Patent Application
20230276840
The present invention relates to an aerosolizable material, an aerosol provision system, a method of providing an aerosol, a method of manufacture of an aerosolizable material and an aerosolizable material.
Aerosol provision systems are known. Common systems use heaters to create an aerosol from an aerosolizable material which is then inhaled by a user. The aerosolizable material from which the aerosol is generated may be partially or entirely consumed during use of the aerosol provision system. When an aerosol generating material is heated, the aerosol generating material may change structurally. Over time such structural changes may reduce the user experience of the aerosol provision system, by virtue of changing flavors or increasing difficulty of use as the aerosol generating material is depleted. Temperatures used to produce aerosols from aerosol generating materials can vary throughout use as these structural changes occur.
It is desirable to provide aerosol provision systems that provide effective and efficient heating of aerosol generating material.
The present invention is directed toward solving some of the above problems.
Aspects of the invention are defined in the accompanying claims.
In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided an aerosolizable material comprising at least one active constituent and at least one thermally conductive element, wherein the at least one thermally conductive element has a thermal conductivity of around 10 W/mK to around 500 W/mK.
In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided an aerosol provision system comprising: a power source; an aerosolizable material; and, a heater for providing heat to the aerosolizable material, wherein aerosolizable material comprises at least one active constituent and at least one thermally conductive element, wherein the at least one thermally conductive element has a thermal conductivity of around 10 W/mK to around 500 W/mK.
In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided a method of providing an aerosol comprising: providing an aerosol provision device comprising a heater; an aerosolizable material comprising at least one active constituent and at least one thermally conductive element, wherein the thermally conductive element has a thermal conductivity of around 10 W/mK to around 500 W/mK; engaging the aerosolizable material with the aerosol provision device; and, heating the aerosolizable material with the heater.
In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided an aerosolizable material comprising at least one active constituent means and at least one thermally conductive means, wherein the at least one thermally conductive means has a thermal conductivity of around 10 W/mK to around 500 W/mK.
The present teachings will now be described by way of example only with reference to the following figure:
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description of the specific embodiments are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed. On the contrary, the invention covers all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
Aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments are discussed/described herein. Some aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments may be implemented conventionally and these are not discussed/described in detail in the interests of brevity. It will thus be appreciated that aspects and features of apparatus and methods discussed herein which are not described in detail may be implemented in accordance with any conventional techniques for implementing such aspects and features.
The present disclosure relates to aerosol provision systems, which may also be referred to as aerosol provision systems, such as e-cigarettes. According to the present disclosure, a “non-combustible” aerosol provision system is one where a constituent aerosolizable material of the aerosol provision system (or component thereof) is not combusted or burned in order to facilitate delivery to a user. Throughout the following description the term “e-cigarette” or “electronic cigarette” may sometimes be used, but it will be appreciated this term may be used interchangeably with aerosol provision system/device and electronic aerosol provision system/device. Furthermore, and as is common in the technical field, the terms “aerosol” and “vapor”, and related terms such as “vaporize”, “volatilize” and “aerosolise”, may generally be used interchangeably.
In the example of
The at least one active constituent 110 may comprise one or more flavors, one or more aerosol-former materials and/or one or more functional materials. In a particular example, the at least one active constituent 110 may contain nicotine or a nicotine-containing substance.
The at least one thermally conductive element 120 assists in effective transfer of heat energy through the aerosolizable material 100. The at least one thermally conductive element 120 shown in the specific example of
In another example, the arrangement of at least one thermally conductive element 120 in the aerosolizable material 100 may be selected with an understanding of the typical heat flow paths in an aerosol provision system and how these heat flow paths interact with the aerosolizable material 100. For example, if heat is to be supplied to the aerosolizable material 100 primarily from one side of the aerosolizable material 100, the at least one thermally conductive element 120 may be arranged to effectively conduct heat to another side of the aerosolizable material 100.
