FIG. 1). This can draw air through an opening in the control body 200 (see, e.g., FIG. 2) or the cartridge 300. For example, in one implementation, an opening can be defined between the coupler 202 and the outer body 204 of the control body 200 (see, e.g., FIG. 2), as described in U.S. Patent No. 9,220,302 to DePiano et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. However, the air flow may be received through other parts of the aerosol delivery device 100 in other implementations. As described above, in some implementations, the cartridge 300 can include a flow director 308. The flow director 308 can be configured to direct the air flow received from the control body 200 to the heating element 326 of the atomizer 310.

[0073] A sensor in the aerosol delivery device 100 (e.g., flow sensor 210 in the control body 200; see FIG. 2) can sense the puff. When the puff is sensed, the control body 200 can direct an electric current to the heating element 326 via a circuit including the first heating terminal 320 and the second heating terminal 321. The heating element 326 can thus vaporize the aerosol precursor composition directed from the reservoir 312 to the aerosolization zone by the liquid transport element 324. The mouthpiece 326 can thus allow the passage of air and entrained vapor (i.e., components of the aerosol precursor composition in an inhalable form) from the cartridge 300 to a consumer who inhales the mouthpiece 326.

[0074] Various other details regarding components that may be included in cartridge 300 are provided, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0261495 to DePiano et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Further components that may be included in cartridge 300 and details relating to those components are provided, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0335071 to Brinkley et al., filed May 23, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0075] The various components of the aerosol delivery device according to the present disclosure can be selected from those described in the art and commercially available, see, for example, the reservoir and heater system for controllable delivery of multiple aerosolizable materials in an electronic smoking article disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0000638 to Sebastian et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0076] In another implementation, substantially the entire cartridge can be formed from one or more carbon materials, which can provide advantages in terms of biodegradability and lack of wires. In this regard, the heating element can include carbon foam, the reservoir can include carbonized cloth, and graphite can be used to form electrical connections with the power source and control components. Exemplary embodiments of carbon-based cartridges are provided in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 by Griffith et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0077] However, in some implementations, it may be desirable to provide an aerosol delivery device, particularly a cartridge for use with an aerosol delivery device, in an alternative configuration. In this regard, FIG. 4 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a cartridge 500 for use with an aerosol delivery device according to a first exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. Unless otherwise described and / or illustrated, the components of the aerosol delivery device, particularly the control body for use with the illustrated cartridge, can be substantially similar or identical to the corresponding components described above.

[0078] As shown in FIGS. 4-6 and described in more detail below, the cartridge 500 of the illustrated implementation includes the following components: a mouthpiece 504, a primary reservoir 508, an atomizer 510 (including a liquid transport element 512 and a heating element 514), a flavoring addition assembly 520 including a flavoring selector in the form of a mask 524 that provides a flavoring reservoir 522 and an air flow path controller, and a cartridge base 530 configured to provide a mechanical and electrical connection between the cartridge and a control body. As will be understood from the above description, the cartridge 500 of FIGS. 4-6 can be configured to releasably engage the control body with the cartridge base 530 to form an aerosol delivery device. In various implementations, the control body can be similar or the same as the control body 200 described above (see FIG. 2), and therefore the description thereof will not be repeated. However, it should be noted that in other implementations, the control body may be different from that described above. Additionally, in some implementations, the control body of the aerosol delivery device may have a different shape than those described above, such as, for example, a hand-held, fob-shaped control body.

[0079] In various implementations, the primary reservoir 508 can be a tank-type reservoir constructed from one or more of a variety of materials including, for example, a metal material, a glass material, a ceramic material, and / or a plastic material such as, for example, an acrylic material (e.g., polymethlamethacrylate, polyethylene, polyester, etc.). In some implementations, the primary reservoir 508 can include a translucent or transparent material so that a user can see the amount of aerosol precursor composition remaining in the primary reservoir 508. In one implementation, the primary reservoir 508 is constructed from polycarbonate or polypropylene or Tritan™. In some embodiments, the primary reservoir 508 is in the form of a tank for containing the liquid aerosol precursor composition in a free-flowing manner. In an alternative embodiment, the primary reservoir 508 can include a porous material for holding the aerosol precursor composition, as described above with respect to the reservoir 312 (FIG. 3).

[0080] The cartridge base 530 of the cartridge 500 and the corresponding connector of the control body 200 (FIG. 2) are configured such that when attached together, the cartridge base and the control body do not easily move relative to one another. It should be noted that such a relationship can be formed using any suitable connection means, as described above. For example, in some implementations, the cartridge base and the control body can be connected using a threaded connection, a magnetic connection, a snap connection, and / or a bayonet connection, the cartridge base (or the control body) can include one or more pins, and the control body (or the cartridge base) can include one or more corresponding L-shaped slots.

