Vaporizable material inserts for vaporizer devices

Abstract

To provide: a system for generating inhalable aerosol, and a vaporizable material insert for use with a vaporizer device to form inhalable aerosol.SOLUTION: A vaporization device includes a vaporizer body including a vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 configured to receive a vaporizable material insert 220. The vaporizable material insert 220 can include a vaporizable material component 222 including a vaporizable material 102, such as a non-liquid vaporizable material 102. Various embodiments of the vaporizable material component 222 are described that include one or more features for preventing an airflow into the vaporizable material component 222 and / or through the vaporizable material component 222, and for achieving efficient and effective heating of the vaporizable material 102 and formation of inhalable aerosol.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2B

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 884,668, filed on August 8, 2019, entitled “VAPORIZABLE MATERIAL INSERT FOR VAPORIZER DEVICE”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] Technical Field The subject matter described herein relates to various embodiments of vaporizable material inserts for use with vaporizer devices.

[0003] Background A vaporizer device, which may also be referred to as a vaporizer, an electronic vaporizer device, or an e - vaporizer device, can be used to supply an aerosol (e.g., a gas - phase material and / or a condensed - phase material suspended in a fixed or variable mass of air or some other gaseous carrier) containing one or more active ingredients by inhalation of the aerosol by a user of the vaporizer device. For example, an electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) includes a class of vaporizer devices that can be driven by a battery power source and used to simulate the smoking experience. Vaporizers are becoming increasingly popular in prescription medical use, i.e., in the delivery of drugs, as well as in the consumption of tobacco, nicotine, and other plant - based substances. Vaporizer devices can be portable, self - contained, and / or convenient to use.

[0004] In the use of a vaporizer device, the user inhales an aerosol, generally referred to as "vapor," which can be generated by a heating element that vaporizes a vaporizable material, for example, by transferring the vaporizable material to the gas phase at least partially. The vaporizable material may be a liquid, solution, solid, paste, wax, and / or any other form suitable for use in a particular vaporizer device. Furthermore, the vaporizable material used in the vaporizer may be provided in a vaporizer cartridge, which may be a separable part from the vaporizer device, containing the vaporizable material and having an outlet (e.g., a mouthpiece) for supplying the user with the aerosol produced by the vaporization of the vaporizable material.

[0005] To receive the inhalable aerosol produced by the vaporizer device, the user can activate the vaporizer device by, in a given example, puffing, by pressing a button, and / or by some other approach. As used herein, puffing may refer to inhalation by the user such as drawing a predetermined amount of air into the vaporizer device so that an inhalable aerosol is produced when the vaporized vaporizable material is combined with a predetermined amount of air.

[0006] An approach in which a vaporizer device generates an inhalable aerosol from a vaporizable material involves heating the vaporizable material in a vaporization chamber (e.g., a heater chamber) to convert the vaporizable material into a gas phase (or vapor phase). The vaporization chamber can refer to a region or volume within the vaporizer device, where a heat source (e.g., a conductive heat source, a convective heat source, and / or a radiant heat source) heats the vaporizable material to produce a mixture of air and the vaporizable material so that a vapor is formed for the user of the vaporizer device to inhale the vaporizable material.

[0007] In some embodiments, vaporizer cartridges configured to heat a solid vaporizable material (e.g., plant material such as tobacco leaves and / or parts of tobacco leaves) require a higher temperature in the inner tobacco region to reach the minimum temperature necessary for vaporization. As a result of burning the solid vaporizable material at such high peak temperatures, undesirable by-products (e.g., chemical elements or compounds) may be generated.

[0008] Vaporizer devices can be classified into two classes: those heated by conduction and those heated by convection. For example, conduction-based vaporizer devices can be configured to vaporize liquid vaporizable material using a heating element that comes into contact with the liquid vaporizable material. Therefore, with liquid vaporizable material, the heating element may become contaminated, which can impair the performance of the vaporizer device. In some vaporizers, the heating element can be incorporated into the disposable part of the vaporizer device (e.g., a cartridge), which can reduce contamination of the heating element by replacing it with each new cartridge, although this contamination cannot be eliminated. This can increase the manufacturing effort and cost associated with disposable products. Furthermore, uniform heating of vaporizable material in current-conduction-based vaporizers can be difficult to achieve due to the low thermal conductivity of certain vaporizable materials (e.g., plant materials such as tobacco).

[0009] Some vaporizable materials, including plant materials such as tobacco, have low thermal conductivity and can therefore be difficult to heat uniformly. Furthermore, such vaporizable materials may contain numerous voids that limit the complete penetration of heat through them. For this reason, current vaporizer devices attempt to overcome these heating difficulties, which result in the vaporizable material near the heater being overheated and the vaporizable material further away from the heater being underheated. Such uneven heating can lead to insufficient vapor production, unpleasant odors from overheated tobacco, and / or increased release of harmful or potentially harmful chemicals.

[0010] Other vaporizer devices may include a heating element within a reusable or lifespan portion of the vaporizer device, so that the heating element is configured to be reused for the lifetime of the vaporizer device. However, heaters in such vaporizer devices often fail and require cleaning.

[0011] Summary of the Invention Aspects of this subject matter relate to a system for generating an inhalable aerosol. The system may include a vaporizable material insert used in conjunction with a vaporizer device to form an inhalable aerosol.

[0012] In one embodiment, a vaporizable material insert may include a housing including an inlet and an outlet, and a vaporizable material component. The vaporizable material component may include a vaporizable material that, as a result of heating, forms part of an inhalable aerosol. The vaporizable material component may extend within the housing between the inlet and the outlet. The vaporizable material component may further include an air passage that extends along the vaporizable material component and is at least partially defined by the walls of the vaporizable material component. The walls of the vaporizable material component can prevent air moving along the air passage from moving into the vaporizable material component. Furthermore, these walls can allow an inhalable aerosol to form within the air passage and move through the outlet for inhalation by the user.

