BR112019000246B1 - AEROSOL DELIVERY DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLING AN AEROSOL DELIVERY DEVICE - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol delivery device having condensation and non-condensation vaporization functionality is provided. The aerosol delivery device may comprise at least one housing, and a first element and a second element contained within the at least one housing. The first and second elements may be configured to activate and vaporize components of an aerosol precursor composition and thereby form a condensing vapor and a non-condensing vapor respectively. In response to a flow of air through at least a portion of the at least one housing, the condensing vapor or non-condensing vapor may be combinable with air to form an aerosol.

Description

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

[001] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices such as smoking articles that can utilize electrically generated heat for aerosol production (e.g., smoking articles commonly referred to as electronic cigarettes). The smoking articles may be configured to heat the aerosol precursor, which may incorporate materials that may be produced or derived from tobacco or otherwise incorporate tobacco, the precursor being capable of forming an inhalable substance for human consumption.

FUNDAMENTALS

[002] Many smoking devices have been proposed over the years as improvements, or alternatives, to smoking products that require the combustion of tobacco for use. Many of these devices are purportedly designed to provide the sensations associated with smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, but without delivering considerable quantities of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products that result from burning tobacco. To this end, numerous tobacco products, flavor generators, and medical inhalers have been proposed that utilize electrical energy to vaporize or heat a volatile material, or attempt to provide the sensations of smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes without burning tobacco to a significant degree. See, for example, the various alternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices and heat generating sources set forth in the prior art described in US Patent 7,726,320 to Robinson et al. and 8,881,737 to Collett et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. See also, for example, the various types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and electrically powered heat generating sources referenced by trademark and commercial source in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0216232 to Bless et al. , which is incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, various types of electrically powered vapor and aerosol delivery devices have also been proposed in U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2014/0096781 by Sears et al. and 2014/0283859 to Minskoff et al., as well as U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/282,768 to Sears et al., filed May 20, 2014; 14/286,552 by Brinkley et al., filed May 23, 2014; 14/327,776 by Ampolini et al., filed on July 10, 2014; and 14/465,167 to Worm et al., filed August 21, 2014; all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[003] It would be desirable to provide aerosol delivery devices with functionality to produce condensing and non-condensing vapor.

DISCLOSURE SUMMARY

[004] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices, methods of forming such devices, and elements of such devices. The present disclosure thus includes, without limitation, the following example implementations.

[005] Implementation of Example 1: An aerosol delivery device comprising at least one housing defining a reservoir for storing aerosol precursor composition; and a first element and a second element contained in the at least one housing and configured to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition, and thereby form respectively a condensing vapor and non-condensing vapor, in response to a flow of air through at least a portion of at least one housing, at least one of the condensing vapor or non-condensing vapor being combinable with air to form an aerosol.

[006] Example Implementation 2: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, wherein the first element and second element are respectively a heater and electromechanical device configured to vaporize components of an aerosol precursor composition respectively by a heating action and mechanical action.

[007] Example Implementation 3: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, wherein the first element and second element being contained within at least one housing includes the first element and second element being removably coupled to the at least one housing.

[008] Example Implementation 4: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, further comprising a control valve configured to control a flow of aerosol precursor composition from the reservoir for the first element and second element.

[009] Example Implementation 5: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, wherein the reservoir is refillable, and the at least one housing further defines a port attachable only with a corresponding container of aerosol precursor composition for refilling the reservoir.

[0010] Example Implementation 6: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, wherein the first element includes a liquid transport element configured to transport aerosol precursor composition to from the reservoir, and a heater configured to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition thus transported by the liquid transport member.

[0011] Example Implementation 7: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, wherein the second element is configured to form and direct non-condensing vapor to the first element , and the first element being configured to activate and vaporize components of the non-condensing vapor to thereby form the condensing vapor.

[0012] Example Implementation 8: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, wherein a distance between the first element and the second element is between one (1) millimeter and ten (10) centimeters inclusive.

[0013] Example Implementation 9: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, wherein the first element being configured to activate includes being configured to activate simultaneously with the aerosol vapor. non-condensation being directed towards the first element.

[0014] Example Implementation 10: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, wherein the air flow through at least the portion of at least one housing is transversely or longitudinally directed towards the non-condensing vapor based on its velocity.

[0015] Implementation of Example 11: Aerosol delivery device comprising at least one housing defining a reservoir for storing aerosol precursor composition; and a first element and second element contained within at least one housing, the second element being configured to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition to thereby form a non-condensing vapor in response to a flow of air through at least one portion of at least one housing, and the first element being configured to modify non-condensing vapor, the non-condensing vapor therefrom being combinable with air to form an aerosol.

[0016] Example Implementation 12: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, wherein the first element and second element are respectively a vapor modification element and electromechanical device, the electromechanical device being configured to vaporize components of an aerosol precursor composition by a mechanical action, and the vapor modifying element being configured to modify the non-condensing vapor by a moisture removal action.

[0017] Example Implementation 13: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, wherein the first element and second element are respectively a vapor modification element and electromechanical device, the electromechanical device being configured to vaporize components of an aerosol precursor composition by a mechanical action, and the vapor modifying element being configured to modify the non-condensing vapor by injecting a volatile flavor into the non-condensing vapor.

[0018] Example Implementation 14: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, wherein the first element is a vapor modifying element includes at least one of a drying or flavor modifier respectively configured to modify the non-condensing vapor by a moisture removal action and flavor injection action.

[0019] Example Implementation 15: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, further comprising a third element, wherein in response to an air flow through at least one portion of at least one housing, the third element being configured to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition to thereby form a condensing vapor, and the first element being further configured to modify the condensing vapor or non-condensing vapor, at least least one of the condensing vapor or non-condensing vapor therefrom being combinable with air to form an aerosol.

[0020] Example Implementation 16: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, wherein the second and third elements are respectively an electromechanical device and a heater configured to vaporize components of an aerosol precursor composition respectively by a mechanical action and heating action, and the first element is a vapor modification element configured to modify the condensing or non-condensing vapor by injecting a volatile flavor into the condensing or non-condensing vapor .

[0021] Implementation of Example 17: Method for controlling an aerosol delivery device comprising at least one housing defining a reservoir for storing aerosol precursor composition, and a first and second elements contained within the at least one housing, the method comprising activating the first element and second element; and in the first element and second element so activated, vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition, and thereby form respectively a condensing vapor and non-condensing vapor, the first element and second element activating and vaporizing components of the aerosol precursor composition in response to an air flow through at least a portion of at least one housing, at least one of the condensing vapor or non-condensing vapor can be combined with the air to form an aerosol.