[0081] As mentioned above, one aspect of the cartridge base 530 may be to provide an electrical connection with the power source 216 of the control body 200 (FIG. 2) so that electrical current can be selectively supplied to the atomizer 510, and more specifically, to the heating element 514.

[0082] In various implementations, the liquid transport element 512 can include a porous monolith. For example, in the illustrated implementation, the liquid transport element 512 can include a ceramic material so that the aerosol precursor composition delivered to the liquid transport element 512 can be absorbed into the liquid transport element 512 for aerosolization. In another example, the transport element 512 can be formed from silica fiber, cotton, mesh, other porous metals, or other cellulose-based materials. In one embodiment, ceramic liquid transport elements with precise shapes can be manufactured using additive manufacturing or 3D printing techniques. The liquid transport element 512 can be directly fixed into holes formed on the primary reservoir 508. Alternatively, an additional spongy disk, such as a porous pad made from a superabsorbent polymer, ceramic, or the like, can interface between the liquid transport element 512 and the primary reservoir 508. In various implementations, the heating element 514 can be wrapped or spirally wound around the liquid transport element 512 as shown. In some implementations, the wire of the heating element 514 can include titanium, Kanthal (FeCrAl), nichrome, nickel, stainless steel, molybdenum disilicide (MoSi2), molybdenum silicide (MoSi), molybdenum disilicide doped with aluminum (Mo(Si,Al)2), graphite and graphite-based materials, ceramics (e.g., positive or negative temperature coefficient ceramics), tungsten, and tungsten-based alloys, or other suitable materials such as those described elsewhere herein. Tungsten and tungsten-based alloys can be useful in that these materials can define expansion coefficients suitable for use with many ceramics that can be used in the liquid transport element 512.

[0083] As mentioned above, according to some implementations, the atomizer 510 can be formed by winding a wire around a liquid transport element, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,210,738 to Ward et al., the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. However, various other methods can be used to form the atomizer 510, and various other implementations of heating elements can be used in the atomizer. For example, a metal mesh can be placed around a cylindrical wick, or a ribbon-like metal mesh can be placed on a ribbon-shaped or sheet-shaped wick. For example, the heating element can be configured to heat an aerosol precursor composition disposed within the liquid transport element via radiative heating, as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0020193, filed Dec. 3, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In another implementation, the heating element 514 can be configured to heat the aerosol precursor composition via inductive heating, as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0127722, filed November 6, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. A variety of heater components can be used in the present aerosol delivery device. In various implementations, one or more micro-heaters or similar solid-state heaters can be used. Micro-heaters and atomizers incorporating micro-heaters suitable for use in the presently disclosed device are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0084] Although not illustrated as such, in some implementations, the wire of the heating element 514 can be at least partially embedded in the liquid transport element 512. In this regard, in the case of a ceramic liquid transport element 512, the wire of the heating element 514 can be embedded in the liquid transport element 512 before the liquid transport element 512 is fired in a high temperature oven known as a kiln. For example, the wire can be wrapped around a long portion of the base material from which the ceramic is formed before firing the material. Examples of such base materials used to form the ceramic in the liquid transport element 512 can include clays, oxides, non-oxides, and composite materials. Thereby, the wire can be at least partially embedded in the base material while being wrapped around the base material. The base material and wire can then be fired in a kiln. A saw or other cutting device can then divide the product into individual atomizers having the desired length. In another embodiment, the heating element can be at least partially disposed in the wick after ceramic firing, the heating element being within a channel of the ceramic formed using additive manufacturing or 3D printing techniques.

[0085] In the illustrated implementation, an atomizer chamber 540 is formed around the atomizer 510. The atomizer chamber 540 is in fluid communication with an aerosol channel 546 that passes through the primary reservoir 508 and terminates at an opening 548 through the mouthpiece 504 of the cartridge 500.

[0086] FIG. 5 shows details of the flavoring addition assembly 520 in an exploded perspective view. In the illustrated embodiment, the flavoring addition assembly 520 is disposed upstream of the atomizer chamber 540. In other embodiments, the flavoring addition assembly 520 may be disposed downstream of the atomizer chamber 540. The flavoring addition assembly 520 includes a flavoring reservoir 522 and a mask 524. The flavoring reservoir 522 may include a housing 556 and a lid 558. The housing 556 and the lid 558 may be constructed of a polymer (acetate, PE, PP, silicone, polyester, polyurethane, etc.), or a ceramic (e.g., alumina), or a metal (e.g., aluminum). The housing 556 may be provided in the form of a tray configured to be removable from the cartridge 500. The flavoring reservoir 522 and the mask 524 may form a module that can be easily assembled as part of the cartridge 500, or may provide a replaceable part of the cartridge.

