WO2025074105A1 - Système de fourniture d'aérosol comprenant une source d'ions - Google Patents

Système de fourniture d'aérosol comprenant une source d'ions Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2025074105A1
WO2025074105A1 PCT/GB2024/052542 GB2024052542W WO2025074105A1 WO 2025074105 A1 WO2025074105 A1 WO 2025074105A1 GB 2024052542 W GB2024052542 W GB 2024052542W WO 2025074105 A1 WO2025074105 A1 WO 2025074105A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
aerosol
ions
provision system
air inlet
ion
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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PCT/GB2024/052542
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English (en)
Inventor
Hripsime GASPARYAN
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Nicoventures Trading Ltd
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Nicoventures Trading Ltd
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Publication of WO2025074105A1 publication Critical patent/WO2025074105A1/fr
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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
    • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
    • A24F40/40—Constructional details, e.g. connection of cartridges and battery parts
    • A24F40/48—Fluid transfer means, e.g. pumps
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
    • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
    • A24F40/50—Control or monitoring
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61M—DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M15/00—Inhalators
    • A61M15/02—Inhalators with activated or ionised fluids, e.g. electrohydrodynamic [EHD] or electrostatic devices; Ozone-inhalators with radioactive tagged particles

Definitions

  • Aerosol provision systems such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and tobacco-heating products, generally contain an aerosol-generating material, such as a source liquid or a tobacco rod, which may contain an active substance and / or a flavour, from which an aerosol or vapour is generated for inhalation by a user, for example through heat vaporisation or other means.
  • an aerosol provision system will typically comprise an aerosol generator, such as a heater, arranged to vaporise or aerosolise a portion of aerosolgenerating material to generate a vapour or aerosol in an aerosol generation chamber.
  • an aerosol provision system comprising an aerosol generator for generating an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material for inhalation by a user; and an ion source configured to provide ions in the vicinity of an air inlet through which air is drawn for mixing with the aerosol generated by the aerosol generator during user inhalation so that the ions are also drawn in through the air inlet during user inhalation.
  • the ion source may be controllable so that at least one characteristic of the ions provided by the ion source can be varied.
  • the at least one characteristic may in some examples comprise one or more of: ion density, ion energy, ion distribution, and ion charge state
  • the ion source may comprise an ion generator for generating ions and a guide for guiding the ions generated by the ion generator to the vicinity of the air inlet.
  • Figure 4 schematically represents an aerosol provision system according to a fourth embodiment of the disclosure
  • provision system (which may also sometimes be referred to as a "delivery system”) is intended to encompass systems that deliver / provide at least one substance to a user in use, and includes: non-combustible aerosol provision systems that release compounds from an aerosol-generating material without combusting the aerosolgenerating material, such as electronic cigarettes, tobacco heating products, and hybrid systems to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials.
  • the delivery system is a non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a powered non-combustible aerosol provision system.
  • the non-combustible 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 aerosol-generating material is not necessary.
  • the non- combustible aerosol provision system is a system for heating an aerosol-generating material, also known as a heat-not-burn system. An example of such a system is a tobacco heating system.
  • the non-combustible aerosol provision system is a hybrid system to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials, one or a plurality of which may be heated.
  • Each of the aerosol-generating materials may be, for example, in the form of a solid, liquid, gel and I or amorphous solid, and may or may not contain nicotine.
  • a hybrid system may, for example, comprise a liquid or gel aerosolgenerating material and a solid aerosol-generating material.
  • the solid aerosol-generating material may comprise, for example, tobacco or a non-tobacco product.
  • the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise a non-combustible aerosol provision device and a consumable for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device.
  • the disclosure relates to consumables comprising aerosol-generating material and configured to be used with non-combustible aerosol provision devices.
  • These consumables are sometimes referred to as articles, cartridges, or cartomisers throughout the disclosure, and these terms should be understood to be interchangeable herein.