[0022] Implementation of Example 18: The method of any preceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, wherein the first element and second element are respectively a heater and electromechanical device, and vaporizing components of the aerosol precursor composition includes vaporizing components of the aerosol precursor composition by heating action and mechanical action, respectively.

[0023] Implementation of Example 19: Method for controlling an aerosol delivery device comprising at least one housing defining a reservoir for storing aerosol precursor composition, and a first and second elements contained within the at least one housing, the method comprising activating the first element and second element; and in the second element so activated, vaporizing components of the aerosol precursor composition to thereby form a non-condensing vapor in response to a flow of air through at least a portion of at least one housing; and in the first element so activated, modifying the non-condensing vapor, the non-condensing vapor therefrom being combinable with air to form an aerosol.

[0024] Implementation of Example 20: The method of any preceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, wherein the first element is a vapor modifying element includes at least one of a drying tube or vapor modifier. flavor respectively configured to modify non-condensing vapor by a moisture removal action and flavor injection action, and the second element being an electromechanical device configured to vaporize components of an aerosol precursor composition by a mechanical action.

[0025] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be evident from reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below. The present disclosure includes any combination of two, three, four or more features or elements set forth in this disclosure, regardless of whether such features or elements are expressly combined or otherwise referred to in a specific example implementation described herein. This disclosure is intended to be read holistically, so that any separable features or elements of the disclosure, in any of its aspects and example implementations, are considered to be combinable, unless the context of the disclosure clearly indicates otherwise.

[0026] It will therefore be appreciated that this Brief Summary is provided merely for the purpose of summarizing some example implementations so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the example implementations described above are merely examples and should not be construed to restrict the scope or spirit of the disclosure in any way. Other example implementations, aspects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of some of the described example implementations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0027] Having thus described the disclosure in general terms above, reference will now be made to the attached drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in which:

[0028] Figure 1 illustrates a front view of an aerosol delivery device with condensing and non-condensing vaporization functionality, in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 2 illustrates a sectional view of the aerosol delivery device of Figure 1;

[0030] Figures 3A and 3B illustrate a first and second element of the aerosol delivery device of Figure 2, in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The present disclosure will now be described in more detail below with reference to example implementations thereof. These example implementations are described so that this disclosure is exhaustive and complete and fully conveys the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. In fact, the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these implementations are provided so that this disclosure satisfies applicable legal requirements. As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, “the” and the like include plural references unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Also, for example, reference may be made to quantitative measures, values, relationships or the like. Unless otherwise stated, any one or more, if not all, may be absolute or approximated to account for acceptable variations that may occur, such as those due to engineering tolerances or the like.

[0032] As described below, example implementations of the present disclosure relate to aerosol delivery systems. Aerosol delivery systems in accordance with the present disclosure utilize electrical energy to power elements that vaporize a material (preferably without burning the material to a significant degree and/or without significant chemical alteration of the material) to form an inhalable substance; and the components of such systems are in the form of articles which, most preferably, are compact enough to be considered portable devices. That is, the use of components of the preferred aerosol delivery systems does not result in the production of smoke in the sense that the aerosol results primarily from byproducts of tobacco combustion or pyrolysis, but rather the use of these preferred systems results in the production of vapors resulting from the volatilization or vaporization of certain components incorporated therein. In some example implementations, the components of the aerosol delivery systems may be characterized as electronic cigarettes, and the electronic cigarettes more preferentially incorporate tobacco and/or tobacco-derived components and thus deliver tobacco-derived components in aerosol form.

[0033] Aerosol generating parts of certain preferred aerosol delivery systems can provide many of the sensations (e.g., inhalation and exhalation rituals, types of tastes or flavors, organoleptic effects, physical sensation, usage rituals, visual cues such as those provided by visible aerosol, and the like) from smoking a cigarette, cigar or pipe that is employed by lighting and burning tobacco (and therefore inhaling tobacco smoke), without any substantial degree of combustion of any component thereof. For example, the user of an aerosol generating part of the present disclosure can hold and use that part in much the same way as a smoker using a traditional type of smoking article, sucking on one end of that part for inhalation of aerosol produced by that part. ask, take or suck puffs at selected time intervals and the like.

[0034] The aerosol delivery systems of the present disclosure can also be characterized as being vapor producing articles or medication delivery articles. Thus, such articles or devices may be adapted so as to provide one or more substances (e.g., flavors and/or active pharmaceutical ingredients) in an inhalable form or state. For example, inhalable substances may be substantially in the form of a vapor (i.e., a substance that is in the gaseous phase at a temperature below its critical point). Alternatively, inhalable substances may be in the form of an aerosol (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas). For purposes of simplicity, the term “aerosol” as used herein is intended to include vapors, gases and aerosols of a form or type suitable for human inhalation, whether visible or not, and in a form that may or may not be considered to be smoke-like. .

[0035] The aerosol delivery systems of the present disclosure generally include several components provided within an outer body or casing, which may be referred to as a housing. The overall design of the outer body or housing may vary, and the shape or configuration of the outer body which may define the overall size and shape of the aerosol delivery device may vary. Aerosol delivery devices are often configured in a manner that mimics aspects of certain traditional smoking devices, such as cigarettes or cigars. In this regard, aerosol delivery devices typically define a substantially cylindrical configuration. Typically, an elongated body resembling the shape of a cigarette or cigar may be formed from a single unitary housing or the elongated housing may be formed from two or more separable bodies. For example, an aerosol delivery device may comprise an elongated housing or body which may be substantially tubular in shape and, as such, resemble the shape of a conventional cigarette or cigar. Aerosol delivery devices often include a control portion and a cartridge that attach in an end-to-end relationship to define the substantially cylindrical configuration. In an alternative implementation, the housing may define an ergonomic shape configured to fit comfortably in the user's hand. The shape of the housing, however, is not limited and may be of any shape that accommodates the various elements as described herein. In some implementations, the housing may be expressly non-cylindrical.

[0036] Although such configurations may provide a similar appearance to traditional smoking articles, such configurations may suffer from certain detriments. For example, cylindrically configured aerosol delivery devices may not define usable attachment points to retain the aerosol delivery device in a desired position when not in use. Furthermore, the cylindrical configuration may result in the nozzle being exposed to the surrounding environment and therefore susceptible to contamination. Therefore, it may be desirable to provide aerosol delivery devices in configurations that differ from the shapes associated with traditional smoking articles.

[0037] In one example, all components of the aerosol delivery device are contained within a housing. Alternatively, an aerosol delivery device may comprise two or more housings that are joined together and are separable. For example, an aerosol delivery device may have at one end a control portion comprising a housing containing one or more reusable components (e.g., an accumulator such as a rechargeable battery and/or capacitor, and various electronics for controlling the operation of that device). article), and at the other end and removably attachable thereto, a body or outer casing containing a disposable portion (for example, a disposable aroma-containing cartridge).