[0087] In the illustrated embodiment, the flavor reservoir 522 is divided into four separate chambers or flavor sections 560. The present disclosure is not limited to four flavor sections 560, but may have a fewer or greater number of flavor sections. Each of the flavor sections 560 is configured to collect a flavor that can be selectively added to the aerosol exiting the opening 548 of the mouthpiece 504. Each flavor section 560 can contain a flavor, but one of the flavor sections 560 of the flavor reservoir 522 can be intentionally left empty to allow the user to receive an aerosol containing only the aerosol precursor composition in the primary reservoir 508. The empty flavor section 560 can be referred to as a bypass section of the flavor reservoir 522.

[0088] Each flavor section 560 may constitute its own reservoir. In one example, a user could build their own combination of flavor sections 560, including the possibility of selecting each flavor section to contain the same flavor.

[0089] In some implementations, the flavoring section 560 can include a section of the flavoring reservoir 522 that contains the flavoring. The flavoring can be provided as a liquid, solid, or gel, which can be in the form of separate beads or particles. In other implementations, the flavoring section 560 can include a substrate or other material in which the flavoring is absorbed or otherwise contained. For example, in some implementations, the flavoring section 560 can include a carbon material, a ceramic, a polymer, a composite material, a metal, a cellulose, or the like.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 6, the flavoring section 560 can include an outer shell 562 formed by the housing 556 and defining an inner surface surrounding an inner passage 566. The outer shell 562 is configured to contain a flavoring. The inner passage 566 is configured to allow the once-drawn air to pass through the flavoring section 560 and entrain the flavoring from the inner surface. The inner surface can be defined by a wick 570, particularly a tubular wick, which provides an interface connection between the inner passage 566 and the contents of the outer shell 562. The wick 570 can be a nano-, micro-, and / or macro-porous tube made from a polymer (such as polyethylene or polyester fibers) or a ceramic (such as alumina, silica, zirconia, etc.) that absorbs flavoring, such as a liquid flavoring, from within the outer shell 562 and transports the liquid flavoring into fluid contact with the inner passage 566 via capillary action. In the inner passage 566, the flavoring particles can be entrained by the air drawn once passing through the inner passage. The material of the wick 570 is not particularly limited and can include any material suitable for the fluid transport element 324 (FIG. 3), as described above.

[0091] In various implementations, the aerosol precursor composition held in the primary reservoir 508 can include an unflavored aerosol precursor composition, although flavored aerosol precursor compositions (i.e., aerosol precursor compositions that include one or more flavorants) are also envisioned. And, the flavorant section 560 includes one or more flavorants, which may itself be provided in the form of a composition that includes aerosol precursor components. As used herein, reference to a "flavorant" refers to a compound or ingredient that can be aerosolized and delivered to a user and that imparts a sensory experience in terms of taste and / or aroma. Exemplary flavors include, but are not limited to, vanillin, ethyl vanillin, cream, tea, coffee, fruit (e.g., apple, cherry, strawberry, peach, and citrus flavors including lime and lemon), maple, menthol, mint, peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, nutmeg, clove, lavender, cardamom, ginger, honey, anise, sage, rosemary, hibiscus, rose hips, yerda mate, guayusa, honeybush, rooibos, yerda santa, bacopa monniera, ginkgo leaf, ashwagandha, cinnamon, sandalwood, jasmine, cascarilla, cocoa, licorice, and flavors and flavor packages of the type and characteristics traditionally used in flavoring cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco. Syrups such as high fructose corn syrup can also be used. Exemplary plant-derived compositions that may be suitable are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 9,107,453 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0152265, both to Dube et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. The selection of such additional components can vary based on factors such as the sensory characteristics desired in the smoking article, and the present disclosure is intended to encompass such additional components that would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art of tobacco and tobacco-related or tobacco-derived products.See, for example, Gutcho, Tobacco Flavoring Substances and Methods, Noyes Data Corp. (1972) and Leffingwell et al., Tobacco Flavoring for Smoking Products (1972), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. It should be noted that reference to flavorings should not be limited to a single flavoring as described above, but may, in fact, represent a combination of one or more flavorings.

