Contact-free consumable ejection from aerosol-forming device

Abstract

An aerosol-forming device comprising: a heating device configured to heat an aerosol-forming article or substrate, a heating chamber configured to contain the aerosol-forming article or substrate during heating by the heating device, and a tray including a tray receptacle defining a receptacle space configured to receive the aerosol-forming article or substrate, wherein the tray is movable between a loading position and a usage position, wherein, in the loading position, the receptacle space is accessible from an outside environment for loading the aerosol-forming article or substrate into the receptacle space of the tray receptacle through a loading opening, wherein in the usage position, the tray receptacle is displaced from the loading position and the receptacle space is at least partly arranged in the heating chamber, wherein, when the tray is displaced from the usage position towards the loading position, an ejection opening is formed in the heating chamber, the ejection opening being configured to eject the aerosol-forming article or substrate from the heating chamber to the outside environment, and wherein the ejection opening is different from the loading opening.

Description

[0001] CONTACT-FREE CONSUMABLE EJECTION FROM AEROSOL-FORMING DEVICE

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an aerosol-forming or aerosol-generating device, an aerosol-forming system including such an aerosol-forming device and a companion device configured to charge the aerosol-forming device with electrical energy, and a method of heating an aerosol-forming article or substrate in an aerosol-forming device.

[0003] Aerosol-forming or aerosol-generating devices are typically designed as handheld devices that can be used by a user for consuming or experiencing, for instance in one or more usage sessions, aerosol generated from an aerosol-forming substrate or an aerosol-forming article, for example by heating. The aerosol-forming devices the present disclosure pertains to are mainly directed to the field of tobacco and tobacco-substitute products, as well as e-vapor devices, for example heated tobacco products (HTP), heat-not-burn devices, electronic cigarettes, e-vapor devices, and / or vaporisers. The aerosol-forming devices of the present disclosure may also pertain to other types of inhalers, dispensers, or atomizers, for example inhalers, dispensers, or atomizers for medical applications.

[0004] Typical aerosol-forming systems can be designed as one-part systems or devices including an aerosol-forming device that can be operated by a user to generate aerosol. Alternatively, aerosol-forming systems can be designed as two-part systems or devices comprising an aerosolforming device and a companion device for storing and / or charging the aerosol-forming device. In either design or configuration, the aerosol-forming system or device can be used by a user for consuming or inhaling, for instance in one or more usage sessions, aerosol generated based on heating an aerosol-forming article or substrate couplable to the aerosol-forming system. In the context of the present disclosure, an aerosol-forming device can refer to both a one-part device and a two-part device, unless explicitly specified otherwise.

[0005] The aerosol-forming article, also referred to as aerosol-generating article, can comprise an aerosol-generating or aerosol-forming substrate, such as a tobacco or nicotine-containing substrate. The aerosol-forming article may be configured in shape and size to be inserted at least partially into the aerosol-forming device or system. In conventional systems or devices, the aerosol-forming article is usually formed as a stick that can be at least partly inserted into a cavity or heating chamber of the aerosol-forming device for aerosol consumption. Insertion of the sticklike shaped aerosol-forming article into the cavity, however, can potentially damage the aerosolforming article, which may potentially affect an experience for a user, for example in terms of taste or homogeneity of the experience. Also, inserting the aerosol-forming article into and removing it from the cavity of conventional systems may, at least for some users or in certain scenarios, be cumbersome.

[0006] Exemplary aerosol-forming substrates can comprise solid substrate material, such as tobacco material or tobacco cast leaves (TCL) material. The substrate material can, for example, be assembled, often with other elements or components, to form a substantially stick-shaped aerosol-forming article. Such a stick or aerosol-forming article can be configured in shape and size to be inserted at least partially into the aerosol-forming device. The aerosol-forming device may comprise a heating element or heater device for heating the aerosol-forming article and / or the aerosol-forming substrate. The heating element or heater device may be part of the aerosolforming article and / or the aerosol-forming device. Alternatively or additionally, aerosol-forming substrates can comprise one or more liquids and / or solids, which can, for example, be supplied to the aerosol-forming device in the form of a cartridge or container. Corresponding exemplary aerosol-forming articles can, for example, comprise a cartridge containing or fillable with the liquid and / or solid substrate, which can be vaporized during aerosol consumption by the user based on heating the substrate and / or liquid. Usually, such cartridge or container can be coupled to, attached to or at least partially inserted into the aerosol-forming device. Alternatively, the cartridge may be fixedly mounted to the aerosol-forming device and refilled by inserting liquid and / or solid into the cartridge. The aerosol generated from the aerosol-forming substrate or article may comprise or include one or more of nicotine, aroma, sugar, moisturising agent, botanicals, preservative, flavouring, for example cocoa, liquorice, menthol and lactic acid or other additives. The aerosol generated from the aerosol-forming substrate or article may additionally or alternatively comprise one or more pharmaceutical agents or drugs and may include one or more adjuvants.

[0007] For generating the aerosol during use or consumption, heat can be supplied by a heating element, heater device or heat source to heat at least a portion or part of the aerosol-forming substrate. The heating element, heater device or heat source can be arranged in the handheld device or a handheld part of the aerosol-forming device. Alternatively or additionally, at least a part of or the entire heating element or heater device or heat source can be fixedly associated with or arranged within an aerosol-forming article, for instance in the form of a stick or cartridge, which can be attached to and / or powered by the handheld device or handheld part of the aerosolforming device.

[0008] Exemplary heating elements or heater devices can be based on one or more of resistive heating, inductive heating and microwave heating using electrical energy supplied via, drawn from or stored in an energy storage or battery of the aerosol-forming device. As used herein, a battery of the aerosol-forming device can generally refer to an energy storage of the aerosol-forming device configured to store electrical energy. Accordingly, the term energy storage can include one or more batteries, one or more capacitors, one or more accumulators or other types of energy storage. Also, any reference to a battery herein can include a plurality of batteries.

[0009] Typically, aerosol-forming devices comprise an energy storage, for example a battery, providing the electrical energy needed to operate the aerosol-forming device and especially for heating the aerosol-forming substrate and / or article, for example to generate aerosol in one or more usage sessions using one or more aerosol-forming articles. The battery may, for example, be a lithium-ion battery.

[0010] As used herein, a usage session may refer to a period of time, during which a user may use the device to generate, consume, experience or inhale aerosol using the aerosol-forming device. Therein, a usage session may be finite. In other words, a usage session may have a start, an end and a duration. The duration of the usage session as measured by time may be influenced by use during the usage session. The duration of the usage session may have a maximum duration determined by a maximum time from the start of the usage session. The duration of the usage session may be less than the maximum time if one or more monitored parameters reaches a predetermined threshold before the maximum time from the start of the usage session. By way of example, the one or more monitored parameters may comprise one or more of: i) a cumulative puff count of a series of puffs drawn by a user since the start of the usage session, and ii) a cumulative volume of aerosol evolved from the aerosol-forming substrate since the start of the usage session.

