Voltage regulators for aerosol delivery devices

Abstract

An aerosol delivery device is provided that includes a housing constructed to hold an aerosol precursor composition and a sensor configured to generate a measurement of pressure caused by airflow through at least a portion of the housing and convert the pressure measurement into a corresponding electrical signal. The aerosol delivery device includes a heating element configured to convert electricity to heat, thereby vaporizing components of the aerosol precursor composition. The aerosol delivery device also includes a control component including a processor configured to receive the corresponding electrical signal and, in response, connect a power source to a load including the heating element, thereby powering the heating element. The aerosol delivery device also includes a voltage regulator coupled between the sensor and the power source and configured to step down a voltage from the power source to the sensor, thereby powering the sensor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices such as electronic cigarettes and heat-not-burn cigarettes. The aerosol delivery device may be configured to heat an aerosol precursor composition made from, extracted from, or otherwise incorporating tobacco to form an inhalable substance for human consumption.

Background Art

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

[0003] The point of improvements or alternatives to smoking articles is typically to provide the sensation associated with smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe without delivering a significant amount of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products. To this end, numerous smoking products, flavor generators, and medicinal inhalers have been proposed that attempt to provide the sensation of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe without using electrical energy to vaporize or heat volatile substances or burning tobacco to a considerable degree. See, for example, various alternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and heat sources described in the background art described in U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 to Griffith Jr. et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 to Sears et al., these patents are incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, various types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and electric heating sources referenced by the trademark name and commercial provider in, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0220232 to Bless et al. are also found, and this patent is incorporated herein by reference. Additional types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and electric heating sources referenced by the trademark name and commercial provider are enumerated in, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0245659 to DePiano et al., and this patent is also incorporated herein by reference.As described, other representative cigarettes or smoking articles sold on the market are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Patents No. 4,922,901, 4,947,874, and 4,947,875 to Brooks et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,060,671 to Counts et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,388,594 to Counts et al., Hi U.S. Patent No. 5,666,977 for ggins et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,053,176 for Adams et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,164,287 for White, U.S. Patent No. 6,196,218 for Voge's, U.S. Patent No. 6,810,883 for Felter et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,854,461 for Nichols, U.S. Patent No. 7,832,410 for Hon, U.S. Patent No. 7,513 for Kobayashi U.S. Patent Publication No. 253, U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 for Robinson et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,896,006 for Hamano, U.S. Patent No. 6,772,756 for Shayan, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009 / 0095311 for Hon, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006 / 0196518 for Hon, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009 / 0126745, and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009 / 0188490 for Thorens et al. This includes the patents described in Patent No. 272379, U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2009 / 0260641 and 2009 / 0260642 to Monsees et al., U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2008 / 0149118 and 2010 / 0024834 to Oglesby et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010 / 0307518 to Wang, and International Publication No. 2010 / 091593 to Hon, which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0004] Representative products that resemble many attributes of traditional cigarettes, cigars, or pipes include: ACCORD(R) by Philip Morris Incorporated; ALPHA(TM), JOYE 510(TM), and M4(TM) by InnoVapor LLC; CIRRUS(TM) and FLING(TM) by White Cloud Cigarettes; BLU(TM) by Fontem Ventures BV; COHITA(TM), COLIBRI(TM), ELITE CLASSIC(TM), MAGNUM(TM), PHANTOM(TM), and SENSE(TM) by EPUFFER(R) International Inc.; DUOPRO(TM), STORM(TM), and VAPORKING(R) by Electronic Cigarettes, Inc.; EGAR(TM) by Egar Australia; eGo-C(TM) and eGo-T(TM) by Joyetech; ELUSION(TM) by Elusion UK Ltd; EONSMOKE(R) by Eonsmoke LLC; and FIN Branding. FIN(TM) by Group, LLC; SMOKE(R) by Green Smoke Inc. USA; GREENARETTE(TM) by Greenarette LLC; HALLIGAN(TM), HENDU(TM), JET(TM), MAXXQ(TM), PINK(TM), and PITBULL(TM) by SMOKE STIK(R); HEATBAR(TM) by Philip Morris International, Inc., HYDRO IMPERIAL(TM) and LXE(TM) from Crown7; LOGIC(TM) and THE CUBAN(TM) by LOGIC Technology; LUCI(R) by Luciano Smokes Inc.; METRO(R) by Nicotek, LLC, NJOY(R) and ONEJOY(TM) by Sottera, Inc.; NO.7(TM) by SS Choice LLC; PREMIUM ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE(TM) by PremiumEstore LLC; Ruyan America, Inc.RAPP E-MYSTICK(TM); RED DRAGON(TM) by Red Dragon Products, LLC; RUYAN(R) by Ruyan Group(Holdings)Ltd.; SF(R) by Smoker Friendly International, LLC; GREEN SMART SMOKER(R) by Smart Smoking Electronic Cigarette Company Ltd.; SMOKE ASSIST(R) by Coastline Products LLC; SMOKING EVERYWHERE(R) by Smoking Everywhere, Inc.; V2CIGS(TM) by VMR Products LLC; VAPOR NINE(TM) by VaporNine LLC; VAPOR4LIFE(R) by Vapor 4 Life, Inc.; VEPPO(TM) by E-CigaretteDirect, LLC; VUSE(R) by RJReynolds Vapor Company; MISTIC MENTHOL products by Mystic Ecigs; VYPE products by CN Creative Ltd.; IQOS(TM) by Philip Morris International; British American Tobacco is marketed as GLO(TM); Nu Mark LLC as MARK TEN products; and Juul Labs, Inc. as JUUL products. Furthermore, other electric aerosol delivery devices, and in particular those characterized as so-called e-cigarettes, are marketed under trademark names such as 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] U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 [Patent Document 3] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 [Patent Document 4] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 [Patent Document 5] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0220232 Specification [Patent Document 6] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0245659 [Patent Document 7] U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 [Patent Document 8] U.S. Patent No. 4,922,901 [Patent Document 9] U.S. Patent No. 4,947,874 [Patent Document 10] U.S. Patent No. 4,947,875 [Patent Document 11] U.S. Patent No. 5,060,671 [Patent Document 12] U.S. Patent No. 5,249,586 [Patent Document 13] U.S. Patent No. 5,388,594 [Patent Document 14] U.S. Patent No. 5,666,977 [Patent Document 15] U.S. Patent No. 6,053,176 [Patent Document 16] U.S. Patent No. 6,164,287 [Patent Document 17] U.S. Patent No. 6,196,218 [Patent Document 18] U.S. Patent No. 6,810,883 [Patent Document 19] U.S. Patent No. 6,854,461 [Patent Document 20] U.S. Patent No. 7,832,410 [Patent Document 21] U.S. Patent No. 7,513,253 [Patent Document 22] U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 [Patent Document 23] U.S. Patent No. 7,896,006 [Patent Document 24] U.S. Patent No. 6,772,756 [Patent Document 25] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009 / 0095311 [Patent Document 26] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006 / 0196518 [Patent Document 27] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009 / 0126745 [Patent Document 28] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009 / 0188490 [Patent Document 29] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009 / 0272379 [Patent Document 30] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009 / 0260641 [Patent Document 31] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009 / 0260642 [Patent Document 32] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008 / 0​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ However, it would be desirable to provide aerosol delivery devices with improved electronic components that can extend the usefulness of the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This disclosure relates to an aerosol delivery device configured to generate an aerosol, which in some embodiments may be called an e-cigarette or a non-combustion heated tobacco product.

[0008] This disclosure includes, without limitation, examples of the following exemplary embodiments.

[0009] Exemplary Embodiment 1: An aerosol delivery device comprising: a housing constructed to hold an aerosol precursor composition; a sensor configured to generate a pressure measurement caused by an airflow through at least a portion of the housing and to convert the pressure measurement into a corresponding electrical signal; first and second terminals configured to connect a power supply to the aerosol delivery device; a heating element configured to convert electricity into heat to vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition; a control component including a processor configured to receive a corresponding electrical signal and, in response, connect a power supply to a load including the heating element to power the heating element; and a voltage regulator coupled to the sensor and the first terminal, and located between the sensor and the first terminal, configured to step down the voltage from the power supply to the sensor to power the sensor.

[0010] Exemplary Embodiment 2: An aerosol delivery device according to any of the above exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above exemplary embodiments, further comprising a high-side load switch between a sensor and a load, which is controllable by a processor to connect a power supply to a load including a heating element and to disconnect from the load including a heating element.

[0011] Exemplary Embodiment 3: An aerosol delivery device according to any of the above exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above exemplary embodiments, wherein the control component comprises at least a Near Field Wireless Communication (NFC) tag coupled to a processor and configured to enable the aerosol delivery device to establish NFC communication with a computing device equipped with an NFC reader; and a second high-side load switch between a first terminal and the NFC tag, which is controllable by the processor to connect and disconnect a power supply to the NFC tag and to limit the input current to the NFC tag, wherein the processor is configured to control the high-side load switch to connect the power supply to a load including a heating element only when the power supply is disconnected from the NFC tag.

[0012] Exemplary Embodiment 4: An aerosol delivery device according to any of the above exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above exemplary embodiments, further comprising: a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag coupled to a processor and configured to enable the aerosol delivery device to establish NFC communication with a computing device equipped with an NFC reader; and a second high-side load switch between a first terminal and the NFC tag, which is controllable by the processor to connect and disconnect power to the NFC tag and to limit the input current to the NFC tag.

[0013] Exemplary Embodiment 5: An aerosol delivery device according to any of the above exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above exemplary embodiments, comprising at least an antenna and an integrated circuit (IC) configured to store or generate information including at least an indicia enabling authentication of an aerosol delivery device or its components, wherein the antenna is coupled to a corresponding antenna of an NFC reader to enable wireless transmission of information to a computing device and enable authentication of the aerosol delivery device or its components.

[0014] Exemplary Embodiment 6: The IC is configured to access an event counter configured to maintain a count indicating the remaining amount of aerosol precursor composition, and authentication of the aerosol delivery device is performed only when the count is positive, according to any of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments or any combination of any of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments.

[0015] Exemplary Embodiment 7: An aerosol delivery device according to any of the above exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above exemplary embodiments, wherein the IC is configured to access an event counter configured to maintain a count indicating a residual amount of aerosol precursor composition, and the processor is configured to generate user-perceptible feedback or stop generating user-perceptible feedback when the count reaches a threshold level indicating a low residual amount of aerosol precursor composition.

[0016] Exemplary Embodiment 8: An aerosol delivery device according to any of the above exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above exemplary embodiments, further comprising a piezoelectric ceramic vibrating device coupled to and controllable by a processor, such that the control component vibrates during the operation of the aerosol delivery device only when the count exceeds a threshold level, to provide feedback that is more perceptible to the user.

[0017] Exemplary Embodiment 9: An aerosol delivery device, according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, further configured to cause the IC to transmit radio frequency (RF) energy to a computing device or a second computing device, wherein the antenna is equipped with a power harvesting circuit configured to receive radio frequency (RF) energy and extract power from the RF energy to power or charge at least one electronic component of the computing device or a second computing device.

[0018] Exemplary Embodiment 10: The computing device is a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, and the NFC tag comprises at least an antenna and an integrated circuit (IC) configured to store or generate information, including at least payment information, enabling mobile payment transactions from an aerosol delivery device, the antenna being coupled to a corresponding antenna of an NFC reader to enable wireless transmission of information to the POS terminal and thus enable mobile payment transactions from the aerosol delivery device, according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments or any combination of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0019] Exemplary Embodiment 11: An aerosol delivery device according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, further comprising a piezoelectric ceramic vibrating device coupled to a processor and controllable by the processor, which vibrates during the operation of the aerosol delivery device to provide feedback that is perceptible to the user.