[0013] In some modifications, one or more of the following features may be included as optional means of any feasible combination. In some embodiments, the air passage may extend through the vaporizable material component such that the walls define the air passage. In some embodiments, the vaporizable material insert may further include a heating element that extends along the vaporizable material component. The vaporizable material component may be positioned between the heating element and the air passage. In some embodiments, the heating element may pass through the vaporizable material component and extend along its longitudinal axis.

[0014] In some embodiments, the vaporizable material component may have a cylindrical shape. In some embodiments, the vaporizable material component may have a flat shape. The vaporizable material component can be formed from a vaporizable material and a guar gum material. The vaporizable material component can also be formed from a vaporizable material and a laponite material. The vaporizable material may include tobacco material. The tobacco material may include tobacco powder. The housing may be formed from a paper material. The housing may include a heating element configured to heat the vaporizable material component. The vaporizable material component may include thermally conductive particles that are in direct contact with the vaporizable material and are contained within the vaporizable material component. The thermally conductive particles may be formed from a metallic material. In some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of the vaporizable material component may be in the range of about 0.2 W / mK to about 0.6 W / mK.

[0015] In another embodiment, a system for generating an inhalable aerosol may include a vaporizable material insert and a vaporizer device. The vaporizable material insert may include a housing including an inlet and an outlet, and a vaporizable material component. The vaporizable material component may include a vaporizable material that, as a result of heating, forms part of the inhalable aerosol. The vaporizable material component may extend within the housing between the inlet and the outlet. The vaporizable material component may further include an air passage extending along the vaporizable material component and at least partially defined by the walls of the vaporizable material component. The walls of the vaporizable material component can prevent air moving along the air passage from moving into the vaporizable material component. Furthermore, the walls can allow the inhalable aerosol to form within the air passage and move through the outlet for inhalation by the user.

[0016] In some embodiments of the system, the vaporizer device may include a vaporizable material insert receptacle configured to receive a vaporizable material insert. The vaporizer device may also include a power supply that provides power to a heating element to heat the vaporizable material insert to form an inhalable aerosol.

[0017] In some variants, one or more of the following features may be included as optional means of any feasible combination. In some embodiments, the vaporizer device may include a heating element. In some embodiments, the vaporizable material insert may include a heating element. The vaporizable material insert receptacle may provide a slide fit with the vaporizable material insert. The vaporizable material component may be formed from a vaporizable material and a guar gum material. The vaporizable material component may also be formed from a vaporizable material and a laponite material. The vaporizable material may include a tobacco material. The tobacco material may include tobacco powder.

[0018] In another relevant aspect of this subject, the method includes receiving a vaporizable material insert into a compartment of a vaporizer device. In some embodiments, the vaporizable material insert may include a housing including an inlet and an outlet and a vaporizable material component. The vaporizable material component may include a vaporizable material that, upon heating, forms part of an inhalable aerosol. The vaporizable material component may extend within the housing between the inlet and the outlet. The vaporizable material component may further include an air passage extending along the vaporizable material component and at least partially defined by the walls of the vaporizable material component. The walls of the vaporizable material component can prevent air moving along the air passage from moving into the vaporizable material component. Furthermore, the walls can allow an inhalable aerosol to form within the air passage and move through the outlet for inhalation by the user. The method may further include heating the vaporizable material component of the vaporizable material insert and operating a heating element configured to form an inhalable aerosol as a result of heating the vaporizable material component.

[0019] Details of one or more variations of the subject matter described herein are shown in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features and advantages described herein will be apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. The claims following this disclosure are intended to define the scope of the subject matter to be protected.

[0020] The accompanying drawings incorporated into and forming part of this specification illustrate certain aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein and, together with the description, assist in explaining some of the basic methods relating to the modes of implementation of the disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0021] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of a vaporizer device that matches the implementation of this subject. [Figure 2A]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a vaporizable material insert that can be used with the vaporizer device of FIG. 1. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view showing the vaporizable material insert inserted into one embodiment of the vaporizable material insert receptacle of the vaporizer device. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the vaporizable material insert that can be used with the vaporizer device of FIG. 1. [Figure 3B] FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view showing the vaporizable material insert inserted into one embodiment of the vaporizable material insert receptacle of the vaporizer device. [Figure 4A] FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing yet another embodiment of the vaporizable material insert that can be used with the vaporizer device of FIG. 1. [Figure 4B] FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view showing the vaporizable material insert inserted into one embodiment of the vaporizable material insert receptacle of the vaporizer device.

[0022] In fact, like reference numerals indicate like structures, features or elements.

[0023] Detailed Description Embodiments of the present subject matter include devices and methods related to the vaporization of one or more vaporizable materials for inhalation by a user. For example, various embodiments of a vaporizable material insert used with a vaporizer device are described herein. In some embodiments, the vaporizable material insert includes a vaporizable material component formed from one or more materials that include the vaporizable material. The vaporizable material component can be configured to block an air flow through itself and achieve efficient and effective thermal conductivity. For example, the vaporizable material component can have no air pockets or a minimal amount of air pockets, whereby the vaporizable material component can efficiently and effectively heat its vaporizable material.

[0024] In some embodiments, the vaporizable material insert may be configured such that the vaporizable material component is disposed in direct contact with and / or proximal to the heating element to enable efficient and effective heat transfer from the heating element to the vaporizable material component. Thus, the vaporizable material inserts described herein can heat more efficiently compared to some currently available vaporizable material inserts, and also require relatively less power for heating and vaporizing the vaporizable material. Other advantages are described herein and fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Various embodiments of the vaporizable material insert having a vaporizable material component, as well as embodiments of a vaporizer device configured to heat the vaporizable material insert, are described in more detail below.

[0025] As used in the following description and claims, the term "vaporizer device" refers to either a self - contained device, a device including two or more separable components (e.g., a vaporizer body including a battery and other hardware, and a cartridge or insert including the vaporizable material), and / or something similar thereto. As used herein, a "vaporizer system" can include one or more components, such as a vaporizer device. Examples of vaporizer devices consistent with embodiments of the subject matter include electronic vaporizers, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), and / or something similar thereto. Generally, such vaporizer devices are handheld devices that heat a vaporizable material (e.g., by convection, conduction, radiation, and / or some combination thereof) to provide an inhalable dose of material.