In an example, the at least one thermally conductive element 120 comprise a binder. A binder may be a material or substance that holds or draws other materials together to form a cohesive whole mechanically, chemically, by adhesion or cohesion. The use of a binder assists in forming the structure of the aerosolizable material 100. The maintenance of the structure of the aerosolizable material 100 assists in prevention of structural degradation which can occur during heating of the aerosolizable material 100. Such structural degradation can lead to uneven heating of the aerosolizable material 100 which can lead to production of undesirable compounds due to overheating of certain portions of the aerosolizable material 100. Specific conductive binders that may be advantageous include methyl cellulose, carboxylmethyl cellulose, alginates as well as gels. The binder need only have a thermal conductivity above that of the aerosolizable material (such of tobacco) to improve thermal conduction through the aerosolizable material. As such, certain binders may be used with less thermally conductive aerosolizable material but would not be suitable for more thermally conductive aerosolizable material.
In the example of
In an example, the at least one thermally conductive element 220 forms at most 20% by volume of the aerosolizable material 200. In other examples, the at least one thermally conductive element 220 forms at most 1%, at most 2%, at most 3%, at most 4%, at most 5%, at most 6%, at most 7%, at most 8%, at most 9%, at most 10%, at most 11%, at most 12%, at most 13%, at most 14%, at most 15%, at most 16%, at most 17%, at most 18%, or at most 19% by volume of the aerosolizable material 200. The amount of thermally conductive element 220 may be selected to enable a balance between the active constituent 210 present in the aerosolizable material 200, for producing a flavor or the like in use, and the assistance to thermal conductivity provided by the thermally conductive element 220. In an example wherein the active constituent 210 is particularly poor at conducting heat, this may be overcome with the provision of a greater amount of thermally conductive element 220. In an example wherein the active constituent 210 is better at conducting heat, there may be a lesser amount of thermally conductive element 220 in the aerosolizable material 200.
In the example of
By “locating” and “positioning” of the thermally conductive element 320, as used herein, it is also envisaged that this may refer to the distribution of the density of the at least one thermally conductive element 320 throughout the aerosolizable material 300. In an example, rather than positioning the at least one thermally conductive element 320 away from the outer surface 302 of the aerosolizable material 300, the thermally conductive element 320 may be more dense in a central location of the aerosolizable material 300. The density profile may vary from portions of the aerosolizable material 300 which receive more thermal heat energy (wherein the density is lower) to portions which receive less thermal heat energy (wherein the density is higher).
In an example therefore the thermally conductive element 320 may be concentrated in particular portions of the aerosolizable material 300 and so not be evenly dispersed. The thermally conductive element 320 may be provided in bulk in a specific location (as in
This enables a manufacturer to advantageously provide a bespoke thermal profile which can be formed during heating of the aerosolizable material 300 which may or may not be equal across the aerosolizable material 300. An advantage of an unequal heat distribution allows a manufacturer to tailor additional heating to locations in the aerosolizable material 300 that require heating, such as a more central portion of the aerosolizable material 300, which may not be as readily heated as an outwardly-facing surface.
The centre of the aerosolizable material 300 may receive less thermal heat energy (from an external heating source) than portions located closer to the outer surface 302. As such, in an example, the thermally conductive element 320 may be formed to transport heat energy effectively to the centre of the aerosolizable material 300. This may be via density profile selection or via structures such as rods in which the thermally conductive element 320 may be formed or arranged. Such rods may project into the centre from the outer surface such that the density of the rods is higher towards the centre of the aerosolizable material 300.
The selection of densities (or the variation of the density) of the thermally conductive element 320 in the aerosolizable material 300 should avoid concentrations of heat energy where the active constituent 310 may be overheated and produce undesirable compounds.
In an example, the at least one thermally conductive element 320 comprises at least one of: a metal, an alloy, a ceramic, glycerol, and graphite. The glycerol may be vegetable glycerol.
In the example of
The provision of the plurality of portions with differing thermal conductivities within the at least one thermally conductive element 420 may enable greater flexibility over the thermal conductivity provided by the thermally conductive element 420 as a whole. This, in turn, increases the control over the thermal conductivity provided by the thermally conductive element 420. In an example, it may be advantageous to provide a material with a greater thermal conductivity towards the outer surface 402 of the aerosolizable material 400 and a material with a lower thermal conductivity towards the centre such that, in use, heat in conducted towards the centre of the aerosolizable material 400 but is retained more effectively once provided. In the above described example, it is presumed that heat energy is being applied to the aerosolizable material 400 such that the outer surface 402 receives at least the majority (if not the entirety) of the incident heat. This of course will depend on the aerosol provision device with which the aerosolizable material 400 is used.