[0092] Returning to FIG. 5, the mask 524 can be formed from a polymer, ceramic, or metal. The mask 524 functions as an airflow controller to direct the airflow, which can be associated with a user's inhalation at the mouthpiece 504 (FIG. 4) selectively through the inner passage 566 of one or more flavoring sections 560 so that flavorings are entrained by the airflow before reaching the atomizer chamber 540 (FIG. 4). In one implementation, the airflow starts from an opening in the cartridge 300 between the base 530 and the mask 524 and reaches the inlet 574 of the mask. In another implementation, the airflow path can start from an opening in the coupler 202 of the control body 200 (FIG. 2). The airflow can then exit the mask 524 through the outlet 578 (FIG. 4). In the illustrated example, the inlet 574 and the outlet are directly opposite each other on opposite faces of the disk-shaped mask 524. In another embodiment not illustrated, the inlet can be centrally located within the first side of the disk-shaped mask. The outlet can be located on a second, opposite side of the mask at a location offset from the center. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the resulting mask 524 can be substantially hollow or otherwise provide a passageway from the inlet 574 to the outlet. The arrangement of the inlets 574 and outlets of the mask 524 is not particularly limited so long as at least one inlet 574 can accommodate a flow of air, regardless of the location of the mask 524 relative to the fluid reservoir 522. Additionally, the arrangement of the outlets is configured to selectively direct the flow of air through or to one or more desired flavoring sections 560.

[0093] In another implementation, the mask 524 can be located downstream of the flavoring reservoir 522. In this implementation, the mask can act only to allow air flow to exit the desired flavoring section 560 instead of directly into the desired flavoring section.

[0094] In another embodiment, not shown, a second mask can be placed between the flavor reservoir 522 and the atomizer chamber 540. The second mask can rotate with the mask 525 to help prevent unintentional release of flavor particles from the flavor section 560 into the atomizer chamber 540.

[0095] In another example, not shown, the mask 524 can be ring-shaped surrounding the cartridge 500. Air flow can begin at an inlet 574 of the mask 524, and an outlet 578 of the mask 524 can be selectively positioned with respect to a plurality of openings into the cartridge body, each opening facilitating the passage of air flow into and through a selected one of the interior passages 566 of the flavoring section 560.

[0096] In various implementations, the mask 524 can be configured to be rotatably attached to the flavor reservoir 522. In operation (see FIG. 4), the cartridge 500 is removably attached to the control body 200 via the cartridge base 530. The mask 524 is assembled with the cartridge 500 to be adjustable, e.g., rotatable, relative to the flavor reservoir 522 to selectively direct the airflow F through a desired flavor section 560 or a bypass section of the flavor reservoir. Thus, a consumer can selectively align the outlet 578 of the mask 524 with a selected flavor section 560 by adjusting the mask to an appropriate position relative to the flavor reservoir 522. In one example, the flavor reservoir 522 is fixed to the cartridge 500. And, the mask 524 can be fixed or rotated relative to the control body 200. Thus, the mask 524 can be rotated independently or selection of the flavor section 560 can be made by rotating the control body 200 relative to the cartridge 500 .

[0097] In various implementations, the cartridge 500 and / or control body can include one or more indicators to assist the consumer in determining the rotational position. For example, in some implementations, the cartridge 500 and / or control body can include visual indicators, such as a number of markings 330 (FIG. 3) on the cartridge 500 and / or control body to indicate the location of the various flavor sections of the flavor reservoir 522. Alternatively or additionally, the cartridge 500 and / or control body can include one or more audible or tactile indicators, such as, for example, a series of detents (which in some implementations can also include sounds) that indicate the location of the various flavor sections. Detents can be provided, for example, to ensure proper alignment between the outlet 578 of the mask 524 and the flavor sections 560. If there are four flavor sections 560, the markings 330 and detents can be equally spaced 90 degrees apart around the circumference of the cartridge 300 to provide a predetermined degree of rotation for each flavor section. It should be noted that in some implementations, one or more of the above-mentioned components may be capable of moving relative to other components without affecting the operation of the device.

[0098] An electrical connection between the control body 200 (FIG. 1) and the atomizer 510 (FIG. 5), including an electrical connector provided, for example, via the mask 524, via both ends of the heating element 514, allows the control body 200 to direct an electric current to the atomizer 510, such as upon activation by a user (e.g., via a button) and / or when a puff of the aerosol delivery device is detected. The puff can be detected by a change in the electrical resistance of a material that can be folded or bent by the air flow F inhaled by the consumer. When a user inhales on the mouthpiece 504 of the cartridge 500, the air flow F (see FIG. 4) can be directed from the environment through one or more air intakes in the cartridge base 530. The air flow F inhaled through the air intakes can then be inhaled through one or more inner passages 566 of one or more flavoring sections 560 of the flavoring reservoir 522, as facilitated by the mask 524.