[0026] The vaporizable material used in the vaporizer may, optionally, be provided in a vaporizable material insert or cartridge (e.g., a portion of the vaporizer containing the vaporizable material), be refillable when empty, or disposable so that a new cartridge containing the same or a different type of additional vaporizable material can be used. The vaporizer device may be a vaporizer device using a cartridge, a vaporizer device without a cartridge, or a versatile vaporizer device that can be used with or without a cartridge. Some embodiments of the cartridge may include a vaporizable material insert. For example, an embodiment of the vaporizable material insert may consist of a vaporizable material that is at least partially non-liquid. Thus, some embodiments of the vaporizer device may be configured to receive a vaporizable material insert that is at least partially formed from one or more vaporizable materials that are heated to form an inhalable aerosol, as will be described in more detail below. In some embodiments, the vaporizer device may include a heating chamber or heating compartment (e.g., a vaporizable material insert receptacle) configured to directly receive the vaporizable material insert inside it and to heat the vaporizable material insert for the formation of an inhalable aerosol.

[0027] In some embodiments, the vaporizer device can be configured for use with a liquid vaporizable material (e.g., a carrier solution in which active and / or inactive components are suspended or held in a solution, or in a form in which the vaporizable material itself is liquid) and / or a non-liquid vaporizable material (e.g., pastes, waxes, gels, solids, plant materials, and / or similar). The non-liquid vaporizable material may include a plant material that releases part of itself as vaporizable material (e.g., part of the plant material remains as waste after the material has been vaporized for inhalation by the user), or, as an optional means, the vaporizable material itself in solid form, such that the entire solid material is ultimately vaporizable for inhalation. Similarly, the liquid vaporizable material may be completely vaporizable, or it may include a liquid material in which part remains after all of the material suitable for inhalation has been vaporized.

[0028] Figure 1 shows a block diagram illustrating an example of a vaporizer device 100 that corresponds to an implementation of this subject. Referring to Figure 1, the vaporizer device 100 includes a power supply 112 (which may be a rechargeable battery, for example) and a controller 104 (which may be a processor, circuit, etc., capable of executing logic) that controls the supply of heat from the heating element 141. The heating element 141 converts the vaporizable material 102 of the vaporizable material insert 120 from a condensed state (e.g., solid, liquid, solution, suspension, or part of at least partially untreated plant material) to a gaseous phase. The controller 104 may be part of one or more printed circuit boards (PCBs) that correspond to a particular implementation of this subject.

[0029] After the vaporizable material 102 is converted to the gas phase, at least a portion of the vaporizable material 102 in the gas phase becomes condensable, forming particulate matter that is at least partially in local equilibrium with the gas phase as part of the aerosol. This can form part or all of the inhalable dose provided by the vaporizer device 100 during puffing or inhalation by the user at the vaporizer device 100. It should be understood that the interaction between the gas phase and the condensed phase in the aerosol produced by the vaporizer device 100 can be complex and dynamic due to factors such as ambient temperature, relative humidity, chemical reactions, flow conditions in the airflow channels (both inside the vaporizer and in the respiratory tracts of humans or other animals), and / or the degree of mixing of the vaporizable material 102 in the gas or aerosol phase with other airflows. In some vaporizer devices, particularly those configured to supply volatile vaporizable materials, the inhalable dose may exist primarily in the gas phase (e.g., the formation of particles in the condensed phase may be very limited).

[0030] The heating element 141 may include one or more conductive heaters, radiant heaters, and / or convective heaters. One form of the heating element is a resistive heating element. A resistive heating element may include a material (e.g., a metal or alloy, e.g., a nickel-chromium alloy, or a non-metallic resistor) configured to release power in the form of heat when current is passed through one or more resistive segments of the heating element. In some realizations of this subject, the heating element 141 (e.g., a resistive heating element and / or similar) is configured to generate heat to vaporize the vaporizable material 102 to produce an inhalable amount of vaporizable material 102. As described above, the vaporizable material 102 may be in liquid or non-liquid form (or a combination of both). For example, the heating element 141 may be wrapped around, positioned inside, integrated into a bulk form, pressure-molded and in thermal contact with, or otherwise positioned to supply heat to the vaporizable material 102 so that it is vaporized for subsequent inhalation by the user in the gas phase and / or condensed phase (e.g., aerosol particles or droplets).

[0031] In some embodiments, the vaporizable material 102 may be a non-liquid vaporizable material, including, for example, a solid-phase material (e.g., a gel, wax, or similar) or a plant material (e.g., tobacco leaf and / or a part thereof). If the vaporizable material 102 is a non-liquid vaporizable material, the heating element 141 may be part of the wall of the heating chamber or heating compartment (e.g., vaporizable material insert receptacle 118) in which the vaporizable material insert 120 is located, or otherwise incorporated into the wall or in thermal contact with the wall. Alternatively, the heating element 141 can be used to heat the air passing through or past the vaporizable material insert 120 to produce convective heating of the vaporizable material 102 in the vaporizable material insert 120. In yet another example, the heating element 141 may be positioned in close contact with the vaporizable material 102 such that direct conduction heating of the vaporizable material 102 in the vaporizable material insert 120 occurs not only by conduction from the walls of the heating chamber (e.g., an oven and / or similar) but also from within the mass of the vaporizable material 102. In some embodiments, the heating element 141 may be part of the vaporizer body 110 (e.g., part of the disposable or reusable part of the vaporizer 100), as shown in Figure 1. In some embodiments, the heating element 141 may be part of the vaporizable material insert 120 (e.g., part of the disposable part of the vaporizer 100). For example, the vaporizable material insert 120 may include one or more vaporizable material contacts that mate to one or more vaporizer body contacts (for example, arranged along the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118) to form a conductive path between the power supply 112 of the vaporizer body 110 and the heating element 141 of the vaporizer material insert 120.