[0020] Exemplary Embodiment 12: A control body for an aerosol delivery device, the control body comprising: a sensor configured to generate a pressure measurement caused by an airflow through at least a portion of the housing and to convert the pressure measurement into a corresponding electrical signal; first and second terminals configured to connect a power supply to the aerosol delivery device; a heating element, or a terminal configured to connect a heating element to the control body; a control component comprising a processor configured to receive a corresponding electrical signal and, in response, connect a power supply to a load including the heating element to power the heating element; and a voltage regulator coupled to the sensor and the first terminal and located between the sensor and the first terminal, configured to step down the voltage from the power supply to the sensor to power the sensor, wherein the heating element is configured to convert electricity into heat to vaporize components of an aerosol precursor composition.

[0021] Exemplary Embodiment 13: A control body according to any of the above exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above exemplary embodiments, further comprising a high-side load switch between a sensor and a load, which is controllable by a processor to connect a power supply to a load including a heating element and to disconnect from the load including a heating element.

[0022] Exemplary Embodiment 14: A control body according to any of the above exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above exemplary embodiments, comprising: a control component coupled to a processor and configured to enable a control body to establish NFC communication with a computing device equipped with an NFC reader; and a second high-side load switch between a first terminal and the NFC tag, which is controllable by the processor to connect and disconnect a power supply to the NFC tag and to limit the input current to the NFC tag, wherein the processor is configured to control the high-side load switch to connect the power supply to a load including a heating element only when the power supply is disconnected from the NFC tag.

[0023] Exemplary Embodiment 15: A control body, according to any of the above exemplary embodiments or any combination of any of the above exemplary embodiments, further comprising: a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag coupled to a processor and configured to enable the control body to establish NFC communication with a computing device equipped with an NFC reader; and a second high-side load switch between a first terminal and the NFC tag, which is controllable by the processor to connect and disconnect power to the NFC tag and to limit the input current to the NFC tag.

[0024] Exemplary Embodiment 16: An NFC tag comprising at least an antenna and an integrated circuit (IC) configured to store or generate information including at least an authentication mark enabling authentication of a cartridge, which includes a heating element coupled to the terminals of a control body or a cartridge, the antenna being coupled to a corresponding antenna of an NFC reader to enable wireless transmission of information to a computing device and enable authentication of the control body or its components, according to any of the above exemplary embodiments or any combination thereof.

[0025] Exemplary Embodiment 17: The IC is configured to access an event counter configured to maintain a count indicating the remaining amount of aerosol precursor composition, and authentication of the control body is performed only when the count is positive, according to any of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments or any combination of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments.

[0026] Exemplary Embodiment 18: A control body, according to any of the above exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above exemplary embodiments, wherein the IC is configured to access an event counter configured to maintain a count indicating a residual amount of aerosol precursor composition, and the processor is configured to generate user-perceptible feedback or to stop generating user-perceptible feedback when the count reaches a threshold level indicating a low residual amount of aerosol precursor composition.

[0027] Exemplary Embodiment 19: A control body, according to any of the above exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above exemplary embodiments, further comprising a piezoelectric ceramic vibrating device coupled to and controllable by a processor, such that the control component vibrates during the operation of the control body only when the count exceeds a threshold level, to provide feedback that is more perceptible to the user.

[0028] Exemplary Embodiment 20: A control body, according to any of the above exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above exemplary embodiments, further configured to cause the IC to transmit radio frequency (RF) energy to a computing device or a second computing device, the IC being equipped with a power harvesting circuit configured to receive RF energy and extract power from the RF energy to power or charge at least one electronic component of the computing device or a second computing device.

[0029] Exemplary Embodiment 21: A computing device is a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, and the NFC tag includes at least an antenna and an integrated circuit (IC) configured to store or generate information, which includes at least payment information, enabling mobile payment transactions from an aerosol delivery device, and the antenna is a control body, according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments or any combination of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, which can be coupled with a corresponding antenna of an NFC reader to enable wireless transmission of information to the POS terminal and enable mobile payment transactions from an aerosol delivery device.

[0030] Exemplary Embodiment 22: A control body, according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, further comprising a piezoelectric ceramic vibrating device coupled to a processor and controllable by the processor, which vibrates during the operation of the control body to provide user-perceptible feedback.

[0031] Exemplary Embodiment 23: An aerosol delivery device comprising: a housing constructed to hold an aerosol precursor composition; first terminals and second terminals configured to connect a power supply to an aerosol delivery device; a heating element configured to convert electricity into heat to vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition; and a control component including a processor configured to power the heating element by connecting a power supply to a load including the heating element, wherein the control component comprises at least a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag coupled to the processor and configured to enable the aerosol delivery device to establish NFC communication with a computing device equipped with an NFC reader; and a high-side load switch between the first terminals and the NFC tag, the second high-side load switch being controllable by the processor to connect and disconnect a power supply from the NFC tag, and to limit the input current to the NFC tag.

[0032] Exemplary Embodiment 24: An aerosol delivery device according to any of the above exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above exemplary embodiments, comprising at least an antenna and an integrated circuit (IC) configured to store or generate information including at least an authentication mark enabling authentication of an aerosol delivery device or its components, wherein the antenna is coupled to a corresponding antenna of an NFC reader to enable wireless transmission of information to a computing device and enable authentication of an aerosol delivery device or its components.

[0033] Exemplary Embodiment 25: The computing device is a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, and the NFC tag includes at least an antenna and an integrated circuit (IC) configured to store or generate information, including at least payment information, enabling mobile payment transactions from an aerosol delivery device, the antenna being coupled to a corresponding antenna of an NFC reader to enable wireless transmission of information to the POS terminal and thus enable mobile payment transactions from the aerosol delivery device, according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments or any combination of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0034] Exemplary Embodiment 26: An aerosol delivery device according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, further comprising a piezoelectric ceramic vibrating device coupled to a processor and controllable by the processor, which vibrates during the operation of the aerosol delivery device to provide feedback perceptible to the user.

[0035] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the Disclosure will become apparent from reading the following detailed description, along with the accompanying drawings which are briefly described below. The Disclosure includes any combination of two, three, four or more features or elements described herein, whether such features or elements are expressly combined in the specific exemplary embodiments described herein or otherwise enumerated. The Disclosure is intended to be read as a whole so that, unless the context of the Disclosure clearly indicates otherwise, any separable feature or element of the Disclosure is considered to be combinable in any aspect or exemplary embodiment.

[0036] Therefore, it will be understood that the outline of this invention is provided solely for the purpose of summarizing some exemplary embodiments to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it will be understood that the exemplary embodiments described above are merely examples and should not be construed in any way as narrowing the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. Other exemplary embodiments, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description, together with the accompanying drawings illustrating the principles of some of the described exemplary embodiments.

[0037] While the aspects of this disclosure have been described in the general terms above, please refer to the attached drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to a specific scale. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0038] [Figure 1] An illustrative perspective view of an aerosol delivery device, including coupled cartridges and a control unit, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, is shown. [Figure 2] This is a partially cropped view of the aerosol delivery device of Figure 1, in an exemplary embodiment, where the cartridge and the control unit are separated from each other. [Figure 3]A perspective view illustrating an aerosol delivery device comprising coupled control bodies and an aerosol source member, according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, is shown. [Figure 4] An illustrative perspective view of an aerosol delivery device comprising a control body and an aerosol source member, separated from each other, according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, is shown. [Figure 5] Figures 3 and 4 illustrate front views of the aerosol delivery device according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 6] Figures 3 and 4 illustrate cross-sectional views of the aerosol delivery device according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7] These are schematic diagrams of aerosol delivery devices that may be, or may incorporate, the functions of, the aerosol delivery devices shown in Figures 1 to 6, according to various exemplary embodiments. [Figure 8A] This illustrates a system including the aerosol delivery device shown in Figure 7, which features near-field communication (NFC) for wireless communication with computing devices, in various exemplary embodiments. [Figure 8B] This illustrates a system including the aerosol delivery device shown in Figure 7, which features near-field communication (NFC) for wireless communication with computing devices, in various exemplary embodiments. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0039] This disclosure is more fully described below with reference to its exemplary embodiments. These exemplary embodiments are described in a manner that ensures the disclosure is thorough and complete and that it fully conveys the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. In fact, this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein; rather, these embodiments are provided to satisfy the legal requirements to which this disclosure is applicable. As used in the specification and the appended claims, singular nouns such as “a,” “an,” and “the” refer to multiple subjects unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Also, while this specification may refer to quantitative measures, values, geometric relationships, etc., unless otherwise specified, one or more of these may be absolute values ​​or approximations to account for acceptable variations that may occur due to technical tolerances, etc.

[0040] As described below, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to aerosol delivery devices. Aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure use electrical energy to heat a material (preferably without burning the material to a considerable extent) to form an inhalable substance; and components of such a system have the form of articles that are most preferably compact enough to be considered as handheld devices. That is, the use of components of a preferred aerosol delivery device does not result in the generation of smoke in the sense that the aerosol is mainly produced from by-products of the combustion or thermal decomposition of tobacco; rather, the use of such a preferred system results in the generation of vapor resulting from the volatilization or vaporization of certain components incorporated therein. In some exemplary embodiments, components of aerosol delivery devices may be characterized as e-cigarettes, which most preferably incorporate tobacco and / or tobacco-derived components and thus deliver tobacco-derived components in aerosol form.

[0041] Certain preferred aerosol-generating components of an aerosol delivery device can provide many of the sensations of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe used by lighting and burning the cigarette (and thus inhaling the cigarette smoke) without causing any substantial degree of combustion of any of its components (e.g., the act of inhaling and exhaling, the type of taste or flavor, sensory effects, physical sensations, the act of use, and visual cues such as those provided by the visible aerosol). For example, a user of an aerosol delivery device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can hold and use its components in the same way a smoker uses a conventional type of smoking article, by drawing one end of the component to inhale the aerosol generated by the component, puffing at selected time intervals, and so on.

[0042] While this system is described herein in general terms with respect to embodiments related to aerosol delivery devices such as so-called “electronic cigarettes” and “tobacco heated products,” it should be understood that the mechanisms, components, features, and methods may be embodied in many different forms and may be related to a variety of articles. For example, the descriptions provided herein may be applied in relation to traditional smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.), non-combustion heated cigarettes, and related packaging embodiments for any of the products disclosed herein. Therefore, it should be understood that the descriptions of mechanisms, components, features, and methods disclosed herein are described merely as examples in relation to embodiments related to aerosol delivery devices and may be embodied and used in a variety of other products and methods.

[0043] The aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure may also be characterized as vapor-generating articles or drug delivery articles. Such articles or devices can therefore be adapted to deliver one or more substances (e.g., flavorings and / or pharmaceutically active ingredients) in an inhalable form or state. For example, the inhalable substance may be substantially in vapor form (i.e., a substance in the gas phase at a temperature below its critical point). Alternatively, the inhalable substance may be in aerosol form (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or droplets in a gas). For simplicity, the term “aerosol” as used herein means including vapors, gases and aerosols, whether visible or not, and regardless of whether they are in a form or type suitable for human inhalation, and regardless of whether they can be considered to resemble smoke.

[0044] During use, the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may be subject to many of the physical actions taken by an individual when using traditional types of smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, which are consumed by lighting and inhaling the tobacco). For example, a user of the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may hold the article in a manner very similar to that of traditional types of smoking articles, and may draw a sip from one end of the article to inhale the aerosol produced by the article, puffing or inhaling at selected time intervals.