[0011] Thermal aerosolization using consumables incorporating porous sensorial media and porous materials surrounding it, as described herein, tend to create a highly moisturized portion of the consumable during a usage session. Namely, a fluid containing nicotine may condense in parts of the consumable surrounding the sensorial media portion. After the usage session is finished, such highly moisturized parts of the depleted consumable may be hazardous, as consumers may contaminate their skin when handling the depleted consumable for removal from the aerosol-forming device. Nicotine may reach the human venous system via epidermal absorption and / or intake, and may be hazardous to the user’s health in the high concentrations contained in the condensed fluid. Any manual handling of the consumable after the usage session may lead to skin contamination Therefore, contamination of the skin, namely the fingers of the consumers, during or after consumption, should be avoided as much as possible.

[0012] It may therefore be desirable to provide for an improved aerosol-forming device and system in which manual handling of the consumable by a user may be avoided as much as possible.

[0013] These advantages may be achieved by the features described herein.

[0014] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aerosol-forming device comprising: a heating device configured to heat an aerosol-forming article or substrate, a heating chamber configured to contain the aerosol-forming article or substrate during heating by the heating device, and a tray including a tray receptacle defining a receptacle space configured to receive the aerosol-forming article or substrate, wherein the tray is movable between a loading position and a usage position, wherein, in the loading position, the receptacle space is accessible from an outside environment for loading the aerosol-forming article or substrate into the receptacle space of the tray receptacle through a loading opening, wherein in the usage position, the tray receptacle is displaced from the loading position and the receptacle space is at least partly arranged in the heating chamber, wherein, when the tray is displaced from the usage position towards the loading position, an ejection opening is formed in the heating chamber, the ejection opening being configured to eject the aerosol-forming article or substrate from the heating chamber to the outside environment, and wherein the ejection opening is different from the loading opening.

[0015] The aerosol-forming device according to the present disclosure therefore may comprise two parts movable relative to each other. For example, there may be a mouthpiece portion and a device body. The mouthpiece portion may comprise a mouthpiece including an aerosol outlet through which a user may consume aerosol provided by the aerosol-forming device. The device body may comprise further components, for example the energy storage or battery. The tray may be part of either one of the mouthpiece portion or the device body. In an exemplary embodiment, which will be used for explanatory purposes throughout this disclosure, the tray may be arranged on the mouthpiece portion. However, arranging the tray on the device body is equally possible.

[0016] The movement between the loading position and the usage position may be any kind of movement suitable for opening and closing the device. For example, the mouthpiece portion and the device body, and therefore also the tray, may be rotatable with respect to each other between the loading position and the usage position. For example, the two moving parts may be fixed to each other by a hinge defining a rotational axis around which the two parts may rotate. Alternatively, the mouthpiece portion and the device body, and therefore also the tray, may be linearly slidable between the loading position and the usage position, for example along a longitudinal direction of the aerosol-forming device. A guide or guide rail may be arranged on the device body for guiding the sliding movement in relation to the mouthpiece portion and / or the tray. Part of the mouthpiece portion and / or the tray may be inserted into and / or removed from the device body by the movement between the loading position and the usage position. By the sliding movement, both the opening of the loading opening and of the ejection opening is reliably facilitated, as will be described in more detail below.

[0017] The tray may comprise the tray receptacle which may be configured to receive the aerosolforming article or substrate. The receptacle space may be defined as a volume of space in which the aerosol-forming article or substrate comes to rest when received in the tray receptacle. When the tray and therefore the mouthpiece portion and the device body of the aerosol-forming device are moved into the usage position, the movement of the tray, the tray receptacle and the aerosolforming article or substrate places or positions the aerosol-forming article or substrate in the heating chamber. In this position, the tray receptacle may form part of the heating chamber. For example, the heating chamber may be formed by two parts, one part arranged on the mouthpiece portion, for example the tray and / or the tray receptacle, and the other part arranged on the device body. By the movement of the mouthpiece portion and the device body between the loading position and the usage position, the two parts of the heating chamber may be pulled apart from each other, so as to facilitate the loading of the aerosol-forming article or substrate into the heating chamber, or may be joined together to form the heating chamber completely surrounding or enclosing the aerosol-forming article or substrate. In the usage position, the aerosol-forming article or substrate may be heated by the heating chamber or by at least one heating element arranged in the heating chamber.

[0018] In other words, by the movement of the mouthpiece portion and the device body into the loading position, the loading opening may be formed in the heating chamber. This means that the heating chamber may be opened up to form the loading opening, through which the aerosolforming article or substrate may be inserted into the tray receptacle. By the movement of the mouthpiece portion and the device body into the usage position, the loading opening may be closed. In the usage position, the heating chamber may be sealed, for example hermetically or airtightly sealed, from the outside environment except for an airflow inlet into the heating chamber and an aerosol outlet from the heating chamber.

[0019] Additionally, by the movement of the mouthpiece portion and the device body into the loading position, the ejection opening may be formed in the heating chamber. This means that the heating chamber may be opened up to form the ejection opening, through which the aerosolforming article or substrate may be ejected or removed from the tray receptacle and the heating chamber. The ejection opening may be configured such that the aerosol-forming article or substrate may be removed from the heating chamber, the tray receptacle and eventually also the aerosol-forming device by gravity. In other words, the ejection opening may be configured such that the aerosol-forming article or substrate may passively fall out of the heating chamber and out of the aerosol-forming device. To remove the aerosol-forming article or substrate from the heating chamber and the aerosol-forming device, the user may therefore only need to move the tray and / or the mouthpiece portion and the device body into the loading position. When this is accomplished, the aerosol-forming article or substrate may fall from the device by itself. This means that the user does not have to touch or handle the depleted aerosol-forming article or substrate, thereby circumventing any hazards posed by touching the aerosol-forming article or substrate.