[0038] The aerosol delivery systems of the present disclosure more preferably comprise some combination of a power source (i.e., an electrical power source), at least one control component (e.g., means for actuating, controlling, regulating and interrupting power for vaporization, such as by controlling the flow of electrical current from the power source to other components of the article - e.g., a microprocessor, individually or as part of a microcontroller), an aerosol precursor composition (e.g. example, generally a liquid capable of producing an aerosol upon application of heat or sufficient mechanical action, such as ingredients commonly referred to as "smoke juice", "e-liquid" and "e-juice"), one or more elements for vaporization of components of the aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a heater, electromechanical device, or the like, which alone or in combination with one or more additional elements may be commonly referred to as an “atomizer”), and a nozzle or tip region to allow that the aerosol delivery device is used for aerosol inhalation (e.g., an airflow path defined through the article such that the generated aerosol can be removed from it after sucking).

[0039] In various examples, an aerosol delivery device may comprise a reservoir configured to retain the aerosol precursor composition. The reservoir may in particular be formed from a porous material (e.g. a rigid porous material or mainly fibrous material) and thus may be referred to as a porous substrate.

[0040] A fibrous substrate useful as a reservoir in an aerosol delivery device may be a woven or non-woven material formed by a plurality of fibers or filaments and may be formed by one or both natural fibers and synthetic fibers. For example, a fibrous substrate may comprise a glass fiber material. In particular examples, a cellulose acetate material, a regenerated cellulose, organic cotton, or polyethylene terephthalate may be used. In other example implementations, a carbon material may be used. In additional example implementations, organic cotton, polyethylene terephthalate, regenerated cellulose, porous ceramic, or porous sintered ceramic may be used. A reservoir may be substantially in the form of a container and may include a fibrous material included therein. In other implementations, the reservoir may be formed from glass, plastic, or other materials not explicitly defined here.

[0041] In some implementations, the aerosol delivery device may include an indicator, which may comprise one or more light-emitting diodes or a graphical user interface via a display. The indicator may be in communication with the control component via a connector circuit and illuminate, for example, during a user sucking on the nozzle, as detected by the flow sensor.

[0042] More specific shapes, configurations, and component arrangements within the aerosol delivery systems of the present disclosure will be apparent in light of the additional disclosure provided below. Additionally, the selection and arrangement of various aerosol delivery system components can be appreciated by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices, such as the representative products referenced in the art background section of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figure 1 illustrates a front view of an aerosol delivery device 100, and Figure 2 illustrates a modified sectional view through the aerosol delivery device, in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the aerosol delivery device may include a control portion 102 and a tank portion 104. In particular, Figure 1 illustrates the control portion and the tank portion coupled together. The control portion and the tank portion may be permanently or prominently aligned in a working relationship. Various mechanisms may connect the tank portion to the control portion to result in a threaded coupler, a press-fit coupler, an interference fit, a magnetic coupler, or the like. In some examples, as shown, the aerosol delivery device may be generally rectangular. In other examples, the aerosol delivery device may be substantially rod-shaped, substantially tubular-shaped, or substantially cylindrical in shape when the tank portion and the control portion are in an assembled configuration. In still other examples, additional shapes and dimensions are encompassed - for example, a triangular cross-section, multifaceted shapes, or the like.

[0044] The control portion 102 and the tank portion 104 may include and/or be defined within a unitary housing 106 or outer body or respective separate housings or outer bodies, which may be formed from any of a number of different materials. The housing may be formed from any combination of suitable, structurally sound materials. In some examples, the housing may be formed from at least one metal or alloy, such as stainless steel, aluminum or the like. Other suitable materials include various plastics (e.g., polycarbonate or a copolyester), substantially biodegradable plastics (e.g., polyhydroxyalkylates), metallization on plastic, glass, and the like.

[0045] In some example implementations, one or both of the control portion 102 or the tank portion 104 of the aerosol delivery device 100 may be referred to as being disposable or as being reusable. The aerosol delivery device may include various other components disposed within the control portion or tank portion or otherwise coupled thereto. These components may be distributed between the control portion and the tank portion in any of several ways. For example, the control portion may have a replaceable battery or removable battery or a rechargeable battery and therefore may be combinable with any type of recharging technology, including connection to a typical wall charger, connection to a car charger ( i.e., a cigarette lighter receptacle), connection to a computer, such as via a universal bus (USB) cable or connector, or connection to a photovoltaic cell (sometimes called a solar cell) or solar panel. solar cells. For example, an adapter including a USB connector on one end and a control portion connector on an opposite end is described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014/0261495 to Novak et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0046] In an exemplary implementation, the control portion 102 and the tank portion 104 forming the aerosol delivery device 100 may be permanently and/or removably coupled to each other. Examples of aerosol delivery devices that may be configured to be disposable and/or that may include first and second external bodies that are configured for permanent coupling are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 2015/0216232 to Bless et al. , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In another example implementation, the tank portion and the control portion may be configured in a single-piece, non-detachable form and may incorporate the components, aspects, and features disclosed herein. However, in another exemplary implementation, the control portion and the tank portion may be configured to be separable such that, for example, the tank portion may be refilled or replaced.

[0047] Figure 2 illustrates a more particular example of the aerosol delivery device 100 in which the components are representative of the components that may be present in a suitable control portion 102 and in a tank portion 104 and are not intended to limit the scope of the control portion and tank portion components that are covered by the present disclosure.

[0048] The tank portion 104 may include a reservoir 208 configured to retain the aerosol precursor composition, and include one or more elements such as elements 210, 212 for vaporizing aerosol precursor composition components, such elements may sometimes be referred to as vaporization elements. As explained in greater detail below, these vaporizing elements may include first and second elements, and in some examples, these elements may respectively be a heater and electromechanical device configured to vaporize components of an aerosol precursor composition respectively by a heating action and mechanical action. In various configurations, the tank portion structure may be referred to as a cartridge; and accordingly, the terms "tank portion", "tank", "cartridge" and the like may be used interchangeably to refer to a casing or other housing surrounding a reservoir for aerosol precursor composition, and including an aerosol precursor composition element. vaporization.