[0045] The aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure generally include several components provided within an outer housing, which may also be referred to as a body or shell. The overall design of the housing may vary, and the style or configuration of the housing may vary, which may define the overall size and shape of the aerosol delivery device. Typically, an elongated body resembling the shape of a cigarette or cigar may be formed from a single, one-piece molded housing, or the elongated housing may be formed from two or more separable bodies. For example, an aerosol delivery device may have a substantially tubular shape and thus an elongated body that may resemble the shape of a conventional cigarette or cigar. In one example, all components of the aerosol delivery device are contained within a single housing. Alternatively, the aerosol delivery device may comprise two or more housings that are joined and separable. For example, an aerosol delivery device may have a control body at one end, comprising a housing containing one or more reusable components (e.g., a rechargeable battery, a solid-state battery (SSB), a thin-film SSB, a rechargeable supercapacitor and / or an accumulator such as a lithium-ion or hybrid lithium-ion supercapacitor, and various electronic devices for controlling the operation of the article), and at the other end, an outer body or shell comprising a disposable component (e.g., a disposable cartridge containing flavor) that can be detachably coupled thereto. More specific forms, configurations, and arrangements of components within a single-housing type unit or within a multi-component separable housing type unit will be evident in light of further disclosures provided herein. Furthermore, considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices, various designs and component arrangements of aerosol delivery devices can be understood.For example, it will be understood that alternative non-tubular housing form factors may also be used, including device housings that have a shape and size that is generally similar to that of cigarette packs and form factors, such as those used in GLO™ by British American Tobacco and IQOS™ by Philip Morris International, Inc.

[0046] As will be discussed in more detail below, the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure comprises a power source (i.e., a power supply), at least one control component (means for operating, controlling, regulating, and stopping power for heating, for example, by controlling the flow of current from the power source to other components of the aerosol delivery device), a heating element (e.g., an electrical resistance heating element or other component and / or an induction coil or other related component and / or one or more radiant heating elements), an aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a solid tobacco material, a semi-solid tobacco material, or a liquid aerosol precursor composition) capable of generating an aerosol when sufficiently heated, and any combination of a mouth end region or tip (e.g., an airflow path defined to pass through an article such that the generated aerosol can be drawn out thereup upon inhalation).

[0047] The alignment of components within the aerosol delivery device of this disclosure may vary. In certain embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition may be placed near the end of the aerosol delivery device, configured to be positioned near the user's mouth to maximize aerosol delivery to the user. However, other configurations are not excluded. Generally, the heating element may be positioned close enough to the aerosol precursor composition so that heat from the heating element can volatilize the aerosol precursor (as well as one or more flavorings, drugs, etc., which may also be provided for delivery to the user) and form an aerosol for delivery to the user. When the heating element heats the aerosol precursor composition, the aerosol is formed, released, or generated in a physical form suitable for inhalation by the consumer. Note that the terms used herein are interchangeable, meaning that references to releasing, releasing, releasing, or being released are mutually reusable, including forming or generating, forming or generating, and being formed or generated. Specifically, inhalable substances are released in the form of vapors, aerosols, or mixtures thereof, and such terms are also used interchangeably herein unless otherwise specified.

[0048] As noted above, the aerosol delivery device may incorporate a battery, SSB, or other power source to provide a sufficient current flow to offer the aerosol delivery device various functionalities, such as powering the heating element, powering the control system, and powering the indicator. The power source can take various embodiments. Preferably, the power source is capable of providing sufficient power to rapidly activate the heating element to achieve aerosol formation and to power the aerosol delivery device throughout the desired period of use. The power source is preferably sized to fit conveniently inside the aerosol delivery device so that the aerosol delivery device can be easily handled. Furthermore, a preferred power source is sufficiently lightweight so as not to impair the desired smoking experience.

[0049] More specific forms, configurations, and arrangements of the components within the aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure will become apparent in light of the further disclosures provided below. Furthermore, the selection of components for various aerosol delivery devices can be understood by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Furthermore, the arrangement of components within aerosol delivery devices can also be understood by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices.

[0050] As described below, this disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices. An aerosol delivery device may be configured to generate an aerosol (inhalable substance) by heating an aerosol precursor composition (sometimes called an inhalable substance medium). The aerosol precursor composition may comprise one or more of solid tobacco materials, semi-solid tobacco materials, and liquid aerosol precursor compositions. In some embodiments, the aerosol delivery device may be configured to heat a fluid aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a liquid aerosol precursor composition) to generate an aerosol therefrom. Such aerosol delivery devices may include so-called e-cigarettes.

[0051] Liquid aerosol precursor compositions, also called vapor precursor compositions or "e-liquids," may contain a variety of components, including, for example, polyhydric alcohols (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol, or mixtures thereof), nicotine, tobacco, tobacco extracts, and / or flavorings. Several liquid aerosol precursor compositions, which can be used in combination with various embodiments, may contain one or more acids, such as levulinic acid, succinic acid, lactic acid, pyruvic acid, benzoic acid, fumaric acid, or combinations thereof. Including an acid in a nicotine-containing liquid aerosol precursor composition makes it possible to provide a protonated liquid aerosol precursor composition containing nicotine in salt form. Representative types of liquid aerosol precursor compositions and formulations are described and characterized in U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,254,002 to Chong et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 0008457 to Zheng et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0020823 to Lipowicz et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0020830 to Koller, as well as in International Publication No. 2014 / 182736 to Bowen et al., and U.S. Patent No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., and these disclosures are incorporated herein by reference. Other aerosol precursors that may be used include aerosol precursors incorporated into any of the representative products identified above. Also desirable is the so-called “smoke juice” for e-cigarettes available from Johnson Creek Enterprises LLC.Further examples of aerosol precursor compositions are marketed under the brand names BLACK NOTE, COSMIC FOG, MILKMAN E-LIQUID, FIVE PAWNS, VAPOR CHEF, VAPE WILD, BOOSTED, THE STEAM FACTORY, MECH SAUCE, CASEY JONES MAINLINE RESERVE, MITTEN VAPORS, DR.CRIMMY'S V-LIQUID, SMILEY E LIQUID, BEANTOWN VAPOR, CUTTWOOD, CYCLOPS VAPOR, SICBOY, GOOD LIFE VAPOR, TELEOS, PINUP VAPORS, SPACE JAM, MT.BAKER VAPOR, and JIMMY THE JUICE MAN. Embodiments of foaming materials can be used in conjunction with aerosol precursors and are described, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0055494 to Hunt et al., which is incorporated by reference into the present invention. Furthermore, the use of foaming materials is described, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 4,639,368 to Niazi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,178,878 to Wehling et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,223,264 to Wehling et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,974,590 to Pater et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,381,667 to Bergquist et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,424,541 to Crawford et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,627,828 to Strickland et al., and U.S. Patent No. 9,307,787 to Sun et al., as well as U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010 / 0018539 to Brinkley et al., and International Publication No. 97 / 06786 to Johnson et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0052] Representative types of substrates, reservoirs, or other components for supporting aerosol precursors are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,528,569 to Newton, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014 / 0261487 to Chapman et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0059780 to Davis et al., and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0216232 to Bless et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, various wicking materials, as well as the composition and operation of such wicking materials in certain types of e-cigarettes, are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,640 to Sears et al., which is also incorporated herein by reference.

[0053] In other embodiments, the aerosol delivery device may also comprise a non-combustion heating device configured to heat a solid aerosol precursor composition (e.g., an extruded tobacco rod) or a semi-solid aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a tobacco paste filled with glycerin). The aerosol precursor composition may include tobacco-containing beads, tobacco shreds, tobacco pieces, reconstituted tobacco materials, or combinations thereof, and / or mixtures of other tobacco forms mixed with aerosol-forming materials that form a substantially solid or moldable (e.g., extrudeable) substrate. Representative types of solid and semi-solid aerosol precursor compositions and formulations are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,424,538 to Thomas et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,464,726 to Sebastian et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0083150 to Conner et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0157052 to Ademe et al., and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017 / 0000188 to Nordskog et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Further representative types of solid and semi-solid aerosol precursor compositions and arrangements include those found in the NEOSTIKS™ consuming aerosol source components for GLO™ products by British American Tobacco and the HEETS™ consuming aerosol source components for IQOS™ products by Philip Morris International, Inc.

[0054] In various embodiments, the inhalable substance may specifically be tobacco components or tobacco-derived materials (i.e., materials found naturally in tobacco that can be isolated directly from tobacco or synthesized). For example, an aerosol precursor composition may include a tobacco extract or a small portion thereof combined with an inert substrate. The aerosol precursor composition may further include a composition containing unburned tobacco, or unburned tobacco that releases an inhalable substance when heated to a temperature lower than the combustion temperature. In some embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition may include tobacco condensate or a small portion thereof (i.e., the condensed components of smoke produced by the combustion of tobacco, leaving flavor and possibly nicotine).

[0055] The tobacco materials useful in this disclosure may vary and may include, for example, yellow tobacco, Burley tobacco, Oriental tobacco or Maryland tobacco, dark tobacco, dark-fired tobacco and Rustica tobacco, as well as other rare or specialty tobaccos, or blends thereof. The tobacco materials may also include so-called “blended” forms and processed forms, such as processed tobacco stems (e.g., cut rolls or cut puff stems), volume-expanded tobacco (preferably in the form of cut fillers, such as puffed tobacco like dry ice-expanded tobacco (DIET)), and reconstituted tobacco (e.g., reconstituted tobacco produced using papermaking or cast-sheet processes). Various representative tobacco types, processed tobacco types, and tobacco blend types are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,836,224 for Lawson et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,924,888 for Perfetti et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,056,537 for Brown et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,159,942 for Brinkley et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,220,930 for Gentry, U.S. Patent No. 5,360,023 for Blakley et al., and U.S. Patent No. 6,7 for Shafer et al. These are described in U.S. Patent No. 01,936, U.S. Patent No. 7,011,096 for Li et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,017,585 for Li et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,025,066 for Lawson et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004 / 0255965 for Perfetti et al., International Publication No. 02 / 37990 for Bereman, and Fund.Appl.Toxicol., 39, pp.11-17 (1997) for Bombick et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. Further exemplary tobacco compositions that may be useful in smoking devices, including those described herein, are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 for Robinson et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0056] Furthermore, the aerosol precursor composition may include an inert substrate having an inhalable substance or its precursor incorporated therein or otherwise deposited thereon. For example, a liquid containing an inhalable substance may be coated onto, absorbed into, or adsorbed onto an inert substrate so that, upon heating, the inhalable substance is released in a form that can be drawn out from the article of the present invention through the application of positive or negative pressure. In some embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition may include a flavorful, more tobacco blend in cut-filler form. In other embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition may include reconstituted tobacco materials as described in U.S. Patent No. 4,807,809 for Pryor et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,889,143 for Pryor et al., and U.S. Patent No. 5,025,814 for Raker, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. For further information regarding appropriate aerosol precursor compositions, please refer to U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 916,834 filed to Sur et al. on 9 March 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0057] Regardless of the type of aerosol precursor composition to be heated, an aerosol delivery device may include a heating element configured to heat the aerosol precursor composition. In some embodiments, the heating element is an induction heater. Such a heater often comprises an induction transmitter and an induction receiver. The induction transmitter may include a coil configured to produce an oscillating magnetic field (e.g., a magnetic field that changes periodically over time) when an alternating current is guided through it. The induction receiver may be at least partially placed within or received within the induction transmitter and may include a conductive material. By guiding an alternating current through the induction transmitter, eddy currents can be generated within the induction receiver via induction. Eddy currents flowing through the resistance of the material defining the induction receiver may heat the induction receiver by Joule heating (i.e., through the Joule effect). The induction receiver may define an atomizer which may be wirelessly heated to form an aerosol from an aerosol precursor composition positioned in close proximity to the induction receiver. Various embodiments of an aerosol delivery device with an induction heater are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2017 / 0127722 to Davis et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication 2017 / 0202266 to Sur et al., U.S. Patent Application 15 / 352,153 to Sur et al., filed November 15, 2016, U.S. Patent Application 15 / 799,365 to Sebastian et al., filed October 31, 2017, and U.S. Patent Application 15 / 836,086 to Sur, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0058] In other embodiments, including those described more specifically herein, the heating element is a conductive heater, such as in the case of an electrical resistance heater. These heaters may be configured to generate heat when an electric current is induced therethrough. In various embodiments, conductive heaters may be provided in various forms, such as foil, foam, disk, spiral wire, fiber, wire, film, yarn, strip, ribbon, or cylinder. Such heaters often contain a metallic material and are configured to generate heat as a result of electrical resistance associated with the passage of an electric current therethrough. Such a resistive heater can be positioned near an aerosol precursor composition to heat the aerosol precursor composition and generate an aerosol. Various conductive substrates that may be used with this disclosure are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 to Griffith et al., cited above.

