Aerosol delivery device with integrated heat conductor

Abstract

To provide a smoking article that can provide the sensations of cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking, without substantial combustion, and that does so with advantageous performance characteristics.SOLUTION: An aerosol delivery device 100 may include: a control body 102 having a closed distal end and an open engaging end; a heating member 132; a control component 123 located within the control body 102 and configured to control the heating member 132; a power source 124 located within the control body 102 and configured to provide power to the control component 123; and a removable aerosol source member 104 that includes a substrate portion 110. The substrate portion 110 may include a continuous heat conductive framework integrated with an aerosol forming material, wherein the continuous heat conductive framework is configured to enhance heat transfer from the heating member 132 to the aerosol forming material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery articles and their use for generating tobacco components or other materials in an inhalable form. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices and systems, such as smoking articles, that utilize electrically generated heat to heat materials to provide an inhalable substance in the form of an aerosol for human consumption.

Background Art

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

[0003] The purpose of improved or alternative smoking articles has typically been to provide the sensations associated with cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking without delivering significant amounts of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products. For this purpose, many smoking products, aroma generators, and medicinal inhalers have been proposed that utilize electrical energy to vaporize or heat volatile substances or to provide the sensations of cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking without substantially burning tobacco. See, for example, the various alternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and heat sources described in the background art of U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 to Griffith Jr. et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 to Sears et al., which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. See also the various types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and electrical heat sources referred to by trade name and commercial source in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0220232 to Bless et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Similarly, see further types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and electrical heat sources referred to by listed trade name and commercial source in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0245659 to DePiano et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.Other representative cigarette or smoking articles that are described and in some cases commercially available are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 by Gerth et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,922,901 by Brooks et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,947,874, and U.S. Patent No. 4,947,875, U.S. Patent No. 5,060,671 by Counts et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,249,586 by Morgan et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,388,594 by Counts et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,666,977 by Higgins et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,053,176 by Adams et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,164,287 by White, U.S. Patent No. 6,196,218 by Voges, U.S. Patent No. 6,810,883 by Felter et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,854,461 by Nichols, U.S. Patent No. 7,832,410 by Hon, U.S. Patent No. 7,513,253 by Kobayashi, U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 by Robinson et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,896,006 by Hamano, U.S. Patent No. 6,772,756 by Shayan, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0095311 by Hon, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006 / 0196518 by Hon, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0126745, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0188490, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0272379 by Thorens et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0260641 by Monsees et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0260642, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008 / 0149118 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0024834 by Oglesby et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0307518 by Wang, and those described in International Publication No. 2010 / 091593 by Hon.

[0004] Representative products that are similar in many attributes to traditional types of cigarettes, cigars, or pipes include ACCORD(R) by Philip Morris Incorporated, ALPHA(TM) by InnoVapor LLC, JOYE 510(TM) and M4(TM), CIRRUS(TM) and FLING(TM) by White Cloud Cigarettes, BLU(TM) by Fontem Ventures B.V., COHITA(TM), COLIBRI(TM), ELITE CLASSIC(TM), MAGNUM(TM), PHANTOM(TM) and SENSE(TM) by EPUFFER(R) International Inc., DUOPRO(TM), STORM(TM) and VAPORKING(R) by Electronic Cigarettes, Inc., EGAR(TM) by Egar Australia, eGo-C(TM) and eGo-T(TM) by Joyetech, ELUSION(TM) by Elusion UK Ltd, EONSMOKE(R) by Eonsmoke LLC, 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 CIGARETTE(TM) by PremiumEstore LLC, Ruyan America, Inc.Sold as RAPP E-MYSTICK(TM) by [company name 1], 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 R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company, Mistic Menthol products by Mistic Ecigs, and Vype products by CN Creative Ltd., IQOS(TM) by Philip Morris International, and GLO(TM) by British American Tobacco. Further, other electric aerosol delivery devices, particularly those characterized as so-called electronic cigarettes, are sold under the trade names COOLER VISIONS(TM), DIRECT E-CIG(TM), DRAGONFLY(TM), EMIST(TM), EVERSMOKE(TM), GAMUCCI(R), HYBRID FLAME(TM), KNIGHT STICKS(TM), ROYAL BLUES(TM), SMOKETIP(R), and SOUTH BEACH SMOKE(TM).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

[0006] Articles that create the taste and sensation of smoking by electrically heating tobacco or tobacco-derived materials have suffered from inconsistent performance characteristics. Electrically heated smoking devices are often further limited by the need for a large battery capacity. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a smoking article that can provide the sensation of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe without substantial combustion and has advantageous performance characteristics.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In various implementations, the present disclosure provides an aerosol delivery device and an aerosol source member configured to generate an inhalable substance. The present disclosure includes, without limitation, the following exemplary implementations.

[0008] Implementation Example 1: An aerosol delivery device configured to generate an inhalable substance, comprising a control body having a closed distal end and an open engagement end, a heating member, a control component disposed within the control body and configured to control the heating member, a power source disposed within the control body and configured to supply power to the control component, and a removable aerosol source member including a base portion, the removable aerosol source member being configured to be inserted into the engagement end of the control body and defining a heating end and a mouth end, the heating end being configured to be disposed in the vicinity of the heating member when inserted into the control body, and the mouth end being configured to extend beyond the engagement end of the control body, and the base portion including a continuous thermally conductive framework integrated with an aerosol-forming material, the continuous thermally conductive framework being configured to enhance heat transfer from the heating member to the aerosol-forming material.

[0009] Implementation Example 2: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, wherein the continuous thermally conductive framework comprises a coil integrated with a substantially cylindrical aerosol-forming material.

[0010] Implementation Example 3: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, in which a coil is disposed around the outer surface of an aerosol-forming material.

[0011] Implementation Example 4: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, in which a coil is disposed within an aerosol-forming material.

[0012] Implementation Example 5: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, in which a coil is disposed around the outer surface of an aerosol-forming material and within the aerosol-forming material.

[0013] Implementation Example 6: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, comprising a braid in which a continuous thermally conductive framework is woven together.

[0014] Implementation Example 7: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, in which a woven braid is disposed around the outer surface of an aerosol-forming material.

[0015] Implementation Example 8: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, in which a woven braid is disposed within an aerosol-forming material.

[0016] Implementation Example 9: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, comprising a central elongate component having a plurality of spikes extending radially therefrom, with a continuous thermally conductive framework.

[0017] Implementation Example 10: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, wherein the continuous thermal conductivity framework comprises at least one of a metallic material, a coated metallic material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, a polymer composite material, and any combination thereof.

[0018] Implementation Example 11: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, wherein the substrate portion comprises an extruded hollow structure.

[0019] Implementation Example 12: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, wherein the substrate portion comprises a longitudinally disposed hole at a single center and / or a plurality of longitudinally disposed holes.

[0020] Implementation Example 13: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, wherein the substrate portion comprises a substantially solid structure.

[0021] Implementation Example 14: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, wherein the substrate portion contains tobacco or tobacco-derived materials.

[0022] Implementation Example 15: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, wherein the substrate portion contains non-tobacco materials.

[0023] Implementation Example 16: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, wherein the heating member comprises a conductive heat source.

[0024] Implementation Example 17: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, wherein the heating member comprises an inductive heat source.

[0025] Implementation Example 18: An aerosol source member configured to removably engage with an engaging end of a control body including a heating member, the aerosol source member having a heating end and a mouth end, the heating end being configured to be disposed adjacent to the heating member when the heating end is inserted into the control body, and the mouth end being configured to extend beyond the engaging end of the control body, the aerosol source member comprising: a base member including a continuous thermally conductive framework integrated with an aerosol-forming material, the continuous thermally conductive framework being configured to enhance heat transfer from the heating member to the aerosol-forming material.

[0026] Implementation Example 19: An aerosol source member according to any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, wherein the continuous thermally conductive framework comprises a coil integrated with a substantially cylindrical aerosol-forming material.

[0027] Implementation Example 20: An aerosol source member according to any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, wherein the coil is disposed around an outer surface of the aerosol-forming material.

[0028] Implementation Example 21: An aerosol source member according to any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, wherein the coil is disposed within the aerosol-forming material.

[0029] Implementation Example 22: An aerosol source member according to any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, wherein the coil is disposed around an outer surface of the aerosol-forming material and within the aerosol-forming material.

[0030] Implementation Example 23: An aerosol source member according to any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, wherein the continuous thermally conductive framework comprises a woven or overlapping braid.

[0031] Implementation Example 24: An aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, in which an interwoven braid is disposed around the outer surface of an aerosol-forming material.

[0032] Implementation Example 25: An aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, in which an interwoven braid is disposed within an aerosol-forming material.

[0033] Implementation Example 26: An aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, in which a continuous thermally conductive framework comprises a central elongate component having a plurality of spikes extending radially therefrom.

[0034] Implementation Example 27: An aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, in which a continuous thermally conductive framework comprises at least one of a metallic material, a coated metallic material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, a polymer composite material, and any combination thereof.

[0035] Implementation Example 28: An aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, in which a substrate portion comprises an extruded hollow structure.

[0036] Implementation Example 29: An aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, in which a substrate portion comprises a single centrally disposed longitudinal hole and / or a plurality of longitudinal holes.

[0037] Implementation Example 30: An aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, in which a substrate portion comprises a substantially solid structure.

[0038] Implementation Example 31: An aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, in which the base material portion contains tobacco or a tobacco-derived material.

[0039] Implementation Example 32: An aerosol source member of any preceding exemplary implementation example, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementation examples, in which the base material portion contains a non-tobacco material.

[0040] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below.

[0041] Although the present disclosure has been described in general terms, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0042]

Figure 1

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Figure 10

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0043] The present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to its exemplary implementations. These exemplary implementations are described so that the present disclosure is complete and conveys the scope of the present disclosure fully to those skilled in the art. In fact, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations described herein. Rather, these implementations are provided so that the present disclosure meets applicable legal requirements. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", "the", etc. include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, in this specification, there may be references to quantitative measures, values, geometric relationships, etc., and unless otherwise specified, any one or more of these, even if not all of them, may be absolute or approximate for the purpose of explaining possible acceptable variations, such as those resulting from technical tolerances.

[0044] As described below, exemplary implementations of the present disclosure relate to aerosol delivery devices. The aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure use electrical energy to heat a material (preferably without significantly burning the material) to form an inhalable substance, and the components of such a system have the most preferred article form that is compact enough to be considered a handheld device. That is, the use of the components of the preferred aerosol delivery device does not result in the generation of smoke in the sense that the aerosol is mainly generated from the by-products of tobacco combustion or pyrolysis. Rather, the use of their preferred systems results in the generation of vapors resulting from the volatilization or vaporization of certain components incorporated therein. In some exemplary implementations, the components of the aerosol delivery device can be characterized as electronic cigarettes, and those electronic cigarettes most preferably incorporate tobacco and / or tobacco-derived components and thus deliver tobacco-derived components in aerosol form.

[0045] The aerosol-generating components of certain preferred aerosol delivery devices can provide many of the sensations of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe (e.g., inhalation and exhalation rituals, types of taste or flavor, sensory stimulation effects, physical sensations, usage rituals, visual cues such as those provided by visible aerosol) without any significant combustion of any of their components by igniting and burning the tobacco (and thus by inhaling tobacco smoke). For example, a user of the aerosol-generating components of the present disclosure can hold and use the components as a smoker uses traditional types of smoking articles, suck on one end of the components to inhale the aerosol generated by the components, and puff or draw on the tobacco at selected time intervals.