[0049] In some examples, the reservoir 208 of the tank portion 104 may comprise a refillable reservoir. The reservoir may be configured to retain the aerosol precursor composition. In some exemplary implementations, the reservoir may particularly be formed from a porous material (e.g., a fibrous material) and thus may be referred to as a porous substrate (e.g., a fibrous substrate). A fibrous substrate useful as a reservoir in an aerosol delivery device can be a woven or non-woven material formed from a plurality of fibers or filaments and can be formed from one or both of natural fibers and synthetic fibers. For example, a fibrous substrate may comprise a glass fiber material. In particular examples, a cellulose acetate material may be used. In other example implementations, a carbon material may be used. A reservoir may be substantially in the form of a container and may include a fibrous material included therein. In other implementations, the reservoir may be formed from glass, ceramic, plastic or other materials not explicitly presented here.

[0050] The reservoir 208 may be in fluid communication with a liquid transport element adapted to absorb or otherwise transport an aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir housing to the vaporization elements 210, 212. In some examples, a Valve 214 may be positioned between the reservoir and the vaporization elements, and configured to control an amount of aerosol precursor composition passed or delivered from the reservoir to the vaporization elements.

[0051] A nozzle 216 having an opening defined therein may be coupled to the housing 106 (e.g., at the mouth end) to allow the exit of the aerosol formed from the tank portion.

[0052] The tank portion 104 may also include one or more electronic components, which may include an integrated circuit, a memory component, a sensor, or the like. The electronic components may be adapted to communicate with a control component 218 of the control portion 102 and/or with an external device via wired or wireless means. Electronic components can be positioned anywhere within the tank portion.

[0053] In addition to the control component 218, the control portion 102 may include a power source 220, and one or more indicators, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and these components may be variably aligned. The power source may include, for example, a battery (single-use or rechargeable), supercapacitor or the like. Other indicators (e.g., a haptic feedback component, an audio feedback component, or the like) may be included in addition to or as an alternative to the LED. Additional representative types of components that produce visual cues or indicators, such as light-emitting diode (LED) components, and configurations and uses thereof, are described in US Patent 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al.; 8,499,766 from Newton and 8,539,959 from Scatterday; and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/173,266, filed February 5, 2014 to Sears et al.; which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0054] The control component 218 may be configured to direct electrical energy from the power source 220 to the vaporization elements 210, 212 to vaporize the aerosol precursor composition component retained in the tank portion 104 and produce a vapor, which may occur during user sucking on a nozzle 216 of the housing. The control component may include various electronic components and, in some examples, may be comprised of a printed or electronic circuit board (PCB) that supports and electrically connects the electronic components. Examples of suitable electronic components include a microprocessor or processor core, memory device, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like, and the like.

[0055] In some examples, the control component 218 may include a microcontroller with an integrated processor core and memory, and which may further include one or more integrated input/output peripherals. In some examples, the control component may be coupled to a communications interface to enable wireless communication with one or more appropriately enabled networks, computing devices, or other devices. Examples of suitable communication interfaces are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/638,562, filed March 4, 2015, by Marion et al., the contents of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. And examples of suitable ways in which the aerosol delivery device can be configured to communicate wirelessly are described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/327,776, filed July 10, 2014, to Ampolini et al., and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/609,032, filed January 29, 2015, to Henry, Jr. et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0056] The control portion 102 and the tank portion 104 may include components adapted to facilitate fluid engagement therebetween. The control portion may include a connector. The tank portion may be adapted to engage the connector and may include a projection adapted to fit within the connector. Such engagement can facilitate a stable connection between the control portion and the tank portion, as well as establish an electrical connection between the power source 220 and the control component 218 in the control portion, and the vaporization elements 210, 212 in the portion of tank. Additionally, the control portion may include an air inlet, which may be a notch in a housing of the control portion where it connects to the connector that allows ambient air to pass around the connector and into the housing where it passes through the connector. and to the tank portion through the projection.

[0057] A connector and base useful in accordance with the present disclosure are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0261495 to Novak et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. However, several other examples of structures, shapes and components can be used to couple the base to the connector. In some examples, the connection between the base of the tank portion 104 and the connector of the control portion 102 may be substantially permanent, while in other examples the connection therebetween may be releasable such that, for example, the control portion control can be reused with one or more additional tank portions that can be disposable and/or refillable.

[0058] The reservoir 208 illustrated in Figure 2 may be a container or may be a reservoir, as presently described. For example, the reservoir may be substantially formed in the form of a tube surrounding the interior of the tank portion in this example. An aerosol precursor composition may be retained in the reservoir. Liquid components, for example, can be retained by the reservoir. The reservoir may be in fluidic connection with the liquid transport element. The liquid transport element can transport the aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir through capillary action to the vaporization elements 210, 212 which is in the form of a metal wire coil in some examples. As such, the vaporization elements are in agreement with the liquid transport element. Exemplary implementations of reservoirs and transport elements useful in aerosol delivery devices in accordance with the present disclosure are further described below, and such reservoirs and/or transport elements may be incorporated into devices as described herein. In particular, specific combinations of vaporization elements and transport elements, as further described below, may be incorporated into devices.

[0059] In use, when a user sucks on the aerosol delivery device 100, air flow is detected by a flow sensor, and the vaporization elements 210, 212 are activated to vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition. In some implementations, a manual button may be used exclusively, or in combination with a flow sensor, to activate the vaporization elements. Alternatively, the manual button can be pressed to activate vaporization elements instead of a flow sensor. Sucking into the nozzle 216 of the aerosol delivery device causes ambient air to enter the air intake and pass through a connector and a central opening in the tank portion 104. In the tank portion, the sucked air combines with the formed vapor to form an aerosol. The aerosol is rapidly moved, aspirated or otherwise sucked from the vaporization elements and out of the opening in the nozzle of the aerosol delivery device.

[0060] Although not shown separately, the aerosol delivery device 100 may further include input element to allow a user to control functions of the device and/or to output information to a user. For example, a user may utilize the input element to vaporize an aerosol precursor composition and/or activate an on/off function. The input element may comprise a button or other switch configured to receive input from a user. When the input element is actuated, the aerosol delivery device can produce an output corresponding to a state of the aerosol delivery device. For example, the aerosol delivery device may emit sound, vibration or light. Any component or combination of components can be used as an input to control the function of the device. For example, one or more buttons may be used as described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/193,961, filed February 28, 2014, to Worm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Likewise, a touch screen may be used as described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/643,626, filed March 10, 2015, by Sears et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. As another example, components adapted for gesture recognition based on specified movements of the aerosol delivery device can be used as an input. See U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/565,137, filed December 9, 2014, by Henry et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0061] In some example implementations, a computing device such as a mobile computer (e.g., smart phone, tablet computer) may be used as an input element in addition to or instead of an input element on the device itself. of aerosol delivery. In particular, the aerosol delivery device 100 may be wired to the computer or other device, such as through the use of a USB cable or similar protocol. The aerosol delivery device may also communicate with a computer or other device acting as an input via wireless communication. See, for example, systems and methods for controlling a device via a read request, as described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/327,776, filed July 10, 2014, by Ampolini et al. ., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In such implementations, the application software may be used in connection with the computing device to introduce control instructions to the aerosol delivery device, such control instructions including, for example, the ability to form an aerosol of specific composition by choosing the nicotine content and/or content of other flavors to be included.