[0032] The heating element 141 is actuated in conjunction with the user's puff (e.g., inhalation, suction, etc.) at the end and / or mouthpiece of the vaporizer device 100, and can cause air to flow from the air inlet along an air channel that assists in the formation of an inhalable aerosol that can be supplied through the air outlet in the mouthpiece. The incoming air moving along the air channel moves through or via the heating element 141 and / or the vaporizable material 102, where the vaporizable material 102 in gaseous phase is extracted into the air. The heating element 141 may be actuated by a controller 104, which may optionally be part of the vaporizer body 110 as described herein, thereby causing current to flow from the power supply 112 through a circuit including the heating element 141, which may be part of the vaporizer body 110. As described herein, the extracted vaporizable material 102 in gaseous phase may condense as it passes through the rest of the air channel, so that an inhalable dose of vaporizable material 102 in aerosol form can be supplied from the air outlet (e.g., mouthpiece) for the user to inhale.

[0033] The operation of the heating element 141 may be triggered by the automatic detection of a puff based on one or more signals generated by one or more sensors 113. The sensors 113 and the signals generated by these sensors 113 may include one or more pressure sensors arranged to detect pressure along the airflow path relative to ambient pressure (or, as an optional means, measure changes in absolute pressure), one or more motion sensors of the vaporizer device 100 (e.g., accelerometers), one or more flow sensors of the vaporizer device 100, a capacitive lip sensor of the vaporizer device 100, a detection unit for user-to-vaporizer device 100 interaction via one or more input devices 116 (e.g., buttons or other tactile control devices of the vaporizer device 100), a receiving unit for signals from a computing device communicating with the vaporizer device 100 and / or signals by other approaches to determine that a puff is occurring or imminent.

[0034] As discussed herein, a vaporizer device 100 consistent with an implementation of this subject can be configured to be connected (for example, wirelessly or via a wired connection) to one computing device (or, as an optional means, two or more devices) that communicates with the vaporizer device 100. For this purpose, the controller 104 may include communication hardware 105. The controller 104 may also include memory 108. The communication hardware 105 may include firmware and / or be controlled by software that performs one or more encryption protocols for communication.

[0035] The computing device may be a component of the vaporizer system, including the vaporizer device 100, and may include specific hardware for communication that can establish a wireless communication channel with the communication hardware 105 of the vaporizer device 100. For example, a computing device used as part of the vaporizer system may include a general-purpose computing device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, personal computer, or some other portable device, such as a smartwatch or similar) that runs software that forms a user interface for a user to interact with the vaporizer device 100. In other realizations of this subject, such a device used as part of the vaporizer system may be a dedicated part of the hardware, such as a remote control unit, or another wireless or wired device having one or more physical interface controls or software interface controls (e.g., configurable on a screen or other display device, and selectable via user interaction with some other input devices such as a touch-sensitive screen or a mouse, pointer, trackball, cursor buttons or similar). The vaporizer device 100 may further include one or more output units 117 or devices for providing information to the user. For example, the output unit 117 may include one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to provide feedback to the user based on the state and / or operating mode of the vaporizer device 100.

[0036] In embodiments where a computing device provides signals related to the operation of a heating element, or in other embodiments where it couples itself to the vaporizer device 100 for the implementation of various controls or other functions, the computing device executes one or more computer instruction sets to provide a user interface and underlying data processing. In one embodiment, the computing device can detect interaction between one or more user interface elements and a user, causing the computing device to send a signal to the vaporizer device 100 to operate the heating element until it reaches an operating temperature for forming an inhalable volume of vapor / aerosol. Other functions of the vaporizer device 100 may be controlled by interaction between the user interface of a computing device communicating with the vaporizer device 100 and a user.

[0037] The temperature of the heating element 141 of the vaporizer device 100 may depend on many factors, including the amount of power supplied to the heating element 141 and / or the duty cycle under which the power is supplied, conductive heat transfer to other parts of the vaporizer device 100 and / or to the environment, potential heat loss due to the vaporization of the vaporizable material 102, and convective heat loss due to airflow (e.g., air moving across the heating element 141 when a user inhales in the vaporizer device 100). As described herein, in order to ensure that the heating element 141 operates reliably or that the heating element 141 is heated to a desired temperature, the vaporizer device 100 may use a signal from a sensor 113 (e.g., a pressure sensor) to determine when a user is inhaling. The sensor 113 may be located in an airflow path and / or connected to an airflow path that includes an inlet for air entering the vaporizer device 100 (e.g., via a passage or other flow path) and an outlet for the user to inhale the resulting vapor and / or aerosol. As a result, the sensor 113 detects changes (e.g., pressure changes) as air passes through the vaporizer device 100 from the air inlet to the air outlet. In some realizations of this subject, the heating element 141 may be activated in relation to a user's puff, for example by automatic detection of a puff, or by the sensor 113 detecting changes in the airflow path (e.g., pressure changes).

[0038] The sensor 113 may be located on or coupled to the controller 104 (e.g., a printed circuit board assembly or other type of circuit board) (e.g., electrically or electronically connected, either physically or via a wireless connection). To accurately obtain measurements of the vaporizer device 100 and maintain its serviceability, it may be beneficial to provide a seal with sufficient elasticity to isolate the air passage from other parts of the vaporizer device 100. The seal, which may be a gasket, may be configured to at least partially surround the sensor 113 so that the connection of the sensor 113 to the internal circuitry of the vaporizer device 100 is isolated from the portion of the sensor 113 exposed to the air passage. Such an arrangement of a seal within the vaporizer device 100 may help to mitigate potential destructive effects on vaporizer components resulting from interaction with environmental factors such as water in the vapor or liquid phase, and / or reduce air leakage from a designated air passage within the vaporizer device 100. Unwanted passage and / or contact of air, liquid, or other fluids into the circuit of the vaporizer device 100 may cause various undesirable effects, such as changes in pressure readings and / or accumulation of undesirable materials, such as moisture or detached portions of the vaporizable material 102, in parts of the vaporizer device 100 that may degrade the pressure signal, degradation of the sensor 113 or other components, and / or shortening of the lifespan of the vaporizer device 100. Furthermore, leaks in the seals may result in the user inhaling air that has passed through parts of the vaporizer device 100 containing or made of materials that should not be inhaled.