[0099] At the same time, the flow sensor (see, for example, FIG. 2) can detect the inhalation. Thereby, the control body 200 can conduct a current through the heating element 514 to heat the atomizer 510. When the atomizer 510 is heated, the aerosol precursor composition from the primary reservoir 508 can be vaporized in the atomizer 510 directly or via heating of the liquid transport element 512. Thus, the resulting vapor or aerosol A can travel through the aerosol channel 546 to the user from the opening 548 of the mouthpiece 504 after being mixed with the entrained flavorant generated in the atomizer chamber 540 and picked up by the air flow F passing through the inner passage 566 of the selected flavorant section 560.

[0100] Use of the cartridge 500 in conjunction with the control body 200 (FIG. 2) can be characterized by a method of forming an aerosol for consumption by a user by one or more of the following steps: providing a cartridge including a primary reservoir 508 containing an aerosol precursor composition, a mask 524, and a flavoring reservoir 522 including a plurality of flavoring sections 560. The method can also include adjusting the mask 524 relative to the flavoring reservoir 522 to select one or more flavoring sections 560. In some implementations, adjusting the mask can include aligning an outlet 578 of the mask 524 with an inner passage 566 of a selected flavoring section 560 of the flavoring reservoir 522. The method can further include directing an airflow F through the selected flavoring section 560 to the atomizer chamber 540. As the suction passes through the inner passage 566, the flavoring is entrained in the airflow F. The method further includes adding particles of the aerosol precursor composition from the primary reservoir 508 vaporized by the atomizer 510 to the airflow F. Vaporizing the aerosol precursor composition can include directing an electric current from the control body 200 to the atomizer 510 to aerosolize the aerosol precursor composition. In various implementations, aerosolizing the aerosol precursor composition can include heating a heater coil 514, which heats a liquid transport element 512 containing the aerosol precursor composition to vaporize the aerosol precursor composition.

[0101] Returning now to another cartridge embodiment, FIG. 7 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a cartridge 700 for use in an aerosol delivery device according to a second exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. As shown in FIGS. 7-9 and described in more detail below, the illustrated implementation of the cartridge 700 includes the following components: a mouthpiece 704, a primary reservoir 708, an atomizer 710 (including a liquid transport element 712 and a heating element 714), a cartridge base 718, and one or more flavoring modules 720. The flavoring modules 720 can be considered to provide a similar function to the flavoring section 560 of the cartridge 500 (FIG. 4), and multiple flavoring modules 720 can be combined to form a flavoring reservoir that selectively incorporates flavoring into the aerosol drawn from the mouthpiece 704. While the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 7 shows two flavoring modules 720, it should be understood that additional modules may be possible.

[0102] As will be appreciated from the above description, the cartridge 700 of FIGS. 7-9 can be configured to releasably engage the control body 200 (FIG. 2) with the cartridge base 718 to form an aerosol delivery device. In various implementations, the control body can be similar or the same as the control body 200 described above (see FIG. 2), and thus, the description thereof will not be repeated. However, it should be noted that in other implementations, the control body may be different from that described above. Furthermore, in some implementations, the control body of the aerosol delivery device may have a different shape than that described above, such as, for example, a handheld fob-shaped control body.

[0103] In principle, the cartridge 700 follows the same basis of operation as the cartridge 500 (FIG. 4). In particular, the aerosol precursor composition collected in the primary reservoir 708 is drawn up by the liquid transport element 712 to the vicinity of the heating element 714. When the heating element is activated, the particles of the aerosol precursor are vaporized in the atomizer chamber 724, and the particles are mixed with the air drawn into the cartridge 700 and the atomizer chamber 724. Furthermore, similar to the cartridge 500, the air D drawn through the cartridge 700 is also intended to selectively entrain flavorant T from the flavor reservoir or flavoring module 720, especially when the flavorant particles have not undergone heat-induced vaporization from the atomizer 710. The flavoring module 720 can be positioned upstream of the atomizer chamber 724 as shown in FIG. 7 to receive the air flow before entraining the aerosol precursor. Alternatively, the flavoring module 720 may be located downstream of the atomizer chamber to encounter an air flow that already contains particles of the aerosol precursor. FIG. 8 shows a detailed schematic diagram of the flavoring module 720 according to an implementation of this embodiment. The flavoring module 720 may include a housing 730 with an air inlet 732 and an air outlet 734, providing a chamber through which the air flow may pass. In other embodiments, instead of passing through the selected flavoring module 720, the air flow may pass adjacent to the flavoring module 720, and flavors from the flavoring module are released from the flavoring module. In the illustrated embodiment, the air outlet 734 may lead to the atomizer chamber 724. In another embodiment not shown, the air inlet 732 may be configured to communicate with an aerosol channel 738 that passes from the atomizer chamber 724 through the primary reservoir 708 and terminates at the air inlet 732. The air outlet 734 can then communicate with an opening 740 in the mouthpiece 704, through which the consumer receives an aerosol comprising air D, particles of the aerosol precursor composition, and, optionally, particles of flavorant T.