[0062] In some examples, the aerosol delivery device 100 may include a number of additional functions implemented by hardware or controlled by software. For example, the aerosol delivery device may include a battery protection circuit configured to detect battery input, charges at the battery terminals, and charging input. The battery protection circuit may include short circuit protection and undervoltage lockout. The aerosol delivery device may also include components for measuring ambient temperature, and its control component 218 may be configured to control at least one functional element to inhibit battery charging if the ambient temperature is below a certain temperature (e.g. e.g. 0 oC) or above a certain temperature (e.g. 45 °C) before starting charging or during charging.

[0063] Power delivery from power source 220 may vary throughout each puff into device 100 in accordance with a power control mechanism. The device may include a "long blow" safety timer such that in the event a user or mechanism inadvertently causes the device to attempt to blow continuously, the control component 218 may control at least one functional element to terminate the automatically blows after a period of time (e.g. four seconds). Additionally, the time between puffs into the device may be restricted to more than one period of time (e.g., one hundred (100) milliseconds). A watchdog safety timer can automatically restart the aerosol delivery device if its control component or running software becomes unstable and does not meet the timer within an appropriate time interval (e.g., eight seconds). Other safety protections may be provided in the event of a defective or otherwise failed flow sensor, such as by permanently disabling the aerosol delivery device to prevent inadvertent vaporization. A blow limit switch can disable the device in the event a pressure sensor fails, causing the device to activate continuously without stopping after the maximum four second blow time.

[0064] The various components of an aerosol delivery device in accordance with the present disclosure may be chosen from components described in the art and commercially available. Examples of batteries that may be used in accordance with the disclosure are described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0028766 to Peckerar et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0065] The aerosol delivery device 100 most preferably incorporates the control component 218 or other control mechanism for controlling the amount of electrical energy in the vaporization elements 210, 212 during suction. In some implementations, the control component may affect control of different power settings on the aerosol delivery device. For example, at least one low, medium, and high power setting can be controlled to adjust aerosol production within the aerosol delivery device. Representative types of electronic components, structure and configuration thereof, features thereof, and general methods of operation thereof, are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,947. 874 to Brooks et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al. ., U.S. Patent No. 8,205,622 to Pan, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0230117 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0060554 to Collet et al. ., US Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0270727 by Ampolini et al. and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/209,191 to Henry et al., filed March 13, 2014, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0066] The aerosol delivery device 100 may also incorporate a flow sensor or other sensor or detector for controlling the delivery of electrical energy to the vaporization elements 210, 212 when aerosol generation is desired (e.g., upon suction during use). As such, for example, there is provided a way or method of turning off the power source to the vaporization elements when the aerosol delivery device is not sucked during use, and of turning on the power source to activate or trigger vaporization. of aerosol precursor composition by the vaporization elements during sucking. Additional representative types of sensing or sensing mechanisms, structure and configuration thereof, their components, and general methods of operation thereof, are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,261,424 to Sprinkel, Jr., U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al. and PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2010/003480 to Flick, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0067] Representative types of substrates, reservoirs or other components for supporting the aerosol precursor are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,528,569 to Newton, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0261487 to Chapman et al ., U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/011992 to Davis et al., filed August 28, 2013, and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/170,838 to Bless et al., filed on February 3, 2014, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Furthermore, various wicking materials, and the configuration and operation of these wicking materials within certain types of electronic cigarettes, are set forth in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0209105 to Sears et al., which is here incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0068] For aerosol delivery systems that are characterized as electronic cigarettes, the aerosol precursor composition most preferably incorporates tobacco or tobacco-derived components. In one aspect, the tobacco may be provided as parts or pieces of tobacco, such as powdered, finely ground, or shredded tobacco sheets. In another aspect, the tobacco may be provided in the form of an extract, such as a spray-dried extract that incorporates many of the water-soluble components of tobacco. Alternatively, tobacco extracts may be in the form of extracts of relatively high nicotine content, these extracts also incorporate smaller amounts of other extracted components derived from tobacco. In another aspect, tobacco-derived components may be provided in a relatively pure form, such as certain flavoring agents that are derived from tobacco. In one aspect, a component that is derived from tobacco, and that can be employed in a highly purified or essentially pure form, is nicotine (e.g., pharmaceutical grade nicotine).

[0069] The aerosol precursor composition, also referred to as a vapor precursor composition, may comprise a variety of components including, by way of example, a polyhydric alcohol (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol or a mixture thereof), nicotine , tobacco, tobacco extract and/or flavorings. Various components that may be included in the aerosol precursor composition are described in U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Additional representative types of aerosol precursor compositions are set forth in U.S. Patent No. 4,793,365 to Sensabaugh, Jr. et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,101,839 to Jakob et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,779,531 to Biggs et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0008457 to Zheng et al., and Chemical and Biological Studies on New Cigarette Prototypes that Heat In Instead of Burning Tobacco, RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company Monograph (1988), all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0070] Representative types of aerosol precursor components and formulations are also presented and characterized in US Patent No. 7,217,320 to Robinson et al.; 2013/0213417 by Chong et al.; 2014/0060554 by Collett et al.; 2015/0020823 by Lipowicz et al.; and 2015/0020830 to Koller, as well as WO 2014/182736 to Bowen et al, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other aerosol precursors that may be used include the aerosol precursors that have been incorporated into the VUSE® product by RJ Reynolds Vapor Company, the BLUTM product by Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, the MISTIC MENTHOL product by Mistic Ecigs and the VYPE product by CN Criative Ltd Also desirable are so-called “smoke juices” for electronic cigarettes that are available from Johnson Creek Enterprises LLC.

[0071] The amount of aerosol precursor that is incorporated into the aerosol delivery system is such that the aerosol generating part provides acceptable sensory and desirable performance characteristics. For example, it is highly preferred that sufficient amounts of aerosol-forming material (e.g., glycerin and/or propylene glycol) be used so as to provide for the generation of a visible conventional aerosol that in many respects resembles the appearance of smoke from tobacco. The amount of aerosol precursor within the aerosol generating system may depend on factors such as the desired number of sucks per aerosol generating piece. Typically, the amount of aerosol precursor incorporated into the aerosol delivery system, and particularly within the aerosol generating part, is less than about 5 grams, generally less than about 2.5 grams, often less than about 2. grams and often less than about 1 grams.