[0020] As already mentioned, the ejection opening is different from the loading opening. In other words, the ejection opening may be a separate opening from the loading opening. For example, the ejection opening may be arranged at a different position on the aerosol-forming device than the loading opening. Also, the direction in which the aerosol-forming article or substrate is inserted into the tray receptacle through the loading opening may be different from the direction in which the aerosol-forming article or substrate is ejected or removed through the ejection opening. For example, the ejection opening may be arranged on the opposite side of the aerosol-forming device as the loading opening. For example, the loading opening may be arranged on a top side of the aerosol-forming device, whereas the ejection opening may be arranged on a bottom side. Top and bottom may, in this context, be defined by the direction of gravitational force during the usage session, i.e. when the user puffs on the mouthpiece of the aerosol-forming device. While the user may orient the aerosol-forming device differently while puffing, there is a conventional way of holding and orienting the device which the skilled person will recognize. In this way, the aerosol-forming article or substrate is ejected from the device on the opposite side than where the user inserts the aerosol-forming article or substrate prior to the usage session. The ejection opening is therefore both positionally and visually different from the loading opening, which helps guide the user to only handle the unused aerosol-forming article or substrate which is loaded into the loading opening and which does not yet have areas or regions moisturized by condensed fluid. Conversely, the user knows that the depleted aerosol-forming article or substrate is ejected through the ejection opening without having to be manually pulled from the device. Therefore, having two different openings for loading and ejecting the aerosol-forming article or substrate avoids manual handling of the depleted aerosol-forming article or substrate by the user. Combined with the aerosol-forming article or substrate being ejected from the ejection opening passively by gravity, this may provide a reliable and secure contact-free way of removing the aerosol-forming article or substrate from the aerosol-forming device.

[0021] The ejection opening may open next to the aerosol-forming article or substrate when the tray is moved from the usage position to the loading position. In other words, the movement of the tray from the usage position to the loading position may pull apart or distance from one another the two parts forming the heating chamber containing the aerosol-forming article or substrate in the usage position. For example, a surface on which the aerosol-forming article or substrate rests during the usage session may be slid out from under the aerosol-forming article or substrate, thereby forming the ejection opening and letting the aerosol-forming article or substrate fall through the ejection opening and out of the aerosol-forming device. As will be explained in more detail below, for example the tray and tray receptacle may be moved or slid or pulled from under the aerosol-forming article or substrate and thereby open the ejection opening.

[0022] As the loading opening and the ejection opening of the aerosol-forming device are different from each other, the movement of the aerosol-forming article or substrate through the aerosolforming device may be unidirectional or substantially unidirectional. The aerosol-forming device, the tray, the mouthpiece portion and / or the device body may be configured such that the aerosolforming article or substrate is unidirectionally or substantially unidirectionally moved into the tray receptacle and the heating chamber and then from the heating chamber through the ejection opening and out of the aerosol-forming device. To ensure the movement of the aerosol-forming article or substrate through the device in this way, particularly to prevent the aerosol-forming article or substrate from remaining in the tray receptacle when the tray is moved from the usage position to the loading position after a usage session, a retention device may be provided. The retention device may be configured to push the aerosol-forming article or substrate off the tray receptacle when the tray is moved from the usage position to the loading position. The retention device may be configured to prevent the movement of the aerosol-forming article or substrate along with the tray in the tray receptacle from the usage position into the loading position.

[0023] This may be achieved by interposing the retention device in the way of the aerosol-forming article or substrate in said movement so that the retention device abuts the aerosol-forming article or substrate in such a way that the tray and the tray receptacle may be pulled from under the aerosol-forming article or substrate. In this way, the retention device may be configured to passively push the aerosol-forming article or substrate off the tray receptacle by the movement of the tray from the usage position to or towards the loading position. In other words, the tray may be moved from the usage position to or towards the loading position while the aerosol-forming article or substrate is held or retained by the retention device, which leads to a relative movement between the tray and the aerosol-forming article or substrate. The only actuation necessary may therefore be the movement of the tray, respectively the mouthpiece portion and the device body, between the usage position and the loading position, which may be manually effected by the user.

[0024] As the movement of the tray between the loading position and the usage position may be used to eject the aerosol-forming article or substrate, the retention device may be configured to push the aerosol-forming article or substrate off the tray receptacle in a direction parallel to the movement direction of the tray between the usage position and the loading position, for example in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-forming device. Such a movement of the aerosolforming article or substrate may be easily implemented and may be very reliable without impairing the movement, for example the sliding movement, of the tray or the mouthpiece portion and the device body, between the loading position and the usage position. However, other directions may also be implemented, for example depending on or independent of the movement direction of the tray between the usage position and the loading position. For instance, the aerosol-forming article or substrate may be moved transverse to the direction of the movement of the tray between the usage position and the loading position.

[0025] The retention device may include a movable stopper. For example, the stopper may be movable between an outside position, in which the stopper is arranged outside of the movement path of the aerosol-forming article or substrate between the usage position and the loading position, and an inside position, in which the stopper is arranged inside of the movement path of the aerosol-forming article or substrate between the usage position at the loading position. In other words, the stopper may be out of the way of the movement of the aerosol-forming article or substrate between the usage position and the loading position and not interfere with the aerosolforming article or substrate or its movement, i.e. the stopper may be in the outside position. On the other hand, the stopper may also be in the way of the movement of the aerosol-forming article or substrate between the usage position of the loading position and interfere with the aerosolforming article or substrate or its movement, i.e. the stopper may be in the inside position. For example, when the stopper is in the outside position, the aerosol-forming article or substrate may be moved between the loading position and the usage position along with the tray receptacle without the stopper hindering this movement. Conversely, when the stopper is in the inside position, the aerosol-forming article or substrate may be hindered in its movement between the loading position and the usage position along with the tray receptacle by the stopper. For example, the stopper may be in the outside position when the tray, the tray receptacle and therefore the aerosol-forming article or substrate are moved from of the loading position into the usage position. Conversely, the stopper may be in the inside position when the tray and the tray receptacle are moved from of the usage position into the loading position. During this movement, the stopper may contact or abut the aerosol-forming article or substrate and thereby affect the movement of the aerosol-forming article or substrate relative to the tray and / or tray receptacle as described herein.

[0026] The stopper may be biased, for example spring-loaded, in a direction transverse to the movement direction of the tray between the usage position and the loading position, for example transverse to a longitudinal direction of the aerosol-forming device. In this way, the stopper may be moved between the outside position and the inside position. For instance, the stopper may be biased, for example spring-loaded, towards, in the direction of or into the inside position. In other words, the stopper may be moved into the inside position, for example from the outside position, by the bias, for example the spring-load, whenever the space necessary for this movement of the stopper into the inside position is available. This may reliably prevent the movement of the aerosol-forming article or substrate from the usage position to the loading position, instead effecting the relative movement of the aerosol-forming article or substrate and the tray and / or tray receptacle, leading to the ejection of the aerosol-forming article or substrate. To ensure that the movement of the aerosol-forming article or substrate from the loading position into the usage position is not hindered by the stopper, the stopper may be arranged and / or configured such that the stopper may be pushed into the outside position by the movement of the tray and / or the tray receptacle and / or the aerosol-forming article or substrate from the loading position into the usage position. In summary, therefore, the stopper may be arranged and / or configured so that the aerosol-forming article or substrate in the tray receptacle pushes the stopper out of the way when the tray is moved from the loading position to the usage position, and so that the stopper enters the tray receptacle by the bias and pushes out the aerosol-forming article or substrate when the tray is moved from the usage position to the loading position. Again, the only actuation necessary is therefore the movement of the tray and / or the mouthpiece portion between the usage position and the loading position.