[0046] In this specification, the system is generally described in relation to implementations associated with aerosol delivery devices such as so-called "electronic cigarettes" or "tobacco heating products", but it should be understood that the mechanisms, components, features, and methods can be embodied in many different forms and associated with a variety of articles. For example, the descriptions provided herein can be employed in combination with implementations of related packages for any of conventional smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.), non-combustible heated cigarettes, and the products disclosed herein. Accordingly, it should be understood that the descriptions of the mechanisms, components, features, and methods disclosed herein are described only by way of example in relation to implementations associated with aerosol delivery devices and may be embodied and used in many other different products and methods.

[0047] The aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may also be characterized as a vapor generating article or a drug delivery article. Accordingly, such an article or device may be configured to provide one or more substances (e.g., flavorants and / or pharmaceutical active ingredients) in an inhalable form or state. For example, the inhalable substance can be in a substantially vapor form (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 droplets in a gas). For the sake of brevity, the term "aerosol" as used herein is meant to include forms or types of vapor, gas, and aerosol suitable for human inhalation, whether visible or not and whether in a form that can be regarded as smoky. The physical form of the inhalable substance is not necessarily limited by the nature of the disclosed device, but can depend on the nature of the medium and the inhalable substance itself as to whether it exists in a vapor state or an aerosol state. In some implementations, the terms can be used interchangeably. Accordingly, for the sake of simplicity, the terms used to describe the present disclosure are understood to be interchangeable unless otherwise specified.

[0048] The aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure generally includes a plurality of components provided within an outer body or shell, sometimes referred to as a housing. The overall design of the outer body or shell can be various, and the form or configuration of the outer body that can define the overall size and shape of the aerosol delivery device can be various. Usually, an elongated body similar in shape to a cigarette or cigar can be formed from a single unitary housing, or the elongated housing can be formed from two or more separable bodies. For example, the aerosol delivery device can comprise an elongated shell or body that can be of a generally tubular shape similar to that of a conventional cigarette or cigar. However, various other shapes and configurations (e.g., rectangular or fob-shaped) may be used in other implementations. In one example, all components of the aerosol delivery device are housed within one housing. Alternatively, the aerosol delivery device can comprise two or more housings that are joined and separable. For example, the aerosol delivery device can have a control body with a housing at one end that includes one or more reusable components (e.g., an accumulator such as a rechargeable battery and / or a rechargeable supercapacitor, as well as various electronic devices for controlling the operation of the article), and at the other end and removably connectably, have an outer body or shell (e.g., a disposable fragrance-containing aerosol source member) that includes a disposable portion. The more specific forms, configurations, and arrangements of the components within a single housing type unit or within a multi-piece separable housing type unit will be apparent in light of the further disclosure provided herein. Further, considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices, the designs and component arrangements of various aerosol delivery devices can be understood.

[0049] As described in more detail below, the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure comprises several combinations of a power source (i.e., an electrical power source), at least one control component (e.g., means for actuating, controlling, regulating, and stopping power for heating, such as by controlling the current flowing from the power source to other components of the article - e.g., a processing circuit), a heater or heating element (e.g., an electrical resistance heating element and / or an induction coil or other related components and / or one or more radiant heating elements), and an aerosol source member including a substrate portion capable of generating an aerosol upon application of sufficient heat. In various implementations, the aerosol source member may include a mouth end or tip configured to be able to draw in the aerosol delivery device for aerosol inhalation (e.g., a defined airflow path through the article through which the generated aerosol can be drawn out during inhalation).

[0050] The alignment of components within the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may vary across various implementations. In some implementations, the substrate portion may be disposed in the vicinity of the heating member so as to maximize aerosol delivery to the user. However, other configurations are not excluded. Generally, the heating member may be disposed sufficiently close to the substrate portion such that heat from the heating member volatilizes the substrate portion (and, in some implementations, also one or more flavorants, medicaments, etc. that may be provided for delivery to the user as well), and an aerosol for delivery to the user can be formed. When the heating member heats the substrate portion, an aerosol is formed, released, or generated in a physical form suitable for inhalation by the consumer. It should be noted that the terms release, releasing, releases, or released are meant to be interchangeable such that they include 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.

[0051] As described above, aerosol delivery devices of various implementations may incorporate a battery or other power source to supply sufficient current to provide various functions to the aerosol delivery device, such as powering the heating member, powering the control system, powering the indicator, etc. As described in more detail below, the power source can take various implementations. Preferably, the power source can deliver sufficient power to rapidly activate the heating element to provide aerosol formation and supply power to the aerosol delivery device throughout the desired duration of use. The power source is preferably sized to conveniently fit within the aerosol delivery device such that the aerosol delivery device can be easily handled. Further, a preferred power source is sufficiently lightweight so as not to detract from the desired smoking experience.

[0052] As shown above, the aerosol delivery device may include at least one control component. Suitable control components may include several electronic components and, in some examples, may be formed from a printed circuit board (PCB). In some examples, the electronic components include a processing circuit configured to perform data processing, application execution, or other processing, control, or management services according to one or more implementation examples. The processing circuit may include at least one processor core, microprocessor, coprocessor, controller, microcontroller, or a processor embodied in various forms such as one or more integrated circuits such as ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), or some combination thereof, or various other computing or processing devices. In some examples, the processing circuit may include a memory coupled or integrated with the processor and capable of storing data, computer program instructions executable by the processor, some combination thereof, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the control component may include one or more input / output peripherals that can be coupled or integrated to a processing circuit such as a communication interface that enables wireless communication with one or more networks, computing devices, or other suitably enabled devices.

[0053] The more specific forms, configurations, and arrangements of the components within the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure will become apparent in light of the further disclosure provided below. Further, considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices, the selection of various aerosol delivery device components can be understood. Additionally, the arrangement of the components within the aerosol delivery device can also be understood considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices.

[0054] In this regard, FIG. 1 shows an aerosol delivery device 100 according to an implementation example of the present disclosure. The aerosol delivery device 100 may include a control body 102 and an aerosol source member 104. In various implementations, the aerosol source member 104 and the control body 102 can be permanently or removably aligned in a functional relationship. In this regard, FIG. 1 shows the aerosol delivery device 100 in a coupled configuration, while FIG. 2 shows the aerosol delivery device 100 in a separated configuration. Various mechanisms may connect the aerosol source member 104 to the control body 102, resulting in screw engagement, press-fit engagement, interference fit, slip fit, magnetic engagement, etc.

[0055] In various implementations, the aerosol delivery device 100 according to the present disclosure can have various overall shapes, including but not limited to an overall shape that can be defined as being substantially rod-shaped, substantially tubular, or substantially cylindrical. In the implementations of FIGS. 1 and 2, the device 100 has a substantially circular cross-section, but other cross-sectional shapes (e.g., oval, square, triangular, etc.) are also included in the present disclosure. Such language describing the physical shape of an article can also be applied to its individual components, including the control body 102 and the aerosol source member 104. In other implementations, the control body may take another handheld shape, such as a small box-shaped form.

[0056] In certain implementations, one or both of the control body 102 and the aerosol source member 104 may be said to be disposable or reusable. For example, the control body 102 may have a replaceable battery or rechargeable battery, a solid-state battery, a thin-film solid-state battery, a rechargeable supercapacitor, etc., and thus may be connected to a wall charger, an automotive charger (i.e., the receptacle of a cigarette lighter), and a computer via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable or connector (e.g., USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, USB Type-C), a photovoltaic cell (sometimes called a solar cell) or a solar panel of a solar cell, 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, and may be combined with any type of charging technology, including connection to a computer via a USB cable, etc. An example of an inductive wireless charging system is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0112196 by Sur, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0057] In the illustrated implementation, the aerosol source member 104 includes a heating end 106 configured to be inserted into the control body 102 and a mouth end 108 that a user sucks on to generate an aerosol. At least a portion of the heating end 106 may include a substrate portion 110. In some implementations, the substrate portion 110 includes tobacco-containing beads, tobacco shreds, tobacco strips, tobacco cast sheets, reconstituted tobacco materials, or combinations thereof, and / or finely ground tobacco, tobacco extracts, mixtures of spray-dried tobacco extracts, or any inorganic material (such as calcium carbonate), any flavorant, and other tobacco forms mixed with an aerosol-forming material to form a substantially solid, semi-solid, or moldable (e.g., extruded) substrate. Representative types of solid and semi-solid substrate portion configurations and formulations are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,424,538 to Thomas et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,464,726 to Sebastian et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0083150 to Conner et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0157052 to Ademe et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017-0000188 to Nordskog et al., all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0058] In addition to the implementations described above, in other implementations, the base portion may be configured as a liquid capable of generating an aerosol upon application of sufficient heat, having components commonly referred to as "smoke juice", "e-liquid", and "e-juice". Exemplary formulations of aerosol-generating liquids are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0008457 by Zheng et al., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In yet other implementations, the base portion may contain a gel and / or a suspension. Some representative types of solid and semi-solid base portion configurations and formulations are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,424,538 by Thomas et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,464,726 by Sebastian et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0083150 by Conner et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0157052 by Ademe et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017-0000188 by Nordskog et al., all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0059] In various implementations, the aerosol source member 104 or a portion thereof may be wrapped in an overwrap material 112 (see FIG. 2) that can be formed from any material useful for providing additional structure and / or support to the aerosol source member 104. In various implementations, the mouth end 108 of the aerosol source member 104 may include a filter 114 that can be made from a cellulose acetate or polypropylene material. The filter 114 can increase the structural integrity of the mouth end of the aerosol source member and / or provide a filtering ability as needed and / or provide a resistance to suction. The overwrap material can include a material that resists heat transfer, which can include other fibrous materials such as paper or cellulose materials. The overwrap material can also include at least one filler material embedded or dispersed within the fibrous material. In various implementations, the filler material may be in the form of water-insoluble particles. Further, the filler material can incorporate inorganic components. In various implementations, the overwrap may be formed from a plurality of layers such as an underlying bulk layer and an overlying layer such as a typical wrapper for a cigarette. Such materials can include lightweight "fluffy fibers" such as linen, hemp, sisal, rice straw, and / or esparto. The overwrap may also include materials commonly used in conventional cigarette filter elements such as cellulose acetate. Further, an excessive length of overwrap at the mouth end 108 of the aerosol source member may function to simply separate the substrate portion 110 from the consumer's mouth or provide a space for placement of the filter material or affect the draw of the article or the flow characteristics of the vapor or aerosol exiting the device during draw as described below. Further description of the construction of overwrap materials that can be used in the present disclosure can be found in U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0060] In various implementations, other components may be present between the substrate portion 110 and the mouth end 108 of the aerosol source member 104, and the mouth end 108 may include a filter 114. For example, in some implementations, one or any combination of the following may be disposed between the substrate portion 110 and the mouth end 108 of the aerosol source member 104: a void; a phase change material for cooling air; a flavorant release medium; ion exchange fibers capable of selective chemisorption; aerogel particles as a filter medium; and other suitable materials.