[0039] In a vaporizer where the power supply 112 is part of the vaporizer body 110 and the heating element 141 is located within the vaporizable material insert 120, configured to be coupled to the vaporizer body 110, the vaporizable material insert 120 and the vaporizer 100 may include electrical connection functions (e.g., electrical contacts) to complete a circuit including a controller 104 (e.g., a printed circuit board, microcontroller, or similar), the power supply 112, and the heating element 141. The circuit completed by these electrical connections enables the supply of current to the heating element 141 (e.g., a resistive heating element) and can be used for additional functions. These additional functions include, for example, measuring the resistance of the resistive heating element for use in calculating and / or controlling the temperature of the resistive heating element based on the thermal coefficient of the resistivity of the resistive heating element.

[0040] In some embodiments, the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 may include all or part of a heating element 141 (e.g., a heating coil, a resistive heating element, etc.) configured to heat the vaporizable material insert 120 received within the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118, for example, to form an inhalable aerosol. For example, the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 may include a metal sheath and a resistive heater configured to receive the vaporizable material insert 120. Various embodiments of the vaporizable material insert 120 will be described herein in conjunction with various vaporizer bodies 110 and vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 for forming an inhalable aerosol.

[0041] In some embodiments, the vaporizable material insert 120 may be configured such that a slide fit is formed between the outer surface of the vaporizable material insert 120 and one or more inner walls of the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118, for example, so that it can be inserted into the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118. For example, the vaporizable material insert 120 may have the same or a similar shape as the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118. In some embodiments, the vaporizable material insert 120 may have a circular cross-sectional shape and / or a cylindrical shape. In some embodiments, the vaporizable material insert 120 may have a non-circular cross-section that crosses the axis through which the vaporizable material insert 120 is inserted into the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118. For example, a non-circular cross-section may be approximately rectangular, approximately elliptical (e.g., having an approximately oval shape), a non-rectangular shape having two pairs of parallel or approximately parallel opposing sides (e.g., having a shape similar to a parallelogram), or other shapes having, for example, rotational symmetry of at least degree 2. In this context, "approximate shape" indicates that the basic similarity to the described shape is clear, but the sides of the shape in question do not need to be perfectly straight, nor do the vertices need to be perfectly acute. The rounding of either or both edges or vertices of a cross-sectional shape is considered any non-circular cross-section as referred to herein.

[0042] In some realizations, at least one of the one or more inner walls forming the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 may include a heating element 141 and / or include a thermally conductive material. For example, a configuration of the vaporizable material insert 120 in which the vaporizable material 120 forms a slide fit and / or is in close contact with the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 allows for efficient heat transfer between the heating element 141 and the vaporizable material insert 120, thereby resulting in efficient and effective heating of the vaporizable material 102 in the vaporizable material insert 120.

[0043] Furthermore, the vaporizable material insert 120 may include a compressed and / or high-density configuration of the non-liquid vaporizable material 102, which may further contribute to the efficient and effective heating and vaporization of the vaporizable material 102. For example, the compressed and / or high-density configuration of the vaporizable material 102 may contain a minimum amount of air or air pockets within the vaporizable material 102, thereby increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of heat transfer along the vaporizable material 102. Such a configuration reduces the heating power required for the effective heating and vaporization of the vaporizable material 102, thus reducing power consumption. Additionally, a lower heating temperature can be used to heat the vaporizable material 102 for improved heating efficiency, and this heating temperature can also reduce power consumption and the formation of harmful by-products that occur when the vaporizable material is heated at higher temperatures. To achieve at least some of the advantages described above, various embodiments of the vaporizable material insert 120, including vaporizable material formed in a compressed and / or high-density configuration, are described herein.

[0044] Figures 2A and 2B show one embodiment of a vaporizable material insert 220 that can be inserted into a receptacle of a vaporizer body 110 (e.g., vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 in Figure 1) to heat and form an inhalable aerosol. As shown in Figure 2A, the vaporizable material insert 220 may include a housing 260, which has an internal chamber extending between an inlet 262 and an outlet 264. The vaporizable material insert 220 may include a vaporizable material component 222 that is at least partially contained within the housing 260 and extends between the inlet 262 and the outlet 264. As shown in Figure 2A, the vaporizable material insert 220 may include an air passage 252 that extends through the vaporizable material component 222 along its longitudinal axis, for example. Thus, the inner wall of the vaporizable material component 222 can define the air passage 252.

[0045] As shown in Figure 2A, the vaporizable material insert 220 may have a cylindrical shape; however, the vaporizable material insert 220 (including the vaporizable material component 222, the housing 260, and the air passage 252) may have one or more different shapes and sizes without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Additionally, although the vaporizable material insert 220 shown in Figure 2A is described herein as including the housing 260, neither the vaporizable material insert 220 nor any of the vaporizable material inserts described herein may include the housing 260. For example, the outer wall of the vaporizable material component 222 may form the outer wall of the vaporizable material insert 220. In some embodiments, the housing 260 may assist in housing the vaporizable material component 222 and reduce or prevent contact between the vaporizable material component 222 and the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118, for example, to reduce contamination of the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118.

[0046] The housing 260 may be formed from a variety of materials, including one or more of the following: thermally conductive materials, insulating materials, biodegradable materials, vaporizable materials, and non-vaporizable materials. For example, in some embodiments, the housing 260 may be formed from paper or a paper-like material.