[0027] The retention device and / or the stopper may be made of or comprise a polymeric compound and / or a metallic alloy, for example a compound or alloy of medical grade as certified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the European Union (EU) according to EU MDR I EU 2017 / 745. Suitable polymeric compounds may be polyether ether ketone (PEEK), other polyaryletherketones (PAEKs) or poly-e-caprolactone (PCL). Suitable metallic alloys may be stainless-steel alloys, particularly non-ferritic alloys, such as austenitic alloys. Specific examples may include 316L, BioDur 108, BioDur 316LS (316LVM), and BioDur 734; Suitable martensitic alloys may include 410, 416, 420, 440A / C, and TrimRite; Suitable stainless steel alloys may include H-grade alloys, particularly: Custom 455, Custom 465, Custom 470, and Custom 630 (17- 4).

[0028] The ejection mechanism according to the present disclosure may be used for any suitable aerosol-forming article or substrate, for example in any shape. As an example, conventional cylindrical or rod-shaped aerosol-forming articles or substrates may be used. However, alternatively, the tray receptacle and / or the heating chamber may be configured to receive an aerosol-forming article or substrate having a rectangular parallelepiped or cuboid shape, for example with rounded corners. Such an aerosol-forming article or substrate may be substantially flat and have the shape of a plate, for example a rectangular plate with or without rounded corners. These shapes may improve heating profiles and therefore the efficiency of the aerosol-forming article or substrate.

[0029] As already mentioned, the aerosol-forming device may comprise a heating device configured to heat the aerosol-forming article or substrate in the heating chamber for aerosolization. The form or shape and / or arrangement of the heating device may be adapted to the shape of the aerosol-forming article or substrate. For example, the heating device may comprise two heating elements arranged on opposite sides of the heating chamber. Each of the heating elements may comprise a substantially flat or planar heating surface configured to heat one of the main surfaces of the aerosol-forming article or substrate having the rectangular parallelepiped or cuboid shape. Alternatively, the heating device may comprise a heating element and a supporting element arranged on opposite sides of the heating chamber. The heating element may be arranged and / or configured as previously mentioned, while the supporting element may be configured to merely provide physical support to the aerosol-forming article or substrate without actively heating it. One of these elements of the heating device may be arranged on the mouthpiece portion, for example the tray, while the other element of the heating device may be arranged on the device body. Therefore, by moving the tray between the loading position and the usage position, the elements of the heating device may also move relative to each other, which may lead to an opening and closing of the heating chamber. In particular, the tray and / or the tray receptacle may include the heating element or the supporting element or one of the heating elements of the heating device, which may therefore be movable along with the tray between the loading position and the usage position. The element may, for example, form a surface of the tray receptacle which is in direct contact with the aerosol-forming article or substrate when the latter is inserted into the tray receptacle. The tray receptacle may therefore be configured to receive the aerosolforming article or substrate directly on the heating element or the supporting element of the heating device in the tray receptacle. The heating element or the supporting element included in the tray receptacle may be arranged opposite of the heating element arranged on the device body, i.e. in the heating chamber, when the tray is in the usage position. In other words, the tray, particularly the tray receptacle, may form part, for example half, of the heating chamber when the tray is in the usage position. The movement of the tray between the loading position and the usage position may therefore open and close the heating chamber as described herein.

[0030] The aerosol-forming device as described herein may further comprise an aerosol-forming article or substrate as described herein. The aerosol-forming device may be configured to generate or form aerosol based on heating at least a part of the aerosol-forming substrate or article.

[0031] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an aerosol-forming system, wherein the system may include at least one aerosol-forming device according to the present disclosure and a companion device configured to charge the aerosol-forming device with electrical energy. The companion device may comprise an energy storage or battery and may be configured to be electrically connected to the aerosol-forming device for charging the latter. The companion device may also be configured to at least partly or completely enclose the aerosolforming device for storage, for example during charging of the aerosol-forming device by the companion device. All of the functions, features and advantages of the aerosol-forming device as described herein are also applicable to the aerosol-forming system and vice versa.

[0032] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of heating an aerosol-forming article or substrate in an aerosol-forming device, for example an aerosolforming device according to the present disclosure. All of the functions, features and advantages of the aerosol-forming device and / or the aerosol-forming system as described herein are also applicable to the method and vice versa. The method may include: loading the aerosol-forming article or substrate into a tray receptacle of a tray; moving the tray from a loading position into a usage position, wherein in the usage position, the tray receptacle is arranged so that the aerosolforming article or substrate is arranged in a heating chamber configured to contain the aerosolforming article or substrate during heating by a heating device; heating, by the heating device, the aerosol-forming article or substrate via at least one or two heating elements arranged in the heating chamber to produce aerosol for consumption by a user; moving the tray from the usage position into the loading position and, by this movement, opening an ejection opening in the heating chamber; pushing the aerosol-forming article or substrate from the tray receptacle and into the ejection opening. The aerosol-forming article or substrate may be loaded into and ejected from the aerosol-forming device at opposing sides of the aerosol-forming device. To avoid repetitions, reference is made to the description of the aerosol-forming device and system.

[0033] The invention is defined in the claims. However, below there is provided a non-exhaustive list of non-limiting examples. Any one or more of the features of these examples may be combined with any one or more features of another example, embodiment, or aspect described herein.

[0034] Example 1 . An aerosol-forming device comprising: a heating device configured to heat an aerosol-forming article or substrate, a heating chamber configured to contain the aerosol-forming article or substrate during heating by the heating device, and a tray including a tray receptacle defining a receptacle space configured to receive the aerosol-forming article or substrate, wherein the tray is movable between a loading position and a usage position, wherein, in the loading position, the receptacle space is accessible from an outside environment for loading the aerosol-forming article or substrate into the receptacle space of the tray receptacle through a loading opening, wherein in the usage position, the tray receptacle is displaced from the loading position and the receptacle space is at least partly arranged in the heating chamber, wherein, when the tray is displaced from the usage position towards the loading position, an ejection opening is formed in the heating chamber, the ejection opening being configured to eject the aerosol-forming article or substrate from the heating chamber to the outside environment, and wherein the ejection opening is different from the loading opening.

[0035] Example 2. The aerosol-forming device according to Example 1 , wherein the tray is linearly slidable between the loading position and the usage position, for example along a longitudinal direction of the aerosol-forming device.

[0036] Example 3. The aerosol-forming device according to any one of the previous Examples, wherein the ejection opening is arranged on the opposite side of the aerosol-forming device as the loading opening.