[0072] Additional representative types of components that produce visual cues or indicators may be employed in the aerosol delivery device 100, such as LEDs and related components, auditory elements (e.g., speakers), vibratory elements (e.g., motors vibration) and the like. Examples of suitable LED components, and configurations and uses thereof, are described in US Patent No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al., US Patent No. 8,499, 766 to Newton, US Patent No. No. 8,539,959 to Scatterday and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/173,266 to Sears et al., filed February 5, 2014, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0073] Still other features, controls or components that may be incorporated into aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,934,289 by Watkins et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,954,979 by Counts et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 by Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,365,742 by Hon, U.S. Patent No. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0016550 to Katase, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0163063 to Fernando et al., Publication No. US Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0192623 by Tucker et al., US Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0298905 by Leven et al., US Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0180553 by Kim et al., US Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0000638 by Sebastian et al., US Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0261495 by Novak et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0261408 to DePiano et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0074] As previously indicated, the control component 218 of the aerosol delivery device 100 may be configured to direct electrical energy from the power source 220 to the vaporization elements 210, 212 to vaporize the aerosol precursor composition retained in the tank portion 104 and thereby form a vapor, which may occur during the user's sucking on a nozzle 216 of the tank portion. In the tank portion, the sucked air can be combinable with the formed vapor to form an aerosol. According to exemplary implementations of the present disclosure, the vapor formed may be or include a condensing vapor and/or a non-condensing vapor which may be combinable with air to respectively form a condensing aerosol, a non-condensing aerosol or a combination of them.

[0075] In some examples, the vaporization elements 210, 212 may include mechanisms for, respectively, forming condensing and non-condensing vapors. In these examples, consolidating the two aerosol delivery mechanisms (e.g., condensing and non-condensing mechanisms) into a single aerosol delivery device can offer several benefits over traditional or modified systems that exclusively produce a condensing aerosol. Benefits may include a reduction in levels of glycerin and/or propylene glycol thermal degradation compounds (e.g., formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, glycidol, propylene oxide, and the like), customizable aerosol delivery profiles, carbonization mitigation in a elements and/or their supporting fluid transport element, and improved sensory experience as a result of the unheated electromechanical production of a non-condensing aerosol vapor. In particular, the non-condensing aerosol vapor may require less energy in the heater to vaporize the components of the deposited aerosol precursor composition compared to the components of the aerosol precursor composition contained in a liquid transport element (e.g., a beam of fibrous wick). Wherein, the decreased energy required in the heater can consequently result in lower levels of thermal degradation or decomposition compounds.

[0076] Therefore, in some examples, the vaporization elements 210, 212 of Figure 2 may include, respectively, a condensing vaporization element (e.g., a first element) and a non-condensing vaporization element (e.g., , a second element). In some examples, the condensing and non-condensing vaporization elements may be removably coupled to the housing 106, and thus replaceable by a consumer, as necessary. The condensing and non-condensing vaporization elements can be configured to activate and vaporize components of an aerosol precursor composition and thereby form a condensing vapor and non-condensing vapor respectively. In response to a flow of air through at least a portion of at least one housing, the condensing vapor or non-condensing vapor may be combinable with air to form an aerosol. In these examples, it should be noted that although the aerosol delivery device may include both vaporizing elements, the vaporizing elements may be used independently and/or alternately to form only one of either condensing vapor or non-condensing vapor. during suction from the aerosol delivery device for aerosol inhalation.

[0077] As previously indicated, in some example implementations, the reservoir 208 defined within the housing 106 may be a refillable reservoir for storing the aerosol precursor composition. In these example implementations, the housing may also define an attachable port 222 with only one corresponding container of aerosol precursor composition for refilling the reservoir.

[0078] Also as previously indicated, control valve 214 may be configured to control a flow of aerosol precursor composition from the reservoir to each of the vaporization elements 210, 212 (e.g., a condensation vaporization element and a non-condensing vaporization element). In some examples, reservoir 208 may provide aerosol precursor composition to both vaporization elements through respective channels. The valve can control the flow of the aerosol precursor composition from the reservoir such that the amount of aerosol precursor directed to any of the elements can be adjusted, such as by a consumer. As such, an aerosol delivery profile (e.g., a controllable ratio of condensing aerosol to non-condensing aerosol being delivered) can thus be customized. For example, the aerosol delivery profile may include delivery of 100% condensing aerosol and 0% non-condensing aerosol or 50% condensing aerosol and 50% non-condensing aerosol.

[0079] In some example implementations in which the vaporization element 210 includes a condensation vaporization element, as suggested above, the condensation vaporization element may include a heater configured to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition by a heating action. In some examples, the condensation vaporization element may also include a liquid transport element configured to transport aerosol precursor composition from reservoir 208, and in these examples, the heater may be configured to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition. aerosol thus transported by the liquid transport element.

[0080] Various examples of materials configured to produce heat when electric current is applied therethrough can be employed to form the heater. The heater in these examples may be a resistive heating element such as a coil. Examples of materials from which the coil can be formed include titanium (Ti), platinum (Pt), Kanthal (FeCrAl), nichrome, molybdenum disilicide (MoSi2), molybdenum silicide (MoSi), aluminum doped molybdenum disilicide (Mo (Si, Al)2), graphite and graphite-based materials (e.g. carbon-based foams and threads) and ceramics (e.g. positive or negative temperature coefficient ceramics). The heater may comprise a wire structure defining a mesh, screen or lattice structure positioned around the liquid transport member. Example materials from which the wire mesh, screen or lattice may be formed from, or include titanium, platinum, silver, palladium, Kanthal (FeCrAl), nichrome, molybdenum disilicide (MoSi2), molybdenum silicide (MoSi ), Aluminum doped molybdenum disilicide (Mo(Si,Al)2), Palladium Silver (Ag/Pd) conductive inks, graphite and graphite based materials; and ceramics (e.g. a positive or negative temperature coefficient).

[0081] In some example implementations, in which the vaporization elements 210, 212 respectively include condensing and non-condensing vaporization elements, the non-condensing vaporization element (e.g., a second element) may be an electromechanical device configured to activate and vaporize components of an aerosol precursor composition by mechanical action. Examples of a suitable electromechanical device may be or include a piezoelectric ultrasonic atomizer, as described in U.S. Patent No. 7,954,730 to Ng, filed May 2, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference; or a piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer, as described in U.S. Patent No. 6,763,722 to Fjield et al., filed July 13, 2001, which is incorporated herein by reference. In some examples, the heater of the condensing vaporization element (e.g., a first element) may be configured to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition transported thereto by the liquid transport element and/or electromechanical device. And in at least one instance, the heater may simultaneously vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition transported thereto by both the liquid transport member and the electromechanical device to form a combination of condensing aerosol and non-condensing aerosol.