[0061] As described in more detail below, the present disclosure is configured to be used with a conductive and / or inductive heat source to heat an aerosol-forming material to form an aerosol. In some implementations, a conductive heat source may be used and a heating chamber including a resistive heating member may be provided. The resistive heating member may be configured to generate heat when an electric current flows therethrough. Conductive materials useful as resistive heating members may have low mass, low density, and moderate resistivity, and be thermally stable at the temperatures experienced during use. Useful heating members provide efficient use of energy because they heat and cool rapidly. The rapid heating of the element can be beneficial to provide near-instantaneous volatilization of the aerosol precursor material in proximity thereto. Rapid cooling prevents substantial volatilization (and thus waste) of the aerosol precursor material during periods when aerosol formation is not desired. Such heating members can also enable relatively precise control of the temperature range experienced by the aerosol precursor material, particularly when time-based current control is used. Useful conductive materials are preferably chemically non-reactive with the materials being heated (e.g., aerosol precursor materials and other inhalable substance materials) so as not to adversely affect the flavor or content of the aerosol or vapor produced. Non-limiting examples of materials that can be used as conductive materials include carbon, graphite, carbon / graphite composites, metals, ceramics such as metal and non-metal carbides, nitrides, oxides, silicides, intermetallic compounds, cermets, metal alloys, and metal foils. In particular, refractory materials will be useful. A variety of different materials can be mixed to achieve the desired properties of resistivity, mass, and thermal conductivity. In certain implementations, available metals include, for example, nickel, chromium, alloys of nickel and chromium (e.g., nichrome), and steel.Materials useful for providing resistive heating are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,060,671 to Counts et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,093,894 to Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,224,498 to Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,228,460 to Sprinkel 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 hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0062] In various implementations, the heating member can be provided in various forms such as in the form of a foil, foam, disk, spiral, fiber, wire, film, braid, strip, ribbon, or cylinder. Such heating members often include a metallic material and are configured to generate heat as a result of the electrical resistance associated with passing an electric current therethrough. Such resistive heating members can be disposed in the vicinity of the substrate portion. Alternatively, the heating member may be disposed in contact with the solid or semi-solid substrate portion. Such a configuration can heat the substrate portion to generate an aerosol. Various conductive substrates that can be used in the present disclosure are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 by Griffith et al., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Some non-limiting examples of various heating member configurations include configurations in which the heating member or element is disposed in the vicinity of the aerosol source member. For example, in some examples, at least a portion of the heating member can surround at least a portion of the aerosol source member. In other examples, one or more heating members can be disposed adjacent to the outside of the aerosol source member when inserted into the control body. In other examples, when the aerosol source member is inserted into the control body, at least a portion of the heating member can be disposed inside the hollow portion of the aerosol source member.

[0063] FIG. 3 shows a front schematic cross-sectional view of an aerosol delivery device according to an implementation example of the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, the aerosol delivery device 100 of this implementation example includes a heating chamber 116 that includes a resistive heating member 132 that directly contacts or substantially directly contacts the substrate portion 110 of the aerosol source member 104. In particular, the illustrated control body 102 of the implementation includes a housing 118 that includes an opening 119 defined at its engagement end. The control body 102 also includes a flow sensor 120 (e.g., a puff sensor or a pressure switch), a control component 123 (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB) including a microprocessor and / or a microcontroller, either individually or as part of a microcontroller), a power source 124 (e.g., a battery that can be rechargeable and / or a rechargeable supercapacitor), and in some implementations, an end cap that can include an indicator 126 (e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED)). In one implementation, the indicator 126 may comprise one or more light-emitting diodes, quantum dot-based light-emitting diodes, and the like. The indicator 126 can communicate with the control component 123 and can be lit, for example, when the user sucks on the aerosol source member 104 when coupled to the control body 102 as detected by the flow sensor 120.

[0064] As described above, the control component 123 may include several electronic components such as a processing circuit. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the control component includes a voltage regulator circuit configured to step down a voltage and step up a current from the power source 124 to the resistive heating member 132, thereby supplying power to the resistive heating member. This voltage regulator circuit can enable the resistive heating element to receive a constant current from the power source. In some examples, the voltage regulator circuit is a buck regulator circuit including a buck regulator controller and one or more switching elements. An example of a suitable buck regulator circuit is the Texas Instruments LM2743 synchronous buck regulator controller, and an example of a suitable buck regulator circuit including the LM2743 buck regulator controller and a MOSFET gate driver is provided in the "LM2743 Low Voltage N-Channel MOSFET Synchronous Buck Regulator Controller, Data Sheet SNVS276H, April 2004 [Revised October 2015]."

[0065] Other operating indicators are also included in the present disclosure. For example, the visual indicator of the operation may also include a change in the color or intensity of light to indicate the progress of the smoking experience. The tactile indicator of the operation and the audible indicator of the operation can similarly be included in the present disclosure. Further, a combination of such operation indicators is also suitable for use in a single smoking article. According to another aspect, the device can include one or more indicators or marks such as a display configured to provide information corresponding to the operation of the smoking article, such as, for example, the amount of power remaining in the power source, the progress of the smoking experience, an indicator corresponding to the activation of the heat source, and the like.

[0066] Examples of possible power sources are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,484,155 to Peckerar et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0112191 to Sur et al., filed Oct. 21, 2015, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. With respect to flow sensors, representative current regulating 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 No. 4,922,901, U.S. Patent No. 4,947,874, and U.S. Patent No. 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.

[0067] In the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure, additional components may be utilized. For example, U.S. Patent No. 5,154,192 by Sprinkel et al. discloses an indicator for a smoking article, and U.S. Patent No. 5,261,424 by Sprinkel, Jr. discloses a piezoelectric sensor that can be associated with the mouth end of the device to trigger heating of the heating device after detecting the user's lip activity related to inhalation acquisition. U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 by 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 by Harris et al. discloses a receptacle within a smoking device that includes an identifier for detecting non-uniformity in the infrared transmittance of an inserted component and a controller that executes a detection routine when the component is inserted into the receptacle. U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 by Fleischhauer et al. describes a defined executable power cycle having multiple differential phases. U.S. Patent No. 5,934,289 by Watkins et al. discloses a photonic - optronic component. U.S. Patent No. 5,954,979 by Counts et al. discloses means for changing the draw resistance through a smoking device. U.S. Patent No. 6,803,545 by Blake et al. discloses a specific battery configuration for use in a smoking device. U.S. Patent No. 7,293,565 by Griffen et al. discloses various charging systems for use in a smoking device. U.S. Patent No. 8,402,976 by Fernando et al. discloses computer interface means for a smoking device to facilitate charging and enable computer control of the device. U.S. Patent No. 8,689,804 by Fernando et al. discloses an identification system for a smoking device. International Publication No. WO 2010 / 003480 by Flick discloses a fluid flow sensing system that indicates the puff of an aerosol generation system. All of the foregoing disclosures are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety into this specification.

[0068] Additional examples of components related to electronic aerosol delivery articles and disclosure materials or components that can be used in such articles are found in U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,666,977 to Higgins et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,053,176 to Adams et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,164,287 to White, U.S. Patent No. 6,196,218 to Voges, U.S. Patent No. 6,810,883 to Felter et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,854,461 to Nichols, U.S. Patent No. 7,832,410 to Hon, U.S. Patent No. 7,513,253 to Kobayashi, U.S. Patent No. 7,896,006 to Hamano, U.S. Patent No. 6,772,756 to Shayan, U.S. Patent No. 8,156,944 to Hon and U.S. Patent No. 8,375,957, U.S. Patent No. 8,794,231 to Thorens et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,851,083 to Oglesby et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,915,254 to Monsees et al. and U.S. Patent No. 8,925,555, U.S. Patent No. 9,220,302 to DePiano et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006 / 0196518 to Hon and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0188490, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0024834 to Oglesby et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0307518 to Wang, International Publication No. 2010 / 091593 to Hon, and International Publication No. 2013 / 089551 to Foo, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Further, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0099877 to Worm et al., filed on October 13, 2015, discloses a capsule that can be included in an aerosol delivery device and a fob-shaped configuration for an aerosol delivery device, and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.The various materials disclosed by the foregoing documents can be incorporated into the present device in various implementations, and all of the foregoing disclosures are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety into this specification.

[0069] Referring back to FIG. 3, as described above, the control body 102 of the illustrated implementation includes a heating chamber 116 configured to heat the substrate portion 110 of the aerosol source member 104. The heating chambers of the various implementations of the present disclosure can take various forms, but in the particular implementation shown in FIG. 3, the heating chamber 116 includes an outer cylinder 130 and a heating member 132 having a trace or wire heater embedded or attached to the inner wall of the outer cylinder 130 in this implementation. In various implementations, the heating member 132 can be composed of one or more conductive materials including, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, platinum, gold, silver, iron, steel, brass, bronze, graphite, or any combination thereof.

[0070] As shown, the heating chamber 116 can extend near the engagement end of the housing 118 and can be configured to substantially surround a portion of the heating end 106 of the aerosol source member 104 including the substrate portion 110. In such a manner, the heating chamber 116 of the illustrated implementation can generally define a tubular configuration, but in other implementations, the heating chamber may have other configurations. In various implementations, the outer cylinder 130 may comprise a non-conductive insulating material and / or structure including, but not limited to, an insulating polymer (e.g., plastic or cellulose), glass, rubber, ceramic, porcelain, a double-wall vacuum structure, or any combination thereof.

[0071] As described above, in the illustrated implementation, the outer cylinder 130 can also function to facilitate proper positioning of the aerosol source member 104 when the aerosol source member 104 is inserted into the housing 118. In various implementations, the outer cylinder 130 of the heating chamber 116 can engage the inner surface of the housing 118 to provide alignment of the heating chamber 116 relative to the housing 118. Thereby, as a result of the fixed connection between the heating chambers 116, the longitudinal axis of the heating chamber 116 can extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing 118. In particular, the support cylinder 130 may extend from the opening 119 of the housing 118 to the stop function portion 134. In the illustrated implementation, the inner diameter of the outer cylinder 130 is configured such that the outer cylinder 130 guides the aerosol source member 104 to an appropriate position (e.g., a lateral position) relative to the control body 102, and can be slightly larger than or substantially equal to the outer diameter of the corresponding aerosol source member 104 (e.g., to form a slip fit).

[0072] In use, the consumer initiates heating of the heating chamber 116, and in particular, the heating member 132 adjacent to the substrate portion 110 (or a particular layer thereof). Heating of the substrate portion 110 releases the inhalable substance within the aerosol source member 104 so as to generate an inhalable substance. When the consumer inhales at the mouth end 108 of the aerosol source member 104, air is drawn into the aerosol source member 104 through the opening or aperture 122 of the control body 102. The combination of the drawn-in air and the released inhalable substance is inhaled by the consumer as the drawn-in material exits the mouth end 108 of the aerosol source member 104. In some implementations, to initiate heating, the consumer can manually activate a push button or similar component that causes the heating member of the heating chamber to receive electrical energy from a battery or other energy source. The electrical energy may be supplied for a predetermined time or may be manually controlled. In some implementations, the flow of electrical energy does not substantially proceed during the puff of the device (however, the flow of energy can proceed to maintain a baseline temperature higher than the ambient temperature - for example, a temperature that facilitates rapid heating to the active heating temperature). However, in the illustrated implementation, heating is initiated by the consumer's puffing action via the use of one or more sensors such as the flow sensor 120. When the puff is aborted, the heating stops or decreases. When the consumer has taken a sufficient number of puffs to release a sufficient amount of the inhalable substance (e.g., an amount sufficient to correspond to a typical smoking experience), the aerosol source member 104 can be removed from the control body 102 and discarded. In some implementations, additional sensing elements such as capacitive sensing elements and other sensors can be used, as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 707,461 by Phillips et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0073] In various implementations, the aerosol source member 104 can be formed of any suitable material that forms and maintains a suitable form, such as a tubular shape, and is suitable for holding the substrate portion 110 therein. In some implementations, the aerosol source member 104 may be formed of a single wall or, in other implementations, multiple walls, and, as further described herein, is heat resistant - for example, does not degrade - at a temperature that is at least the heating temperature supplied by the at least electrical heating member, and may be formed of a material (natural or synthetic). In some implementations, a heat resistant polymer can be used, but in other implementations, the aerosol source member 104 may be formed of paper, such as substantially straw-shaped paper. As further described herein, the aerosol source member 104 can have one or more layers associated therewith that function to substantially prevent the movement of vapor therethrough. In one example implementation, an aluminum foil layer can be laminated to one surface of the aerosol source member. Ceramic materials can also be used. In further implementations, an insulating material can be used so as not to unduly distance heat from the substrate portion. When formed of a single layer, the aerosol source member 104 can preferably have a thickness of from about 0.2 mm to about 7.5 mm, from about 0.5 mm to about 4.0 mm, from about 0.5 mm to about 3.0 mm, or from about 1.0 mm to about 3.0 mm. Further exemplary types of components and materials that can be used to provide the functions described above or can be used as alternatives to the materials and components described above can be of the types described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 00186757 by Crooks et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 00186757 by Crooks et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011 / 0041861 by Sebastian et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0074] As described above, the aerosol source member 104 includes a substrate portion 110 proximate to the heating end 106 of the member 104. In various implementations, the substrate portion 110 can include any material that, when heated, releases an inhalable substance such as a flavor-containing substance. In the implementation of FIG. 3, the substrate portion 110 includes a solid substrate that includes an aerosol-forming material containing an inhalable substance. In various implementations, the substrate portion can specifically include a tobacco component or a tobacco-derived material (i.e., a material naturally found in tobacco that can be isolated directly from tobacco or prepared synthetically). For example, the substrate portion can contain a tobacco extract or a fraction thereof combined with an inert substrate. The substrate portion can further contain unburned tobacco or a composition containing unburned tobacco that releases an inhalable substance when heated to a temperature lower than its combustion temperature. In some implementations, the substrate portion can contain a tobacco condensate or a fraction thereof (i.e., a condensed component of the smoke produced by the combustion of tobacco that leaves flavor and possibly nicotine).