[0047] In some embodiments, the vaporizable material component 222 includes one or more vaporizable materials, such as a non-liquid vaporizable material (e.g., tobacco material), for vaporizing an inhalable aerosol. The vaporizable material component 222 is dense and does not need to have substantially air pockets. Additionally, the vaporizable material component 222 can prevent airflow from entering and / or passing through it. Thus, the vaporizable material component 222 can have a greater thermal conductivity compared to some vaporizable material inserts and non-liquid vaporizable materials currently available. For example, in some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of the vaporizable material component 222 may range from about 0.05 W / mK to about 1 W / mK, for example, from about 0.2 W / mK to about 0.6 W / mK.

[0048] In some embodiments, the vaporizable material component 222 may comprise one or more of guar gum, laponite, and a powder form of a non-liquid vaporizable material. For example, during manufacturing, the vaporizable material component 222 may be molded or extruded. For instance, the vaporizable material component 222 may be formed by extruding a mixture of tobacco powder and guar gum. In some embodiments, the vaporizable material component 222 may be formed by pressing a mixture of tobacco and laponite into a mold. Such forms of the vaporizable material component 222 may have a higher density and higher thermal conductivity compared to at least some non-liquid vaporizable materials and vaporizable material inserts.

[0049] In some embodiments, the vaporizable material component 222 may include thermally conductive particles that are contained in the vaporizable material mixture during manufacturing and are contained within the vaporizable material component 222. The thermally conductive particles may come into direct contact with the vaporizable material 102 of the vaporizable material component 222 to enable induction and / or conduction heating of the vaporizable material 102, for example, so that an inhalable aerosol can be formed.

[0050] For example, during use of the vaporizable material insert 220, the vaporizable material insert 220 can be inserted into the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 such that the vaporizable material component 222 is positioned adjacent to and / or in contact with a heating element located along the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118. For example, the housing 260 of the vaporizable material insert 220 can be in contact with the heating element 141, allowing heat transfer through the housing 260 to heat the vaporizable material component 222. The vaporizable material component 222 can be heated by the heating element to a temperature (e.g., about 250°C) at which at least a portion of the vaporizable material 102 contained within it will vaporize. The vaporization of the vaporizable material 102 can result in the formation of an inhalable aerosol in the air channel 252, which is then movable along the air channel 252 for inhalation by the user. As described above, the vaporizable material component 222 prevents air from entering the vaporizable material component 222, thereby increasing the thermal conductivity along the vaporizable material component 222 and enabling efficient and effective vaporization of the vaporizable material 102 in the vaporizable material component 222. Such increased thermal conductivity along the vaporizable material component 222 (compared to, for example, some other vaporizable material inserts) can achieve improved heating along the vaporizable material component 222, such as more uniform heating along the vaporizable material component 222, and can reduce or eliminate overheating of the vaporizable material component 222. Such improved heating can reduce waste of the vaporizable material component 222 (e.g., by reducing or eliminating portions of the vaporizable material component 222 that are not effectively heated) as well as reduce the formation of harmful by-products (e.g., due to overheating of the vaporizable material component 222). Other embodiments of the vaporizable material insert 220, including the additional embodiments of the vaporizable material insert 220 described below, are within the scope of this disclosure.

[0051] In some embodiments, the housing 260 of the vaporizable material insert 220 may include a heating element 141. For example, the heating element 141 may be coupled to the vaporizable material component 222 (for example, the housing 260 may include the heating element 141 or replace the heating element 141). Thus, the vaporizable material component 222 may be positioned between the heating element 141 and the air passage 252, and in contact with them. In this embodiment, the vaporizable material insert 220 may include one or more electrical contacts along the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 that mate with corresponding contacts in order to provide power from the power supply of the vaporizer body to the heating element 141 of the vaporizable material insert 220. Thus, in response to the operation of a power source (e.g., power source 112 in Figure 1), the heating element 141 can directly heat the vaporizable material component 222 to form an aerosol that can be inhaled into the air channel 252, and this aerosol can then move along the air channel 252 for inhalation by the user. The heating element 141 can include any one or more of various features, such as a resistive heating element or a thermally conductive material. The heating element 141 may be positioned along one or more surfaces of the vaporizable material component 222 to heat the vaporizable material component 222 to form an aerosol that can be inhaled.

[0052] Figures 3A and 3B show another embodiment of the vaporizable material insert 320, including a housing 260, a vaporizable material component 222, and a heating element 141. The vaporizable material component 222, housing 260, and heating element 141 of the vaporizable material insert 320 in Figures 3A and 3B may include any one or more features and functions described above with respect to the vaporizable material insert 220 in Figures 2A and 2B, for example. As shown in Figure 3A, the heating element 141 may extend through the vaporizable material component 222 so that the vaporizable material component 222 is wrapped around the heating element 141. As shown in Figure 3B, the heating element 141 may include one or more electrical contacts 350 configured to mate with corresponding contacts along the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 so that power from the power source (e.g., power source 112 in Figure 1) of the vaporizer body (e.g., vaporizer body 110 in Figure 1) is supplied to the heating element 141. Thus, in response to the operation of the power supply 112, the heating element 141 can directly heat the vaporizable material component 222 to form an inhalable aerosol in the air channel 352, which is then made movable along the air channel 352 for inhalation by the user. In this embodiment, where the heating element 141 is part of the vaporizable material insert 320, the heating element 141 can be discarded after use along with any remaining part of the vaporizable material insert 320.

[0053] As shown in Figure 3B, the air channel 352 may extend along the outer wall of the vaporizable material component 222, for example, between the outer wall of the vaporizable material component 222 and the inner wall of the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118. Therefore, the air channel 352 does not have to extend through the vaporizable material insert 320, as it is formed in response to the insertion of the vaporizable material insert 320 into the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 3A, the vaporizable material insert 320 may include a housing 260 that surrounds the outer wall of the vaporizable material component 222. Therefore, the housing 260 can be formed from a material through which the vaporizable components of the vaporizable material 102 can pass, thereby forming an aerosol that can be drawn into the air channel 352.