[0037] Example 4. The aerosol-forming device according to any one of the previous Examples, wherein the ejection opening opens next to the aerosol-forming article or substrate when the tray is moved from the usage position to the loading position.

[0038] Example 5. The aerosol-forming device according to any one of the previous Examples, further including a retention device configured to push the aerosol-forming article or substrate off the tray receptacle when the tray is moved from the usage position to the loading position.

[0039] Example 6. The aerosol-forming device according to the previous Example, wherein the retention device is configured to passively push the aerosol-forming article or substrate off the tray receptacle by the movement of the tray from the usage position to the loading position.

[0040] Example 7. The aerosol-forming device according to any one of previous Examples 5-

[0041] 6, wherein the retention device is configured to push the aerosol-forming article or substrate off the tray receptacle in a direction parallel to the movement direction of the tray between the usage position and the loading position, for example in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-forming device.

[0042] Example 8. The aerosol-forming device according to any one of previous Examples 5-

[0043] 7, wherein the retention device includes a movable stopper, the stopper being biased, for example spring-loaded, in a direction transverse to the movement direction of the tray between the usage position and the loading position, for example transverse to a longitudinal direction of the aerosolforming device.

[0044] Example 9. The aerosol-forming device according to the previous Example, wherein the stopper is arranged and / or configured so that the aerosol-forming article or substrate in the tray receptacle pushes the stopper out of the way when the tray is moved from the loading position to the usage position, and so that the stopper enters the tray receptacle by the bias and pushes out the aerosol-forming article or substrate when the tray is moved from the usage position to the loading position.

[0045] Example 10. The aerosol-forming device according to any one of the previous Examples, wherein the tray receptacle and / or the heating chamber is configured to receive an aerosol-forming article or substrate having a rectangular parallelepiped or cuboid shape, for example with rounded corners. Example 11. The aerosol-forming device according to any one of the previous Examples, wherein the heating device comprises a heating element and a supporting element arranged on opposite sides of the heating chamber; or the heating device comprises two heating elements arranged on opposite sides of the heating chamber.

[0046] Example 12. The aerosol-forming device according to the previous Example, wherein the tray receptacle includes the heating element or the supporting element or one of the heating elements of the heating device, which is movable along with the tray between the loading position and the usage position.

[0047] Example 13. The aerosol-forming device according to the previous Example, wherein the heating element or the supporting element included in the tray receptacle is arranged opposite of the heating element in the heating chamber when the tray is in the usage position.

[0048] Example 14. The aerosol-forming device according to any one of Examples 11-13, wherein the tray receptacle is configured to receive the aerosol-forming article or substrate directly on the heating element or the supporting element of the heating device in the tray receptacle.

[0049] Example 15. The aerosol-forming device according to any one of the previous Examples, further comprising an aerosol-forming article or substrate, preferably wherein the aerosol-forming device is configured to generate aerosol based on heating at least a part of the aerosol-forming substrate or article.

[0050] Example 16. An aerosol-forming system, the system including at least one aerosolforming device according to any one of the previous Examples and a companion device configured to charge the aerosol-forming device with electrical energy.

[0051] Example 17. A method of heating an aerosol-forming article or substrate in an aerosolforming device, for example an aerosol-forming device according to any one of Examples 1-15, the method including: loading the aerosol-forming article or substrate into a tray receptacle of a tray; moving the tray from a loading position into a usage position, wherein in the usage position, the tray receptacle is arranged so that the aerosol-forming article or substrate is arranged in a heating chamber configured to contain the aerosol-forming article or substrate during heating by a heating device; heating, by the heating device, the aerosol-forming article or substrate via at least one or two heating elements arranged in the heating chamber to produce aerosol for consumption by a user; moving the tray from the usage position into the loading position and, by this movement, opening an ejection opening in the heating chamber; pushing the aerosol-forming article or substrate from the tray receptacle and into the ejection opening.

[0052] Example 18. The method according to the previous Example, wherein the aerosol-forming article or substrate is loaded into and ejected from the aerosol-forming device at opposing sides of the aerosol-forming device.

[0053] Examples will now be further described with reference to the figures in which:

[0054] Figure 1 shows an aerosol-forming system including an aerosol-forming device and a companion device;

[0055] Figure 2 shows a bottom view, a phantom inside view and a top view of an aerosol-forming device in the usage position;

[0056] Figure 3 shows a side view each of an aerosol-forming device in a usage position and a loading position;

[0057] Figure 4 shows a top view and a bottom view of an aerosol-forming device in a loading position;

[0058] Figure 5 shows a side cross sectional view each of an aerosol-forming device in a usage position and a loading position;

[0059] Figures 6a-6g show the process of loading and ejecting an aerosol-forming article or substrate into / from an aerosol-forming device;

[0060] Figure 7 shows a magnification of the dashed box of Figure 6f; and

[0061] Figure 8 shows a flowchart of the method.

[0062] The figures are schematic only and not to scale.

[0063] Figure 1 shows an aerosol-forming or aerosol-generating system 1 for forming or generating aerosol, for example for consumption or inhalation by a user in one or more usage sessions. The system 1 may comprise at least one of an aerosol-forming device 2 for generating aerosol and a companion device 3 for at least partially receiving the aerosol-forming device 2. The companion device 3 may be a charging device for charging the aerosol-forming device 2 and / or an energy storage 15 or battery thereof.

[0064] Merely for exemplary purposes and without limitation, the aerosol-forming device 2 may have a height of between 80 mm and 150 mm, for example between 90 mm and 130 mm or between 100 mm and 120 mm. The aerosol-forming device 2 may further have a width of between 17 mm and 48 mm, for example between 20 mm and 37 mm or between 23 mm and 33 mm. The aerosol-forming device 2 may further have a thickness of between 20 mm and 40 mm, for example between 25 mm and 35 mm, for example of 27 mm. The aerosol-forming device 2 may comprise a mouthpiece 4, through which a user may inhale aerosol provided by the aerosol-forming device 2 for consumption during a usage session. The aerosol may be provided from an aerosol-forming article or substrate provided inside the aerosol-forming device 2 and therefore not visible in Figure 1 .

[0065] The aerosol-forming device 2 may further include processing circuitry or control circuitry with at least one controller 5 and one or more processors 6. For generating the aerosol during use or consumption of the aerosol-forming article, the aerosol-forming device 2 may comprise at least one heating device or heater device comprising at least one heating element 7 (see Figures 5-7) for applying heat to at least a portion of the aerosol-forming article. Instead of the heating element 7, an ultrasonic device (not shown) may also be used to generate aerosol from the aerosol-forming article. The processing circuitry and / or the controller 5 and / or the processor 6 may be configured to control actuation, activation and / or deactivation of at least one heating element 7 or ultrasonic device.