[0104] The flavoring module 720 provides the functionality of a flavoring reservoir by concentrating flavors that can be selectively added to the airflow D passing through the cartridge 700. The illustrated implementation of the flavoring module 720 may be well suited for use with flavors provided in encapsulated form, for example, flavors microencapsulated within a rupturable shell.

[0105] Exemplary microcapsule embodiments have an outer covering, shell, or coating that encases a liquid or solid core region, and in certain embodiments, the microcapsules can have an approximately spherical shape. The core region, or "payload," such as flavoring, is typically released when the outer shell undergoes some type of physical disruption, breakage, or other loss of physical integrity (e.g., by dispersion, softening, crushing, application of pressure, etc.).

[0106] Exemplary ways and methods for providing encapsulated materials, such as microencapsulated flavorings, are described in Gutcho, Microcapsules and Microencapsulation Techniques (1976) and Gutcho, Microcapsules and Other Capsules Advances Since 1975 (1979). Exemplary types of microcapsules can have diameters of less than 100 microns and often have an outer shell that is gelatin-based, cyclodextrin-based, or the like. Microcapsules are commercially available, and exemplary types of microcapsule technology are those of the types described in Kondo, Microcapsule Processing and Technology (1979), Iwamoto et al., AAPS Pharm.Sci.Tech. 2002 3(3):article 25, and U.S. Patent No. 3,550,598 to McGlumphy and U.S. Patent No. 6,117,455 to Takada et al.

[0107] Suitable larger capsules are commercially available from Mane Aromatic Flavors, Nice, France, as a gelatin encapsulated mixture of medium chain triglycerides and flavorings.

[0108] The outer shell of the capsule can be constructed from polymers or food-grade gelatin derived from bovine, fish, or porcine stock. A wide variety of gelatins can be used, and the selection of gelatin for the exterior of the capsule is believed to be a matter of design choice for those skilled in the art. See Kirk-Othmer, Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, (4th Ed.) 12, 406-416 (1994), incorporated herein by reference. The type of gelatin used to construct the outer shell of the capsule provides the capsule with the ability to be exposed to triacetin (a common plasticizer used in cigarette filter manufacturing) or 1,2 propylene glycol (a common tobacco casing component) for a relatively long period of time without experiencing undesirable interactions (e.g., dissolution of the gelatin therein). Since the gelatin used in some embodiments may dissolve in water over an extended period of time, it is desirable to use a substantially anhydrous payload (or a payload with a very small amount of water) with a capsule having an outer coating of gelatin.

[0109] In one embodiment, the payload is a mixture of flavoring and diluent. The diluent can be a triglyceride, such as a medium chain triglyceride, more specifically a food grade mixture of medium chain triglycerides. See, for example, Radzuan et al., Porim Bulletin, 39, 33-38 (1999). Examples of payload flavorings are described above.

[0110] The amount of flavoring and diluent in the capsule may vary. In some cases, the diluent may be completely eliminated and the entire payload may consist of flavoring. Alternatively, the payload may consist almost entirely of diluent and may contain only small amounts of relatively strong flavoring. For example, in one embodiment using a capsule with a diameter of about 3.5 mm, the weight of the liquid payload (e.g., flavoring and diluent) may range from about 15 mg to about 25 mg, and may range from about 20 mg to about 22 mg. An example composition of a flavoring and diluent mixture is in the range of about 5 percent to about 25 percent flavoring by weight, perhaps about 10 to about 15 percent flavoring, and the remainder is diluent, based on the total weight of the payload.

[0111] As shown in the illustrated implementation, flavor capsules 746 can be collected in a portion of the flavoring module 720 that can be referred to as a hopper 750. The hopper 750 can be defined by a baffle 754 angled to direct the movement of the capsules 746 toward one or more outlets 756. The baffle 754 can be formed from a porous material, such as porous polyethylene, polyester fiber, or porous ceramic, whose pores are small enough to retain the capsules 746. The pores in the baffle 754 can also minimize restriction of airflow from the inlet 732 to the outlet 734.