[0059] In some embodiments, the aerosol delivery device may include a control body and a cartridge in the case of a so-called e-cigarette, or a control body and an aerosol source member in the case of a non-combustion heating device. In either the case of an e-cigarette or a non-combustion heating device, the control body may be reusable, while the cartridge / aerosol source member may be configured for a limited number of uses and / or be configured to be disposable. The cartridge / aerosol source member may contain an aerosol precursor composition. To heat the aerosol precursor composition, a heating element may be positioned in contact with or near the aerosol precursor composition, for example, across the control body and cartridge, or positioned within the control body where the aerosol source member can be positioned. The control body may include a power supply that may be rechargeable or replaceable, thereby allowing the control body to be reused with multiple cartridges / aerosol source members.

[0060] The control unit may also include means for activating the aerosol delivery device, such as a push button or touch-sensitive surface, for manual control of the device. Additionally, or alternatively, the control unit may include a flow sensor for detecting when the user inhales a cartridge / aerosol source member, thereby activating the aerosol delivery device.

[0061] In various embodiments, the aerosol delivery devices according to this disclosure may have a variety of overall shapes, including, but are not limited to, an overall shape that may be defined as substantially rod-shaped, substantially tubular, or substantially cylindrical. In embodiments shown in and described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the aerosol delivery device has a substantially circular cross-section; however, other cross-sectional shapes (e.g., elliptical, square, triangular, etc.) are also encompassed by this disclosure. Such language describing the physical shape of an article may also apply to its individual components, including the control body and the cartridge / aerosol source member. In other embodiments, the control body may take on a different handheld shape, such as a small box shape.

[0062] In more specific embodiments, one or both of the control body and the cartridge / aerosol source component may be referred to as disposable or reusable. For example, the control body may have a power source such as a replaceable or rechargeable battery, an SSB, a thin-film SSB, a rechargeable supercapacitor, or a lithium-ion or hybrid lithium-ion supercapacitor. An example of a power source is the TKI-1550 rechargeable lithium-ion battery manufactured by Tadiran Batteries GmbH in Germany. In another embodiment, a useful power source may be the N50-AAA CADNICA nickel-cadmium battery manufactured by Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. in Japan. In yet another embodiment, multiple such batteries, each providing, for example, 1.2 volts, may be connected in series. Next, in some examples, the power source may be combined with any type of recharging technology, including connection to a wall charger, connection to an automotive charger (i.e., a cigarette lighter receptacle), connection to a computer such as via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable or connector (USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, USB-C), connection to a solar cell or solar panel, or connection to a wireless charger such as a charger using inductive wireless charging (including wireless charging compliant with the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) Qi wireless charging standard, for example), or a wireless radio frequency (RF) based charger. Examples of inductive wireless charging systems are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0112196 to Sur et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Furthermore, in some embodiments in the case of e-cigarettes, the cartridge may include a single-use cartridge as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,639 to Chang et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0063] Examples of power supplies are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,484,155 to Peckerar et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0112191 to Sur et al., filed on October 21, 2015, and these disclosures are incorporated herein by reference. With respect to flow sensors, typical current control components, and other current control components including various microcontrollers, sensors, and switches for aerosol delivery devices, are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Patents No. 4,922,901, 4,947,874 and 4,947,875 to Brooks et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., and U.S. Patent No. 6,040,5 to Fleischhauer et al. This is described in U.S. Patent No. 60, U.S. Patent No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,205,622 to Pan, U.S. Patent Publication No. 8,881,737 to Collet et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,423,152 to Ampolini et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,439,454 to Fernando et al., and U.S. Patent Application No. 2015 / 0257445 to Henry et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0064] Input elements may be included in the aerosol delivery device (or may be replaced or supplemented by flow sensors). Inputs may be included to allow a user to control the device's functions and / or to output information to the user. Any component or combination of components may be used as inputs to control the device's functions. For example, one or more push buttons may be used, as described in U.S. Patent Publication 2015 / 0245658 to Worm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Similarly, a touchscreen may be used, as described in U.S. Patent Application 14 / 643,626 to Sears et al., filed March 10, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference. As a further example, components adapted to gesture recognition based on specific movements of the aerosol delivery device may be used as inputs. See U.S. Patent Publication 2016 / 0158782 to Henry et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. In yet another example, a capacitive sensor may be implemented in an aerosol delivery device, allowing the user to provide input by touching the surface of the device on which the capacitive sensor is implemented.

[0065] As shown above, an aerosol delivery device may include various electronic components, such as at least one control component. A suitable control component may include several electronic components, which in some examples may be formed from a printed circuit board (PCB). In some examples, the electronic component includes a processing circuit configured to perform data processing, application execution, or other processing, control, or management services, according to one or more exemplary embodiments. The processing circuit may include a processor embodied in various forms, such as at least one processor core, microprocessor, coprocessor, controller, microcontroller, or various other computing or processing devices, including one or more integrated circuits, such as ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits), FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), or several combinations thereof. In some examples, the processing circuit may include memory coupled to or integrated with the processor, which can store data, computer program instructions executable by the processor, several combinations thereof, and so on.

[0066] In some examples, the control component may include one or more input / output peripherals that can be coupled to or integrated into the processing circuit. More specifically, the control component may include a communication interface for enabling wireless communication with one or more networks, computing devices, or other appropriately enabled devices. An example of a suitable communication interface is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2016 / 0261020 to Marion et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Another example of a suitable communication interface is the CC3200 single-chip wireless microcontroller unit (MCU) from Texas Instruments. Examples of suitable ways in which an aerosol delivery device may be configured to communicate wirelessly are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2016 / 0007651 to Ampolini et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2016 / 0219933 to Henry, Jr. et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0067] Further components may be utilized in the aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure. Examples of suitable components include indicators such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), quantum dot-based LEDs, which can be illuminated using the aerosol delivery device. Examples of suitable LED components, as well as their configurations and uses, are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,499,766 to Newton, U.S. Patent No. 8,539,959 to Scatterday, and U.S. Patent No. 9,451,791 to Sears et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0068] Other indicators of behavior are also covered by this disclosure. For example, visual indicators of behavior include changes in the color or intensity of light to indicate the progress of the smoking experience. Haptic and auditory indicators of behavior are also covered by this disclosure. Furthermore, combinations of such behavior indicators are also suitable for use in a single smoking article. In another embodiment, an aerosol delivery device may include one or more indicators or indicia, such as a display, configured to provide information corresponding to the behavior of the smoking article, such as an indication of the remaining power of the power supply, the progress of the smoking experience, or the activation of a heat source.

[0069] Furthermore, other components are also contemplated. For example, U.S. Patent No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al. discloses an indicator for a smoking article; U.S. Patent No. 5,261,424 to Sprinkel, Jr. discloses a piezoelectric sensor that may be associated with the mouth end of a device to detect the movement of the user's lips associated with inhaling and then trigger heating of the heating device; U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al. discloses a blow sensor for controlling the flow of energy to a heating load array in response to a pressure drop through the mouthpiece; U.S. Patent No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al. discloses a receptacle in a smoking device that includes an identifier for detecting non-uniformity of the infrared transmittance of an inserted component and a controller that performs a detection routine when the component is inserted into the receptacle; U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al. describes a defined, viable power cycle with multiple differential phases; U.S. Patent No. 5, U.S. Patent No. 934,289 discloses photonic optronic components; U.S. Patent No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al. discloses means for changing inhalation resistance throughout a smoking device; U.S. Patent No. 6,803,545 to Blake et al. discloses specific battery configurations for use in a smoking device; U.S. Patent No. 7,293,565 to Griffen et al. disclose various charging systems for use with a smoking device; U.S. Patent No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al. discloses computer interface means for a smoking device to facilitate charging and enable computer control of the device; U.S. Patent No. 8,689,804 to Fernando et al. discloses identification systems for smoking devices; and Flick's International Publication No. 2010 / 003480 discloses a fluid flow sensing system indicating puffing in an aerosol generation system; all of the aforementioned disclosures are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0070] Further examples of materials or components that may be used herein in connection with electronic aerosol delivery articles include U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,666,977 to Higgins et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,053,176 to Adams et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,164,287 to White, U.S. Patent No. 6,196,218 to Voges, U.S. Patent No. 6,810,883 to Felter et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,854,461 to Nichols, U.S. Patent No. 7,832,410 to Hon, U.S. Patent No. 7,513,253 to Kobayashi, U.S. Patent No. 7,896,006 to Hamano, U.S. Patent No. 6,772,756 to Shayan, H U.S. Patent Nos. 8,156,944 and 8,375,957 for on, U.S. Patent No. 8,794,231 for Thorens et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,851,083 for Oglesby et al., U.S. Patent Nos. 8,915,254 and 8,925,555 for Monsees et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,220,302 for DePiano et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 20 for Hon This includes U.S. Patent Publication No. 06 / 0196518 and No. 2009 / 0188490 to Oglesby et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010 / 0024834 to Oglesby et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010 / 0307518 to Wang, International Publication No. 2010 / 091593 to Hon, and International Publication No. 2013 / 089551 to Foo, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017 / 0099877 to Worm et al. discloses capsules that may be included in aerosol delivery devices and fob configurations for aerosol delivery devices, which is incorporated herein by reference.Various materials disclosed in the aforementioned documents can be incorporated into the present device in various embodiments, and all of the aforementioned disclosures are incorporated herein by reference.

[0071] Further other features, control devices, or components that can be incorporated into the aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure are as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,934,289 to Watkins et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,365,742 to Hon, U.S. Patent No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005 / 0016550 to Katase, Fer This is described in U.S. Patent No. 8,689,804 to nando et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 0192623 to Tucker et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,427,022 to Leven et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 0180553 to Kim et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014 / 0000638 to Sebastian et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014 / 0261495 to Novak et al., and U.S. Patent No. 9,220,302 to DePiano et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0072] Figures 1 and 2 illustrate embodiments of an aerosol delivery device, including a control body and a cartridge, in the case of an e-cigarette. More specifically, Figures 1 and 2 show an aerosol delivery device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the aerosol delivery device may include a control body 102 and a cartridge 104. The control body and cartridge can be aligned permanently or detachably in a functional relationship. In this regard, Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the aerosol delivery device in a coupled configuration, while Figure 2 shows a partially cut side view of the aerosol delivery device in a separated configuration. When the control body and cartridge are assembled, the aerosol delivery device may be substantially rod-shaped, substantially tubular, or substantially cylindrical in some exemplary embodiments.

[0073] The control body 102 and the cartridge 104 can be configured to engage with each other by various connections, such as press-fit (or interference fit) connections, screw connections, and magnetic connections. Thus, the control body may include a first engaging element (e.g., a coupler) adapted to engage with a second engaging element (e.g., a connector) on the cartridge. The first and second engaging elements can be reversed. For example, either the first or second engaging element may be a male thread, and the other a female thread. As a further example, either the first or second engaging element may be a magnet, and the other a metal or a matching magnet. In certain embodiments, the engaging elements may be defined directly by existing components of the control body and cartridge. For example, the housing of the control body may define a cavity at its end, configured to receive at least a portion of the cartridge (e.g., a storage tank or other shell-forming elements of the cartridge). In particular, the cartridge mouthpiece may remain exposed to the outside of the control body cavity, while the cartridge storage tank may be at least partially received within the control body cavity. The cartridge may be held within the cavity formed by the control body housing by interference fit (e.g., through the use of retaining elements and / or other features that create interference engagement between the outer surface of the cartridge and the inner surface of the walls forming the control body cavity), magnetic engagement (e.g., by the use of magnets and / or magnetic metals positioned within the control body cavity and positioned on the cartridge), or by other suitable techniques.