[0075] The tobacco materials useful in the present disclosure can be diverse and can include, for example, flue-cured tobacco, burley tobacco, oriental tobacco or Maryland tobacco, dark tobacco, dark fire-cured tobacco and rusticated tobacco, as well as other rare or special tobaccos, or blends thereof. The tobacco materials can also include so-called "blended" forms and processed forms such as processed tobacco systems (e.g., cut roll or cut puff systems), volume-expanded tobacco (e.g., puff tobacco such as preferably dry ice-expanded tobacco (DIET) in cut filler form), reconstituted tobacco (e.g., reconstituted tobacco manufactured using a paper type or cast sheet type process), etc. Various representative types of tobacco, processed types of tobacco, and types of tobacco blends are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,836,224 by Lawson et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,924,888 by Perfetti et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,056,537 by Brown et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,159,942 by Brinkley et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,220,930 by Gentry, U.S. Patent No. 5,360,023 by Blakley et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,701,936 by Shafer et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,011,096 by Li et al., and U.S. Patent No. 7,017,585 by Li et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,025,066 by Lawson et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004 / 0255965 by Perfetti et al., International Publication No. 02 / 37990 by Bereman, and Bombick et al., Fund. Appl. Toxicol., 39, p. 11-17 (1997), which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Further exemplary tobacco compositions that may be useful in a smoking device, including those according to the present disclosure, are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 by Robinson et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0076] Furthermore, the substrate portion may contain an inert substrate having an inhalable substance or a precursor thereof integrated therein or deposited thereon in some other manner. For example, a liquid containing an inhalable substance may be coated or absorbed or adsorbed onto the inert substrate such that upon application of heat, the inhalable substance is released in a form that can be drawn from the disclosed article through the application of positive or negative pressure. In some embodiments, the substrate portion may contain a flavorful and aromatic tobacco blend in cut filler form. In another embodiment, the substrate portion may contain a reconstituted tobacco material as described in U.S. Patent No. 4,807,809 to Pryor et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,889,143 to Pryor et al., and U.S. Patent No. 5,025,814 to Raker, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0077] In some implementations, the substrate portion may incorporate a tobacco, tobacco component, and / or tobacco-derived material that has been treated, manufactured, produced, and / or processed to incorporate an aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a humectant such as propylene glycol, glycerin, etc.), and / or at least one flavorant, and a combustion suppressant (e.g., diammonium phosphate and / or another salt) configured to assist in preventing ignition, pyrolysis, combustion, and / or charring of the aerosol delivery component by a heat source. Various methods and means for incorporating tobacco into smoking articles, particularly smoking articles designed such that substantially all of the tobacco within those smoking articles is not intentionally combusted, are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,947,874 to Brooks et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,647,932 to Cantrell et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,079,371 to Robinson et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,290,549 to Banerjee et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007 / 0215167 to Crooks et al., the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0078] In some implementations, other flame retardant / combustion suppressant materials and additives may be included within the substrate portion and can include organic phosphorus compounds, borax, hydrated alumina, graphite, potassium tripolyphosphate, dipentaerythritol, pentaerythritol, and polyols. Other ones such as nitrogen-containing phosphonates, ammonium monophosphate, ammonium polyphosphate, ammonium bromide, ammonium borate, ammonium ethanol borate, ammonium sulfamate, halogenated organic compounds, thiourea, and antimony oxide can also be used. In each aspect of the flame retardant, combustion retardant, and / or scorch retardant materials used in the substrate portion and / or other components (alone or together with each other and / or in combination with other materials), the desirable properties are preferably provided without undesirable gas evolution or melting-type operation. Additional flavorants, fragrances, additives, and other possible enhancing components are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 707,461 by Phillips et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0079] In addition to the inhalable substance (e.g., generally flavor, nicotine, or pharmaceuticals), the substrate portion may contain one or more aerosol-forming or vapor-forming materials such as polyhydric alcohols (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol, or mixtures thereof) and / or water. Representative types of aerosol-forming materials are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,793,365 by Sensabaugh, Jr. et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,101,839 by Jakob et al., International Publication No. 98 / 57556 by Biggs et al., and Chemical and Biological Studies on New Cigarette Prototypes that Heat Instead of Burn Tobacco, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Monograph (1988), which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. In some embodiments, the substrate portion can generate a visible aerosol when sufficient heat is applied thereto (and cooled with air if necessary), and the aerosol delivery component can generate an "smoke-like" aerosol. In other embodiments, the aerosol delivery component can generate an aerosol that is substantially invisible but is recognized as being present by other characteristics such as flavor or texture. Thus, the nature of the aerosol produced can vary depending on the particular components of the aerosol delivery component. In some embodiments, the aerosol delivery component can be chemically simpler compared to the chemical nature of the smoke produced by burning tobacco.

[0080] Additional tobacco materials such as tobacco aroma oil, tobacco essence, spray-dried tobacco extract, freeze-dried tobacco extract, and tobacco dust may be combined with a vapor-forming or aerosol-forming material. It is also understood that the inhalable substance itself can, when heated, be in a form in which the inhalable substance is released as a vapor, an aerosol, or a combination thereof. In other embodiments, the inhalable substance does not necessarily need to be released in the form of a vapor or an aerosol, but the vapor-forming or aerosol-forming material that can be combined with it forms a vapor or an aerosol when heated and can essentially function as a carrier for the inhalable substance itself. Thus, the inhalable substance can be characterized as being coated on, absorbed in, adsorbed to, or a natural component of the substrate (i.e., a material forming the substrate such as tobacco or a tobacco-derived material). Similarly, the aerosol-forming or vapor-forming material can be characterized in the same way. In a particular implementation, the substrate part can comprise, in particular, a substrate containing an inhalable substance and a separate aerosol-forming material contained therein. Thus, during use, the substrate can be heated, and the aerosol-forming material can take in the inhalable substance therewith and be volatilized into a vapor form. In a particular example, the substrate part can comprise a solid substrate on which a tobacco slurry and an aerosol-forming material and / or a vapor-forming material are coated, or absorbed or adsorbed therein. The substrate component can be any material that does not burn or, otherwise, decompose at the temperatures described herein that the heating member achieves to facilitate the release of the inhalable substance. For example, a paper material including tobacco paper (e.g., a paper-like material including tobacco fibers and / or reconstituted tobacco) may be used. Thus, in various implementations, the substrate part can be characterized as containing an inhalable substance, or as containing an inhalable substance and a separate aerosol-forming or vapor-forming agent, or as containing an inhalable substance and a substrate, or as containing the substrate part, a separate aerosol-forming or vapor-forming agent, and a substrate.Accordingly, the substrate may include one or both of an inhalable substance and an aerosol-forming agent or a vapor-forming agent.

[0081] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the substrate portion can be configured as a plug material, as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0042885 to Stone et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In yet another aspect, the substrate portion can be configured as an extruded structure and / or a substrate that contains or consists essentially of tobacco, tobacco-related materials, glycerin, water, and / or a binder material, with the specific formulation excluding the binder material. In various implementations, the binder material can be any binder material commonly used in tobacco formulations, including, for example, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), gums (e.g., guar gum), xanthan, pullulan, and / or alginates. According to some aspects, the binder material included in the aerosol delivery component can be configured to substantially maintain the structural shape and / or integrity of the aerosol delivery component. Various exemplary binders, binder properties, binder usage, and binder amounts are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,924,887 to Raker et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0082] In some implementations, the substrate portion can be further configured to substantially maintain its structure throughout the aerosol generation process. That is, the substrate portion can be configured to substantially maintain its shape throughout the aerosol generation process (i.e., the aerosol delivery component does not continuously deform under the applied shear stress). In some implementations, the substrate portion component can contain a liquid and / or some moisture content, but in some implementations, the substrate portion is configured to substantially maintain a solid throughout the aerosol generation process and to substantially maintain its structural integrity throughout the aerosol generation process. Examples of tobacco and / or tobacco-related materials suitable for substantially solid aerosol delivery components are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0157052 by Ademe et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0335070 by Sears et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,204,287 by White, and U.S. Patent No. 5,060,676 by Hearn et al., which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

[0083] In yet another aspect, the substrate portion may include a plucked structure and / or a substrate formed from cured and / or uncured tobacco. Cured tobacco is known, for example, from U.S. Patent No. 5,105,831 by Banerjee et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Cured tobacco includes a tobacco blend in powder form of about 20 to about 50 percent (by weight), glycerol (about 20 to about 30 percent by weight), calcium carbonate (generally about 10 to about 60 weight percent, and in most cases about 40 to about 60 weight percent), along with the binders and / or flavorants described herein.

