Patent Grant
10542780
The present invention is in the field of vapor generators.
Vapor generators have been used for smoking cessation and smoking substitution products. Vapor generators generate a stream of vapor from electrically heating a liquid or gel.
A vapor generator has a mouthpiece; an upper adapter receiving the mouthpiece; a central post connecting to the upper adapter; a fluid reservoir, wherein the central post passes through the fluid reservoir; central post openings formed on the central post; a heating element configured to generate heat for vaporizing vapor fluid; and a heating element base configured to retain the heating element. The central post openings receive vapor fluid. A first polarity base body is electrically conductive and has a first polarity base air intake. A duckbill valve is disposed within the first polarity base body through a base opening. A second polarity base is electrically conductive and insulated from the first polarity base body by an insulating sleeve.
The second polarity base has a second polarity base air intake. The second polarity base air intake and the first polarity base air intake allow air to be received to the duckbill valve. The vapor generator optionally includes an upper gasket and a lower gasket to provide a seal to the reservoir tank when the reservoir tank is formed as a tube of glass. The reservoir tank has a tank base edge sealed by the lower gasket.
The central post has a central post O-ring and a central post upper thread. The central post upper thread secures to the upper adapter, and the central post O-ring seals to the upper adapter. The heating element base has a pair of heating element base prongs extending above a heating element base flange. The central post has a central post conduit, and the central post conduit has a central post flange that flares to a larger diameter at a lower end of the central post conduit. The central post has a central post O-ring retainer formed as a circular extension. The heating element base has a heating element base slot, and the heating element base slot is aligned to the central post openings for receiving fluid from the fluid reservoir.
The positive extension fits inside the insulator sidewall. The positive extension and the insulator sidewall connect to the heating element base. The positive extension is electrically conductive. The fluid reservoir has a fluid reservoir top and a fluid reservoir bottom. The fluid reservoir bottom further includes a fluid reservoir bottom opening. The fluid reservoir bottom is configured for filling and dispensing, so that the fluid reservoir bottom opening provides a constant pressure for the filling chamber. The vapor generator has a twist opening so that it can be opened with a single twist to disconnect the fluid reservoir from the heating base. When twisted open, the vapor generator may have a single fluid reservoir bottom opening to better control air pressure.
The following call out list of elements can be a useful guide and referencing elements of the drawings.
The present invention includes a mouthpiece 20 having a mouthpiece tip 24 that a user aspirates from. The mouthpiece 20 has a mouthpiece sidewall 21 in a generally cylindrical shape and a mouthpiece base 25 in a circular shape. The mouthpiece O-ring 22 seals the mouthpiece base 25 to the upper adapter 30. The mouthpiece base fits to the upper adapter 30. The upper adapter 30 has a cylindrical sidewall 32. The upper gasket groove 31 is formed on the upper adapter 30. The upper gasket groove 31 is configured to receive an upper gasket 23. The upper gasket 23 seals to the fluid tank 33. The fluid tank 33 is configured to be filled with a gel or liquid which are both fluids. The mouthpiece O-ring 22 seals the mouthpiece to the upper adapter 30. The fluid tank 33 has a tank base edge 34 that abuts against and is sealed to a lower gasket 36. The lower gasket 36 can be formed of an elastomer such as a rubber or silicone.
The central post 40 is positioned inside the fluid tank 33. The central post 40 preferably includes a central post upper thread 41 for threadedly connecting the upper adapter 32 the central post 40. The central post 40 also has a central post conduit 43 extending downwardly to a central post flange 44 where the central post has a larger diameter. Central post openings 45 receive liquid from the liquid tank 33. The central post openings 45 are aligned to the heating element base slot 64 so that liquid can pass from the tank 33 to the central post openings 45 and then to the heating element base slot 64. After passing through the heating element base slot 64, the heating element 50 heats the liquid to a vapor so as to generate a stream of vapor.