In an example, the at least one active constituent 410 comprises a flavor. The flavor may be olfactory or the like. The active constituent 410 may comprise an active substance. The active substance may be e.g. caffeine or the like.
The active constituent 410 as used herein may be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. The active constituent 410 may for example be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, psychoactives. The active constituent 410 may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active constituent 410 may comprise for example nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, vitamins such as B6 or B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids, or constituents, derivatives, or combinations thereof. The active constituent 410 may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of tobacco, cannabis or another botanical.
In some embodiments, the active constituent 410 comprises nicotine. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises caffeine, melatonin or vitamin B12. In some embodiments, the active constituent 410 comprises tobacco.
In the example of
As the heater provides thermal energy to the aerosolizable material 505, the active constituent 510 may release compounds which may form an aerosol in air which passes through the system 500. This aerosol may exit the system 500 via outlet 509. Over time, the active constituent 510 adjacent to side 507 will become depleted and there will become a need for the heat to affect a fresher portion of the active constituent 510. Arrangement of the thermally conductive element 520 may enable depletion of the active constituent 510 to occur more homogeneously throughout use. This assists in preventing portions of the active constituent 510 from being heated when depleted which can result in undesirable compounds being released.
In the example of
The arrangement of the example shown in
In an example, the power source 630 supplies energy to the heater 640 and the heater 640 is arranged to operate at around 70° C. The use of the at least one thermally conductive element 620 enables efficient transfer of heat throughout the aerosolizable material 605. Therefore, the system 600 may operate at a lower temperature. In this way, use of the at least one thermally conductive element 620 may reduce the load on the power source 630 and the heater 640 increasing the lifetime of the system 600 per charge (as less power source 630 energy is required per puff) and increasing the lifetime of the system 600 as a while (as less electrical strain is placed on the elements within the system 600). In an example, the power source 630 and heater 640 may operate to heat the aerosolizable material 605 to around 70° C.
Any of the disclosed aerosol provision systems may have control circuitry arranged to control the heating to produce an aerosol and/or receive signals from sensors or from the user and/or to control movement of the guide element (or portions thereof) or the like. The controller or the control circuitry may be connected to a database for determining when certain predetermined values are exceeded or are outside of predetermined ranges. This may lead to controlling heating of the heater or controlling control flow of the aerosol through the aerosol provision system.
The heating may be provided by a resistive heater to provide thermal energy to the aerosolizable material 605. In an example, the thermally conductive material is therefore heatable by resistive heating. In an example, the thermally conductive material is not heatable via induction heating or magnetism. For example, thermally conductive material may be formed from at least one of ceramics and a binder or the like.
In some embodiments, the aerosol provision system is an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device or electronic nicotine delivery system (END), although it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosolizable material is not a requirement.
In some embodiments, the aerosol provision system is a tobacco heating system, also known as a heat-not-burn system.
In some embodiments, the aerosol provision system is a hybrid system to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosolizable materials, one or a plurality of which may be heated. Each of the aerosolizable materials may be, for example, in the form of a solid, liquid or gel and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel aerosolizable material and a solid aerosolizable material. The solid aerosolizable material may comprise, for example, tobacco or a non-tobacco product.
Typically, the aerosol provision system may comprise an aerosol provision device and an article for use with the aerosol provision device. However, it is envisaged that articles which themselves comprise a means for powering an aerosol generating component may themselves form the aerosol provision system.
In some embodiments, the aerosol provision device may comprise a power source and a controller. The power source may, for example, be an electric power source.
In some embodiments, the article for use with the aerosol provision device may comprise an aerosolizable material, an aerosol generating component, an aerosol generating area, a mouthpiece, and/or an area for receiving aerosolizable material.
In some embodiments, the aerosol generating component is a heater capable of interacting with the aerosolizable material so as to release one or more volatiles from the aerosolizable material to form an aerosol.