  • the "consumable" terminology reflects that this component will include material that is consumed during use. The consumable may be fully disposable and discarded in its entirety once the consumable material in the consumable has been consumed, or in other cases, the consumable material may be replenished after it has been consumed and the consumable retained for further use.
  • the non-combustible aerosol provision system such as a non- combustible aerosol provision device thereof, may comprise a power source and a controller.
  • the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise an area for receiving the consumable, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a mouthpiece, a filter and/or an aerosol-modifying agent.
  • the consumable for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise aerosol-generating material, an aerosol-generating material storage area, an aerosolgenerating material transfer component, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a filter, a mouthpiece, and/or an aerosol-modifying agent.
  • the substance to be delivered may comprise one or more active constituents, one or more flavourants, one or more aerosol-former materials, and/or one or more other functional materials.
  • the substance to be delivered may comprise an active substance.
  • the active substance as used herein may be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response.
  • the active substance may for example be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, and I or psychoactives.
  • the active substance may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained.
  • the active substance 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 substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of tobacco, cannabis or another botanical.
  • the active substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of cannabis, such as one or more cannabinoids or terpenes.
  • the active substance may comprise or be derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof.
  • botanical includes any material derived from plants including, but not limited to, extracts, leaves, bark, fibres, stems, roots, seeds, flowers, fruits, pollen, husk, shells or the like.
  • the material may comprise an active compound naturally existing in a botanical, obtained synthetically.
  • the material may be in the form of liquid, gas, solid, powder, dust, crushed particles, granules, pellets, shreds, strips, sheets, or the like.
  • Example botanicals are tobacco, eucalyptus, star anise, hemp, cocoa, cannabis, fennel, lemongrass, peppermint, spearmint, rooibos, chamomile, flax, ginger, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, licorice (liquorice), matcha, mate, orange skin, papaya, rose, sage, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, clove, cinnamon, coffee, aniseed (anise), basil, bay leaves, cardamom, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lavender, lemon peel, mint, juniper, elderflower, vanilla, Wintergreen, beefsteak plant, curcuma, turmeric, sandalwood, cilantro, bergamot, orange blossom, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon
  • the mint may be chosen from the following mint varieties: Mentha Arventis, Mentha c.v..Mentha niliaca, Mentha piperita, Mentha piperita citrata c.v..Mentha piperita c.v, Mentha spicata crispa, Mentha cardifolia, Memtha longifolia, Mentha suaveolens variegata, Mentha pulegium, Mentha spicata c.v. and Mentha suaveolens.
  • the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is tobacco. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is selected from eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa and hemp. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is selected from rooibos and fennel.
  • the substance to be delivered comprises a flavour.
  • flavour and “flavourant” refer to materials which, where local regulations permit, may be used to create a desired taste, aroma or other somatosensorial sensation in a product for adult consumers.
  • the flavour comprises menthol, spearmint and/or peppermint.
  • the flavour comprises flavour components of cucumber, blueberry, citrus fruits and/or redberry.
  • the flavour comprises eugenol.
  • the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from tobacco.
  • the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from cannabis.
  • Aerosol-generating material is a material that is capable of generating aerosol, for example when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. Aerosol-generating material may, for example, be in the form of a solid, liquid, gel which may or may not contain an active substance and/or flavourants. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating 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 aerosol-generating material may for example comprise from about 50wt%, 60wt% or 70wt% of amorphous solid, to about 90wt%, 95wt% or 100wt% of amorphous solid.
  • the aerosol-generating material may comprise one or more active substances and/or flavours, one or more aerosol-former materials, and optionally one or more other functional material.
  • the aerosol-former material may comprise one or more constituents capable of forming an aerosol.
  • the aerosol-former material may comprise one or more of 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.
  • a consumable is an article comprising or consisting of aerosol-generating material, part or all of which is intended to be consumed during use by a user.
  • a consumable may comprise one or more other components, such as an aerosol-generating material storage area, an aerosol-generating material transfer component (e.g. a wicking element), an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a mouthpiece, a filter and/or an aerosolmodifying agent.