[0066] For powering the at least one heating element 7 with electrical power, the aerosol-forming device 2 may further comprise the at least one energy storage 15, for example in the form of a battery, for storing electrical energy or power. In Figure 1 , both the aerosol-forming device 2 and the companion device 3 each comprise an energy storage 15 and the energy storage 15 is electrically coupled to the respective device 2, 3. In particular, energy storage 15 may be removably couplable to the aerosol-forming device 2 and / or the companion device 3. In other words, energy storage 15 may be a replaceable energy storage or battery. The connection between the energy storage 15 and the devices 2, 3 may be configured so that the devices 2, 3 may be run by electrical energy provided by the energy storage 15. Additionally, the connection between the energy storage 15 and the aerosol-forming device 2 and / or the companion device 3 may be configured so that data may be transmitted between the processing circuitries of the aerosol-forming device 2 and / or the companion device 3 and the energy storage 15.

[0067] The aerosol-forming device 2 may further comprise at least one electrical connector 12 for coupling to a corresponding at least one electrical connector 13 of the companion device 3 and / or an electrical connector of an external power supply (not shown), e.g., a USB charger. For example, when the aerosol-forming device 2 is at least partially inserted into the opening 14 of the companion device 3, the one or more electrical connectors 12 of the aerosol-forming device 2 may be coupled with the one or more electrical connectors 13 of the companion device 3 to charge the at least one energy storage 15 of the aerosol-forming device 2.

[0068] The aerosol-forming device 2 may further comprise a communications arrangement 9 or communication circuitry 9 with one or more communications interfaces 10 for communicatively coupling the aerosol-forming device 2 with the companion device 3 or other devices, for example, via an Internet connection, a wireless LAN connection, a WiFi connection, a Bluetooth connection, a mobile phone network, a mobile data connection for example but not limited to a 3G / 4G / 5G connection, an edge connection, an LTE connection, a BUS connection, a wireless connection, a wired connection, an optical data connection such as but not limited to IrDa, a radio connection, a near field connection, and / or an loT connection.

[0069] The aerosol-forming device 2 may further comprise a data storage 11 or memory for storing information, program code or data. Data storage 11 may also store collected values of sensors and / or one or more mathematical functions or formulas, software and computer instructions that can be executed by the processing circuitry, particularly controller 5 and / or processor 6. One or more sensors 16 may be arranged on, at or in the aerosol-forming device 2 or the companion device 3 to collect data. One or more of the sensors 16 may for example be temperature sensors, strain sensors, accelerometers or any other suitable sensors.

[0070] The aerosol-forming device 2 may further comprise user interface components, for example comprising an input element or input device 8, for example in the form of a pushbutton or a capacitive button. The input device 8 may be used as a power button to activate or deactivate the heating element 7 or ultrasonic device for aerosol generation thereby to activate or deactivate the aerosol-forming device 2. Upon activation of the aerosol-forming device 2, the heating element 7 may be activated and heat may be applied to at least a part of the aerosol-forming article, such that aerosol can be generated for consumption or inhalation by the user, for example in a usage session. The aerosol generating device 2 and / or the companion device 3 may each comprise one or more output elements, such as a display device 17 and / or one or more LEDs, for outputting a signal and / or displaying information to a user, for example a user interface such as a GUI, or haptic and acoustic data output devices. The display device 17 may be, for example, a touchscreen and may therefore be configured as both an output and an input element.

[0071] Figure 2 shows three different views of the aerosol-forming device 2, specifically a bottom view on the left, a phantom inside view in the middle and top view on the right. The aerosolforming device 2 may comprise a mouthpiece portion 18 including the mouthpiece 4 and a device body 19, which may, for example, comprise the energy storage 15. As will be shown in more detail below, mouthpiece portion 18 and device body 19 may be movably attached to each other. Specifically, the mouthpiece portion 18 and the device body 19 may be moved between the loading position, in which an aerosol-forming article or substrate may be loaded into the device, and the usage position, in which the aerosol-forming article or substrate may be heated to generate or form aerosol for consumption by a user. In figure 2, the aerosol-forming device 2 is in the usage position. As shown in the left view of Figure 2, an air inlet 20 or air inlet opening may be arranged where the mouthpiece portion 18 and the device body 19 meet. In the example shown, the air inlet 20 may be arranged on the bottom side of the aerosol-forming device 2. Other arrangements are, however, also possible. The dashed middle view of Figure 2 shows the arrangement of components of the aerosolforming device 2 which would normally be hidden by the device housing in the usage position. The air inlet 20 may be connected to the heating chamber 21 of the aerosol-forming device 2 by an upstream airflow channel. Through the air inlet 20 and the upstream airflow channel, the heating chamber 21 may be supplied with air from the outside environment when a user draws or puffs on mouthpiece 4. Heating chamber 21 may be configured to receive and heat the aerosolforming article or substrate during the usage of the aerosol-forming device 2. Further, heating chamber 21 may be connected to a nucleation chamber 23 by downstream airflow channel 22. The aerosol formed or generated in the heating chamber 21 may therefore be guided to nucleation chamber 23 through downstream airflow channel 22. In nucleation chamber 23, the aerosol may be mixed with cool ambient air provided through additional air inlets, which may increase aerosol quality. Downstream of nucleation chamber 23, the aerosol is guided to aerosol outlet 24 at the mouthpiece 4, through which a user may inhale the aerosol.

[0072] In Figure 3, a side view of the aerosol-forming device 2 is provided both in the closed or usage position (on the left) and the open or loading position (on the right). As apparent from a comparison of the two views, the mouthpiece portion 18 and the device body 19 may be linearly slid with respect to each other between the two positions. As can be seen on the right, the mouthpiece portion 18 may include a tray 27 including a tray receptacle 28 configured to receive the aerosol-forming article or substrate in a receptacle space 29 provided by the tray receptacle 28. When the mouthpiece portion 18 along with the tray 27 are moved into the loading position as shown on the right of Figure 3, a loading opening 25 may be opened between the mouthpiece portion 18 and the device body 19 through which the aerosol-forming article or substrate may be inserted or loaded into the tray receptacle 28. Simultaneously, an ejection opening 26 may also be opened between the mouthpiece portion 18 and the device body 19, the ejection opening 26 for example being arranged on the side of the aerosol-forming device 2 opposite of the loading opening 25.