[0084] In another aspect, the base member may include a plurality of microcapsules, beads, granules, etc. having tobacco-related materials. For example, representative microcapsules can generally have a spherical shape and can have an outer cover or shell containing a liquid central region of an extract derived from tobacco and / or an analogue thereof. In some aspects, the aerosol delivery component can include a plurality of microcapsules each formed in a hollow cylindrical shape. In one aspect, the aerosol delivery component can include a binder material configured to maintain the structural shape and / or integrity of a plurality of microcapsules formed in a hollow cylindrical shape. Various other configurations and components that can be included in the base member of the present disclosure are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In another aspect, the base member may include one or more heat-conducting materials. Examples of base members including heat-conducting materials are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 905,320 to Sebastian, filed on February 26, 2018, titled "Heat Conducting Substrate For Electrically Heated Aerosol Delivery Device", which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Various other configurations for the base member of the aerosol source member can be found in the description of similar configurations found in U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0085] <-- In addition to the implementations described above, in some implementations, the base member can be configured as a liquid that can generate an aerosol upon application of sufficient heat, having components commonly referred to as "smoke juice", "e-liquid", and "e-juice". Exemplary formulations of aerosol-generating liquids are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0008457 by Zheng et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In some implementations, the aerosol-forming material can include gels and / or suspensions. Some representative types of solid and semi-solid base member configurations and formulations are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,424,538 by Thomas et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,464,726 by Sebastian et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0083150 by Conner et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0157052 by Ademe et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017-0000188 by Nordskog et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0086] Referring back to FIG. 3, the heating end 106 of the aerosol source member 104 is sized and shaped for insertion into the control body 102. In various implementations, the outer cylinder 130 of the control body 102 can be characterized as being defined by a wall having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining the internal volume of the outer cylinder 130. Thus, the maximum outer diameter (or other dimension depending on the particular cross-sectional shape of the implementation) of the aerosol source member 104 can be sized to be smaller than the inner diameter (or other dimension) of the inner surface of the wall of the open end of the outer cylinder 130 of the control body 102. In some implementations, the difference in respective diameters can be made sufficiently small such that the aerosol source member fits snugly within the outer cylinder 130, and the frictional force can prevent the aerosol source member 104 from moving without force being applied. On the other hand, the difference can be sufficient to allow the aerosol source member 104 to slide in and out of the outer cylinder 130 without requiring excessive force.

[0087] In some implementations, the overall size of the aerosol delivery device 100 can be sized to be comparable to the shape of a cigarette or cigar. Thus, the device may have a diameter of about 5 mm to about 25 mm, about 5 mm to about 20 mm, about 6 mm to about 15 mm, or about 6 mm to about 10 mm. In various implementations, such dimensions can correspond, in particular, to the outer diameter of the control body 102. In some implementations, the aerosol source member 104 may have a diameter between about 4 mm and about 6 mm. Further, the control body 102 and the aerosol source member can be characterized similarly with respect to the overall length. For example, in some implementations, the control body may have a length of about 40 mm to about 140 mm, about 45 mm to about 110 mm, or about 50 mm to about 100 mm. The aerosol source member may have a length of about 20 mm to about 60 mm, about 25 mm to about 55 mm, or about 30 mm to about 50 mm.

[0088] In the illustrated implementation, the control body 102 includes control components 123 that control various functions of the aerosol delivery device 100, including the supply of power to the electrical heating member 132. For example, the control components 123 can be connected to additional components and can include a control circuit (e.g., a processing circuit) connected to a power source 124 by a conductive wire (not shown), as further described herein. In various implementations, the control circuit can control when and how electrical energy is received such that the heating chamber 116, and in particular the heating member 132, heats the substrate portion 110 to release an inhalable substance for inhalation by a consumer. In some implementations, such control can be activated by the operation of a flow sensor and / or a pressure sensor switch, which are described in more detail below.

[0089] As described above, the control component can be configured to precisely control the amount of heat provided to the base member 110. The heat required to volatilize the aerosol-forming substance in a sufficient amount to provide the desired dosage of inhalable substance can vary for each specific substance used, but in some implementations, the heating member can be heated to a temperature of at least 120°C, at least 130°C, or at least 140°C. In some implementations, the heating temperature can be at least 150°C, at least 200°C, at least 220°C, at least 300°C, or at least 350°C to volatilize an appropriate amount of the aerosol-forming substance and thus provide the desired dosage of inhalable substance. However, it can be particularly desirable to avoid heating to a temperature substantially exceeding about 550°C to avoid decomposition of the aerosol-forming substance and / or excessive premature volatilization. In particular, the heating must be at a sufficiently low temperature and for a sufficiently short time to avoid significant combustion (preferably any combustion) of the base member. The present disclosure can provide the components of the device, in particular, in combinations and modes of use that produce the desired amount of inhalable substance at a relatively low temperature. Thus, production can refer to one or both of aerosol production within the device and delivery from the device to the consumer. In certain implementations, the heating temperature can be from about 130°C to about 310°C, from about 140°C to about 300°C, from about 150°C to about 290°C, from about 170°C to about 270°C, or from about 180°C to about 260°C. In other embodiments, the heating temperature can be from about 210°C to about 390°C, from about 220°C to about 380°C, from about 230°C to about 370°C, from about 250°C to about 350°C, or from about 280°C to about 320°C.

[0090] The duration of heating may be controlled by several factors, as described in more detail below. The heating temperature and duration can depend on the desired amounts of aerosol and ambient air that are desirably drawn through the aerosol delivery device, as further described herein. However, the duration can be varied according to the heating rate of the heating member, since the device can be configured such that the heating member is only energized until it reaches the desired temperature. Alternatively, the duration of heating can be coupled to the duration of puffing of the article by the consumer. Generally, the temperature and time of heating are controlled by one or more components included in the control housing, as described above.

[0091] In various implementations, the electrically heated member can include any device suitable for providing sufficient heat to facilitate the release of the inhalable substance for inhalation by the consumer. In certain implementations, the electrically heated member can include a resistive conductive heating member. In other implementations, the electrically heated member can include an inductive heating member. A useful heating member can be one having a low mass, low density, and moderate resistivity and being thermally stable at the temperatures experienced during use. A useful heating member can be capable of heating and cooling rapidly and thus can provide for efficient use of energy. The rapid heating of the element also provides for the almost immediate volatilization of the aerosol-forming substance. The rapid cooling prevents substantial volatilization (and thus waste) of the aerosol-forming substance during periods when aerosol formation is not desired. Such a heating member also enables relatively precise control of the temperature range experienced by the aerosol-forming substance, particularly when time-based current control is used. A useful heating member can also be chemically non-reactive with the material of the substrate portion being heated so as not to adversely affect the flavor or content of the aerosol or vapor produced. Non-limiting examples of materials that can comprise the heating member include carbon, graphite, carbon / graphite composites, metals, metal and non-metal carbides, nitrides, silicides, intermetallic compounds, cermets, metal alloys, and metal foils. In particular, refractory materials can be useful. Various different materials can be mixed to achieve the desired properties of resistivity, mass, thermal conductivity, and surface characteristics. In some implementations, refractory materials can be useful. Various different materials can be mixed to achieve the desired properties of resistivity, mass, and thermal conductivity. In certain aspects, available metals can include, for example, nickel, chromium, alloys of nickel and chromium (such as nichrome), and steel.Materials that may be useful for providing resistance or resistive heating are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,060,671 to Counts et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,093,894 to Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,224,498 to Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,228,460 to Sprinkel 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 hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0092] The amount of inhalable material released by the aerosol delivery device 100 may vary based on the nature of the inhalable material. Preferably, the device 100 is composed of an amount of aerosol forming agent sufficient to function at a sufficient temperature for a sufficient time to release a desired amount over the course of use. The amount can be provided in a single inhalation from the device 100 or divided so as to be provided via multiple puffs from the article over a relatively short period of time (e.g., less than 30 minutes, less than 20 minutes, less than 15 minutes, less than 10 minutes, or less than 5 minutes). Examples of nicotine levels and wet total particulate matter that can be delivered are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0093] As described above, in various implementations, the control body 102 may include one or more openings or apertures 122 therein to allow the inflow of ambient air into the interior of the outer cylinder 130. In such a manner, in some implementations, the stop function portion 134 may also include an aperture. Thus, in some implementations, when the consumer sucks on the mouth end of the aerosol source member 104, air is drawn into the outer cylinder 130 through the apertures of the control body 102 and the stop function portion 134, enters the aerosol source member 104, and can be drawn through the substrate portion 110 of the aerosol source member 104 for inhalation by the consumer. In some implementations, the drawn air carries the inhalable substance through any filter 114 and out of the opening of the mouth end 108 of the aerosol source member 104.

[0094] In some implementations, it can be useful to provide some indication as to when the aerosol source member 104 has achieved the appropriate insertion distance into the outer cylinder 130 such that the heating member 132 is disposed near the substrate portion 110. For example, the aerosol source member 104 may include one or more markings on its exterior (e.g., the outer surface of the aerosol source member 104). In other implementations, a single mark can indicate the depth of insertion required to achieve this position. Alternatively, the appropriate insertion distance can be indicated by the aerosol source member 104 "bottoming out" against the stop function portion 134 or by any other means that can enable the consumer to recognize and understand that the aerosol source member 104 is sufficiently inserted into the outer cylinder 130 to position the heating member 132 in an appropriate position relative to the substrate portion 110.

[0095] In some implementations, the aerosol delivery device 100 may include a push button that can be linked to a control component for manual control of the heating member. For example, in some implementations, a consumer can use the push button to energize the heating member 132. Similar functions associated with the push button can be achieved by other mechanical or non-mechanical means (e.g., magnetic or electromagnetic). Thus, the operation of the heating member 132 can be controlled by a single push button. Alternatively, multiple push buttons may be provided to individually control various operations. One or more push buttons that are present can be substantially flush with the casing of the control body 102.

[0096] The aerosol delivery device 100 of the present disclosure may include a component that provides energy to the heating member 132 (i.e., puff-activated heating) in response to the consumer's draw on the article, instead of (or in addition to) any push button. For example, the device may include within the control body 102 a switch or flow sensor 120 (i.e., puff-activated switch) that is sensitive to either a pressure change or an air flow change when the consumer draws on the article. Other suitable current-operated / non-operated mechanisms may include a temperature-activated on / off switch or a lip pressure-activated switch. Examples of mechanisms that can provide such puff-activated functionality include the Model 163PC01D36 silicon sensor manufactured by the Micro Switch Division of Honeywell, Inc., Freeport, Illinois. Using such a sensor, the heating member can be rapidly activated by a change in pressure when the consumer draws on the device. Further, a flow sensing device such as one that uses the principle of a hot wire anemometer may be used to detect a change in air flow and then provide energy to the heating member 132 quickly enough. A further puff-activated switch that can be used is a pressure differential switch such as Model No. MPL-502-V, Range A from Micro Pneumatic Logic, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Another suitable puff-activated mechanism is a high-sensitivity pressure transducer (e.g., one with an amplifier or gain stage) coupled with a comparator for detecting a predetermined threshold pressure. Yet another suitable puff-activated mechanism is a vane deflected by an air flow, the movement of which is detected by movement sensing means. Yet another suitable operating mechanism is a piezoelectric switch. Also useful is the Honeywell MicroSwitch Microbridge air flow sensor, part number AWM 2100V, suitably connected from the Micro Switch Division of Honeywell, Inc., Freeport, Illinois. Further examples of demand-operated electrical switches that can be used in the heating circuit according to the present disclosure are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Other suitable differential switches, analog pressure sensors, flow sensors, etc. will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the knowledge of the present disclosure.In some implementations, a pressure sensing tube or other passage providing a fluid connection between the puff actuating switch and the outer cylinder 130 may be included in the control body 102 so that pressure changes during suction can be readily identified by the switch. Other exemplary puff actuating devices that can be useful in accordance with the present disclosure are all disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,922,901, 4,947,874, and 4,947,874 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., and U.S. Patent No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al., which are all incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0097] When the consumer sucks on the mouth end of device 100, the current-actuating means can enable an unrestricted or uninterrupted flow of current through heating member 132 to rapidly generate heat. For rapid heating, it can be useful to control, including current-regulating components, (i) the current flowing through the heating member to control the heating of the resistive element and the temperature thereby generated, and (ii) to prevent overheating and degradation of substrate part 110. In some implementations, the current-regulating circuit may be time-based. Specifically, such a circuit may include means to enable an uninterrupted current through the heating member during an initial period of inhalation, and timer means to adjust the current continuously until inhalation is complete. For example, subsequent adjustments can include rapid on-off switching of the current (e.g., at about 1 to 50 milliseconds per cycle) to maintain the heating member within a desired temperature range. Further, the adjustment may simply enable an uninterrupted current until the desired temperature is achieved and then turn the current completely off. The heating member may be reactivated by the consumer starting another puff on the article (or manually actuating a push button depending on the implementation of the particular switch used to operate the heater). Alternatively, subsequent adjustments can include modulation of the current through the heating member to maintain the heating member within a desired temperature range. In some implementations, to release a desired dosage of the inhalable substance, the heating member can be energized for a duration of about 0.2 seconds to about 5.0 seconds, about 0.3 seconds to about 4.0 seconds, about 0.4 seconds to about 3.0 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 2.0 seconds, or about 0.6 seconds to about 1.5 seconds. An example of a time-based current-regulating circuit can include a transistor, a timer, a comparator, and a capacitor. Suitable transistors, timers, comparators, and capacitors are commercially available and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Examples of timers are those available as the C-1555C from NEC Electronics, the ICM7555 from General Electric Intersil, Inc., and various other so-called "555 timers" of different sizes and configurations. An example of a comparator is available as the LM311 from National Semiconductor.A further description of such a time-based current regulation circuit is provided in U.S. Patent No. 4,947,874 to Brooks et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0098] In light of the above, it can be seen that various mechanisms can be used to facilitate the activation / deactivation of the current to the heating member. For example, the device may include a timer for regulating the current within the article (e.g., during drawing in by the consumer). The device may further include a timer-responsive switch for enabling and disabling the current to the heating member. The current regulation can also comprise the use of a capacitor and components for charging and discharging the capacitor at a defined rate (e.g., a rate approximating the rate at which the heating member heats and cools). The current can be regulated such that, particularly during an initial period of suction, there is an uninterrupted current through the heating member, but the current can be turned off after the initial period or cycled off and on alternately until suction is complete. Such cycling can be controlled by a timer capable of generating a preset switching cycle as described above. In a particular implementation, the timer can generate a periodic digital waveform. The flow during the initial period can be further regulated by using a comparator that compares a first voltage of a first input to a threshold voltage of a threshold input and generates an output signal enabling the timer when the first voltage is equal to the threshold voltage. Such an implementation can further include components for generating the threshold voltage at the threshold input and components for generating the threshold voltage at the first input upon elapse of the initial period.

