JP2022543519A - Liquid cartridges for personal vaporizers - Google Patents

Abstract

A cartridge for use with a personal vaporizer, particularly for use with an electronic cigarette, includes a housing enclosing a reservoir for storing liquid to be vaporized within the personal vaporizer, particularly an electronic cigarette, the housing having an opening. have a part. The cartridge further includes at least one permeable member disposed within the housing, the permeable member configured to transport liquid from the reservoir to an opening within the housing by capillary action. At least one membrane compartment is provided in an opening in the upper portion of the housing. At least one permeable member is disposed within the at least one compartment.

Description

The present invention relates to cartridges for personal vaporizer devices, such as electronic smoking devices, and personal vaporizer devices that contain or can house such cartridges.

Personal vaporizers such as electronic cigarettes, electrically operated cigarettes or, in short, "e-cigarettes" have gained popularity over the last decade as alternatives to traditional smoking devices such as cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos. there is The design and construction of such vaporizers is still evolving to improve the performance and reliability of such vaporizers, as well as the ease and cost of manufacture of such vaporizers.

Electrically operated cigarettes are typically powered by a power source and can be volatilized using the heater and transported to the e-cigarette user by airflow through the mouthpiece of the e-cigarette. a liquid reservoir containing flavored or unflavored liquid. Such electrically operated cigarettes are known, for example, from US2013/0160764A1. WO2016/079155A1 and US2013/0319438A1 disclose electrically operated cigarette cartridges.

In view of the above, one of the concepts of the present invention is to provide a new and improved liquid holding container or tank for use in personal vaporization devices such as electronic cigarettes. In particular, it would be desirable to provide such new and improved liquid holding containers in the form of easily and quickly replaceable cartridges for personal vaporizers. Further, one of the concepts of the present invention is an improved air conditioning system that can reduce consumer exposure to aerosol-forming liquids and deter consumers from refilling empty containers with potentially incompatible liquids. to provide consumables.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a cartridge for use in a personal vaporizer, particularly for use in an electronic cigarette, is a cartridge for storing a liquid to be vaporized within the personal vaporizer, particularly an electronic cigarette. A housing enclosing the reservoir is included, the housing having an opening. The cartridge further includes at least one permeable member disposed within the housing, the permeable member configured to transport liquid from the reservoir to an opening within the housing by capillary action. At least one membrane compartment is provided in an opening in the upper portion of the housing. At least one permeable member is disposed within the at least one compartment.

In some embodiments of the cartridge according to the first aspect, at least one membrane compartment may be attached to the inner wall of the housing.

In some further embodiments of the cartridge according to the first aspect, at least one permeable membrane element may be retained within the membrane compartment. In some embodiments, the permeable membrane element can be configured to transport liquid from the reservoir to the opening in the upper portion of the housing by capillary action.

In some further embodiments of the cartridge according to the first aspect, the cartridge may further include an airflow channel extending through the reservoir along the central axis of symmetry of the housing. In some embodiments, this reservoir may be separated from the airflow channel by an internal airflow channel wall.

In some further embodiments of the cartridge according to the first aspect, the housing may have an axially longitudinally extending cylindrical shape. The housing can have a first distal end and a second distal end. The opening can be located at the first distal end or the second distal end.

In some further embodiments of the cartridge according to the first aspect, at least one membrane compartment may comprise a compartment wall having a plurality of compartment openings. In some embodiments, those compartment openings may form a strainer structure.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a cartridge for use in a personal vaporizer, particularly for use in an electronic cigarette, is a housing enclosing a reservoir for storing liquid to be vaporized within the electronic cigarette. including. The housing has an opening in the upper portion. A compartment is provided in the opening of the upper portion of the housing and is attached to the inner wall of the housing. A permeable member retained within the compartment is configured to transport liquid from the reservoir to an opening in the upper portion of the housing by capillary action.

In some embodiments of the cartridge according to the second aspect, the compartment may comprise a compartment wall with multiple compartment openings. In some embodiments, those compartment openings may form a strainer structure. In some embodiments, the compartment walls of compartments having multiple compartment openings can be one or a combination of side walls and bottom walls.

In some further embodiments of the cartridge according to the second aspect, the permeable member comprises open cell polymeric foam, natural fiber textiles, synthetic textiles, porous ceramics, ceramic wool, silica twine, silica braid, stainless steel. It may be formed from a wicking material selected from one or a combination of the group of steel mesh and nanoporous materials having organic or inorganic structures that support an ordered porous structure.

In some further embodiments of the cartridge according to the second aspect, the top surface of the permeable member may be flush with the top edge of the housing.

In some further embodiments of the cartridge according to the second aspect, the top surface of the permeable member may be sunken into the housing a recessed distance relative to the upper edge of the housing. In some embodiments, the cartridge may further comprise a tear-away film positioned over this upper rim of the housing. The tear-away film can fluid-tightly seal the permeable member within the cartridge.

In some further embodiments of the cartridge according to the second aspect, a tear-away film may be disposed over the upper rim of the housing to fluid-tightly seal the permeable member within the cartridge. In some embodiments, a sealing pad may be attached to the back of the tear-away film, the sealing pad having a thickness corresponding to the setback distance of the top surface of the permeable member.