  • a consumable may also comprise an aerosol generator, such as a heater, that emits heat to cause the aerosol-generating material to generate aerosol in use.
  • the heater may, for example, comprise a material heatable by electrical conduction, or a susceptor.
  • a susceptor is a material that is heatable by penetration with a varying magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field.
  • the susceptor may be an electrically-conductive material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes induction heating of the heating material.
  • the heating material may be magnetic material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes magnetic hysteresis heating of the heating material.
  • the susceptor may be both electrically-conductive and magnetic, so that the susceptor is heatable by both heating mechanisms.
  • the device that is configured to generate the varying magnetic field is referred to as a magnetic field generator, herein.
  • An aerosol-modifying agent is a substance, typically located downstream of the aerosol generation area, that is configured to modify the aerosol generated, for example by changing the taste, flavour, acidity or another characteristic of the aerosol.
  • the aerosol-modifying agent may be provided in an aerosol-modifying agent release component that is operable to selectively release the aerosol-modifying agent.
  • the aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be an additive or a sorbent.
  • the aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, comprise one or more of a flavourant, a colourant, water, and a carbon adsorbent.
  • the aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be a solid, a liquid, or a gel.
  • the aerosolmodifying agent may be in powder, thread or granule form.
  • the aerosol-modifying agent may be free from filtration material.
  • An aerosol generator is an apparatus configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material.
  • the aerosol generator is a heater configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to heat energy, so as to release one or more volatiles from the aerosol-generating material to form an aerosol.
  • the aerosol generator is configured to cause an aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material without heating.
  • the aerosol generator may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to one or more of vibration, increased or decreased pressure, or electrostatic energy.
  • the terms “aerosol” and “vapour”, and related terms such as “vaporise”, “volatilise” and “aerosolise” may generally be used interchangeably.
  • Aerosol provision systems often, though not always, comprise a modular assembly comprising a reusable device part and a replaceable (disposable/consumable) cartridge part.
  • the consumable I cartridge will sometimes comprise a reservoir of the liquid aerosol-generating material and the aerosol generator (although the aerosol generator can in other examples be in the device), and for systems that have a solid aerosol-generating material, the consumable/cartridge will sometimes comprise a cigarette-like tobacco rod which is heated by a heater (aerosol generator) in the device (although the aerosol generator can in other examples be, at least in part, in the consumable, such as in the form of a susceptor (heating element) in a tobacco rod).
  • a consumable comprises the aerosol-generating material and the vaporiser I atomizer I aerosol generator, it may sometimes be referred to as a ‘cartomizer’.
  • the reusable device part may comprise the power supply (e.g. rechargeable power source) and control circuitry. It will be appreciated these different parts may comprise further elements depending on functionality.
  • the reusable device part will often comprise a user interface for receiving user input and displaying operating status characteristics, and the replaceable consumable device part in some cases comprises a temperature sensor for helping to control temperature.
  • Consumables are often electrically and mechanically coupled to the control unit for use, for example using a screw thread, bayonet, or magnetic coupling with appropriately arranged electrical contacts, but in other examples a consumable may not include a mechanical coupling (e.g. it may simply be located in a predefined position for use - such as for a tobacco rod consumable) and I or may not include an electrical coupling (e.g. power may be transferred wirelessly, such as with induction heating, or by thermal conduction, or the aerosol generator might not be powered electrically or it might be located in the reusable device part).
  • a consumable may not include a mechanical coupling (e.g. it may simply be located in a predefined position for use - such as for a tobacco rod consumable) and I or may not include an electrical coupling (e.g. power may be transferred wirelessly, such as with induction heating, or by thermal conduction, or the aerosol generator might not be powered electrically or it might be located in the reusable device part).
  • Aerosol provision systems may alternatively comprise a single unit which does not comprise a consumable part and separate reusable device part configured to be detachably coupled together by a user. Such an aerosol provision system may be referred to as a ‘single part’ aerosol provision system or device.
