Aerosol generating system including a case and an inhalation device and a method for removing the inhalation device from the case

Abstract

The aerosol generation system (10) includes a case (12) and an inhalation device (14) that can be housed in the case (12), the case (12) having a body (16) and a lid (18) movable relative to the body (16), the inhalation device (14) and the lid (18) having a combination of at least one magnet and at least one ferrite element (22, 28) that cooperate to move the inhalation device (14) relative to the body (16) when the lid (18) is moved relative to the body (16), the lid (18) having at least one slide pin (26) that is slidable relative to the body (16), and at least one magnet or ferrite element (28) is provided on the at least one slide pin (26). A method for removing at least one inhalation device (14) from a case (12) having a body (16) and a lid (18) movable relative to the body (16) includes the step of partially removing the inhalation device (14) from the case (12) by cooperation of at least one magnet and at least one ferrite element (22, 28) provided on the inhalation device (14) and the lid (18) such that the inhalation device (14) is moved relative to the body (16) when the lid (18) is moved relative to the body (16), the lid (18) having at least one sliding pin (26) slidable relative to the body (16), and at least one magnet or ferrite element (28) provided on the at least one sliding pin (26).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an aerosol generating system including a case and an inhalation device, and a method for removing the inhalation device from the case. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, inhalation devices such as electronic cigarettes have become popular as an alternative to traditional smoking devices. In this regard, the inhalation device is typically housed within a case, which may also typically house one or more cartridges or similar components comprising an aerosol-generating substrate.

[0003] Furthermore, the case may have the function of a charger for supplying power to the inhalation device.Users usually find it convenient if the inhalation device can be removed from the case in an easy way.

[0004] WO 2020 / 83850 A1 relates to a case for an aerosol generating device, comprising a holder for receiving a portion of the aerosol generating device, the holder may include a magnet for holding the aerosol generating device within the holder.

[0005] EP 3344315 A1 discloses an aerosol generating system having a rectangular case in which a side door can be opened to allow the inhalation device to be removed and in which a permanent magnet forming a lifting device can be provided to allow the inhalation device to rise out of the case. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In view of the above, there remains a need to provide an aerosol generation system that is easy to manufacture and easy to use. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This is achieved by an aerosol generating system according to claim 1.

[0008] Generally, a case for housing an inhalation device has a main body and a lid movable relative to the main body, the inhalation device and the lid having a combination of at least one magnet and at least one ferrite element that cooperate to move the inhalation device relative to the main body when the lid is moved relative to the main body, and in this regard, the lid has at least one slide pin that is slidable relative to the main body, and at least one magnet or ferrite element is provided on the at least one slide pin.

[0009] During use, the lid can be considered the top of the case and is adapted to close and open the smallest surface of the case, particularly a case generally having a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The second smallest surface can be considered the side, and the largest surface can be considered the front and back. A lid that can slide relative to at least the main body by means of the aforementioned slide pins can be easily manufactured, and the magnetic or ferrite elements on the slide pins cooperate with complementary elements on the inhalation device to move the inhalation device relative to the main body of the case in a manner that allows the user to easily grasp it. At the same time, because the lid is usually provided on the smallest surface of the case, the case can be kept compact, even when the lid is open. Furthermore, the wall thickness between the slide pins and / or the magnetic or ferrite elements on the inhalation device can be sufficiently small to allow the desired interaction for lifting the inhalation device relative to the case.

[0010] Preferred embodiments are set forth in the further claims.

[0011] It is of further benefit to the user if the inhalation device can be substantially housed in its entirety within the cavity of the case: in this way, the inhalation device is fully protected when not in use and can be easily brought into a usable state by the above-mentioned interaction of the magnet(s) with the ferrite element(s).

[0012] Furthermore, it has proven convenient if the inhalation device is generally elongated, in particular substantially cylindrical, in particular circularly cylindrical.