[0054] Figures 4A to 4B show another embodiment of the vaporizable material insert 420, including a vaporizable material component 222 and a heating element 141. The vaporizable material component 222 and heating element 141 of the vaporizable material insert 420 in Figures 4A to 4B may include any one or more features and functions described above with respect to the vaporizable material inserts 220, 320 in Figures 2A to 3B, for example. As shown in Figure 4A, the vaporizable material component 222 may have a flat configuration in which the heating element 141 is positioned along a first side of the vaporizable material component 222. The heating element 141 may be in direct contact with the vaporizable material component 222. In some embodiments, the vaporizable material insert 420 may include a housing 260 extending around one or more portions of the vaporizable material insert 420, for example, around the vaporizable material component 222 and / or the heating element 141. The heating element 141 may include one or more electrical contacts (e.g., electrical contact 350 in Figure 3B) configured to mate with corresponding contacts along the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 so that power can be supplied to the heating element 141 from the power supply of the vaporizer body. In this way, depending on the operation of the power supply, the heating element 141 can directly heat the vaporizable material component 222 to form an inhalable aerosol in the air passage 352, which is then made movable along the air passage 452 for inhalation by the user.

[0055] As shown in Figure 4B, the air passage 452 may extend along the second side of the vaporizable material component 222 (for example, the side opposite the first side of the vaporizable material component 222), for example, between the second side of the vaporizable material component 222 and the inner wall of the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118. Thus, the air passage 452 does not have to extend through the vaporizable material insert 420, as it is formed in response to the insertion of the vaporizable material insert 420 into the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118. In such embodiments where the heating element 141 is a portion of the vaporizable material insert 420, the heating element 141 can be discarded after use along with any remaining portion of the vaporizable material insert 420.

[0056] Other embodiments of vaporizable material inserts are also within the scope of this disclosure. For example, some embodiments of vaporizable material inserts may include a vaporizable material component comprising a non-liquid vaporizable material. Furthermore, some vaporizable material inserts may not have air passages and heating elements. Thus, a vaporizable material insert may consist only of a vaporizable material component, or only of a vaporizable material component and a housing. Such embodiments of vaporizable material inserts may rely on a vaporizer that includes a heating element and at least a portion of an air passage that enables the formation of an aerosol that can be inhaled for user inhalation.

[0057] term When a feature or element is referred to in this specification as being "on top of" another feature or element, that feature or element may be directly on top of the other feature or element, or there may be intervening features and / or elements. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being "directly on top of" another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements. Also, when a feature or element is referred to as being "connected," "attached," or "combined" to another feature or element, it is understood that that feature or element may be directly connected, attached, or combined with the other feature or element, or there may be intervening features or elements. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being "directly connected," "directly attached," or "directly combined" to another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements.

[0058] While one embodiment has been described or illustrated, the features and elements described or illustrated are applicable to other embodiments. Furthermore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that references to structures or features positioned "adjacent" to another feature may include portions that overlap with or are below the adjacent feature.

[0059] The terms used herein are for the sole purpose of describing specific embodiments and implementations and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the singular indefinite and definite articles ("a", "an", "the") used herein are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, when the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" are used herein, they specify the existence of the stated features, steps, actions, elements and / or components, but it should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, steps, actions, elements, components and / or groups thereof. When used herein, the terms "and / or" include all combinations of one or more of the related enumerated items and may be abbreviated as " / ".

[0060] In the above description and claims, phrases such as “at least one of ~” or “one or more of ~” may appear following a conjunctive enumeration of multiple elements or features. The term “and / or” may also appear in enumerations of two or more elements or features. Unless specifically implicitly or explicitly negated by the context in which they are used, these phrases are intended to mean either one of the enumerated elements or features individually, or any of the enumerated elements or features combined with other enumerated elements or features. For example, the phrases “at least one of A and B,” “one or more of A and B,” and “A and / or B” are intended to mean “A only,” “B only,” or “both A and B,” respectively. A similar interpretation also applies to enumerations containing three or more items. For example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, and / or C” are intended to mean “A only,” “B only,” “C only,” “A and B together,” “A and C together,” “B and C together,” or “A, B, and C together,” respectively. The use of the term “based on” in the foregoing and in the claims is intended to mean “at least partially based on,” allowing for features or elements that are not mentioned.

[0061] Terms describing spatial relativity, such as “forward,” “backward,” “downward,” “below,” “below,” “at the bottom,” “upward,” “above,” and similar terms, may be used herein to facilitate descriptions of the relationship between one element or feature shown in a figure and another element or feature. It will be understood that terms describing spatial relativity are intended to encompass various orientations of the device during use or operation, in addition to the orientation depicted in the figure. For example, if the device in the figure is inverted, an element described as “below” or “below” another element or feature will be oriented “above” the other element or feature. Thus, the word “downward,” given as an example, may encompass both upward and downward orientations. The device may also be in orientations other than those described (90° rotation or other orientations), and the descriptions of spatial relativity used herein should be interpreted accordingly. Similarly, terms such as “upward,” “downward,” “vertically,” “horizontally,” and similar terms are used herein for descriptive purposes only, unless otherwise specifically indicated.

[0062] In this specification, the terms “first” and “second” may be used to describe various features / elements (including steps), but these features / elements are not limited by these terms unless otherwise indicated by the context. These terms may be used to distinguish one feature / element from another. Thus, without departing from the teachings provided herein, the first feature / element described below may be referred to as the second feature / element, and similarly, the second feature / element described below may be referred to as the first feature / element.