[0073] The loading opening 25 and the ejection opening 26 can also be seen in Figure 4, which shows a bottom view (on the left) and a top view (on the right) of the aerosol-forming device 2. The ejection opening 26 may be arranged on the bottom, whereas the loading opening 25 may be arranged on the top of the aerosol-forming device 2. This is, however, merely an example and not meant to limit the present disclosure. The movement of the mouthpiece portion 18 and the tray 27 relative to the device body 19 between the loading position and the usage position may be parallel to longitudinal axis 30 of the aerosol-forming device 2. The tray receptacle 28 and the receptacle space 29 may be formed and / or configured to receive an aerosol-forming article or substrate of rectangular parallelepiped or cuboid shape. The tray receptacle 28 may be shaped and function like a drawer configured to receive the aerosol-forming article or substrate and to move it into the heating chamber 21 .

[0074] Figure 5 again shows two side views of cross-sections through the aerosol-forming device 2 in the usage position (on the left) and the loading position (on the right). A main portion of the device body 19 may be used to house the energy storage 15, electrical connectors 12 and other components of the aerosol-forming device 2. In particular, the device body 19 may also comprise at least a part of the heating chamber 21 , specifically a heating element 7, for example a resistive heating element. Another heating element 7, which may constitute the opposite wall of the heating chamber 21 in the usage position, may be included in the tray 27 of the mouthpiece portion 18. Therefore, when the tray 27 is moved into the loading position as shown on the right in Figure 5, the two heating elements 7 may be moved with respect to each other and the heating chamber 21 may be opened to the outside both by the loading opening 25 and the ejection opening 26. Conversely, when the tray 27 is in the usage position as shown on the left in Figure 5, the two heating elements 7 are arranged opposite to one another, forming the heating chamber 21 , which is only connected to the outside environment through the upstream and downstream airflow channels. Also shown in Figure 5 is a retention device 31 , the function of which will be explained in more detail below. On the left side of Figure 5, the retention device 31 is in the outside position, in which the retention device 31 is arranged outside of the movement path of the aerosol-forming article or substrate between the usage position and the loading position. On the right side of Figure 5, the retention device 31 is in the inside position, in which the retention device 31 is arranged inside of the movement path of the aerosol-forming article or substrate between the usage position and the loading position.

[0075] Figures 6a to 6g show cross-sections of the aerosol-forming device 2 during loading of the aerosol-forming article or substrate, a usage session and the ejection of the depleted aerosolarticle or substrate. In Figure 6a, the aerosol-forming device 2 is in the usage position, however, the heating chamber 21 is empty and no aerosol-forming article or substrate has been inserted into the aerosol-forming device 2. For example, the aerosol-forming device 2 may be transported by a user between usage sessions in this state.

[0076] To initiate a usage session, the user may open the aerosol-forming device 2 by pulling apart the mouthpiece portion 18 and the device body 19, thereby opening up the loading opening 25, as shown in Figure 6b. As also shown, the retention device 31 may be biased towards the receptacle space 29 or the tray receptacle 28. When the tray 27 is in the loading position, the retention device 31 may therefore enter the tray receptacle 28 and / or the receptacle space 29 by the force of the bias.

[0077] When the tray 27 is in the loading position as shown in Figure 6c, the user may insert or load an aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 into the tray 27 and / or the tray receptacle 28 and / or the receptacle space 29 through the loading opening 25. With the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 loaded into the tray 27, the aerosol-forming device 2 may then be closed by pushing the mouthpiece portion 18 and the device body 19 together again.

[0078] As shown in Figure 6d, when the tray 27 is moved from the loading position into or towards the usage position while an aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 is loaded in the tray receptacle 28, the tray 27 along with the retention device 31 are arranged and / or configured so that the tray 27 and / or the tray receptable 28 and / or the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 pushes the retention device 31 out of the way. In other words, the tray 27 and / or the tray receptable 28 and / or the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 are arranged and / or configured to push the retention device 31 into the outside position when being moved from the loading position to the usage position. This movement of the retention device 31 is directed against the bias of the retention device 31 and ensures that the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 may be brought into the usage position in the heating chamber 21 without interference from the retention device 31.

[0079] Figure 6e shows the aerosol-forming device 2 in the usage position during a usage session in which aerosol 36 may be generated or formed from the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 by heating by the heating elements 7 of the heater device 37. The aerosol 36 may be consumed by a user by inhalation through aerosol outlet 24.

[0080] After the usage session, the user may again open the aerosol-forming device 2 by pulling apart the mouthpiece portion 18 and the device body 19, as shown in Figure 6f. When the tray 27 and / or the tray receptable 28 and / or the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 are pulled from the usage position in the direction of the loading position, the retention device 31 may again move into the inside position, i.e. enter the movement path of the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35. However, the retention device 31 may be arranged and / or configured so that it cannot be pushed out of the way, i.e. into the outside position, by the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 coming from the usage position. Therefore, the retention device 31 may abut against the aerosolforming article or substrate 35 and may push the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 off the tray 27 and / or the tray receptacle 28 and out of the receptacle space 29. The retention device 31 may therefore retain the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 at least partly in the position the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 was in when heated during the usage session. As a consequence, ejection opening 26 may therefore be opened right next to the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35.

[0081] When the aerosol-forming device 2 is close to or again reaches the loading position, the ejection opening 26 may be big enough so that the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 may fall through the ejection opening 26 to the outside environment of the aerosol-forming device 2 as shown in Figure 6g. In other words, the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 may be ejected through the ejection opening 26 by gravity. The only actuation necessary is the movement of the mouthpiece portion 18 and the device body 19 between the usage position and the loading position. The user therefore does not have to manually handle the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35, thereby avoiding any risk of contaminating their skin with nicotine-containing fluids.

[0082] Figure 7 shows a magnified view of the part marked by the dashed box in Figure 6f. Particularly, a magnified view of the retention device 31 is shown. Retention device 31 may comprise a stopper 32, which may be rotatably connected to the device body 19 by a hinge 34. Stopper 32 may rotate or swivel around a rotation axis defined by hinge 34. Also, stopper 32 may be biased, for example spring-loaded, in a direction towards the tray 27. For this, retention device 31 may comprise a spring 33. The stopper 32 may be arranged and / or configured so that it may be pushed out of the way by an aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 coming from the loading position and moving towards the usage position. Additionally, the stopper 32 may be arranged and / or configured so that it may not be pushed out of the way by an aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 coming from the usage position and moving towards the loading position. Therefore, retention device 31 ensures a unidirectional or substantially unidirectional movement of the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 through the aerosol-forming device 2. This may mean that the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 may only pass the retention device 31 once during movement from the loading position into the usage position. Specifically, the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 is prevented from moving back into the loading position along with the tray 27 from the usage position, but is instead ejected from the aerosol-forming device 2 through the ejection opening 26.