In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered may be an aerosolizable material. Aerosolizable material, which also may be referred to herein as aerosol generating material, is material that is capable of generating aerosol, for example when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. Aerosolizable material may, for example, be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel which may or may not contain nicotine and/or flavorant. In some embodiments, the aerosolizable material may comprise an “amorphous solid”, which may alternatively be referred to as a “monolithic solid” (i.e. non-fibrous). In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may be a dried gel. The amorphous solid is a solid material that may retain some fluid, such as liquid, within it. In some embodiments, the aerosolizable material may for example comprise from about 50 wt %, 60 wt % or 70 wt % of amorphous solid, to about 90 wt %, 95 wt % or 100 wt % of amorphous solid.
The aerosolizable material may comprise one or more active constituents, one or more carrier constituents and optionally one or more other functional constituents.
The active constituent may comprise one or more physiologically and/or olfactory active constituents which are included in the aerosolizable material in order to achieve a physiological and/or olfactory response in the user. The active constituent may for example be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, and psychoactives. The active constituent may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active constituent may comprise for example nicotine, caffeine, taurine, or any other suitable constituent. The active constituent may comprise a constituent, derivative or extract of tobacco or of another botanical. In some embodiments, the active constituent is a physiologically active constituent and may be selected from nicotine, nicotine salts (e.g. nicotine ditartrate/nicotine bitartrate), nicotine-free tobacco substitutes, other alkaloids such as caffeine.
In some embodiments, the active constituent is an olfactory active constituent and may be selected from a “flavor ” and/or “ flavorant” which, where local regulations permit, may be used to create a desired taste, aroma or other somatosensorial sensation in a product for adult consumers. In some instances such constituents may be referred to as flavors, flavorants, cooling agents, heating agents, or sweetening agents. They may include naturally occurring flavor materials, botanicals, extracts of botanicals, synthetically obtained materials, or combinations thereof (e.g., tobacco, cannabis, licorice (liquorice), hydrangea, eugenol, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek, clove, maple, matcha, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed (anise), cinnamon, turmeric, Indian spices, Asian spices, herb, wintergreen, cherry, berry, red berry, cranberry, peach, apple, orange, mango, clementine, lemon, lime, tropical fruit, papaya, rhubarb, grape, durian, dragon fruit, cucumber, blueberry, mulberry, citrus fruits, Drambuie, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, aloe vera, cardamom, celery, cascarilla, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, khat, naswar, betel, shisha, pine, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, orange blossom, cherry blossom, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sage, fennel, wasabi, piment, ginger, coriander, coffee, hemp, a mint oil from any species of the genus Mentha, eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa, lemongrass, rooibos, flax, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, mate, orange skin, rose, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, juniper, elderflower, basil, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lemon peel, mint, beefsteak plant, curcuma, cilantro, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, limonene, thymol, camphene), flavor enhancers, bitterness receptor site blockers, sensorial receptor site activators or stimulators, sugars and/or sugar substitutes (e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharine, cyclamates, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol), and other additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, botanicals, or breath freshening agents. They may be imitation, synthetic or natural ingredients or blends thereof. They may be in any suitable form, for example, liquid such as an oil, solid such as a powder, or gasone or more of extracts (e.g., licorice, hydrangea, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek, clove, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed, cinnamon, herb, wintergreen, cherry, berry, peach, apple, Drambuie, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, cardamom, celery, cascarilla, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sage, fennel, piment, ginger, anise, coriander, coffee, or a mint oil from any species of the genus Mentha), flavor enhancers, bitterness receptor site blockers, sensorial receptor site activators or stimulators, sugars and/or sugar substitutes (e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharine, cyclamates, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol), and other additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, botanicals, or breath freshening agents. They may be imitation, synthetic or natural ingredients or blends thereof. They may be in any suitable form, for example, oil, liquid, or powder.