[0063] All numbers used herein and in the claims, including when used in examples unless otherwise specified, can be read as if the terms “about” or “approximately” were predicated, even if they do not explicitly appear. When describing size and / or location, these “about” or “approximately” phrases may be used to indicate that the stated value and / or location is within a reasonable predictable range of such value and / or location. For example, a number may include values ​​such as + / -0.1% of a given value (or range), + / -1% of a given value (or range), + / -2% of a given value (or range), + / -5% of a given value (or range), and + / -10% of a given value (or range). Any number given herein should be understood to include values ​​near or approximately the same as that value, unless otherwise specified in the context. For example, if the value “10” is disclosed, “about 10” is also disclosed. Any numerical ranges listed herein are intended to include all subranges contained within them. Furthermore, where a value is disclosed, it will be understood, as a person skilled in the art would understand, that the ranges "less than or equal to" that value, "greater than or equal to" that value, and the possible ranges between those values ​​are also disclosed. For example, if the value "X" is disclosed, then "less than or equal to X" and "greater than or equal to X" (e.g., X is a number) are also disclosed. Throughout this application, data is provided in many different formats, and it will be understood that such data represents ranges for endpoints, starting points, and any combination of these data points. For example, if a specific data point "10" and a specific data point "15" are disclosed, then it will be understood that greater than 10, 10 or greater, less than 15, 15 or less, and equal to 10 and 15 are also disclosed, as are the ranges between 10 and 15. It will also be understood that each unit between two specific units is disclosed. For example, if 10 and 15 are disclosed, then 11, 12, 13, and 14 are also disclosed.

[0064] While various exemplary embodiments have been described above, many arbitrary modifications can be made to these embodiments without departing from the teachings herein. For example, the order in which the various method steps described are performed can often be changed in alternative embodiments, and in other alternative embodiments, one or more method steps may be skipped entirely. Optional means features of various device and system embodiments may be included in some embodiments but not in others. Therefore, the foregoing description is provided primarily for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0065] One or more aspects or features of the subject matter described herein can be realized in digital electronic circuits, integrated circuits, specially designed application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various aspects or features may include one or more computer programs executable and / or interpretable on a programmable system, which includes at least one programmable processor coupled for a specific or general purpose to receive and transmit data and instructions from and to a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. The programmable system or computing system may include clients and servers. Clients and servers are generally remote from each other and typically interact over a communication network. The client-server relationship arises from computer programs running on each computer that have a client / server relationship with each other.

[0066] These computer programs, also referred to as programs, software, software applications, applications, components, or code, contain machine instructions for a programmable processor and can be implemented in high-level procedural languages, object-oriented programming languages, functional programming languages, logic programming languages, and / or assembly / machine language. As used herein, the term “machine-readable medium” refers to any computer program product, apparatus, and / or device, such as magnetic disks, optical disks, memory, and programmable logic devices (PLDs), used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, including machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as machine-readable signals. The term “machine-readable signal” refers to any signal used to supply machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor. These machine-readable mediums can store such machine instructions non-temporarily, for example, in non-temporarily solid-state memory or magnetic hard drives or any equivalent storage medium. Alternatively or additionally, machine-readable mediums can also temporarily store such machine instructions, for example, in a processor cache or other random-access memory associated with one or more physical processor cores.

[0067] The examples and drawings included herein illustrate, not as limitations, specific embodiments that can carry out the subject matter. As stated above, other embodiments can be utilized and derived from so that structural and logical substitutions and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Such embodiments of the subject matter, if two or more are actually disclosed, may be referred to individually or collectively in this specification by the term “invention” for convenience only, but this is not intended to spontaneously limit the scope of the application to any single invention or inventive concept. Thus, while specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, any configuration calculated to achieve the same objective can be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adapted or modified forms of various embodiments. Combinations of the embodiments described above with other embodiments not specifically described herein will also be apparent to those skilled in the art by careful examination of the above description.

Claims

1. A vaporizable material insert used with a vaporizer device to form an inhalable aerosol, A housing formed from paper material, A vaporizable material component, at least partially disposed within the housing, Equipped with, The aforementioned vaporizable material component is Vaporizable materials and, A thermally conductive material that comes into contact with the vaporizable material and enables induction heating of the vaporizable material to form the inhalable aerosol. It has, The vaporizable material includes tobacco material, A vaporizable material insert in which the thermally conductive material is in direct contact with the paper material.

2. The vaporizable material insert according to claim 1, wherein the vaporizable material insert has a cylindrical shape, an approximately rectangular shape, an approximately elliptical shape, a shape similar to a parallelogram, or another shape having at least a degree 2 rotational symmetry.

3. The vaporizable material insert according to claim 1, further comprising a heating element extending along the vaporizable material component.

4. The vaporizable material insert according to claim 3, wherein the heating element passes through the vaporizable material component and extends along the longitudinal axis of the vaporizable material component.

5. The vaporizable material insert according to claim 1, wherein the tobacco material includes a portion of a tobacco leaf.

6. The vaporizable material insert according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a heating element configured to heat the vaporizable material component.

7. The vaporizable material insert according to claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive material includes thermally conductive particles that are in direct contact with the vaporizable material.

8. The vaporizable material insert according to claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive material is formed from a metallic material.

9. A system for generating inhalable aerosols, It comprises a vaporizable material insert and a vaporizer device, The vaporizable material insert is A housing formed from paper material, A vaporizable material component, at least partially disposed within the housing, It has, The aforementioned vaporizable material component is Vaporizable materials and, A thermally conductive material that comes into contact with the vaporizable material and enables induction heating of the vaporizable material to form the inhalable aerosol. Includes, The vaporizable material includes tobacco material, The vaporizer device includes a vaporizable material insert receptacle configured to receive the vaporizable material insert, The system wherein the thermally conductive material is in direct contact with the paper material.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the vaporizable material insert receptacle provides a slide fit with the vaporizable material insert.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the tobacco material includes a portion of a tobacco leaf.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the vaporizable material insert has a cylindrical shape, approximately rectangular, approximately elliptical, a shape similar to a parallelogram, or another shape having at least a degree of 2 rotational symmetry.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the vaporizable material insert receptacle has a cylindrical shape, approximately rectangular, approximately elliptical, a shape similar to a parallelogram, or another shape having at least a degree 2 rotational symmetry.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the thermally conductive material includes thermally conductive particles that are in direct contact with the vaporizable material.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein the thermally conductive material is formed from a metallic material.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein the thermally conductive material includes a heating element.

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