[0074] As seen in the cutaway diagram in Figure 2, the control body 102 and the cartridge 104 each contain several respective components. The components shown in Figure 2 are representative of the components that may be present in the control body and cartridge, and are not intended to limit the scope of components covered by this disclosure. As shown, for example, the control body may be formed in a housing 206 (sometimes called the control body shell) which may contain electronic components 208 such as control components 210 (e.g., processing circuits), a flow sensor 212, a power supply 214 (e.g., a battery, a supercapacitor), and an indicator 216 (e.g., an LED, a quantum dot-based LED), and such components may be variably aligned. The power supply may be rechargeable, and the control body may include a charging circuit coupled to the power supply and configured to controllly charge the power supply.

[0075] The cartridge 104 may be formed by a housing 218 that surrounds a reservoir 220 configured to hold the aerosol precursor composition and includes a heating element 222 (sometimes called a heater). In various configurations, such a structure may also be called a tank; therefore, terms such as “cartridge” and “tank” may be used interchangeably to refer to the shell or other housing that surrounds the reservoir for the aerosol precursor composition and includes the heating element.

[0076] As shown, in some examples, the reservoir 220 can fluidly communicate with a liquid transport element 224 adapted to transport the aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir housing to the heating element 222 by capillary action or otherwise. In some examples, a valve may be positioned between the reservoir and the heating element and may be configured to control the amount of aerosol precursor composition passed from the reservoir to the heating element or delivered.

[0077] Various exemplary materials configured to generate heat when an electric current is applied may be employed to form the heating element 222. The heating element in these examples may be a resistive heating element such as a wire coil, a microheater, etc. Examples of materials on which the heating element can be formed include Kanthal (FeCrAl), nichrome, nickel, stainless steel, indium tin oxide, tungsten, molybdenum disilicide (MoSi2), molybdenum silicide (MoSi), aluminum-doped molybdenum disilicide (Mo(Si,Al)2), titanium, platinum, silver, palladium, silver-palladium alloys, graphite and graphite-based materials (e.g., carbon-based foams and threads), conductive inks, boron-doped silica, and ceramics (e.g., ceramics with positive or negative temperature coefficients). The heating element may be a resistive heating element or a heating element configured to generate heat through induction. The heating element may be coated with a thermally conductive ceramic such as aluminum nitride, silicon carbide, beryllium oxide, alumina, silicon nitride, or composites thereof. Exemplary embodiments of heating elements useful for aerosol delivery devices according to this disclosure are further described below and can be incorporated into devices such as those described herein.

[0078] An opening 226 may be present in the housing 218 (for example, at the mouth end) to allow the formed aerosol to escape from the cartridge 104.

[0079] The cartridge 104 may also include one or more electronic components 228, which may include integrated circuits, memory components (e.g., EEPROM, flash memory), sensors, etc. The electronic components may be adapted to communicate with the control components 210 and / or external devices by wired or wireless means. The electronic components may be positioned anywhere within the cartridge or its base 230.

[0080] Although the control component 210 and the flow sensor 212 are shown separately, it is understood that the various electronic components 208, including the control component and the flow sensor, may be combined on a PCB that supports and electrically connects the electronic components. Furthermore, the PCB may be positioned horizontally to the diagram in Figure 1, in that it may be parallel to the longitudinal direction with respect to the central axis of the control body. In some examples, the air flow sensor may have its own PCB or other base element on which it can be mounted. In some examples, a flexible PCB may be used. The flexible PCB may be configured in various shapes, including substantially tubular shapes. In some examples, the flexible PCB may be combined with a heater substrate, laminated on it, or form part or all of it.

[0081] The control body 102 and cartridge 104 may include components adapted to facilitate fluid engagement between them. As shown in Figure 2, the control body may include a coupler 232 having a cavity 234 inside. The base 230 of the cartridge may be adapted to engage with the coupler and may include a projection 236 adapted to mating into the cavity. Such engagement facilitates a stable connection between the control body and the cartridge and can establish an electrical connection between the power supply 214 and control components 210 in the control body and the heating element 222 in the cartridge. Furthermore, the housing 206 may include an air intake 238, which may be a notch in the housing, in which case it is connected to the coupler and allows ambient air to pass around the coupler and into the housing, so that the air passes through the cavity 234 of the coupler and proceeds into the cartridge through the projection 236.

[0082] Couplers and bases useful in accordance with this disclosure are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 2014 / 0261495 to Novak et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, a coupler 232 as shown in Figure 2 may define an outer circumference 240 configured to coincide with an inner circumference 242 of a base 230. In one example, the inner circumference of the base may define a radius substantially equal to or slightly larger than the radius of the outer circumference of the coupler. Furthermore, the coupler may define one or more projections 244 on its outer circumference configured to engage with one or more recesses 246 defined on the inner circumference of the base. However, various other examples of structure, shape and components may be used to couple the base to the coupler. In some examples, the connection between the base of the cartridge 104 and the coupler of the control body 102 may be substantially permanent, while in other examples the connection between them may be detachable, so that, for example, the control body may be reusable by one or more additional cartridges which may be disposable and / or refillable.

[0083] The reservoir 220 shown in Figure 2 may be a container or a fibrous reservoir, as described below. For example, in this example, the reservoir may include one or more layers of nonwoven fibers substantially formed in a tubular shape surrounding the inside of the housing 218. The aerosol precursor composition can be held within the reservoir. For example, a liquid component may be held adsorbently by the reservoir. The reservoir can communicate fluidly with the liquid transport element 224. The liquid transport element can transport the aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir by capillary action to the heating element 222, which in this example is in the form of a metal wire coil. Thus, the heating element, together with the liquid transport element, is in a heating configuration.

[0084] In some examples, a microfluidic chip may be embedded in the reservoir 220, and the amount and / or mass of the aerosol precursor composition delivered from the reservoir may be controlled by a micropump, such as one based on microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology. Exemplary embodiments of reservoirs and transport elements useful for aerosol delivery devices according to this disclosure are further described herein, and such reservoirs and / or transport elements may be incorporated into devices such as those described herein. In particular, certain combinations of heating elements and transport elements, as further described herein, may be incorporated into devices such as those described herein.

[0085] When in use, the user inhales the aerosol delivery device 100, and the flow sensor 212 detects the airflow, activating the heating element 222 to vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition. Inhalation at the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device causes ambient air to enter the air intake 238 and pass through the cavity 234 of the coupler 232 and the central opening of the projection 236 of the base 230. Inside the cartridge 104, the inhaled air combines with the formed vapor to form an aerosol. The aerosol is removed from the heating element, sucked in, or otherwise drawn out and exited through the opening 226 at the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device.

[0086] For further details regarding embodiments of an aerosol delivery device including a control unit and cartridge in the case of an e-cigarette, please refer to U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 836,086 to Sur, U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 916,834 to Sur et al., and U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 916,696 to Sur, filed on 9 March 2018, which are also incorporated herein by reference.

[0087] Figures 3 to 6 show embodiments of an aerosol delivery device including a control body and an aerosol source member in the case of a non-combustion heating device. More specifically, Figure 3 shows an aerosol delivery device 300 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The aerosol delivery device may include a control body 302 and an aerosol source member 304. In various embodiments, the aerosol source member and the control body can be aligned permanently or detachably in a functional relationship. In this regard, Figure 3 shows an aerosol delivery device in a coupled configuration, while Figure 4 shows an aerosol delivery device in a disconnected configuration. Various mechanisms can be used to connect the aerosol source member to the control body, resulting in screw engagement, press-fit engagement, interlocking fit, sliding fit, magnetic engagement, and the like.

[0088] As shown in Figure 4, in various embodiments of the present disclosure, the aerosol source member 304 may comprise a heating end 406 configured to be inserted into a control body 302 and a mouth end 408 that the user inhales to produce an aerosol. In various embodiments, at least a portion of the heating end may contain an aerosol precursor composition 410.

[0089] In various embodiments, the aerosol source member 304 or a portion thereof may be wrapped in an outer overlap material 412 which can be formed of any material useful for providing additional structure and / or support to the aerosol source member. In various embodiments, the outer overlap material may include a material that resists heat transfer and may include other fibrous materials such as paper or cellulose material. The outer overlap material may also include at least one filler material embedded in or dispersed within the fibrous material. In various embodiments, the filler material may be in the form of water-insoluble particles. Furthermore, the filler material may incorporate inorganic components. In various embodiments, the outer overlap may be formed of multiple layers, such as an underlying bulk layer and a layer that overlaps on top of typical packaging paper in cigarettes. Such materials may include, for example, lightweight “rag fiber” such as flax, hemp, sisal, rice straw, and / or esparto. The outer overlap may also include materials commonly used in conventional cigarette filter elements, such as cellulose acetate. Furthermore, the excessive length of overlap at the mouth end 408 of the aerosol source member may function to simply separate the aerosol precursor composition 410 from the consumer's mouth, or to provide space for positioning a filter material as described below, or to affect the inhalation of an article, or to affect the flow characteristics of vapor or aerosol leaving the device during inhalation. Further discussion of the configuration of overlap material that may be used in this disclosure can be found in U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., cited above.

[0090] In various embodiments, other components may be present between the aerosol precursor composition 410 and the mouth end 408 of the aerosol source member 304, in which case the mouth end may include a filter 414, which may be made from, for example, cellulose acetate or polypropylene material. The filter may additionally or alternatively include a strand of tobacco-containing material, such as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,025,814 to Raker et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In various embodiments, the filter can enhance the structural integrity of the mouth end of the aerosol source member and / or provide filtration capacity as needed and / or provide resistance to aspiration. In some embodiments, one or any combination of the following may be positioned between the aerosol precursor composition and the mouth end: a void; a phase change material for cooling air; a flavor-releasing medium; ion exchange fibers capable of selective chemiadsorption; aerogel particles as a filter medium; and other suitable materials.

[0091] Various embodiments of this disclosure heat the aerosol precursor composition 410 of an aerosol source member 304 using one or more conductive heating elements. In various embodiments, the heating elements may be provided in various forms such as foil, foam, mesh, hollow ball, half-ball, disc, spiral wire, fiber, wire, film, thread, strip, ribbon, or cylinder. Such heating elements often include a metallic material and are configured to generate heat as a result of electrical resistance associated with passing an electric current therein. Such resistive heating elements may be positioned in direct contact with or in close proximity to the aerosol source member, particularly the aerosol precursor composition of the aerosol source member 304. The heating elements may be placed within the control body and / or the aerosol source member. In various embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition may include components (i.e., thermally conductive components) that are embedded in or otherwise part of the substrate portion and can act as a heating assembly or facilitate that function. Several examples of various heating members and elements are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al.

[0092] Some non-limiting examples of various heating element configurations include configurations in which the heating element is positioned near the aerosol source member 304. For example, in some examples, at least a portion of the heating element may surround at least a portion of the aerosol source member. In other examples, one or more heating elements may be positioned adjacent to the outside of the aerosol source member when inserted into the control body 302. In other examples, when the aerosol source is inserted into the control body, at least a portion of the heating element may penetrate at least a portion of the aerosol source member (e.g., one or more prongs and / or spikes penetrating the aerosol source member). In some examples, the aerosol precursor composition may include a number of beads or particles that are embedded in or otherwise part of the aerosol precursor composition, or structures that are in contact with the aerosol precursor composition and can act as heating elements or facilitate that function.