[0013] In this case, it is particularly advantageous if multiple magnets or ferrite elements are provided around the entire circumference of the inhalation device at specific positions along the length of the inhalation device. Additionally or alternatively, the magnets or ferrite elements can be provided in the shape of a ring, annulus, or circle so as to extend around the entire circumference of the inhalation device. In this way, the desired interaction with one or more magnets or ferrite elements on the slide pin can be ensured regardless of the rotational position of the inhalation device around its longitudinal axis. This is particularly advantageous because the position of any magnets or ferrite elements can be hidden from view from the outside of the inhalation device. Furthermore, the features described in this paragraph are advantageous independently of the other features described herein for the reasons mentioned, and can be provided independently of these in any aerosol generating system having a case and an inhalation device held by a combination of one or more magnets and ferrite elements.

[0014] In order to make its use particularly simple and still keep the size of the aerosol generation system particularly compact even when the case is open, it is preferable to provide a lid that is not only slidable relative to the main body but also pivotable relative to the main body by using the slide pins mentioned above.

[0015] In particular, the slide pins can also be used as pivot axes, so that the lid can further pivot about at least one slide pin, keeping the structure simple.

[0016] If the case has at least one groove for accommodating at least one slide pin, the interaction between the lid and the case can be simple and efficient, and at the same time, manufacturing can be easy.

[0017] As already indicated above, in a preferred embodiment, the lid is provided on the smallest side of the body that can be considered the top surface, compared to lateral side doors or similar structures known in the prior art.

[0018] In this regard, the lid does not necessarily have to cover only the smallest side, but can also extend adjacent to the second smallest side of the body, in other words, a side that is typically compared to the front or rear side. In particular, the slide pin of the lid can be provided on a portion that extends along such a side.

[0019] The method for removing the inhalation device from the case substantially corresponds to the structure of the inhalation device described above and means moving the inhalation device relative to the case or partially removing the inhalation device from the case by cooperation of at least one magnet and at least one ferrite element provided as shown above. It should be noted that preferred embodiments of the method described herein correspond to preferred embodiments of the aerosol generation system, and only any features described in relation to the system can be fully applied to the method, and vice versa.

[0020] In the following, the invention will be explained with reference to exemplary embodiments and drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 shows an aerosol generation system according to the present invention with the case in a first closed position. [Figure 2] 1 shows an aerosol generation system according to the present invention with the case in a second, open position. [Figure 3] 2 shows the aerosol generation system in the state of FIG. 1 from its side. [Figure 4]3 shows the aerosol generating system in the state shown in FIG. 2 from its side. [Figure 5] 2 shows an alternative embodiment of the situation in FIG. 1; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] As can be seen in Figure 1, the aerosol generation system 10 generally includes a case 12 and an inhalation device 14, with the case having a body 16 and a lid 18. The inhalation device 14 is generally elongated and may be substantially completely contained within a cavity 20 in the case 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the cavity 20 extends almost completely to the bottom of the case 12, and with the lid 18 in the closed position shown in Figure 1, the inhalation device 14 protrudes only a few millimeters, if at all. Figure 1 also shows that the inhalation device 14 includes magnets or ferrite elements 22 on its sides and, as will be explained in more detail below, particularly at its top adjacent the lid 18.

[0023] As can be seen from the combination of Figures 1 and 3, the case 12 is generally rectangular and has a front and a back, the front facing the viewer of Figure 1 and being the largest surface of the rectangular parallelepiped. As can be seen particularly from Figure 3, the side is the second largest surface of the rectangular parallelepiped, and the lid 18 is provided on essentially the smallest surface of the rectangular parallelepiped. As shown in Figure 1, this small surface at the bottom of the case may be formed with a slight incline toward one of the side surfaces. Although not shown in Figure 1, this can apply not only to the bottom of the case but also to the top of the case formed by the lid 18.

[0024] As shown, in the illustrated embodiment, the lid not only covers the top of the body 16 of the case 12, but also extends a short distance along the front and back (see FIG. 3) and a significantly longer distance, such as 10% to 30% of the lateral sides. Furthermore, to provide a user with a pleasant "feel" of the case 12, some or preferably all edges between various surfaces are rounded. Furthermore, as seen in the top and bottom surfaces of FIG. 3, the smallest and second smallest surfaces, i.e., the top and bottom surfaces, as well as the sides, can be generally rounded.