The central post 40 has a central post O-ring 42 that seals against the upper adapter 30. The central post flange retains the central post O-ring 42 in a groove which is the central post O-ring groove. The seal between the central post O-ring 42 and the upper adapter 30 is probably an airtight seal. The central post O-ring 42 can be made of an elastomer such as silicone. The central post O-ring 42 can be retained by a central post O-ring retainer 46.
The heating element 50 has a heating element tip 51 that emits a stream of heated air or emits heat. The heating element body 52 has room for holding a coil of wire such as a heating element coil wire inside the heating element body 52. The heating element body 52 is therefore heated by electrical resistance. The heating element conductive leads 53 preferably include a positive and negative conductive lead that extended downwardly from the heating element body 52. The heating element body 52 is generally cylindrical and sized to be received in a heating element base 60.
The heating element base 60 has a heating element base retainer socket 61 that is sized for receiving the heating element body 52 of the heating element 50. The heating element base 60 has a heating element base slot 64. The heating element base slot 64 is between and defines a pair of heating element base prongs 65. The heating element base prongs 65 together define the heating element base retainer socket 61. The heating element base 60 also has a heating element base flange that holds the heating element base 60. The heating element base lower end 63 has a notch formed in its underside that aligns to the heating element base slot 64.
Preferably, an insulator 70 fits into the heating element base lower end 63. The insulator 60 is preferably a silicone tube having an upper annular protrusion and a lower annular protrusion. The positive extension 72 fits inside the insulator 60 and conducts electricity from the positive base to the heating element leads 53. The positive base has a positive base upper body 82 and a positive base lower body 89. The positive base opening 84 is formed on an upper surface of the positive base. The positive base also has a positive base air intake 83. The positive base air intake 83 receives air and is aligned to an air intake 93 on the negative base.
A duckbill valve 80 has a duckbill valve sidewall 81 that is flexible and allows air to be selectively passed through a valve opening 86. The valve opening 86 is formed on an opposite end of the duckbill valve 80 than the valve lower retaining ring 85. The valve lower retaining ring 85 fits into the positive base opening 84 and deforms in an elastomeric manner so that it is lodged within the positive base opening 84. The valve opening 86 is then approximately flush with the positive base opening 84. The duckbill valve 80 is preferably made of an elastomeric material such as silicone. The positive base is insulated from the negative base 90. The negative base 90 has a negative base air intake 93 and a negative base threaded terminal 92. The negative base threaded terminal 92 threadedly connects to a battery module. The battery module can have the same diameter as the negative base conductive sidewall 91. The battery module has a battery module negative terminal that is electrically connected to the negative base conductive sidewall 91 when the negative base threaded terminal 92 is in contact to the battery module negative terminal. Similarly, the positive base lower body 89 is in contact to the battery module positive terminal when the negative base threaded terminal 92 is mechanically secured to the battery module.
The insulating sleeve 87 has an insulating sleeve opening 88 which receives the positive base upper body 82. The insulating sleeve 87 has an insulating sleeve sidewall that is sized to fit within the negative base opening. The positive base of her body 82 is sized to fit within the insulating sleeve opening 88. Therefore, the positive base and the negative base and the insulating sleeve insulating the positive base from the negative base are all coaxial to each other.
The negative base has a negative base air intake 93 that feeds to the positive base air intake 83. Then, air passes through the duckbill valve 80 and that through the base 73. The base 73 has a lower gasket groove 75 for receiving the lower gasket 36 that seals the tank base and should 34. The lower gasket groove circumscribes a base opening 74. The base opening 74 receives the positive extension flange 76 because the positive extension flange 76 has a smaller diameter than the diameter of the base opening 74.
Additionally, the fluid reservoir 101 can hold the fluid such as a gel or liquid. The liquid can be a water base or oil base liquid. A wick pulls the liquid from the fluid reservoir 101 of the tank 33 into the vaporizing chamber formed immediately above the heating element tip 51. The resulting vapor stream passes through the central airflow conduit 102 inside the central post conduit 43. Then, the vapor stream passes through the mouthpiece conduit 103 located within the mouthpiece 20 before being aspirated by a user.
As seen in
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20160366725 | Tucker | Dec 2016 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190166907 A1 | Jun 2019 | US |