[0093] Figure 5 shows a front view of an aerosol delivery device 300 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view through the aerosol delivery device of Figure 5. In particular, the control body 302 of the illustrated embodiment may comprise a housing 516 including an opening 518 defined at its engaging end, and an end cap including electronic components 520 such as a flow sensor 522 (e.g., a blow sensor or pressure switch), control components 524 (e.g., a processing circuit), a power supply 526 (e.g., a battery, SSB, supercapacitor), and an indicator 528 (e.g., an LED). The power supply may be rechargeable, and the control body may include a charging circuit coupled to the power supply and configured to controllly charge the power supply.

[0094] In one embodiment, the indicator 528 may include one or more LEDs, such as quantum dot-based LEDs. The indicator communicates with a control component 524 and, for example, when coupled to a control body 302, may be illuminated when detected by a flow sensor 522 when a user inhales the aerosol source member 304.

[0095] The control body 302 of the illustrated embodiment includes one or more heating assemblies 530 (individually or collectively referred to as heating assemblies) configured to heat the aerosol precursor composition 410 of the aerosol source member 304. While heating assemblies of various embodiments of the present disclosure can take various forms, in the particular embodiment shown in Figures 5 and 6, the heating assembly includes an outer cylinder 532 and a heating element 534, the heating element 534 comprising a plurality of heater prongs (in various configurations the heating assembly, or more specifically the heater prongs, may be referred to as heaters) extending from a receiving base 536. In the illustrated embodiment, the outer cylinder comprises a double-walled vacuum tube constructed of stainless steel to retain the heat generated by the heater prongs within the outer cylinder, more specifically, to retain the heat generated by the heater prongs within the aerosol precursor composition. In various embodiments, the heater prongs may be constructed from one or more conductive materials, including, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, platinum, gold, silver, iron, steel, brass, bronze, graphite, or any combination thereof.

[0096] As illustrated, the heating assembly 530 may extend near the engaging end of the housing 516 and may be configured to substantially surround a portion of the heating end 406 of the aerosol source member 304 containing the aerosol precursor composition 410. In such a method, the heating assembly may define a generally tubular configuration. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the heating element 534 (e.g., multiple heater prongs) is surrounded by an outer cylinder 532 to create a receiving chamber 538. In such a method, in various embodiments, the outer cylinder may include, but is not limited to, an insulating polymer (e.g., plastic or cellulose), glass, rubber, ceramic, porcelain, a double-walled vacuum structure, or any combination thereof, a non-conductive insulating material and / or a non-conductive insulating structure.

[0097] In some embodiments, one or more parts or components of the heating assembly 530 may be combined with, packaged with, and / or integrated with (e.g., embedded within) the aerosol precursor composition 410. For example, in some embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition may be formed from materials such as those described above and may contain a mixture of one or more conductive materials. In some of these embodiments, the contacts may be directly connected to the aerosol precursor composition so that when the aerosol source member is inserted into the receiving chamber of the control body, the contacts make an electrical connection with an electrical energy source. Alternatively, the contacts may be integrated with the electrical energy source and extend into the receiving chamber so that when the aerosol source member is inserted into the receiving chamber of the control body, the contacts make an electrical connection with the aerosol precursor composition. Because conductive materials are present in the aerosol precursor composition, applying power to the aerosol precursor composition from the electrical energy source allows current to flow, thus generating heat from the conductive materials. Therefore, in some embodiments, the heating element may be described as being integrated with the aerosol precursor composition. In non-limiting examples, graphite or other suitable conductive materials may be mixed with, embedded in, or otherwise present on or within the material forming the aerosol precursor composition to create a heating element integrated with the medium.

[0098] As noted above, in the exemplary embodiments, the outer cylinder 532 may also function to facilitate proper positioning of the aerosol source member 304 when the aerosol source member is inserted into the housing 516. In various embodiments, the outer cylinder of the heating assembly 530 may engage with the inner surface of the housing to provide alignment of the heating assembly with respect to the housing. As a result of the fixed coupling between the heating assemblies, the longitudinal axis of the heating assembly may extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing. In particular, a support cylinder may extend from the opening 518 of the housing to the receiving base 536 to create a receiving chamber 538.

[0099] The heated end 406 of the aerosol source member 304 is sized and molded for insertion into the control body 302. In various embodiments, the receiving chamber 538 of the control body may be characterized as being defined by a wall having an inner and outer surface, the inner surface defining the internal volume of the receiving chamber. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the outer cylinder 532 defines the inner surface that defines the internal volume of the receiving chamber. In the illustrated embodiment, the inner diameter of the outer cylinder may be slightly larger than or approximately equal to the outer diameter of the corresponding aerosol source member (for example, to create a slip fit), and as a result, the outer cylinder is configured to guide the aerosol source member to the appropriate position (for example, a lateral position) relative to the control body. Thus, the maximum outer diameter of the aerosol source member (or other dimensions depending on the specific cross-sectional shape of this embodiment) may be sized to be smaller than the inner diameter (or other dimensions) of the inner surface of the wall at the open end of the receiving chamber of the control body. In some embodiments, the difference in diameter between the aerosol source members may be small enough so that they fit snugly into the receiving chamber and friction prevents them from moving without force. On the other hand, such a difference may be small enough to allow the aerosol source members to slide into the receiving chamber without requiring excessive force.

[0100] In the illustrated embodiment, the control body 302 is configured such that, when the aerosol source member 304 is inserted into the control body, the heating element 534 (e.g., a heater prong) is positioned approximately at the radial center of at least a portion of the aerosol precursor composition 410 at the heating end 406 of the aerosol source member. In such a manner, when used in combination with a solid or semi-solid aerosol precursor composition, the heater prong may come into direct contact with the aerosol precursor composition. In other embodiments, when used in combination with an extruded aerosol precursor composition defining a tubular structure, the heater prong is positioned inside a cavity defined by the inner surface of the extruded tubular structure and does not come into contact with the inner surface of the extruded tubular structure.

[0101] During use, the consumer initiates heating of the heating assembly 530, particularly the heating element 534 adjacent to the aerosol precursor composition 410 (or a particular layer thereof). Heating the aerosol precursor composition releases the inhalable substance into the aerosol source member 304 to produce an inhalable substance. When the consumer inhales at the mouth end 408 of the aerosol source member, air is drawn into the aerosol source member through an air intake 540, such as an opening or hole in the control body 302. As the drawn-in substance exits the mouth end of the aerosol source member, the combined drawn-in air and released inhalable substance is inhaled by the consumer. In some embodiments, to initiate heating, the consumer may manually activate a push button or similar component that causes the heating elements of the heating assembly to receive electrical energy from a battery or other energy source. The electrical energy may be supplied for a predefined time or may be manually controlled.

[0102] In some embodiments, the flow of electrical energy is substantially absent between blows in the device 300 (however, the energy flow may continue to maintain a baseline temperature higher than the ambient temperature—for example, a temperature that facilitates rapid heating to the active heating temperature). However, in the illustrated embodiment, heating is initiated by the consumer's blow action through the use of one or more sensors, such as the flow sensor 522. When blowing is stopped, heating stops or is reduced. When the consumer has blown enough times to release a sufficient amount of inhalable material (for example, enough to be equivalent to a typical smoking experience), the aerosol source member 304 may be detached from the control body 302 and discarded. In some embodiments, further sensing elements, such as capacitive sensing elements and other sensors, may be used as considered in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 707,461 to Phillips et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0103] In various embodiments, the aerosol source member 304 may be formed of any material suitable for forming and maintaining a suitable conformation, such as a tubular shape, and for holding the aerosol precursor composition 410 therein. In some embodiments, the aerosol source member may be formed of a single wall, or in other embodiments, a number of walls, and may be formed of a (natural or synthetic) material that is heat-resistant and does not degrade at a temperature that is at least the heating temperature provided by an electric heating element, as discussed further herein, in order to maintain its structural integrity. In some embodiments, a heat-resistant polymer may be used, but in other embodiments, the aerosol source member may be formed from paper, such as paper in a substantially straw shape. As discussed further herein, the aerosol source member may have one or more layers associated with it that function to substantially block the movement of vapor through it. In one exemplary embodiment, an aluminum foil layer may be laminated on one surface of the aerosol source member. Ceramic materials may be used. In further embodiments, insulating materials may be used to prevent unnecessarily removing heat from the aerosol precursor composition. Further illustrative types of components and materials that may be used to provide the above-described functions or that may be used as substitutes for the materials and components described above are of the types described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010 / 00186757 to Crooks et al., and No. 2011 / 0041861 to Sebastian et al., which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0104] In the illustrated embodiment, the control body 302 includes a control component 524 that controls various functions of the aerosol delivery device 300, including providing power to an electric heating element 534. For example, the control component may include a processing circuit connected to a power supply 526 by conductive wires (not shown) (which may be connected to further components as described herein). In various embodiments, the processing circuit may control when and how the heating assembly 530, in particular the heater prongs, heats the aerosol precursor composition 410 to release an inhalable substance for inhalation by the consumer. In some embodiments, such control may be activated by a flow sensor 522 as described in more detail above.

[0105] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the heating assembly 530 of the illustrated embodiment comprises an outer cylinder 532 extending from a receiving base 536 and a heating element 534 (e.g., a plurality of heater prongs). In some embodiments, such as those in which the aerosol precursor composition 410 comprises a tubular structure, the heater prongs may be configured to extend into a cavity defined by the inner surface of the aerosol precursor composition. In other embodiments, such as the illustrated embodiment in which the aerosol precursor composition comprises a solid or semi-solid, the plurality of heater prongs are configured to penetrate the aerosol precursor composition contained in the heating end 406 of the aerosol source member 304 when the aerosol source member is inserted into the control body 302. In such embodiments, one or more components of the heating assembly, including the heater prongs and / or the receiving base, may be constructed of a non-stick or tack-resistant material, such as certain aluminum, copper, stainless steel, carbon steel, and ceramic materials. In other embodiments, one or more components of the heating assembly, including the heater prongs and / or receiving base, may include other coatings such as a non-stick coating including a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coating such as Teflon(R), or a tack-resistant enamel coating, or a ceramic coating such as Grebolon(R) or Thermolon(TM), or a ceramic coating such as Grebolon(R) or Thermolon(TM).

[0106] In addition, while the illustrated embodiment presents a number of heating elements 534 substantially evenly distributed around the receiving base 536, it should be noted that in other embodiments, any number of heater prongs, including just one, may be used in any other suitable spatial configuration. Furthermore, the length of the heater prongs may vary in various embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, the heater prongs may have small protrusions, while in other embodiments, the heater prongs may extend to any portion of the length of the receiving chamber 538, including up to about 25%, up to about 50%, up to about 75%, and up to substantially the entire length of the receiving chamber. In yet another embodiment, the heating assembly 530 may take on a different configuration. Examples of other heater configurations that can be adapted for use in this disclosure in accordance with the discussion provided above are U.S. Patent No. 5,060,671 to Counts et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,093,894 to Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,224,498 to Deevi et al., and Sprinkel These patents may be found in U.S. Patent No. 5,228,460 to Jr. et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,322,075 to Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,353,813 to Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,468,936 to Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,498,850 to Das, U.S. Patent No. 5,659,656 to Das, U.S. Patent No. 5,498,855 to Deevi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,530,225 to Hajaligol, U.S. Patent No. 5,665,262 to Hajaligol, U.S. Patent No. 5,573,692 to Das et al., and U.S. Patent No. 5,591,368 to Fleischhauer et al., which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0107] In various embodiments, the control body 302 may include an air intake 540 (e.g., one or more openings or holes) within it to allow ambient air to enter the receiving chamber 538. In such a manner, in some embodiments, the receiving base 536 may also include an air intake. Thus, in some embodiments, when a consumer inhales the mouth end of the aerosol source member 304, air is drawn into the receiving chamber through the air intakes of the control body and the receiving base, proceeds into the aerosol source member, and can be drawn through the aerosol precursor composition 410 of the aerosol source member for inhalation by the consumer. In some embodiments, the drawn-in air carries the inhalable substance through an optional filter 414 and exits through the opening at the mouth end 408 of the aerosol source member. With the heating element 534 positioned inside the aerosol precursor composition, the heater prongs can be activated to heat the aerosol precursor composition, causing the release of the inhalable substance through the aerosol source member.