  • a system I device which may be intended to be disposed of after a supply of electrical power in a battery and / or a supply of aerosolgenerating material supplied with the system I device is exhausted, without refilling or recharging the device, components including a reservoir of aerosol-generating material, an aerosol generator, a power supply (e.g. a battery), and control circuitry, may all be housed within a single housing.
  • a power supply e.g. a battery
  • control circuitry e.g. a battery
  • FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view through an example aerosol provision system 100 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure.
  • the system 100 comprises two main components, namely a device part 2 and a consumable part 4.
  • the device part 2 may alternatively be referred to as a reusable part, control unit, aerosol provision device, and so on, and the consumable part 4 may alternatively be referred to as a replaceable part I disposable part I cartridge.
  • the device part 2 and consumable part 4 together may be referred to as a system (e.g. an aerosol provision system I aerosol delivery system).
  • a system e.g. an aerosol provision system I aerosol delivery system.
  • This example is a two-part device is not in itself directly significant to the system's functionality as described further herein.
  • the device 2 and the consumable 4 are releasably coupled together at an interface 6.
  • the consumable When the consumable is exhausted or the user simply wishes to switch to a different consumable, the consumable may be removed from the device and a replacement consumable attached to the device in its place.
  • the interface 6 provides a structural, electrical and air path connection between the two parts and may be established in accordance with conventional techniques, for example based around a screw thread, latch mechanism, magnetic, friction or bayonet fixing, with appropriately arranged electrical contacts and openings for establishing the electrical connection and air path between the two parts as appropriate.
  • the consumable 4 couples to the device 2 is not significant to the principles described herein, but for the sake of a concrete example is assumed here to comprise a resilient latch mechanism, for example with a portion of the consumable being received in a corresponding receptacle in the device with cooperating latch engaging elements (not represented in Figure 1).
  • the interface 6 in some implementations may not support an electrical connection between the respective parts.
  • a vaporiser may be provided by the device rather than in the consumable, or the transfer of electrical power from the device to the consumable may be wireless (e.g. based on electromagnetic induction), so that an electrical connection between the device and the consumable is not needed.
  • the interface 6 in some implementations may not support an air path connection between the respective parts.
  • an air inlet may be provided as an opening in the body of the consumable itself or by a gap between the consumable and the device, so that the airflow during use does not pass across the interface between the device and the consumable.
  • the consumable 4 may in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure be broadly conventional.
  • the consumable 4 comprises a consumable housing 42 formed of a plastics material.
  • the consumable housing 42 supports other components of the consumable and provides the mechanical interface 6 with the device 2.
  • the consumable housing in this example is generally circularly symmetric about a longitudinal axis along which the consumable couples to the device 2.
  • the consumable has a length of around 4 cm and a diameter of around 2 cm.
  • the specific geometry, and more generally the overall shapes and materials used may be different in different implementations.
  • a reservoir 44 that contains a liquid aerosol-generating material (vapour precursor material).
  • the liquid aerosol-generating material may be conventional, and may be referred to as e-liquid.
  • the liquid reservoir 44 in this example has an annular shape with an outer wall defined by the consumable housing 42 and an inner wall 58 that defines an air path 52 through the consumable 4.
  • the reservoir 44 is closed at each end with end walls to contain the e-liquid.
  • the reservoir 44 may be formed in accordance with conventional techniques, for example, it may comprise a plastics material and be integrally moulded with the consumable housing 42.
  • electrical power may be selectively, e.g. in response to detecting user inhalation, supplied to the aerosol generator 48 to vaporise an amount of e-liquid (aerosol-generating material) that is drawn to the vicinity of the aerosol generator 48 by the wick 46. Vaporised e- liquid may then become entrained in air drawn along the consumable air path from the vaporisation region and out the mouthpiece outlet 50 for user inhalation.
  • e-liquid aerosol-generating material
  • the outer housing 12 may be formed, for example, from a plastics or metallic material and in this example has a circular cross-sectional area generally conforming to the shape and size of the consumable 4 so as to provide a smooth transition between the two parts at the interface 6.