[0082] For example, the non-condensing vaporizing element (e.g., a second vaporizing element 212) may be configured to form and direct a non-condensing vapor to the condensing vaporizing element (e.g., a first vaporizing element 212). vaporization 210). Wherein, the condensation vaporization element may be configured to activate and vaporize components of the noncondensing vapor to thereby form a condensation aerosol. For example, the non-condensing vaporizing element may produce an aerosol “mist” that may be further vaporized downstream by the first vaporizing element (e.g., a heater) to transform the aerosol mist into vapor or aerosol gas. which subsequently condenses to form condensation aerosol.

[0083] In a particular implementation, the non-condensing vaporization element 212 may be or include an electromechanical device configured to produce the non-condensing aerosol through piezoelectric ultrasonic oscillations, for example. Condensation aerosols have an average particle size substantially smaller than a “mist”. In some example implementations, the non-condensing vapor may include a particle size distribution in which a substantial majority of the particles are less than 1 µm in diameter. The resulting condensation aerosol may similarly contain particles with a small particle size distribution, allowing the particles to be easily drawn through the nozzle 216.

[0084] In some example implementations, wherein the vaporization elements 210, 212 respectively include condensing and non-condensing vaporization elements, the condensation vaporization element being configured to activate and vaporize non-condensing vapor components may include the condensing vaporizing element configured to activate simultaneously with the non-condensing vapor being directed to the condensing vaporizing element. For example, the condensing vaporizing element may include a heating module being activated in tandem or simultaneously as the noncondensing vaporizing element (e.g., electromechanical device) directs the noncondensing vapor to the vaporizing element. of condensation. The condensing vaporization element can then vaporize the non-condensing vapor deposited on a heating surface. In alternative example implementations, the condensing vaporizing element may be activated slightly before, slightly after the noncondensing vaporizing element directs the noncondensing vapor (e.g., an aerosol mist) to a surface of the vaporizing element. condensation.

[0085] As previously indicated, in some examples the vaporization elements 210, 212 may respectively include condensing and non-condensing vaporization elements, and the aerosol delivery device may produce both a condensing vapor using the vaporization element of condensation (e.g., a traditional wick and coil configuration) and/or a non-condensing vapor using the non-condensing vaporizing element (e.g., an alternative electromechanical fluid heating and delivery mechanism). Other examples of alternative electromechanical fluid heating and delivery mechanisms are described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/524,778 to Brammer et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0086] Figures 3A and 3B more particularly illustrate condensing (e.g., a first element) and non-condensing (e.g., a second element) vaporization elements 210, 212, in accordance with an exemplary implementation of the present description . As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, in some example implementations, the condensing and non-condensing vaporization elements can be positioned approximately parallel to each other. In these example implementations, the parallel configuration can promote optimal deposition of the non-condensing aerosol onto a surface of the condensing vaporization element (e.g., surface of a microheater). The distance between the condensing and non-condensing vaporizing elements may vary between one (1) millimeter and ten (10) centimeters inclusive. In these example implementations, air flow through at least a portion of at least one housing 106 may be transversely or longitudinally directed toward the noncondensing vapor based on a velocity thereof. After vaporization of the vapor directed and/or deposited on the surface of the condensation vaporization element, the transverse and/or longitudinal air flow may direct the condensation aerosol around the condensation vaporization element and out of the nozzle 216.

[0087] In some other examples, the vaporization elements 210, 212 may include mechanisms for respectively modifying a vapor and forming a non-condensing vapor. Therefore, in these examples, the vaporizing elements 210, 212 of Figure 2 may include, respectively, a vapor modifying element (e.g., a first element) and a non-condensing vaporizing element (e.g., a second element). ). In some examples, the vapor modifying and non-condensing vaporization elements may be removably coupled to the housing 106 and thus replaceable by a consumer as needed. The non-condensing vaporizing elements can be configured to activate and vaporize components of an aerosol precursor composition and thereby form a non-condensing vapor, in which the non-condensing vapor is modified by the vapor modifying element. In response to a flow of air through at least a portion of at least one housing, the non-condensing vapor may be combinable with air to form an aerosol.

[0088] In some example implementations, in which the vaporizing elements 210, 212 respectively include vapor modifying and non-condensing vaporizing elements, the vapor modifying element may include a drying tube configured to modify the vapor of non-condensation by a moisture-removing action. In particular, the drying tube may be configured to remove moisture from the non-condensing vapor formed by the non-condensing vaporizing element and thereby reduce the particle size of the non-condensing vapor. In some examples, the vapor modifying element may additionally and/or alternatively include a flavor modifier configured to modify the non-condensing vapor by a flavor injection action. In particular, the flavor modifier may be configured to inject volatile flavors into the non-condensing vapor formed by the non-condensing vaporizing element in accordance with various means discussed herein. Examples of suitable flavor modifiers may be or include thermal bubble jet print heads, a conditioned bed of volatile flavors (e.g., a plurality of granules made from tobacco, menthol, and the like), or other flavor injection mechanism. appropriate not explicitly contemplated here.

[0089] In these examples, the consolidation of such mechanisms (e.g., vapor modification and non-condensation mechanisms) into a single aerosol delivery device can offer several benefits. In cases where the vapor modification element includes a drying tube, the benefits may include reducing the traditional particle size of vapor formed by an electromechanical means (e.g., non-condensing vapor). In cases where the vapor modification element includes a flavor modifier, benefits may include injecting flavors into water-based solutions as electromechanical devices are more compatible with water-based solutions and traditional flavors may be hydrophobic. . Flavor modifiers can be added after aerosol formation using various means (e.g., thermal bubble jet or elution from a packed bed). This may allow the primary aerosol precursor to be predominantly water-based in composition.

[0090] In some example implementations, in which the vaporization elements 210, 212, respectively, include vapor modification and non-condensing vaporization elements, the vapor modification element being configured to modify the non-condensing vapor may include the vapor modification element configured to activate simultaneously with the non-condensing vapor being directed to the vapor modification element. For example, the non-condensing vapor may be directed toward and/or into the vapor modifying element by the non-condensing vaporizing element for modification in this way. In a specific example where the vapor modifying element is a drying tube, the non-condensing vapor may be dispersed throughout the configured drying tube to thereby remove moisture from the vapor by drawing a shell of water from the droplets. corresponding aerosol particles, thus reducing the total particle size.