[0108] As described above with particular reference to Figures 5 and 6, various embodiments of the present disclosure heat the aerosol precursor composition 410 using a conductive heater. Also, as noted above, various other embodiments heat the aerosol precursor composition using an induction heater. In some of these embodiments, the heating assembly 530 may be configured as an induction heater comprising a transformer with an induction transmitter and an induction receiver. In embodiments where the heating assembly is configured as an induction heater, the outer cylinder 532 may be configured as an induction transmitter, and the heating elements 534 (e.g., multiple heater prongs) extending from the receiving base 536 may be configured as induction receivers. In various embodiments, one or both of the induction transmitter and / or induction receiver may be located in the control body 302 and / or the aerosol source member 304.

[0109] In various embodiments, the outer casing 532 and heating element 534, serving as the inductive transmitter and inductive receiver, may be constructed from one or more conductive materials, and in further embodiments, the inductive receiver may be constructed from a ferromagnetic material, including, but not limited to, cobalt, iron, nickel, and combinations thereof. In one exemplary embodiment, the foil material is constructed from a conductive material and the heater prongs are constructed from a ferromagnetic material. In various embodiments, the receiving base may be constructed from a non-conductive and / or insulating material.

[0110] The outer cylinder 532 as an inductive transmitter may include a laminate with a foil material surrounding a support cylinder. In some embodiments, the foil material may include printed electrical traces, such as one or more electrical traces that can form a helical coil pattern when the foil material is positioned around a heating element 534 as an inductive receiver. The foil material and the support cylinder may each define a tubular configuration. The support cylinder may be configured to support the foil material so that it moves to contact the heater prongs and thereby does not short-circuit with the heater prongs. In this manner, the support cylinder may include a non-conductive material which may be substantially transparent to the oscillating magnetic field generated by the foil material. In various embodiments, the foil material may be embedded in the support cylinder or otherwise coupled to the support cylinder. In the illustrated embodiment, the foil material is engaged with the outer surface of the support cylinder, however, in other embodiments, the foil material may be positioned on the inner surface of the support cylinder or completely embedded in the support cylinder.

[0111] The foil material of the outer cylinder 532 may be configured to create an oscillating magnetic field (e.g., a magnetic field that changes periodically over time) when an alternating current is introduced into it. The heater prong of the heating element 534 is at least partially placed inside or received within the outer cylinder and may contain a conductive material. Eddy currents can be generated within the heater prong via induction by introducing an alternating current through the foil material. Eddy currents flowing through the resistance of the material defining the heater prong may heat the heater prong by Joule heating (i.e., through the Joule effect). The heater prong is heated wirelessly so that an aerosol can be formed from the aerosol precursor composition 410 positioned near the heater prong.

[0112] Other embodiments of the aerosol delivery device, control body, and aerosol source member are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 916,834, U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 916,696, and U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 836,086, cited above.

[0113] As described above, the aerosol delivery devices of exemplary embodiments may include a variety of electronic components, whether in the context of either an e-cigarette or a non-combustion heating device, or in the case of a device that includes the functions of both. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol delivery device 700, which may be either or both of the aerosol delivery devices 100, 300, or incorporate their functions, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the aerosol delivery device includes a control body 702 having an electronic component 704 including a control component 706 (having a processor 708), a sensor 710, a power supply 712, and an indicator 714, which may correspond to or include the functions of the control components 210, 524, flow sensors 212, 522, power supplies 214, 526, indicators 216, 528, electronic components 208, 520, and control bodies 102, 103, respectively. The aerosol delivery device also includes a heating element 716 which corresponds to or may include the functions of heating elements 222, 534. The heating element is configured to convert electricity into heat, thereby vaporizing the components of the aerosol precursor composition.

[0114] The aerosol delivery device 700 may include a first terminal 718a and a second terminal 718b (e.g., a positive terminal and a negative terminal, respectively) configured to connect the power supply 710 to the aerosol delivery device. In some examples, such as when the aerosol delivery device 700 is the aerosol delivery device 100 or incorporates its functions, the aerosol delivery device 700 (or more specifically its control body 702) may include a terminal 720 configured to connect the heating element 714 to the control body.

[0115] As described in more detail above with respect to flow sensors 212, 522, in some examples, sensor 710 is configured to generate a pressure measurement caused by the airflow passing through at least a portion of the housing (housings 206, 516) of the aerosol delivery device 700. The sensor is configured to convert the pressure measurement into a corresponding electrical signal, which may include analog-to-digital signal conversion. This sensor may be a digital sensor, a digital pressure sensor, etc., some suitable examples of which are manufactured by Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

[0116] The processor 708 is configured to receive a corresponding electrical signal from the sensor 710 and, in response, connect the power supply 712 to a load 722 including a heating element 716, thereby supplying power to the heating element. The processor may be configured to process the corresponding electrical signal to determine an on / off state and can modulate the switching connection of the power supply to the load in proportion to the pressure measurement generated by the sensor. In some examples, the control component 706 further includes a high-side load switch (LS) 724 located between the sensor and the load, which is controllable by the processor to connect the power supply to the load including the heating element and to disconnect it from the load including the heating element.

[0117] In some examples, the control component 706 is coupled to a processor 708 and further includes a piezoelectric ceramic vibrating device 726 controllable by the processor 708, so as to vibrate during the operation of the aerosol delivery device 700, thereby providing more perceptible feedback to the user. Examples of suitable piezoelectric ceramic vibrating devices include the PJFVMA and PKKCS series devices from Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

[0118] As also shown, the aerosol delivery device 700 includes a voltage regulator 728 coupled between the sensor 710 and a first terminal 718a. This voltage regulator is configured to step down the voltage from the power supply 712 to the sensor 710, thereby powering the sensor. The voltage regulator may be particularly useful in examples where the normal terminal voltage of the power supply is 4.1 volts, but the sensor operates at a lower voltage of 1.7 to 3 volts. A shunt resistor may be used to step down the voltage from the power supply, but by comparison, the voltage regulator of the exemplary embodiment is more efficient and has lower heat loss. The voltage regulator may be a DC-DC regulator / converter, a buck regulator / converter, a switching regulator, a buck switching regulator, etc. More specific and suitable examples include the ADP2105 and ADP2120 series devices from Analog Devices.

[0119] In some examples, as shown in Figures 8A and 8B and described in more detail below, the control component 706 further includes a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag 730 coupled to a processor 708 and configured to enable an aerosol delivery device 700 to establish NFC communication with an equipped computing device equipped with an NFC reader. The control component may also include a second high-side load switch (LS) 732 located between a first terminal 718a and the NFC tag, which is controllable by the processor for connecting a power supply 712 to the NFC tag and disconnecting it from the NFC tag, and for limiting the input current to the NFC tag. The processor can switch the activation between the heating element and the NFC tag. In some examples, the processor may be configured to control a high-side load switch 724 to connect a power supply to a load 722 containing a heating element 716 only when the power supply is disconnected from the NFC tag.

[0120] Figures 8A and 8B show a system 800 including an aerosol delivery device 700, which is enabled by an NFC tag 730 to establish NFC communication 802 with a computing device 804, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. This computing device may be embodied as several different devices, such as one of several different mobile computers. More specific examples of suitable mobile computers include portable computers (e.g., laptops, notebooks, tablet computers), mobile phones (e.g., cell phones, smartphones), and wearable computers (e.g., smartwatches). In other examples, the computing device may be embodied as something other than a mobile computer, such as a desktop computer or a server computer.

[0121] In some examples, a computing device 804 may be able to connect to a wireless local area network (WLAN) 806, as well as communicate with an aerosol delivery device 700 via NFC 802 802. Examples of suitable WLAN technology include those based on or defined by the IEEE 802.11 standard and commercially available as Wi-Fi. A WLAN includes suitable networking hardware, some of which may be integrated, while others are separate and interconnected. As shown, for example, a WLAN may include a wireless access point 808 configured to allow wireless devices, including a computing device, to connect to the WLAN. Also as shown, for example, a WLAN may include a gateway device 810, such as a residential gateway, configured to connect the WLAN to an external computer network 812, such as a wide area network (WAN) like the Internet. In some examples, the wireless access point or gateway device may include an integrated router to which other systems or devices may connect. A WLAN may also include other integrated or separate connected network hardware, such as network switches, hubs, digital subscriber line (DSL) modems, and cable modems.

[0122] In some examples, system 800 further includes a service platform 814 which may be embodied as a computer system accessible by WLAN 806 or an external network 812 (as shown). The service platform may include one or more servers, which may be provided by, for example, one or more web servers, a cloud computing infrastructure, etc. In some examples, the service platform is embodied as a distributed computing device including a large number of computing devices, which may be used to provide a cloud computing infrastructure. In these examples, the computing devices forming the service platform may communicate with each other over a network, such as an external network.

[0123] In some examples, the service platform 814 is accessible by the computing device 804 over the WLAN 806 and an external network 812, and is configured to provide one or more services related to the aerosol delivery device 700. For example, the service platform may be operated by the manufacturer or seller of the aerosol delivery device, or by other entities interested in the manufacture, distribution, or maintenance of the aerosol delivery device. The service platform may enable users to access and use various functions that can be performed on the computing device or the service platform, such as those described below.

[0124] Computing device 804 may include installed applications or provide other interfaces accessible to service platform 814. These applications or other interfaces may be thin client and / or other client applications, or may be provided by them, such as a web browser application accessible to web pages provided by the service platform. As another example, the applications or other interfaces may be dedicated applications, such as mobile apps, installed on a computing device embodied as a mobile computer, or may be provided by them.

[0125] More specifically, as shown in Figure 1B, in some examples, the aerosol delivery device 700 includes an NFC tag 730 configured to enable the aerosol delivery device to establish NFC communication 802 with a computing device 804 equipped with an NFC reader 816. The NFC tag includes an antenna 818 and an integrated circuit (IC) 820 configured to store or generate information related to the aerosol delivery device or aerosol precursor composition. The antenna may be separated from or coupled to the semiconductor package containing the IC, or in some examples, the antenna and IC may be packaged together in a common semiconductor package. Examples of suitable NFC tags include the ST25TA and ST25TV series NFC tags from STMicroelectronics and the RF430CC330 and RF430FRL15x tags from Texas Instruments. Examples of NFC readers suitable for high frequency (HF) include the AS3909, AS3910, AS3911B, AS3914, and AS3915 from ams AG, while those for ultra-high frequency (UHF) include the AS3980, AS3991, AS3992, and AS3993 from ams AG. Another example of a suitable NFC reader is the TRF79xx reader from Texas Instruments.

[0126] The antenna 818 of the NFC tag 730 can be coupled with the corresponding antenna 822 of the NFC reader 816, enabling wireless transmission of information to the computing device 804. As shown, the NFC reader may also include appropriate circuitry 824, such as a processor, power harvesting circuitry, etc. In some examples, the information stored by IC 820 includes at least an indicium that enables authentication of the aerosol delivery device 700 or components of the aerosol delivery device. The information may be stored or generated in cleartext, or the information may be encrypted to restrict access. Thus, according to the exemplary embodiment, the wireless transmission of information to the computing device enables authentication of the aerosol delivery device or components of the aerosol delivery device at the computing device, or at a service platform 814 communicating with the computing device. In some examples, the computing device includes a display device 826 for displaying various information, such as an indication of whether the aerosol delivery device is genuine.