[0099] As described above, the power source 124 used to supply power to the various electrical components of the apparatus 100 can take various implementations. Preferably, the power source can supply sufficient energy to rapidly heat the heating member in the manner described above and supply power to the apparatus by being used in conjunction with a plurality of aerosol source members 104 while still being conveniently adapted to the apparatus 100. An example of a power source is the TKI-1550 rechargeable lithium-ion battery manufactured by Tadiran Batteries GmbH of Germany. In another implementation, a useful power source can be the N50-AAA CADNICA nickel-cadmium battery manufactured by Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. of Japan. In other implementations, for example, a plurality of such batteries, each supplying 1.2 volts, can be connected in series. Other power sources such as rechargeable lithium manganese dioxide batteries can also be used. Any one or a combination of these batteries can be used as the power source, but rechargeable batteries are preferred considering the costs and disposal associated with disposable batteries. In an implementation where a rechargeable battery is used, the power source 124 may further include charging contacts for interacting with corresponding contacts of a conventional charging unit (not shown) that obtains power from a standard 120-volt AC wall outlet, or other power sources such as an automotive electrical system or another portable power source. In a further implementation, the power source may also include a capacitor. The capacitor can discharge faster than a battery and can be charged during puffs, so the battery can discharge to the capacitor at a lower rate than when used to directly supply power to the heating member. For example, a supercapacitor, i.e., an electric double layer capacitor (EDLC), can be used separately from or in combination with the battery. When used alone, the supercapacitor can be recharged each time the apparatus 100 is used. Accordingly, the present disclosure may also include a charger component that can be attached to the apparatus during use to recharge the supercapacitor. Thin-film batteries may be used in certain implementations of the present disclosure.

[0100] As described above, in various implementations, the aerosol delivery device 100 may include one or more indicators 126. In the illustrated implementation, the indicator 126 is shown at the end of the control body 102, but in various implementations, the indicator 126 may be located at another part or other parts of the control body 102. In some implementations, the indicator can be a light (e.g., a light-emitting diode) that can provide an indication of multiple aspects of the use of the device. For example, a series of lights may correspond to the number of puffs of a given aerosol source member. Specifically, the lights may be lit sequentially by each puff so that the consumer is notified when the aerosol source member has been used when all the lights are lit. Alternatively, all the lights may be lit when the aerosol source member is inserted into the housing, and the lights may be turned off by each puff so that the consumer is notified when the aerosol source member has been used when all the lights are off. In yet other implementations, only a single indicator may be present, and its lighting can indicate that current is flowing through the heating member and the device is actively heating. This can prevent the consumer from inadvertently leaving the device in the active heating mode. In alternative implementations, one or more indicators can be components of the aerosol source member. The indicators are described above in relation to on / off type visual indicators, but other operating indicators are also included. For example, the visual indicator may also include a change in the color or intensity of the light to indicate the progression of the smoking experience. Tactile indicators and audible indicators are similarly included in the present disclosure. Furthermore, combinations of such indicators can also be used in a single device.

[0101] As described herein, the present disclosure provides an aerosol source member and an aerosol delivery device for use with the aerosol source member including a substrate portion, the substrate portion including a continuous thermally conductive framework integrated with an aerosol forming material, the continuous thermally conductive framework being configured to enhance heat transfer from a heating member to the aerosol forming material. For example, FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a portion of an aerosol source member showing a substrate portion including a continuous thermally conductive framework according to an implementation example of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 4 shows a substrate portion 110 including a continuous thermally conductive framework in the form of a thermally conductive coil 111 wound around an outer surface 115 of an aerosol forming material 113. The thermally conductive coil 111 of the illustrated implementation can be composed of a metallic material such as, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, platinum, gold, silver, iron, steel, brass, bronze, or any combination thereof. In other implementations, the thermally conductive coil 111 can be composed of a coated metal such as, for example, aluminum-coated copper, or other combinations of coatings and base materials selected from the above list. In yet other implementations, the thermally conductive coil 111 can be composed of a ceramic material such as, but not limited to, aluminum oxide, beryllium oxide, boron nitride, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, or any combination thereof. In yet other implementations, the thermally conductive coil 111 can be composed of a carbon material such as, but not limited to, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanoribbons, diamond-like structured carbon materials, or combinations thereof. And in yet other implementations, the thermally conductive coil 111 can be composed of a polymer composite material such as a polymer material having metal, ceramic, or carbon fibers, which includes, but is not limited to, polyimide, epoxy, or silicon polymers, boron nitride, zinc oxide, or alumina fibers. In further implementations, the present disclosure contemplates that the thermally conductive frameworks of various implementations can be composed of any one or any combination of the above materials, or a composite material including two or more of the above materials.

[0102] In various implementations, the aerosol-forming material 113 may include any of the configurations and formulations of the base materials described above, and accordingly, those descriptions are incorporated by reference. In various implementations, the size and configuration of the heat-conductive coil 111 and / or the aerosol-forming material 113 can be diverse. For example, in various implementations, one or more of, among other features, length, outer diameter, inner diameter, pitch, and wire diameter can be selected to address specific design requirements. Further, the size of the aerosol-forming material 113 can be diverse. For example, in various implementations, one or more of, among other features, length, outer diameter, inner diameter (if applicable) can be selected to address specific design requirements.

[0103] In the illustrated implementation, the heat-conductive coil 111 substantially covers the entire length of the aerosol-forming material 113, but in other implementations, the heat-conductive coil 111 may cover only a portion of the length of the aerosol-forming material 113. The aerosol-forming material 113 of the illustrated implementation has an extruded cylindrical structure comprising tobacco or tobacco-derived materials as described above. Further, the aerosol-forming material 113 of the illustrated implementation may also contain various additives and other components as described above. However, as noted above, in other implementations, the aerosol-forming material 113 may have a different shape and / or contain a different composition.

[0104] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a portion of an aerosol source member including a substrate portion having a continuous thermally conductive framework according to another implementation example of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 5 shows a substrate portion 110 including a continuous thermally conductive framework in the form of a thermally conductive braid 211 wound around an outer surface 215 of an aerosol-forming material 213. In various implementations, the thermally conductive braid may comprise a woven or overlapping braid. In the illustrated implementation, the thermally conductive braid 211 comprises a woven braid. The thermally conductive braid 211 of the illustrated implementation can be composed of a metallic material such as, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, platinum, gold, silver, iron, steel, brass, bronze, or any combination thereof. In other implementations, the thermally conductive braid 211 may be composed of a coated metal such as, for example, aluminum-coated copper, or other combinations of coatings and base materials selected from the above list. In yet other implementations, the thermally conductive braid 211 may be composed of a ceramic material such as, but not limited to, aluminum oxide, beryllium oxide, boron nitride, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, or any combination thereof. In yet other implementations, the thermally conductive braid 211 may be composed of a carbon material such as, but not limited to, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanoribbons, diamond-like carbon materials, or combinations thereof. And in yet other implementations, the thermally conductive braid 211 may be composed of a polymer composite material such as a polymer material having metal, ceramic, or carbon fibers, which includes, but is not limited to, polyimide, epoxy, or silicon polymer, boron nitride, zinc oxide, or alumina fibers. In further implementations, the present disclosure contemplates that the thermally conductive frameworks of various implementations may be composed of any one or any combination of the above materials, or a composite material including two or more of the above materials.

[0105] In various implementations, the aerosol-forming material 213 can include either the composition and formulation of the base material described above, and accordingly, those descriptions are incorporated by reference. In various implementations, the size and configuration of the thermally conductive braid 211 and / or the aerosol-forming material 213 can be varied. For example, in various implementations, one or more of, among other features, length, outer diameter, inner diameter, pitch, and wire diameter can be selected to address specific design requirements. Further, the size of the aerosol-forming material 213 can be varied. For example, in various implementations, one or more of, among other features, length, outer diameter, inner diameter can be selected to address specific design requirements.

[0106] In the illustrated implementation, the thermally conductive braid 211 substantially covers the entire length of the aerosol-forming material 213, but in other implementations, the thermally conductive braid 211 may cover only a portion of the length of the aerosol-forming material 213. The aerosol-forming material 213 of the illustrated implementation has an extruded cylindrical structure comprising tobacco or tobacco-derived material as described above. Further, the aerosol-forming material 213 of the illustrated implementation can also include various additives and other components as described above. As noted above, in other implementations, the aerosol-forming material 213 may have a different shape and / or different composition.

[0107] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a portion of an aerosol source member including a substrate portion having a continuous thermal conductivity framework according to another implementation example of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 6 shows a substrate portion 310 including a continuous thermal conductivity framework in the form of a thermal conductivity coil 311 disposed within an aerosol forming material 313. The thermal conductivity coil 311 of the illustrated implementation is composed of a metallic material such as, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, platinum, gold, silver, iron, steel, brass, bronze, or any combination thereof. In other implementations, the thermal conductivity coil 311 may be composed of a coated metal such as, for example, aluminum-coated copper, or other combinations of coatings and base materials selected from the above list. In still other implementations, the thermal conductivity coil 311 may be composed of a ceramic material such as, but not limited to, aluminum oxide, beryllium oxide, boron nitride, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, or any combination thereof. In still other implementations, the thermal coil 311 may be composed of a carbon material such as, but not limited to, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanoribbons, diamond-like structured carbon materials, or combinations thereof. And in still other implementations, the thermal conductivity coil 311 may be composed of a polymer composite material such as a polymer material having metal, ceramic, or carbon fibers, which includes, but is not limited to, polyimide, epoxy, or silicon polymer, boron nitride, zinc oxide, or alumina fibers. In further implementations, the present disclosure contemplates that the thermal conductivity frameworks of the various implementations may be composed of any one or any combination of the above materials, or a composite material including two or more of the above materials.