[0112] Each flavoring module 720 may include an actuator 760. Alternatively, a single actuator 760 may be in operative communication with multiple flavoring modules 720. The actuator 760 may be provided to selectively release flavoring from the hopper 750. In the illustrated embodiment, the actuator 760 releases the capsule 746 from the hopper 750. The actuator 760 then releases the flavoring by applying pressure to rupture the coating of the capsule 746. In one implementation, the actuator 760 comprises one or more pairs of gears 766. As shown by the arrows in FIG. 8, when the pair of gears 766 rotate in opposite directions, one or more capsules 746 may be drawn or dropped into the area between the gears. The teeth 770 of the gears 766 may then act together to apply a crushing force to the capsule 746, releasing its payload to be absorbed by the porous baffle 754.

[0113] The capsule 746 and its payload can be designed to accommodate the intended strength of flavoring and duration of flavoring incorporated into the air stream. For example, the flavoring module can be configured such that releasing the payload of one capsule with one use of the actuator 760 provides enough flavoring to enhance multiple puffs of the aerosol delivery device, such as multiple puffs associated with a traditional cigarette. In other implementations, the capsule 746 can be configured with the intention that the user will operate the actuator 760 to release a small amount of flavoring before or during a puff on the device. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the user may be able to increase the intensity of flavoring incorporated into the aerosol by activating the actuator 760 multiple times to release multiple capsule 746 payloads. Similarly, the design of the actuator 760 and capsule 746 can be configured such that each actuation of the actuator releases a desired amount of payload from the capsule.

[0114] The flavoring module 720 can further be designed with one or more repositories 776 configured to receive and retain the outer coating material of the capsule 746 after the flavoring has been released. The boundaries of the repository 776 can be defined, at least in part, by a porous wall 780. Similar to the baffle 754, the wall 780 can be designed with pores that are too small to allow the passage of the capsule's coating material. However, the pores of the wall 780 will be large enough to allow the passage of the air flow, as well as the passage of particles of flavoring that are intended to be entrained in the air flow D passing through the flavoring module 720. The porous wall 780 can also function as a secondary structure to absorb flavoring released by the capsule 746 that would otherwise bypass the baffle 754.

[0115] Returning to Figures 9A and 9B, one exemplary implementation for causing the rotation of the gears 766 is shown. A mechanical button 782 can extend from the flavoring module 720 (Figure 8) to a user-accessible position. The button 782 can be mechanically coupled to at least one of the gears 766 such that depression of the button causes the gears to rotate. Figure 9A shows the initial position of the system, and Figure 9B shows the depressed position of the system. Driving one gear 766 of a pair of gears can cause the other gear of the pair to rotate in the opposite direction as a result of engagement between their respective teeth 770. If multiple pairs of gears 766 are provided as part of the actuator 760, the pairs can be operatively coupled by additional gears, drive belts, or another known motion transmission element or elements.

[0116] The button 782 can be mechanically coupled to the at least one gear 766 via a drive rod 784 configured to convert linear motion of the button 782 into rotational motion of the gear 766. The drive rod 784 can terminate in a plunger 786. A spring 788 can be provided to act on the plunger 786 and help return the button 782 to its initial position.

[0117] Returning to FIG. 7, in one embodiment, air D can be configured to pass through each of the flavoring modules 720 simultaneously, with the flavoring entrained by air D primarily including the flavoring last released by the actuator 760. However, this method may result in undesirable residual flavoring when the user switches between modules. In another embodiment, an airflow controller 789 can be used to direct the airflow to pass or pass only through the desired flavoring module 720. The airflow controller 789 can be provided in the form of a flap or gate that can be controlled by various actuators, such as a mechanical button. In other embodiments, the airflow controller 789 can take the form of a mask, such as a rotatable mask as described above with respect to FIGS. 4-6.

[0118] As shown in FIG. 7, the body of the flavoring module 720 and the cartridge 700 can be formed from an at least partially transparent or translucent material, at least in the area corresponding to the hopper 750, for example, to provide a window 790 in the hopper so that the amount of capsules 746 remaining in the hopper can be determined.

[0119] The above description of the use of the device can be applied to the various implementations described herein through minor modifications that may be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the further disclosure provided herein. However, the above description of use is not intended to limit the use of the article, but is provided to meet all necessary requirements of the present disclosure.