[0083] Figure 8 shows a flowchart of the method 40. Method 40 may comprise step 41 of loading the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 into the tray receptacle 28 of the tray 27. For this, the tray 27 is in the loading position in which the tray 27 is accessible through the loading opening 25. Further step 42 may include moving the tray 27 from the loading position into the usage position. As explained above, in the usage position, the tray receptacle 28 may be arranged so that the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 is arranged in the heating chamber 21 configured to contain the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 during heating by the heating device 37. In this position, with the loaded aerosol-forming article or substrate 35, a usage session may commence. Therefore, the method 40 may comprise step 43 of heating, by the heating device 37, the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 via at least one or two heating elements 7 arranged in the heating chamber 21 to produce aerosol 36 for consumption by a user. The user may draw or puff on the mouthpiece 4, thereby drawing air through the air inlet 20 into the heating chamber 21 , where the aerosol 36 is generated. The aerosol 36 may then leave the heating chamber 21 through the downstream airflow channel 22, pass the nucleation chamber 23 and exit the aerosolforming device 2 through the aerosol outlet 24. After the usage session, the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 may be depleted and may need to be removed from the aerosol-forming device 2. For this, step 44 may comprise moving the tray 27 from the usage position into the loading position and, by this movement, opening the ejection opening 26 in the heating chamber 21 . Also effected by this movement, the method may comprise step 45 of pushing the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 from the tray receptacle 28 and into the ejection opening 26, thereby ejecting it from the aerosol-forming device 2 without manual handling by the user. For example and for ease of use, the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 may be loaded into and ejected from the aerosol-forming device 2 at opposing sides of the aerosol-forming device 2.

[0084] All in all, therefore, the present disclosure provides for an improved aerosol-forming device 2 and system 1 in which manual handling of the consumable by a user may be avoided by ejecting the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 from the ejection opening 26 only by the action of moving the tray 27 between the usage position and the loading position and then letting the aerosol-forming article or substrate 35 drop from the device by gravity.

[0085] For the purpose of the present description and of the appended claims, except where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, quantities, percentages, and so forth, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about". Also, all ranges include the maximum and minimum points disclosed and include any intermediate ranges therein, which may or may not be specifically enumerated herein. In this context, therefore, a number A is understood as A ± 10 % of A. Within this context, a number A may be considered to include numerical values that are within general standard error for the measurement of the property that the number A modifies. The number A, in some instances as used in the appended claims, may deviate by the percentages enumerated above provided that the amount by which A deviates does not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed invention. Also, all ranges include the maximum and minimum points disclosed and include any intermediate ranges therein, which may or may not be specifically enumerated herein.

Claims

CLAIMS1 . An aerosol-forming device comprising: a heating device configured to heat an aerosol-forming article or substrate, a heating chamber configured to contain the aerosol-forming article or substrate during heating by the heating device, and a tray including a tray receptacle defining a receptacle space configured to receive the aerosol-forming article or substrate, wherein the tray is movable between a loading position and a usage position, wherein, in the loading position, the receptacle space is accessible from an outside environment for loading the aerosol-forming article or substrate into the receptacle space of the tray receptacle through a loading opening, wherein in the usage position, the tray receptacle is displaced from the loading position and the receptacle space is at least partly arranged in the heating chamber, wherein, when the tray is displaced from the usage position towards the loading position, an ejection opening is formed in the heating chamber, the ejection opening being configured to eject the aerosol-forming article or substrate from the heating chamber to the outside environment, and wherein the ejection opening is different from the loading opening.

2. The aerosol-forming device according claim 1 , wherein the ejection opening is arranged on the opposite side of the aerosol-forming device as the loading opening.

3. The aerosol-forming device according to any one of the previous claims, further including a retention device configured to push the aerosol-forming article or substrate off the tray receptacle when the tray is moved from the usage position to the loading position, for example wherein the retention device is configured to passively push the aerosol-forming article or substrate off the tray receptacle by the movement of the tray from the usage position to the loading position.

4. The aerosol-forming device according to the previous claim, wherein the retention device is configured to push the aerosol-forming article or substrate off the tray receptacle in a direction parallel to the movement direction of the tray between the usage position and the loading position, for example in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-forming device.

5. The aerosol-forming device according to any one of previous claims 3-4, wherein the retention device includes a movable stopper, the stopper being biased, for example spring-loaded, in a direction transverse to the movement direction of the tray between the usage position and the loading position, for example transverse to a longitudinal direction of the aerosolforming device.

6. The aerosol-forming device according to the previous claim, wherein the stopper is arranged and / or configured so that the aerosol-forming article or substrate in the tray receptacle pushes the stopper out of the way when the tray is moved from the loading position to the usage position, and so that the stopper enters the tray receptacle by the bias and pushes out the aerosol-forming article or substrate when the tray is moved from the usage position to the loading position.

7. The aerosol-forming device according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the tray receptacle and / or the heating chamber is configured to receive an aerosol-forming article or substrate having a rectangular parallelepiped or cuboid shape, for example with rounded corners.

8. The aerosol-forming device according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the heating device comprises a heating element and a supporting element arranged on opposite sides of the heating chamber; or the heating device comprises two heating elements arranged on opposite sides of the heating chamber.

9. The aerosol-forming device according to the previous claim, wherein the tray receptacle includes the heating element or the supporting element or one of the heating elements of the heating device, which is movable along with the tray between the loading position and the usage position.

10. The aerosol-forming device according to the previous claim, wherein the heating element or the supporting element included in the tray receptacle is arranged opposite of the heating element in the heating chamber when the tray is in the usage position.11 . The aerosol-forming device according to any one of claims 8-10, whereinthe tray receptacle is configured to receive the aerosol-forming article or substrate directly on the heating element or the supporting element of the heating device in the tray receptacle.

12. The aerosol-forming device according to any one of the previous claims, further comprising an aerosol-forming article or substrate, preferably wherein the aerosol-forming device is configured to generate aerosol based on heating at least a part of the aerosol-forming substrate or article.

13. An aerosol-forming system, the system including at least one aerosol-forming device according to any one of the previous claims and a companion device configured to charge the aerosol-forming device with electrical energy.

14. A method of heating an aerosol-forming article or substrate in an aerosol-forming device, for example an aerosol-forming device according to any one of claims 1-12, the method including: loading the aerosol-forming article or substrate into a tray receptacle of a tray; moving the tray from a loading position into a usage position, wherein in the usage position, the tray receptacle is arranged so that the aerosol-forming article or substrate is arranged in a heating chamber configured to contain the aerosol-forming article or substrate during heating by a heating device; heating, by the heating device, the aerosol-forming article or substrate via at least one or two heating elements arranged in the heating chamber to produce aerosol for consumption by a user; moving the tray from the usage position into the loading position and, by this movement, opening an ejection opening in the heating chamber; pushing the aerosol-forming article or substrate from the tray receptacle and into the ejection opening.

15. The method according to the previous claim, wherein the aerosol-forming article or substrate is loaded into and ejected from the aerosol-forming device at opposing sides of the aerosol-forming device.

Images