In some embodiments, the flavor comprises menthol, spearmint and/or peppermint. In some embodiments, the flavor comprises flavor components of cucumber, blueberry, citrus fruits and/or redberry. In some embodiments, the flavor comprises eugenol. In some embodiments, the flavor comprises flavor components extracted from tobacco. In some embodiments, the flavor may comprise a sensate, which is intended to achieve a somatosensorial sensation which are usually chemically induced and perceived by the stimulation of the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve), in addition to or in place of aroma or taste nerves, and these may include agents providing heating, cooling, tingling, numbing effect. A suitable heat effect agent may be, but is not limited to, vanillyl ethyl ether and a suitable cooling agent may be, but not limited to eucalyptol, WS-3.
The carrier constituent may comprise one or more constituents capable of forming an aerosol. In some embodiments, the carrier constituent may comprise one or more of glycerine, glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-Erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, a diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate.
The one or more other functional constituents may comprise one or more of pH regulators, colouring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and/or antioxidants.
In some embodiments, the article for use with the aerosol provision device may comprise aerosolizable material or an area for receiving aerosolizable material. In some embodiments, the article for use with the aerosol provision device may comprise a mouthpiece. The area for receiving aerosolizable material may be a storage area for storing aerosolizable material. For example, the storage area may be a reservoir. In some embodiments, the area for receiving aerosolizable material may be separate from, or combined with, an aerosol generating area.
Thus there has been described an aerosolizable material comprising at least one active constituent and at least one thermally conductive element, wherein the at least one thermally conductive element has a thermal conductivity of around 10 W/mK to around 500 W/mK.
The aerosol provision system may be used in a tobacco industry product, for example a non-combustible aerosol provision system.
In one embodiment, the tobacco industry product comprises one or more components of a non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a heater and an aerosolizable substrate.
In one embodiment, the aerosol provision system is an electronic cigarette also known as a vaping device.
In one embodiment the electronic cigarette comprises a heater, a power supply capable of supplying power to the heater, an aerosolizable substrate such as a liquid or gel, a housing and optionally a mouthpiece.
In one embodiment the aerosolizable substrate is contained in or on a substrate container. In one embodiment the substrate container is combined with or comprises the heater.
In one embodiment, the tobacco industry product is a heating product which releases one or more compounds by heating, but not burning, a substrate material. The substrate material is an aerosolizable material which may be for example tobacco or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine. In one embodiment, the heating device product is a tobacco heating product.
In one embodiment, the heating product is an electronic device.
In one embodiment, the tobacco heating product comprises a heater, a power supply capable of supplying power to the heater, an aerosolizable substrate such as a solid or gel material.
In one embodiment the heating product is a non-electronic article.
In one embodiment the heating product comprises an aerosolizable substrate such as a solid or gel material, and a heat source which is capable of supplying heat energy to the aerosolizable substrate without any electronic means, such as by burning a combustion material, such as charcoal.
In one embodiment the heating product also comprises a filter capable of filtering the aerosol generated by heating the aerosolizable substrate.
In some embodiments the aerosolizable substrate material may comprise an aerosol or aerosol generating agent or a humectant, such as glycerol, propylene glycol, triacetin or diethylene glycol.
In one embodiment, the tobacco industry product is a hybrid system to generate aerosol by heating, but not burning, a combination of substrate materials. The substrate materials may comprise for example solid, liquid or gel which may or may not contain nicotine. In one embodiment, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel substrate and a solid substrate. The solid substrate may be for example tobacco or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine. In one embodiment, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel substrate and tobacco.
In order to address various issues and advance the art, the entirety of this disclosure shows by way of illustration various embodiments in which the claimed invention(s) may be practiced and provide for a superior electronic aerosol provision system. The advantages and features of the disclosure are of a representative sample of embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. They are presented only to assist in understanding and teach the claimed features. It is to be understood that advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and/or other aspects of the disclosure are not to be considered limitations on the disclosure as defined by the claims or limitations on equivalents to the claims, and that other embodiments may be utilised and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and/or spirit of the disclosure. Various embodiments may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, various combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc. In addition, the disclosure includes other inventions not presently claimed, but which may be claimed in future.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012085.3 | Aug 2020 | GB | national |
The present application is a National Phase entry of PCT Application No. PCT/GB2021/051995, filed Aug. 2, 2021, which claims priority from GB Application No. 2012085.3, filed Aug. 4, 2021, each of which are hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/GB2021/051995 | 8/2/2021 | WO |