  • the device has a length of around 6 cm so the overall length of the system when the consumable and device are coupled together is around 10 cm.
  • the overall shape and scale of a device implementing an embodiment of the disclosure is not significant to the principles described herein.
  • the air inlet 28 connects to an air path 30 through the device 2.
  • the device air path 30 in turn connects to the consumable air path 52 across the interface 6 when the device 2 and consumable 4 are connected together.
  • the pressure sensor chamber 18 containing the pressure sensor 16 is in fluid communication with the air path 30 in the device 2 (i.e. the pressure sensor chamber 18 branches off from the air path 30 in the device 2).
  • the control circuitry 20 is suitably configured I programmed to control the operation of the system to provide functionality in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure as described further herein, as well as for providing conventional operating functions of the system in line with the established techniques for controlling such devices.
  • the control circuitry (processor circuitry) 20 may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units / circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the system's operation in accordance with the principles described herein and other conventional operating aspects of systems, such as display driving circuitry and user input detection.
  • the ion generator 27a may be based on any conventional ion generating technology, for example based on corona discharge techniques.
  • the ion generator 27a may be taken from the technologies used in commercially available ion generators such as those from Airvida, for example the Airvida M1 , which can generate ions at a density of around two-million per cubic centimetre in 0.6 seconds, and also technologies such as those disclosed in LIS2021128776 [1],
  • the specific technology underlying the operation of the ion generator 27a in the ion source 27 is not of primary significance to the operation of the aerosol provision system I device.
  • the ion generator 27a is configured to generate negative ions. However, in other examples the ion generator 27a may be configured to generate positive ions, or both negative and positive ions.
  • the ion source 27 is arranged so that the ion generator generates ions in the vicinity of the air inlet 28. That is to say, the ion source 27 provides (delivers) ions to the vicinity of the air inlet 28 so that they can be drawn from the air surrounding the aerosol provision system into the air inlet when a user inhales on the aerosol provision system.
  • the aerosol provision device is thus configured to activate the ion source 27 to cause the ion generator 27a to generate ions when a user is inhaling on the system.
  • the ion source 27 may be activated in parallel with the aerosol generator 48.
  • the control circuitry I controller 20 is configured to detect the associated drop in pressure based on signalling received from the puff sensor 16, and in response supplies power to the aerosol generator 48 and to the ion source 27.
  • the ion source 27 is arranged to provide ions to the vicinity of the air inlet 28, as the user inhales on the system 100, the air that is drawn into the air inlet 28 includes ions from the ion generator 27a.
  • the incoming air bearing the ions then mixes with aerosol generated by the aerosol generator within the aerosol provision system and modifies the aerosol as it travels down the air path 52 before exiting the system through the mouthpiece outlet 50 where it may be inhaled by a user.
  • the ion source 27 may be activated every time the user inhales on the aerosol provision system (e.g. every time the aerosol generator is activated), or it may be active selectively, for example in response to user input, so the user can choose whether to use the aerosol resistant with or without the ion generator active.
  • the inventors have found that providing air containing ions (hereafter ionised air) to the air around the inlet of the aerosol provision system such that the air which is drawn into the system to mix with the aerosol generated by the aerosol generator comprises ions, impacts the manner in which the aerosol is formed and how the characteristics of the aerosol are perceived by a user.
  • air containing ions hereafter ionised air
  • the presence of ions can modify the perceived organoleptic properties of the aerosol for the user.
  • the aerosol generated by the aerosol provision device when the ion source is activated has characteristics such as:
  • the specific positioning of the ion generator 27a with respect to the air inlet 28 can be chosen to ensure ions from the ion generator 27a are provided to a region from which air is drawn when a user is inhaling on the aerosol provision system.
  • the specific relative position will depend, for example, on the position of the air inlet and the distribution over which ions are generated by the specific ion generator 27a used in a given implementation. For example, if the distribution of ions from the ion generator 27a is relatively directional, the ion generator 27a might be positioned further from the air inlet than if the distribution of ions from the ion generator 27a is more diffuse.