[0108] In various implementations, the aerosol-forming material 313 can include either the composition and formulation of the base materials described above, and thus those descriptions are incorporated by reference. In various implementations, the size and configuration of the heat-conductive coil 311 and / or the aerosol-forming material 313 can be diverse. For example, in various implementations, one or more of, among other features, length, outer diameter, inner diameter, pitch, and wire diameter can be selected to address specific design requirements. Further, the size of the aerosol-forming material 313 can vary. For example, in various implementations, one or more of length, outer diameter, inner diameter can be selected, among other features, to address specific design requirements.

[0109] In the illustrated implementation, the heat-conductive coil 311 substantially covers the entire length of the aerosol-forming material 313, but in other implementations, the heat-conductive coil 311 may cover only a portion of the length of the aerosol-forming material 313. The aerosol-forming material 313 of the illustrated implementation comprises an extruded cylindrical structure containing tobacco or tobacco-derived materials as described above. Further, the aerosol-forming material 313 of the illustrated implementation may also contain various additives and other components as described above. However, as noted above, in other implementations, the aerosol-forming material 313 may contain different shapes and / or different compositions.

[0110] FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a portion of an aerosol source member including a substrate portion having a continuous thermal conductivity framework according to another implementation example of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 7 shows a substrate portion 410 including a continuous thermal conductivity framework in the form of a thermal conductivity braid 411 disposed within an aerosol forming material 413. In various implementations, the thermal conductivity braid may comprise a woven braid or an overlapping braid. In the illustrated implementation, the thermal conductivity braid 411 comprises a woven braid. The thermal conductivity braid 411 of the illustrated implementation is composed of a metallic material such as, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, platinum, gold, silver, iron, steel, brass, bronze, or any combination thereof. In other implementations, the thermal conductivity braid 411 may be composed of a coated metal such as, for example, aluminum-coated copper, or other combinations of coatings and base materials selected from the above list. In yet other implementations, the thermal conductivity braid 411 may be composed of a ceramic material such as, but not limited to, aluminum oxide, beryllium oxide, boron nitride, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, or any combination thereof. In yet other implementations, the thermal conductivity braid 411 may be composed of a carbon material such as, but not limited to, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanoribbons, diamond-like structured carbon materials, or combinations thereof. And in yet other implementations, the thermal conductivity braid 411 may be composed of a polymer composite material such as a polymer material having metal, ceramic, or carbon fibers, which includes, but is not limited to, polyimide, epoxy, or silicon polymers, boron nitride, zinc oxide, or alumina fibers. In further implementations, the present disclosure contemplates that the thermal conductivity frameworks of various implementations may be composed of any one or any combination of the above materials, or a composite material including two or more of the above materials.

[0111] In various implementations, the aerosol-forming material 413 can include any of the configurations and formulations of the base materials described above, and accordingly, those descriptions are incorporated by reference. In various implementations, the size and configuration of the thermally conductive braid 411 and / or the aerosol-forming material 413 can be varied. For example, in various implementations, one or more of, among other features, length, outer diameter, inner diameter, pitch, and wire diameter can be selected to address specific design requirements. Additionally, the size of the aerosol-forming material 413 can be varied. For example, in various implementations, one or more of, among other features, length, outer diameter, inner diameter can be selected to address specific design requirements.

[0112] In the illustrated implementation, the thermally conductive braid 411 substantially covers the entire length of the aerosol-forming material 413, but in other implementations, the thermally conductive braid 411 may cover only a portion of the length of the aerosol-forming material 413. The aerosol-forming material 413 of the illustrated implementation has an extruded cylindrical structure comprising tobacco or tobacco-derived materials as described above. Additionally, the aerosol-forming material 413 of the illustrated implementation may also include various additives and other components as described above. However, as noted above, in other implementations, the aerosol-forming material 413 may have a different shape and / or a different composition.

[0113] FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a portion of an aerosol source member including a substrate portion with a continuous thermally conductive framework according to another implementation example of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 8 shows a substrate portion 510 including a continuous thermally conductive framework in the form of a thermally conductive elongated component 517 including a plurality of thermally conductive bristly spikes 519 extending radially therefrom. In the illustrated implementation, one or both of the thermally conductive elongated component 517 and the plurality of thermally conductive spikes 519 are composed of a metallic material such as, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, platinum, gold, silver, iron, steel, brass, bronze, or any combination thereof. In other implementations, one or both of the thermally conductive elongated component 517 and the plurality of thermally conductive spikes 519 may be composed of a coated metal such as, for example, copper coated with aluminum, or other combinations of coatings and base materials selected from the above list. In yet other implementations, one or both of the thermally conductive elongated component 517 and the plurality of thermally conductive spikes 519 may be composed of a ceramic material such as, but not limited to, aluminum oxide, beryllium oxide, boron nitride, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, or any combination thereof. In still other implementations, one or both of the thermally conductive elongated component 517 and the plurality of thermally conductive spikes 519 may be composed of a carbon material such as, but not limited to, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanoribbons, diamond-like structured carbon materials, or combinations thereof. And in yet further implementations, one or both of the thermally conductive elongated component 517 and the plurality of thermally conductive spikes 519 may be composed of a polymer composite material such as a polymer material having metal, ceramic, or carbon fibers, which includes, but is not limited to, polyimide, epoxy, or silicon polymer, boron nitride, zinc oxide, or alumina fibers. In further implementations, the present disclosure contemplates that the thermally conductive frameworks of the various implementations may be composed of any one or any combination of the above materials, or a composite material including two or more of the above materials.For example, in some implementations, the central thermally conductive central elongate component may be formed on one material, and the plurality of thermally conductive spikes may be formed from another material.

[0114] In various implementations, the aerosol-forming material 513 can include any of the configurations and formulations of the base materials described above, and thus those descriptions are incorporated by reference. In various implementations, the size and configuration of the thermally conductive elongate component 517, the plurality of thermally conductive spikes 519, and / or the aerosol-forming material 513 can vary. For example, in various implementations, among other characteristics of these components, one or more of the length and diameter of the elongate thermally conductive component 517, and the number, frequency, and length of the plurality of spikes 519 can be selected to address specific design requirements. Further, the size of the aerosol-forming material 513 can vary. For example, in various implementations, among other characteristics, one or more of the length, outer diameter, and inner diameter can be selected to address specific design requirements.

[0115] In the illustrated implementation, both the thermally conductive elongate component 517 and the plurality of thermally conductive spikes 519 substantially cover the entire length of the aerosol-forming material 513. However, in other implementations, one or both of the thermally conductive elongate component 517 and the plurality of thermally conductive spikes 519 may cover only a portion of the length of the aerosol-forming material 513. The aerosol-forming material 513 of the illustrated implementation comprises a tubular structure containing tobacco or tobacco-derived material as described above. Further, the aerosol-forming material 513 of the illustrated implementation can also contain various additives and other components as described above. However, as noted above, in other implementations, the aerosol-forming material 513 may have a different shape and / or a different composition.

[0116] For example, in various implementations including the implementation of FIG. 8, the heating member can be configured to heat from the outside to the inside of the base member and / or from the inside to the outside of the base member. Thus, in some implementations, the heating member may include another functional part configured to generate heat from the substantially center of the stop functional part and / or the base member to the outside. Referring to FIG. 8, for example, in addition to or as an alternative to the heating member capable of generating heat from the outer surface of the base member 510 to the inside, heat may be generated from the substantially center of the base member 510 to the outside, for example, by heating the thermally conductive elongated component 517 and the like.

[0117] In addition to being configured for use with a conductive heat source, the present disclosure can also be configured for use with an induction heat source to heat a substrate portion to form an aerosol. In various implementations, the induction heat source may comprise a resonant transformer, which may comprise a resonant transmitter and a resonant receiver (e.g., a susceptor). In some implementations, the resonant transmitter and the resonant receiver may be disposed in a control body. As described in more detail below, in some implementations, the resonant transmitter can comprise a helical coil configured to surround a cavity in which a substrate portion of an aerosol source member, particularly the aerosol source member, is received. In some implementations, the helical coil can be disposed between an outer wall of the device and the receiving cavity. In one implementation, the coil wire can have a circular cross-sectional shape, but in other implementations, the coil wire can have a variety of other cross-sectional shapes including, but not limited to, elliptical, rectangular, L-shaped, T-shaped, and triangular cross-sections, and combinations thereof. Some examples of possible resonant transformer components, including the resonant transmitter and the resonant receiver, are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 799,365, filed October 31, 2017, titled Induction Heated Aerosol Delivery Device, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Further examples of various induction-based control components and associated circuitry are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 352,153, filed November 15, 2016, titled Induction-Based Aerosol Delivery Device, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0202266, by Sur et al., each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0118] FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of an aerosol delivery device of another implementation example in which the aerosol source member and the control body are separated from each other, and FIG. 10 shows a front schematic cross-sectional view of the aerosol delivery device of FIG. 9. In particular, the implementation shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 includes an aerosol delivery device 600 comprising a control body 602 configured to receive an aerosol source member 604. As described above, the aerosol source member 604 can comprise a heating end 606 configured to be inserted into the control body 602 and a mouth end 608 through which a user sucks to generate an aerosol. At least a portion of the heating end 606 can include a substrate portion 610 including tobacco-containing beads, tobacco shreds, tobacco strips, reconstituted tobacco material, or combinations thereof, and / or finely ground tobacco, tobacco extracts, mixtures of spray-dried tobacco extracts, or any other tobacco forms including other inorganic materials (such as calcium carbonate), any flavorants, and aerosol-forming materials mixed to form a substantially solid or moldable (e.g., extrudable) substrate. In various implementations, the aerosol source member 604 or a portion thereof can be wrapped in an overwrap material 612 that can be formed from any material useful for providing additional structure and / or support to the aerosol source member 604. In various implementations, the overwrap material can include a material that resists heat transfer, which can include other fibrous materials such as paper or cellulose materials. With respect to the implementation example of FIG. 3 above, various configurations of possible overwrap materials are described.

[0119] In various implementations, the mouth end of the aerosol source member 604 may include a filter 614 that can be made from a cellulose acetate or polypropylene material. As described above, in various implementations, the filter 614 can increase the structural integrity of the mouth end of the aerosol source member, and / or provide filtration capabilities as needed, and / or provide resistance to suction. In some embodiments, the filter may be separated from the overwrap, and the filter may be held in a position near the cartridge by the overwrap. With respect to the implementation example of FIG. 3 above, various configurations of possible filter characteristics are described.

[0120] The control body 602 can include a housing 618 having an opening 619 defined therein, a flow sensor 620 (e.g., a puff sensor or a pressure switch), a control component 623 (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB) including a processing circuit, a processing circuit, etc.), a power source 624 (e.g., a battery that can be rechargeable and / or a rechargeable supercapacitor), and an indicator 626 (e.g., an end cap including a light emitting diode (LED)). As described above, in one implementation, the indicator 626 can include one or more light emitting diodes, quantum dot-based light emitting diodes, etc. The indicator can communicate with the control component 623 and can be lit, for example, when the user sucks on the aerosol source member 604 when coupled to the control body 602 as detected by the flow sensor 620. Examples of power sources, sensors, and various other possible electrical components have been described above with respect to the implementation example of FIG. 3 above.