[0025] As shown by the dotted lines in Figures 3 and 4, in the illustrated embodiment, the case 12 has grooves 24 on each side, in which slide pins 26 of the lid 18 provided on each side can slide. In the illustrated embodiment, each groove extends substantially parallel to the largest and second largest surfaces of the case 12 and parallel to the longitudinal extension of the inhalation device 14. Furthermore, as can be seen from a comparison of Figures 3 and 4, the lid 18 can also pivot relative to the main body 16 around the slide pins 26 on both sides.

[0026] 1 and 2, when the lid 18 is slid upwards, the magnet or ferrite element 28 on the pin 26 cooperates with a corresponding magnet or element 22 on the inhalation device 14 to lift the inhalation device 14 from the body 16 of the case 12. In this way, the inhalation device 14 can be easily grasped by a user. The lid could be made to extend a greater distance along the side to allow the inhalation device to be moved out of the cavity 20 and grasped, but the fact that the lid 18 can pivot further, as shown in FIG. 4, keeps the overall system compact even in the open state.

[0027] 1 and 2, the lid is formed symmetrically about the vertical axis with respect to the slide pin 26 and the groove 24 provided in the body 16, whereas the inhalation device 14 is provided in an asymmetric, in particular eccentric, position in order to provide it in a position particularly close to the side, and the slide pin 26 is provided with a magnet or ferrite element 28 which can advantageously interact with the magnet or ferrite element 22 provided in the inhalation device. In particular, in the embodiment shown, the inhalation device is provided only in the right half of the case 12. Furthermore, as can be seen in FIG. 3, the case can be substantially symmetrical when viewed from a lateral side.

[0028] As shown in Figure 5, the magnet or ferrite element 22 can be provided at the same position along the entire periphery of the inhalation device 14 to ensure the described lifting action regardless of the direction of rotation of the inhalation device 14. In particular, Figure 5 shows a ring-shaped magnet or ferrite element 22. Furthermore, the entire slide pin 26, i.e., the part that protrudes from the lid and / or the part that is received in the groove 24 or its main part, can be made up of a magnet or ferrite element 28.

Claims

1. Case (12), an inhalation device (14) that can be housed in the case (12); Including, The case (12) is A main body (16); a lid (18) movable relative to the body (16); and the inhalation device (14) and the lid (18) have a combination of at least one magnet and at least one ferrite element (22, 28) that cooperate to move the inhalation device (14) relative to the body (16) when the lid (18) is moved relative to the body (16); The lid (18) has at least one slide pin (26) that is slidable relative to the body (16); At least one magnet or ferrite element (28) is provided on said at least one slide pin (26). An aerosol generating system (10).

2. The inhalation device (14) may be substantially entirely contained within the cavity of the case (12). The system of claim 1 .

3. The inhalation device (14) is elongated, in particular substantially cylindrical, 3. The system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a plurality of magnets or ferrite elements (22) or a ring-shaped magnet or ferrite element (22) are provided around the entire circumference of the inhalation device (14) at specific positions along the length of the inhalation device (14); The system of claim 3.

5. The lid (18) is further pivotable relative to the body (16). A system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The lid (18) is pivotable about at least one slide pin (26). The system of claim 5.

7. The case (12) has at least one groove (24) for receiving at least one slide pin (26). A system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The lid (18) is provided on the smallest side of the body (16). A system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The lid (18) further extends adjacent at least one second smallest side of the body (16); A system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A method for removing at least one inhalation device (14) from a case (12) having a body (16) and a lid (18) movable relative to the body (16), comprising: partially removing the inhalation device (14) from the case (12) by cooperation of at least one magnet and at least one ferrite element (22, 28) provided on the inhalation device (14) and the lid (18) such that the inhalation device (14) is moved relative to the body (16) when the lid (18) is moved relative to the body (16); The lid (18) has at least one slide pin (26) that is slidable relative to the body (16); At least one magnet or ferrite element (28) is provided on said at least one slide pin (26). method.

11. The lid (18) is further pivoted relative to the body (16). The method of claim 10.

12. The lid (18) is pivoted about at least one slide pin (26) that slides relative to the body (16).

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11.

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