  • FIG 2 is a cross-sectional view through another example aerosol provision system 200 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure.
  • Elements and features of the aerosol provision system 200 represented in Figure 2 which are functionally similar to, and will be understood from, corresponding elements and features of the aerosol provision system 100 represented in Figure 1 are identified with corresponding reference numerals and are not discussed again in detail in the interests of brevity.
  • the aerosol provision system 200 of Figure 2 differs from the aerosol provision system 100 of Figure 1 by the manner in which the air inlet 28 for the aerosol provision device is provided.
  • the air inlet 28 is provided by an annular gap around the end of the consumable 4 that couples to the device 2.
  • Ambient air (with ions from the ion source) thus enters the system 100 through the gap 28 between the device 2 and the consumable 4, and then couples into the air path 52 in the consumable and into the sensor chamber 18 containing the inhalation sensor 16 in the device.
  • Figures 1 and 2 schematically represent two different arrangements of air inlet for an aerosol provision system.
  • the air inlet may, instead of being provided by an opening into the body of the device as in Figure 1, or by a gap between the device and the consumable is in Figure 2, be provided by an opening into the body of the consumable.
  • an air inlet for the system in the consumable may couple directly into the air path in which the aerosol is generated.
  • the air inlet for the system in the consumable may also couple across the interface between the consumable and the device so as to provide fluid communication with an inhalation sensor in the device.
  • the system might not include an inhalation sensor, for example because the system is manually activated by a user pressing a button or automatically activated based on other technologies, such as motion sensing.
  • the specific configuration of the air inlet 28 is not significant to the principles underlying the embodiments of the disclosure as described herein. Rather what is significant is that the ion source is configured to provide the ions to the vicinity of the air inlet so the ions are drawn into the system and mixed with aerosol generated by the aerosol generator during user inhalation.
  • FIG 3 is a cross-sectional view through another example aerosol provision system 300 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure.
  • Elements and features of the aerosol provision system 300 represented in Figure 3 which are functionally similar to, and will be understood from, corresponding elements and features of the aerosol provision system 100 represented in Figure 1 are identified with corresponding reference numerals and are not discussed again in detail in the interests of brevity.
  • the aerosol provision system 300 of Figure 3 differs from the aerosol provision system 100 of Figure 1 by the manner in which the ion source 27 is accommodated in the device part 2 of the system 300.
  • the ion source 27 is represented as being mounted to the outside of a housing for the other components of the device 2
  • the ion source 27 is represented as being mounted within the body of the device 2.
  • the arrangement seen in Figure 1 might represent an adaptation of an existing aerosol provision system in order to provide the operational functionality disclosed herein in relation to the provision of ions that are drawn into the system during use
  • the arrangement seen in Figure 3 might represent an aerosol provision system that was originally designed to incorporate the operational functionality disclosed herein in relation to the provision of ions for drawing into the system during use.
  • the ion source 27 is included within the main body of the device 2 with its ion generator 27a arranged adjacent to an ion outlet opening 27b in the device housing 12 through which the ions are provided when the ion source 27 is activated.
  • the ion outlet opening 27b in the device housing is arrange relative to the air inlet 28 so that ions are provided by the ion source to the vicinity of the air inlet such that ions are drawn into the air inlet when a user inhales on the system 300 in the same manner as discussed above for Figure 1.
  • Figures 1 and 2 schematically represent two different arrangements for accommodating an ion source in an aerosol provision system.
  • the specific configuration of the ion source 27 within the system is not significant to the principles underlying the embodiments of the disclosure as described herein. Rather what is significant is that the ion source is configured to provide the ions to the vicinity of the air inlet through which air is drawn into the system during use so the ions are mixed with aerosol generated by the aerosol generator during user inhalation.
  • the operation of the aerosol provision system 300 represented in Figure 3 can in essence be the same as the operation of the aerosol provision system 100 represented in Figure 1.
  • FIG 4 is a cross-sectional view through another example aerosol provision system 400 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure.