[0091] It should be noted that although some example implementations are discussed in relation to vaporization elements 210, 212, respectively including a combination of condensing and non-condensing vaporization elements, or an alternative combination of modification vaporization elements vaporizing and non-condensing elements, vaporizing elements may include any combination of condensing, non-condensing and/or vapor modifying elements, including one or more of a heater, electromechanical device, drying tube or flavor modifier. For example, in one implementation, the vaporization elements may include first, second, third, and/or fourth vaporization elements. Furthermore, it should be noted that the vapor modifying and non-condensing vaporization elements may be positioned similarly to the example implementations discussed with respect to the condensing and non-condensing vaporization elements.

[0092] The present invention discloses various operations in a method of controlling an aerosol delivery device in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure. The aerosol delivery device may comprise at least one housing and first and second elements contained within the at least one housing. The method may include activating the first element and the second element. In the first element and the second element thus activated, the method may also include vaporizing components of an aerosol precursor composition and thereby forming a condensing vapor and non-condensing vapor respectively. The first element and second element may activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition in response to a flow of air through at least a portion of at least one housing in which the condensing vapor or non-condensing vapor may be combinable with the air to form an aerosol.

[0093] The present invention discloses various operations in a method of controlling an aerosol delivery device in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure. The aerosol delivery device may comprise at least one housing and first and second elements contained within the at least one housing. The method may include activating the first element and the second element. In the second element so activated, the method may also include vaporizing components of the aerosol precursor composition to thereby form a non-condensing vapor in response to a flow of air through at least a portion of at least one housing, as shown in block 504 In the first element thus activated, modify the non-condensing vapor, in which the non-condensing vapor is thus combinable with air to form an aerosol.

[0094] The foregoing description of the use of the article(s) may be applied to the various example implementations described herein through minor modifications, which may be apparent to one skilled in the art in light of the additional disclosure provided herein. The above usage description, however, is not intended to limit the use of the article, but is provided to meet all necessary disclosure requirements of this disclosure. Any of the elements shown in the article(s) illustrated in Figures 1A - 4 or as otherwise described above may be included in an aerosol delivery device in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0095] Many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure presented here will come to the mind of one skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs having the benefit of the teachings presented in the preceding descriptions and associated drawings. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific implementations disclosed and that modifications and other implementations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, although the foregoing descriptions and associated drawings describe example implementations in the context of certain example combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative implementations without departing from the scope of the attached claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set out in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims (18)

1. Aerosol delivery device comprises: at least one housing (106) defining a reservoir (208) for storing aerosol precursor composition; and a first element (210) and a second element (212) contained in the at least one housing (106), the second element (212) being configured to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition to thereby form a non-condensing vapor in response to an air flow through at least a portion of at least one housing (106), CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the first element (210) being configured to vaporize components of the uncondensed vapor to form a condensation aerosol. 2. Aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the first element (210) and the second element (212) are, respectively, a heater and electromechanical device configured to vaporize components of a precursor composition aerosol through, respectively, a heating action and mechanical action. 3. Aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the first element (210) and the second element (212) being contained within at least one housing (106) includes the first element (210 ) and the second element (212) being removably coupled to at least one housing (106). 4. Aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it further comprises a control valve (214) configured to control a flow of aerosol precursor composition from the reservoir (208) to the first element (210) and second element (212). 5. Aerosol delivery device, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the reservoir (208) is refillable, and the at least one housing (106) further defines a port attachable only with a container (222 ) corresponding aerosol precursor composition for refilling the reservoir (208). 6. Aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the first element (210) includes a liquid transport element configured to transport aerosol precursor composition from the reservoir (208), and a heater configured to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition carried by the liquid transport element. 7. Aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the second element (212) is configured to form and direct the non-condensing vapor to the first element (210), and the first element ( 210) is configured to activate and vaporize components of the non-condensing vapor to form the condensing vapor. 8. Aerosol delivery device according to claim 7, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the distance between the first element (210) and the second element (212) is between one (1) millimeters and ten (10) centimeters inclusive . 9. Aerosol delivery device according to claim 7, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the first element (210) being configured to activate includes being configured to be activated simultaneously with the non-condensing vapor being directed to the first element ( 210). 10. Aerosol delivery device according to claim 7, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the air flow through at least the portion of at least one housing (106) is transversely or longitudinally directed towards the non-condensing vapor based on a speed of the same. 11. Aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the first element (210) and second element (212) are respectively a vapor modification element and electromechanical device, the electromechanical device being configured to vaporizing components of an aerosol precursor composition by a mechanical action, and the vapor modifying element being configured to modify the non-condensing vapor by a moisture removing action. 12. Aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the first element (210) and second element (212) are respectively a vapor modification element and electromechanical device, the electromechanical device being configured to vaporizing components of an aerosol precursor composition by a mechanical action, and the vapor modifying element being configured to modify the non-condensing vapor by injecting a volatile flavor into the non-condensing vapor. 13. Aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the first element (210) is a vapor modifying element includes at least one of a drying tube or flavor modifier respectively configured to modify the non-condensing vapor by a moisture removal action and flavor injection action. 14. Aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it further comprises a third element, wherein in response to an air flow through at least a portion of at least one housing (106), the third element being configured to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition to thereby form a condensing vapor, and the first element (210) is further configured to modify the condensing vapor or non-condensing vapor, at least one of the vapor condensation or non-condensing vapor therefrom being combinable with air to form an aerosol. 15. Aerosol delivery device according to claim 14, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the second (212) and third elements are respectively an electromechanical device and a heater configured to vaporize components of an aerosol precursor composition respectively by an action mechanical and heating action, and the first element is a vapor modification element configured to modify the condensing or non-condensing vapor by injecting a volatile flavor into the condensing or non-condensing vapor. 16. Method for controlling the aerosol delivery device (100), as defined in any one of claims 1 to 15, comprising at least one housing (106) defining a reservoir (208) for storing aerosol precursor composition, and a first (210) and second elements (212) contained within at least one housing (106), the method CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it comprises: activating the first element (210) and second element (212); and in the second element (212) thus activated, vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition and thereby form a non-condensing vapor, in response to a flow of air through at least a portion of at least one housing (106); and in the first element (210) thus activated, vaporizing components of the uncondensed vapor to form a condensation aerosol. 17. Method according to claim 16, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the first element (210) and the second element (212) are, respectively, a heater and an electromechanical device, and vaporizing components of the aerosol precursor composition includes vaporizing components of the aerosol precursor composition by, respectively, a heating action and mechanical action. 18. Method according to claim 16, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the first element (210) is a vapor modifying element including at least one of a drying tube or flavor modifier respectively configured to modify the vapor of no condensation by a moisture removal and flavor injection action, and the second element (212) is an electromechanical device configured to vaporize components of an aerosol precursor composition by a mechanical action.