[0120] Many modifications and other implementations of the present disclosure will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. It is to be understood, therefore, that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

1. 1. A cartridge for an aerosol delivery device, said cartridge comprising: a reservoir for holding an aerosol precursor composition; an atomizer configured to vaporize at least a portion of the aerosol precursor composition to form a vapor that is entrained in air to form an aerosol; one or more flavoring modules for retaining flavors selectively entrained in air drawn through or adjacent to the one or more flavoring modules; Including, The cartridge, wherein the one or more flavoring modules are positioned such that vapor formed by the aerosol precursor composition is not present in air drawn through or adjacent to the one or more flavoring modules.

2. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the aerosol precursor composition is a liquid.

3. The cartridge of claim 2 , wherein the atomizer comprises a liquid transport element configured to transport the liquid aerosol precursor composition from the reservoir.

4. The cartridge of claim 3 , wherein the atomizer further comprises a heating element configured to receive and vaporize the liquid aerosol precursor composition to form a vapor.

5. The cartridge of claim 2 , wherein the liquid aerosol precursor composition does not include any flavoring substances.

6. The cartridge of claim 1 , further comprising an atomizer chamber in which the liquid aerosol precursor composition is vaporized.

7. The cartridge of claim 6 , wherein the cartridge is configured such that the formed vapor is entrained in air within the atomizer chamber.

8. The cartridge of claim 1 , further comprising an aerosol channel passing through the reservoir.

9. A cartridge according to any preceding claim, wherein the flavouring module comprises one or more porous walls.

10. The cartridge of claim 9 , wherein the porous walls are configured to absorb flavoring agents.

11. A cartridge according to any preceding claim, wherein the flavouring is arranged as one or more capsules.

12. A cartridge according to any preceding claim, wherein the flavouring is entrained in the air without undergoing heat-induced evaporation.

13. A cartridge according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more flavouring modules each independently comprise a housing having an air inlet and an air outlet.

14. 14. A cartridge according to claim 13, wherein the air outlet communicates with an opening in a mouthpiece of the cartridge.

15. A cartridge according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more flavouring modules each independently define a chamber through which air may pass.

16. A cartridge according to any preceding claim, wherein the flavouring is in admixture with a diluent.

17. A cartridge according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more flavouring modules each independently comprise an air flow controller.

18. 20. The cartridge of claim 17, wherein the airflow controller is configured to selectively direct airflow through the one or more flavoring modules.

19. The cartridge of claim 17 , wherein the air flow controller is configured as a flap or gate.

20. 20. The cartridge of claim 19, wherein the one or more flavoring modules further comprise an actuator that controls a flap or gate to selectively direct the flow of air through the one or more flavoring modules.

21. 21. The cartridge of claim 20, wherein the actuator is a mechanical button.

22. The cartridge of any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a base configured to releasably engage a control body of an aerosol delivery device.

23. 1. A method for providing a flavored aerosol, the method comprising: activating an atomizer of an aerosol delivery device such that the liquid aerosol precursor composition passing from the liquid aerosol precursor composition reservoir through the liquid transport element is vaporized by a heating element to form a vapor; sucking the aerosol delivery device such that the formed vapor is entrained in air passing through the aerosol delivery device; selectively activating an airflow controller of a flavoring addition module separate from the liquid aerosol precursor composition such that a portion of the flavoring in the flavoring addition module is entrained in the air passing through the flavoring addition module, wherein vapor formed from the aerosol precursor composition is not present in the air passing through the flavoring addition module; and drawing a mixture of air, entrained vapor, and entrained flavorant from a mouthpiece of the aerosol delivery device; A method comprising:

24. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the actuation of the actuator is an operation that occurs separately from the actuation of the atomizer.

25. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein activating the atomizer occurs in response to inhalation on the aerosol delivery device.

26. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein a flow or pressure sensor within the aerosol delivery device detects inhalation of the aerosol delivery device and directs an electrical current to flow through a circuit that includes a heating element.

27. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein selectively activating the airflow controller is performed by manual actuation of a flap or gate, which actuation opens the flap or gate and allows air to flow into the flavoring module.

28. 30. The method of claim 27, wherein selectively activating the airflow controller comprises activating a mechanical button.

29. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein entraining a portion of the flavorant in the air passing through the flavoring module is accomplished without the flavorant undergoing thermally induced vaporization.

30. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the vapor formed is flavorless.

31. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the flavoring module includes a housing having an air inlet and an air outlet.

32. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the flavoring module defines a chamber through which air can pass.

33. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the flavoring agent is mixed with a diluent.

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