  • Elements and features of the aerosol provision system 400 represented in Figure 4 which are functionally similar to, and will be understood from, corresponding elements and features of the aerosol provision system 300 represented in Figure 3 are identified with corresponding reference numerals and are not discussed again in detail in the interests of brevity.
  • the aerosol provision system 400 of Figure 4 differs from the aerosol provision system 300 of Figure 3 by the manner in which the ion source 27 is arranged to provide ions to the vicinity of the air inlet so as to be drawn into the air inlet during use (i.e. during user inhalation).
  • the ion source 27 has an ion outlet opening 27b in the device housing which is positioned to directly provide ions from the ion generator 27a in the ion source 27 to the vicinity of the air inlet 28.
  • the ion source 27 has an ion outlet opening 27b in the device housing that is more remote from the air inlet 28 than in Figure 3, and instead an ion guide I channel 27c is used to guide ions from the ion generator 27a to the vicinity of the air inlet.
  • the ion channel 27c may, for example, simply be a plastic tubular structure that has an inlet aligned with the ion outlet opening 27b in the device housing and an ion guide outlet 27d at the end in the vicinity of the air inlet.
  • the ion source 27 comprises an ion generator 27a, an ion outlet opening 27b in the device housing, an ion channel 27c, and a ion guide outlet 27d for delivering ions generated by the ion generator 27a to the vicinity of the air inlet so they can be drawn into the air inlet when a user inhales on the system 400.
  • Figures 3 and 4 schematically represent two different arrangements of an ion source
  • the ion source 27 for providing I delivering ions from an ion generator to the region around an air inlet for the system so the ions can be drawn into the air inlet during use.
  • the specific configuration by which the ion source 27 provides the ions to the vicinity of the air inlet is not significant to the principles underlying the embodiments of the disclosure as described herein.
  • the operation of the aerosol provision system 400 represented in Figure 4 can in essence be the same as the operation of the aerosol provision system 300 represented in Figure 3, and indeed the operation of the aerosol provision system 100 represented in Figure 1.
  • the ion guide 27c is slidably mounted to the housing 12 so that it can be moved longitudinally back and forth as schematically indicated by the double-headed arrow in Figure 5, while remaining open to the ion outlet opening 27b in the device housing.
  • This allows the relative position of the ion source and the air inlet to be adjusted, for example to change the density of ions in the vicinity of the air inlet.
  • the density of ions at the air inlet is slidably mounted to the housing 12 so that it can be moved longitudinally back and forth as schematically indicated by the double-headed arrow in Figure 5, while remaining open to the ion outlet opening 27b in the device housing.
  • the position of the ion source 27 may be fixed relative to the device, and instead the position of the air inlet 28 may be adjusted, for example by providing the opening for the air inlet on a movable element.
  • Figure 5 represents an approach for changing the relative position of the ion source and the air inlet by moving the ion guide outlet longitudinally
  • the air inlet and the ion guide outlet may be azimuthally movable relative to each other to change their separation.
  • the air inlet 28 instead of moving the ion guide 27c longitudinally, in another example the air inlet 28 may be rotatable about the central longitudinal axis of the system so that its distance relative to the ion source can be changed.
  • the operation of the aerosol provision system 500 represented in Figure 5 can in essence be the same as the operation of the aerosol provision system 400 represented in Figure 4, and indeed the operation of the aerosol provision system 100 represented in Figure 1.
  • the example of Figure 4 represents a liquid-based aerosol provision system (sometimes called an e-cigarette or vaping system)
  • the example of Figure 6 represents a solid-based aerosol written system (sometimes called a heat-not-burn system or tobacco heating product system).
  • the specific configuration for the solid-based consumable 2 is not significant for the principles described herein and in general the consumable may be of any conventional form.
  • the air inlet of the device 2 of Figure 6 through which air is drawn into the system 600 when a user inhales on the consumable is provided by the annular gap around the consumable at the end of the open end of the receptacle 47.
  • air is drawn in through the inlet 28, along the outside of the tobacco rod 43, and enters the consumable at the end of the tobacco rod 43 at the closed end of the receptacle 47.