[0127] In some examples where the information includes at least an authentication mark, antenna 818 can be coupled with the corresponding antenna 822 of the NFC reader 816, enabling wireless transmission of the information to the computing device 804 and enabling authentication of the aerosol delivery device 700 based on the authentication mark. Examples of appropriate authentication marks include a unique serial number or other identifier (ID) of the aerosol delivery device, an access key, a digital signature or other code, etc. In another example, the authentication mark may indicate the manufacturer of the aerosol delivery device.

[0128] In these examples, the computing device 804 or the service platform 814 may be configured to authenticate the aerosol delivery device 700. This authentication may include, for example, a determination of whether the aerosol delivery device, its control body 702 or other components, or the aerosol precursor composition is genuine or counterfeit.

[0129] In some examples, the authentication of the aerosol delivery device 700 may involve challenge-response authentication, in which the aerosol delivery device is prompted to provide a response to a challenge wirelessly transmitted from the computing device 804 to the aerosol delivery device. In these and other examples, the aerosol delivery device may be equipped with an appropriate authentication device integrated with or coupled to the IC 820. Examples of appropriate authentication devices include the bq26150 authentication device from Texas Instruments and the ATSHA204 and ATSHA204A authentication devices from Atmel Corporation.

[0130] In some examples, IC820 is configured to access an event counter configured to maintain a count indicating the remaining amount of aerosol precursor composition. This event counter may be integrated with the IC, or otherwise onboard the IC, or the event counter may be external to the IC. In some of these examples, authentication of the aerosol delivery device 700 is performed only when the count is positive. Additionally or alternatively, the processor 708 may be configured to generate user-perceptible feedback or to stop generating user-perceptible feedback when the count reaches a threshold level indicating a low remaining amount of aerosol precursor composition. More specifically, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic vibrating device 726 may be controllable by the processor to vibrate during the operation of the aerosol delivery device only when the count exceeds a threshold level, thereby providing user-perceptible feedback. Further details of authentication processes suitable for exemplary implementations of this disclosure are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,854,841 to Ampolini et al., which is incorporated by reference. Further details of suitable systems that may be configured to operate as described herein are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,864,947 to Sur et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0131] In some further examples, IC820 is further configured to cause antenna 818 to transmit radio frequency (RF) energy 826 to computing device 804 or a second computing device 828, which is equipped with a power harvesting circuit configured to receive RF energy 826 and extract power from the RF energy to power or charge at least one electronic component of the computing device or a second computing device. This circuit may be separate from or part of the circuit 824 of the NFC reader 816, or may be equipped in the second computing device. For more information on appropriate power harvesting, see U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0007969 to Sur, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0132] In yet another example, the computing device is a POS terminal 830 of a point-of-sale (POS) system configured to interface with a mobile payment platform 832 such as Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Fitbit Pay. In some of these examples, IC 820 is configured to store or generate information that includes at least payment information enabling mobile payment transactions from an aerosol delivery device 700. This payment information may be specifically encrypted, thereby restricting access outside of the mobile payment platform. Antenna 818 can be coupled with the corresponding antenna 822 of an NFC reader 804 to enable wireless transmission of information to the POS terminal, thereby enabling mobile payment transactions from the aerosol delivery device, which may include the POS terminal interfaceing with a mobile payment platform to perform mobile payment transactions.

[0133] Those skilled in the art who relate to this disclosure and benefit from the teachings presented in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings will likely envision many modifications and other embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Certain terms are used herein, but they are used in a general and descriptive sense only and not for limiting purposes.

Claims

1. Aerosol delivery device, A housing constructed to hold an aerosol precursor composition, A sensor configured to generate a pressure measurement caused by airflow passing through at least a portion of the housing, and to convert the pressure measurement into a corresponding electrical signal, A first terminal and a second terminal configured to connect a power supply to an aerosol delivery device, A heating element configured to convert electricity into heat and vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition, A control component, A processor configured to receive a corresponding electrical signal and, in response, connect a power supply to a load including a heating element to supply power to the heating element. A high-side load switch between a sensor and a load, which is controllable by a processor to connect a power supply to a load containing a heating element and to disconnect it from the load containing the heating element. A Near Field Wireless Communication (NFC) tag coupled to a processor and configured to enable an aerosol delivery device to establish NFC communication with a first computing device equipped with an NFC reader. A second high-side load switch between a first terminal and an NFC tag, the second high-side load switch being controllable by a processor to connect and disconnect power to the NFC tag, and to limit the input current to the NFC tag. Control components including, The system includes a voltage regulator coupled to the sensor and a first terminal, and located between the sensor and the first terminal, which is configured to step down the voltage from the power supply to the sensor and supply power to the sensor. The processor is configured to control the high-side load switch to connect the power to a load containing heating elements only when the power is disconnected from the NFC tag. Aerosol delivery device.

2. NFC tags are at least, Antenna and, An integrated circuit (IC) configured to store or generate information including at least an authentication mark that enables authentication of an aerosol delivery device or its components, and Includes, The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is connectable to a corresponding antenna of an NFC reader to enable wireless transmission of information to a first computing device and to enable authentication of the aerosol delivery device or its components.

3. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 2, wherein the IC is configured to access an event counter configured to maintain a count indicating the remaining amount of aerosol precursor composition, and authentication of the aerosol delivery device is performed only when the count is positive.

4. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 2, wherein the IC is configured to access an event counter configured to maintain a count indicating a remaining amount of aerosol precursor composition, and the processor is configured to generate user-perceptible feedback or stop generating user-perceptible feedback when the count reaches a threshold level indicating a low remaining amount of aerosol precursor composition.

5. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 4, further comprising a piezoelectric ceramic vibrating device coupled to a processor, which is controllable by the processor, to vibrate during the operation of the aerosol delivery device only when a count exceeds a threshold level, to provide feedback perceptible to the user.

6. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 2, wherein the IC is further configured to cause an antenna to transmit radio frequency (RF) energy to a first computing device or a second computing device, and the first computing device or the second computing device is equipped with a power harvesting circuit configured to receive the RF energy, extract power from the RF energy to power or charge at least one electronic component of the first computing device or the second computing device.

7. The first computing device is a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, and the NFC tag is at least Antenna and, An integrated circuit (IC) configured to store or generate information that includes at least payment information enabling mobile payment transactions from an aerosol delivery device. Includes, The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is connectable to a corresponding antenna of an NFC reader to enable wireless transfer of information to a POS terminal and enable mobile payment transactions from the aerosol delivery device.

8. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, further comprising a piezoelectric ceramic vibrating device coupled to a processor, which is controllable by the processor, to vibrate during the operation of the aerosol delivery device to provide feedback perceptible to the user.

9. A control body for an aerosol delivery device, wherein the control body is A sensor configured to generate a pressure measurement caused by airflow passing through at least a portion of the housing, and to convert the pressure measurement into a corresponding electrical signal, A first terminal and a second terminal configured to connect a power supply to an aerosol delivery device, A heating element or terminal, wherein the terminal is configured to connect the heating element to a control body, and the heating element is configured to convert electricity into heat to vaporize the components of an aerosol precursor composition, A control component, A processor configured to receive a corresponding electrical signal and, in response, connect a power supply to a load including a heating element to supply power to the heating element. A high-side load switch between a sensor and a load, which is controllable by a processor to connect a power supply to a load containing a heating element and to disconnect it from the load containing the heating element. A Near Field Wireless Communication (NFC) tag coupled to a processor and configured to enable the control unit to establish NFC communication with a first computing device equipped with an NFC reader, A second high-side load switch between a first terminal and an NFC tag, the second high-side load switch being controllable by a processor to connect and disconnect power to the NFC tag, and to limit the input current to the NFC tag. Control components including, The system comprises a sensor and a first terminal, and a voltage regulator configured to reduce the voltage from the power supply to the sensor and supply power to the sensor, located between the sensor and the first terminal. The processor is configured to control the high-side load switch to connect the power to a load containing heating elements only when the power is disconnected from the NFC tag. Control unit.

10. NFC tags are at least, Antenna and, An integrated circuit (IC) configured to store or generate information including at least an authentication mark that enables authentication of a cartridge, which includes a heating element coupled to the terminals of the control unit or the cartridge, and Includes, The control body according to claim 9, wherein the antenna is connectable to a corresponding antenna of an NFC reader to enable wireless transmission of information to a first computing device and to enable authentication of the control body or its components.

11. The control body according to claim 10, wherein the IC is configured to access an event counter configured to maintain a count indicating the remaining amount of aerosol precursor composition, and authentication of the control body is performed only when the count is positive.

12. The control body according to claim 10, wherein the IC is configured to access an event counter configured to maintain a count indicating a remaining amount of aerosol precursor composition, and the processor is configured to generate user-perceptible feedback or stop generating user-perceptible feedback when the count reaches a threshold level indicating a low remaining amount of aerosol precursor composition.

13. The control body according to claim 12, further comprising a piezoelectric ceramic vibrating device coupled to a processor, which is controllable by the processor, such that the control component vibrates during the operation of the control body only when the count exceeds a threshold level to provide feedback perceptible to the user.

14. The control body according to claim 10, further configured to cause the antenna to transmit radio frequency (RF) energy to a first computing device or a second computing device, wherein the first computing device or the second computing device is equipped with a power harvesting circuit configured to receive the RF energy, extract power from the RF energy to power or charge at least one electronic component of the first computing device or the second computing device.

15. The first computing device is a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, and the NFC tag is at least Antenna and, An integrated circuit (IC) configured to store or generate information that includes at least payment information enabling mobile payment transactions from an aerosol delivery device. Includes, The control unit according to claim 9, wherein the antenna is connectable to a corresponding antenna of an NFC reader to enable wireless transmission of information to a POS terminal and enable mobile payment transactions from an aerosol delivery device.

16. The control body according to claim 9, further comprising a piezoelectric ceramic vibrating device coupled to a processor so as to vibrate during the operation of the control body to provide user-perceptible feedback, the piezoelectric ceramic vibrating device being controllable by the processor.

17. Aerosol delivery device, A housing constructed to hold an aerosol precursor composition, A first terminal and a second terminal configured to connect a power supply to an aerosol delivery device, A heating element configured to convert electricity into heat and vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition, A control component including a processor configured to supply power to a load containing a heating element by connecting a power supply to the heating element, and The control components include at least, A Near Field Wireless Communication (NFC) tag coupled to a processor and configured to enable an aerosol delivery device to establish NFC communication with a first computing device equipped with an NFC reader, A high-side load switch between a first terminal and an NFC tag, the high-side load switch being controllable by a processor to connect and disconnect power to the NFC tag, and to limit the input current to the NFC tag, and It further includes, The processor is configured to connect power to a load containing heating elements only when power is disconnected from the NFC tag. Aerosol delivery device.

18. NFC tags are at least, Antenna and, An integrated circuit (IC) configured to store or generate information including at least an authentication mark that enables authentication of an aerosol delivery device or its components, and Includes, The aerosol delivery device according to claim 17, wherein the antenna is connectable to a corresponding antenna of an NFC reader to enable wireless transmission of information to a first computing device and to enable authentication of the aerosol delivery device or its components.

19. The first computing device is a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, and the NFC tag is at least Antenna and, An integrated circuit (IC) configured to store or generate information that includes at least payment information enabling mobile payment transactions from an aerosol delivery device. Includes, The aerosol delivery device according to claim 17, wherein the antenna is connectable to a corresponding antenna of an NFC reader to enable wireless transmission of information to a POS terminal and enable mobile payment transactions from the aerosol delivery device.

20. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 17, further comprising a piezoelectric ceramic vibrating device coupled to a processor to vibrate during the operation of the aerosol delivery device to provide user-perceptible feedback, the piezoelectric ceramic vibrating device being controllable by the processor.

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