[0121] The control body 602 of the implementation shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 includes a resonant transmitter and a resonant receiver, which together form a resonant transformer. Note that the resonant transformers of various implementations of the present disclosure can take various forms, including implementations where one or both of the resonant transmitter and the resonant receiver are disposed in the control body. In the particular implementation shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the resonant transmitter of the shown implementation includes a helical coil 628 surrounding a support cylinder 630. In various implementations, the resonant transmitter and the resonant receiver can be composed of one or more conductive materials, and in further implementations, the resonant receiver can be composed of a ferromagnetic material including, but not limited to, cobalt, iron, nickel, and combinations thereof. In the illustrated implementation, the helical coil 628 is composed of a conductive material. In further implementations, the helical coil may include a non-conductive insulating cover / wrap material.

[0122] The resonant receiver of the illustrated implementation includes a single receiver prong 632 extending from the receiver base member 634. In various implementations, the receiver prong, whether a single receiver prong or part of a plurality of receiver prongs, can have various different geometric configurations. For example, in some implementations, the receiver prong can have a cylindrical cross-section, which in some implementations may have a solid structure or in other implementations may have a hollow structure. In other implementations, the receiver prong may have a square or rectangular cross-section, which in some implementations may have a solid structure or in other implementations may have a hollow structure. In various implementations, the receiver prong can be composed of a conductive material. In the illustrated implementation, the receiver prong 632 is composed of a ferromagnetic material including, but not limited to, cobalt, iron, nickel, and combinations thereof. In various implementations, the receiver base member 634 may be composed of a non-conductive and / or insulating material.

[0123] As shown, the resonant transmitter 628 may extend near the engagement end of the housing 618 and be configured to substantially surround a portion of the heating end 606 of the aerosol source member 604 containing the inhalable substance medium 610 and surround the support cylinder 630. The support cylinder 630, which can define a tubular configuration, may be configured to support the helical coil 628 such that the coil does not contact and move relative to the receiver prong 632 and thereby cause a short circuit. In such a manner, in some implementations, the support cylinder 630 can comprise a non-conductive material that can be substantially transparent to the oscillating magnetic field generated by the helical coil. In various implementations, the helical coil 628 may be embedded in or otherwise coupled to the support cylinder 630. In the illustrated implementation, the helical coil 628 is engaged with the outer surface of the support cylinder 630, but in other implementations, the helical coil may be disposed on the inner surface of the support cylinder or fully embedded in the support cylinder.

[0124] In the illustrated implementation, the support tube 630 can also function to facilitate proper positioning of the aerosol source member 604 when the aerosol source member 604 is inserted into the housing. In particular, the support tube 630 can extend from the opening 619 of the housing 618 to the receiver base member 634. In the illustrated implementation, the inner diameter of the transmitter source tube 630 can be slightly larger than or approximately equal to the outer diameter of the corresponding aerosol source member 604 (e.g., to form a slip fit) such that the support tube 630 guides the aerosol source member 604 to an appropriate position (e.g., a lateral position) relative to the control body 602. In the illustrated implementation, the control body 602 is configured such that when the aerosol source member 604 is inserted into the control body 602, the receiver prong 632 is disposed substantially radially centered about the heating end 606 of the aerosol source member 604. In such a manner, when used in conjunction with an extruded substrate portion that defines a hollow structure, the receiver prong is disposed inside the cavity defined by the inner surface of the hollow structure and thus does not contact the inner surface of the extruded hollow structure.

[0125] The implementations described with respect to FIGS. 9 and 10 can be used with any portion of the aerosol source member described or contemplated herein, including those described with respect to FIGS. 4 - 8. In particular, the induction heating assemblies of the various implementations of the present disclosure can be used to heat a substrate portion that includes a continuous thermally conductive framework integrated with an aerosol-forming material, as described above.

[0126] In various implementations, the support cylinder can engage with the inner surface of the housing to provide alignment of the support member relative to the housing. As a result of the fixed connection between the support member and the inductive transmitter, the longitudinal axis of the inductive transmitter can extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing. In various implementations, the resonant transmitter can be positioned so as not to contact the housing in order to avoid the transmission of current from the transmitter coupling device to the external body. In some implementations, an insulator can be positioned between the resonant transmitter and the housing to prevent contact therebetween. As can be appreciated, the insulator and the support member can include any non-conductive material such as an insulating polymer (e.g., plastic or cellulose), glass, rubber, ceramic, and porcelain. Alternatively, the resonant transmitter may contact the housing in implementations where the housing is formed from a non-conductive material such as plastic, glass, rubber, ceramic, or porcelain.

[0127] The present disclosure provides an apparatus for heating a heat source using electrical energy and thereby heating tobacco or tobacco-derived materials (preferably without burning the tobacco or tobacco-derived materials to a significant extent) to form an inhalable substance such as an aerosol, and a method of using the apparatus, where the article is compact enough to be considered a "handheld" device. In certain implementations, the apparatus can be characterized as a smoking article in particular. As used herein, this term is intended to mean an apparatus or article that provides the taste and / or sensation (e.g., feel or mouthfeel) of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe without actual combustion of any component of the apparatus. The term smoking device or article does not necessarily indicate that the device produces smoke in the sense of by-products of combustion or pyrolysis during operation. Rather, smoking is related to the physical actions of an individual when using the device - e.g., holding the device in the hand, sucking on one end of the device, or inhaling from the device. In further implementations, the apparatus of the present invention can be characterized as a vapor generating device, an aerosolizing device, or a drug delivery device. Thus, the apparatus can be arranged to provide one or more substances in an inhalable state.

[0128] It should be noted that the aerosol source member and the control body can generally be provided integrally as a complete smoking article or drug delivery article, but the components can also be provided separately. For example, the present disclosure also includes a disposable unit for use with a reusable smoking article or a reusable drug delivery article. In certain implementations, such a disposable unit (which can be an aerosol source member as shown in the accompanying figures) can comprise a substantially tubular body having a heating end configured to engage a reusable smoking article or drug delivery article, an opposite mouth end configured to allow passage of the inhalable substance to the consumer, and a wall having an outer surface and an inner surface that define an internal space. Various implementations of the aerosol source member (or cartridge) are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0129] In addition to the disposable unit, the present disclosure can be further characterized as providing a separate control body for use with a reusable smoking article or a reusable drug delivery article. In certain implementations, the control body may generally be a housing having a receiving end (which can include a receiving chamber having an open end) for receiving the heating end of a separately provided aerosol source member. The control body may be a component of the control body or may further include an electrical energy source that provides power to an electrical heating member that can be included in the aerosol source member used with the control unit. For example, in some implementations, the electrical energy source can supply power to a heating assembly that can include one or more prongs forming the heating member, and the heating assembly can have associated electrical contacts that connect the heating member to the electrical energy source. In other implementations, the heating assembly may include a flexible heating member that substantially encloses a heating cylinder. In other implementations, instead of including a single heating member, the heating assembly may include separate heating member components, where one component is part of the control body and another component is part of the aerosol source member.

[0130] In various implementations, the control body may also include additional components, such as a power source (such as a battery), components for activating the current flow to the heating member, and components for adjusting such current flow to maintain a desired temperature for a desired time and / or for circulating or stopping the current flow when a desired temperature is reached or when the heating member has heated for a desired length of time. In some implementations, the control unit may further include one or more push buttons associated with one or both of the components for activating the current flow to the heating member and components for adjusting such current flow. The control body may also include one or more indicators, such as a light indicating that the heater is heating and / or a light indicating the number of puffs remaining in the aerosol source member used with the control body.

[0131] The various figures described herein depict a control body and an aerosol source member in an operational relationship, but it is understood that the control body and the aerosol source member may exist as separate devices. Accordingly, any discussion provided herein with respect to the combined components should also be understood as applying to the control body and the aerosol source member as individual and distinct components.

[0132] In another aspect, the present disclosure can be directed to a kit providing various components as described herein. For example, the kit may comprise a control body having one or more aerosol source members. The kit may further comprise a control body having one or more charging components. The kit may further comprise a control body having one or more batteries. The kit may further comprise a control body having one or more aerosol source members and one or more charging components and / or one or more batteries. In a further implementation, the kit may comprise a plurality of aerosol source members. The kit may further comprise a plurality of aerosol source members and one or more batteries and / or one or more charging components. In the above implementations, the aerosol source member or the control body may comprise a heating member containing them. The kit of the present invention may further comprise a case (or other packaging, transportation, or storage component) for housing one or more of the additional kit components. The case can be a reusable rigid or soft container. Further, the case can be merely a box or other packaging structure.

[0133] Those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will envision many modifications and other embodiments having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the related drawings. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not to be 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. An aerosol delivery device configured to generate an inhalable substance, a control body having a closed distal end and an open engagement end, a heating member, a control component disposed within the control body and configured to control the heating member, a power source disposed within the control body and configured to supply power to the control component, a removable aerosol source member including a substrate portion, configured to be inserted into the engagement end of the control body, and defining a heating end and a mouth end, the heating end being configured to be positioned in the vicinity of the heating member when inserted into the control body, and the mouth end being configured to extend beyond the engagement end of the control body, comprising, the substrate portion includes a continuous thermally conductive framework integrated with the aerosol-forming material, the continuous thermally conductive framework being configured to enhance heat transfer from the heating member to the aerosol-forming material, the continuous thermally conductive framework being wound around the outer surface of the aerosol-forming material and / or disposed within the aerosol-forming material, An aerosol delivery device, wherein the continuous thermally conductive framework comprises a thermally conductive coil wound around the outer surface of the aerosol-forming material or disposed within the aerosol-forming material.

2. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the continuous thermally conductive framework comprises at least one of a metallic material, a coated metallic material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, a polymer composite material, and any combination thereof.

3. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate portion has an extruded hollow structure.

4. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate portion comprises a single longitudinally disposed central hole and / or a plurality of longitudinally disposed holes.

5. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate portion has a substantially solid structure.

6. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate portion contains tobacco or tobacco-derived materials.

7. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate portion contains non-tobacco materials.

8. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the heating member comprises an inductive heat source.

9. An aerosol source member configured to removably engage the engagement end of the control body including the heating member, A heating end and a mouth end, the heating end being configured to be positioned adjacent to a heating member when inserted into a control body, and the mouth end being configured to extend beyond an engagement end of the control body, the heating end and the mouth end, A base member including a continuous thermally conductive framework integrated with an aerosol-forming material, Comprising, The continuous thermally conductive framework is configured to enhance heat transfer from the heating member to the aerosol-forming material, and the continuous thermally conductive framework is wound around an outer surface of the aerosol-forming material and / or disposed within the aerosol-forming material, An aerosol source member comprising a thermally conductive coil in which the continuous thermally conductive framework is wound around an outer surface of the aerosol-forming material or disposed within the aerosol-forming material.

10. The aerosol source member according to claim 9, wherein the continuous thermally conductive framework comprises at least one of a metallic material, a coated metallic material, a ceramic material, a carbon material, a polymer composite material, and any combination thereof.

11. The aerosol source member according to claim 9, wherein the base member comprises an extruded hollow structure.

12. The aerosol source member according to claim 9, wherein the base member comprises a single centrally disposed longitudinal hole and / or a plurality of longitudinal holes.

13. The aerosol source member according to claim 9, wherein the base member comprises a substantially solid structure.

14. The aerosol source member according to claim 9, wherein the base member contains tobacco or tobacco-derived material.

15. The aerosol source member according to claim 9, wherein the base member contains a non-tobacco material.

16. The aerosol source member according to claim 9, wherein the aerosol source member is configured to be heated by induction heating.

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