  • the ion source may be activated for the same relatively extended duration as the aerosol generator. However, in other examples the ion source may be selectively activated at desired times during the period of time that the aerosol generator is activated. For example, the ion source may be responsive to a user pressing a button, or in other examples there may still be an inhalation sensor provided and the ion source may be activated when the inhalation sensor detects that a user is inhaling on the system. More generally, apart from the additional functionality provided by the ion source, the aerosol provision system represented in Figure 6, and indeed all of the aerosol provision systems discussed herein, may function in accordance with broadly conventional techniques.
  • an aerosol provision device comprising an aerosol generator for generating an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material for inhalation by a user; an air inlet through which air is drawn for mixing with the aerosol generated by the aerosol generator during user inhalation; and an ion source configured to provide ions in the vicinity of the air inlet so that the ions are drawn in through the air inlet during user inhalation.
  • an aerosol provision system comprising an aerosol generator for generating an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material for inhalation by a user; an air inlet through which air is drawn for mixing with the aerosol generated by the aerosol generator during user inhalation; and an ion source configured to provide ions in the vicinity of the air inlet so that the ions are drawn in through the air inlet during user inhalation in combination with the aerosol forming substrate.
  • the delivery system described herein can be implemented as a combustible aerosol provision system, a non-combustible aerosol provision system or an aerosol-free delivery system.

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Abstract

L'invention concerne un système de fourniture d'aérosol comprenant : un générateur d'aérosol destiné à générer un aérosol à partir d'un matériau de génération d'aérosol pour une inhalation par un utilisateur ; et une source d'ions conçue pour fournir des ions à proximité d'une entrée d'air à travers laquelle de l'air est aspiré pour être mélangé avec l'aérosol généré par le générateur d'aérosol pendant l'inhalation de l'utilisateur de telle sorte que les ions soient également aspirés à travers l'entrée d'air pendant l'inhalation de l'utilisateur.
PCT/GB2024/052542 2023-10-04 2024-10-03 Système de fourniture d'aérosol comprenant une source d'ions Pending WO2025074105A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB2315190.5 2023-10-04
GBGB2315190.5A GB202315190D0 (en) 2023-10-04 2023-10-04 Aerosol probision system and device

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WO2025074105A1 true WO2025074105A1 (fr) 2025-04-10

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Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2006087446A (ja) * 2004-09-21 2006-04-06 Sharp Corp ネブライザー、ネブライザーを搭載した環境調整装置及びネブライザーの殺菌方法
KR20120090737A (ko) * 2011-06-02 2012-08-17 주식회사 에바코 흡입 장치 및 상기 흡입 장치에 적용되는 음이온 발생 부재
CN205390308U (zh) * 2016-03-09 2016-07-27 谢虹仪 负离子电子烟
US20210128776A1 (en) 2019-10-31 2021-05-06 Ible Technology Inc. Negative ion generator, wearable air purifier having the aforementioned negative ion generator, and method of manufacturing the aforementioned negative ion generator
CN115104768A (zh) * 2022-06-30 2022-09-27 深圳市恒尔创科技有限公司 多功能电池杆和电子烟

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2006087446A (ja) * 2004-09-21 2006-04-06 Sharp Corp ネブライザー、ネブライザーを搭載した環境調整装置及びネブライザーの殺菌方法
KR20120090737A (ko) * 2011-06-02 2012-08-17 주식회사 에바코 흡입 장치 및 상기 흡입 장치에 적용되는 음이온 발생 부재
CN205390308U (zh) * 2016-03-09 2016-07-27 谢虹仪 负离子电子烟
US20210128776A1 (en) 2019-10-31 2021-05-06 Ible Technology Inc. Negative ion generator, wearable air purifier having the aforementioned negative ion generator, and method of manufacturing the aforementioned negative ion generator
CN115104768A (zh) * 2022-06-30 2022-09-27 深圳市恒尔创科技有限公司 多功能电池杆和电子烟

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