In some further embodiments of the cartridge according to the second aspect, a liquid retention barrier may be positioned within the reservoir. In some embodiments, the liquid retention barrier can prevent at least some of the liquid in the upper portion of the reservoir from flowing back into the lower portion of the reservoir.

In some further embodiments of the cartridge according to the second aspect, the housing may be substantially tubular in shape. In some embodiments, the compartment may be provided in a circular opening concentric with the circular cross-section of the tubular housing. In some embodiments, the permeable member can be disc-shaped with a diameter between 50% and 90% of the diameter of the tubular housing.

In some further embodiments of the cartridge according to the second aspect, the housing may be made of thermoplastic material, in particular one of polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyethylene.

According to a third aspect of the invention, an electronic cigarette comprises a removable cartridge according to the first aspect of the invention, a body and a permeable member. The body has a cartridge seat configured to receive a removable cartridge, and an atomizer having a heater and a fluid transfer element connected to the heater. The permeable member is configured to transport liquid from the liquid reservoir of the cartridge to the opening of the cartridge by capillary action, such that liquid is transferred from the liquid reservoir to the atomizer when the fluid transfer element contacts the permeable member. .

In some embodiments of the electronic cigarette according to the third aspect, the fluid transfer element may be configured to directly contact the permeable member of the cartridge when the cartridge is placed on the cartridge seat of the body. In some embodiments thereof, the fluid transfer element may be configured to pressurize the permeable member such that the fluid transfer element protrudes at least partially into the cartridge.

In some embodiments of the electronic cigarette according to the third aspect, the electronic cigarette may further include a mouthpiece removably attached to the body and enclosing the cartridge seat. The mouthpiece transports the vaporized liquid from the atomizer through air flow channels extending through the reservoir of the cartridge along the central axis of symmetry of the body to the opening of the mouthpiece and then to the user of the e-cigarette. can be configured as

In some embodiments of electronic cigarettes according to the third aspect, the fluid transfer element may be located at the bottom of the cartridge seat.

In some embodiments of electronic cigarettes according to the third aspect, the fluid transfer element is silica twine, silica braid, cotton, stainless steel mesh, and organic or inorganic structures supporting a regular porous structure. a wicking material selected from one or a combination of the group of nanoporous materials having

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a personal vaporization device, such as an electronic cigarette, comprises a vaporizer housing having a hollow chamber formed as a cartridge receptacle with a permeable membrane element. The permeable membrane element is configured to transport liquid from the liquid reservoir of the cartridge to the opening in the upper portion of the cartridge by capillary action. The personal vaporizer of the fourth aspect of the present invention includes an atomizer section having a heating device configured to vaporize liquid conveyed from the liquid reservoir of the cartridge to the personal vaporizer, and a mouthpiece connected to the vaporizer housing. and further including. The mouthpiece is configured to transport vaporized liquid from the atomizer section through the mouthpiece opening to the user of the personal vaporizer.

In some embodiments of the personal vaporizer according to the fourth aspect, the personal vaporizer further includes a vaporizer rear portion removably attached to the vaporizer housing and configured to thereby enclose the container of the cartridge. may contain. In some embodiments, this vaporizer rear portion may include a battery compartment for electrical energy storage.

In some further embodiments of the personal vaporization device according to the fourth aspect, the heating device of the atomizer section is arranged in direct contact with the permeable membrane element of the cartridge when the cartridge is placed in the receptacle of the vaporizer housing. can be configured.

In some further embodiments of the personal vaporization device according to the fourth aspect, the atomizer section may further include a wick to which the heating device is connected, the wick aligning the cartridge when the cartridge is placed in the receptacle of the vaporizer housing. has a core contact surface configured for direct contact with the permeable membrane element of the. In some embodiments, the core is a group of silica twine, silica braid, cotton, stainless steel mesh, and nanoporous materials having organic or inorganic structures that support an ordered porous structure. wicking material selected from one or a combination of:

In some further embodiments of the personal vaporization device according to the fourth aspect, the personal vaporization device may further include an electrical energy storage configured to deliver electrical energy to the heating device, the heating device comprising a wick. is an electrically resistive metal coil wound around the

In some further embodiments of the personal vaporizer according to the fourth aspect, the atomizer section may be positioned between the vaporizer housing and the mouthpiece of the personal vaporizer. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece may be connected to the vaporizer housing such that the inlet to the atomizer section is located between the vaporizer housing and the mouthpiece of the personal vaporizer.

Thus, the present invention provides an electronic cigarette vaporizer unit cartridge in which the heating element is closely associated and/or integrated with the liquid delivery means. This provides not only an optimized structure for easy assembly of the parts of the vaporizer unit, but also the most efficient transfer or delivery of the liquid to be vaporized to the heating element. Accordingly, personal vaporizers or electronic cigarettes typically have a heating system that includes the heating element of the vaporizer unit. The heating system is preferably electrically powered by a power source such as a battery in a personal vaporizer or electronic cigarette.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, a personal vaporizing device, in particular an electronic cigarette, comprises a cartridge according to any one of the aspects or embodiments described above. The cartridge may be replaceable and/or disposable, particularly when the aerosol-forming liquid originally contained therein has been completely or at least partially depleted. For example, the cartridge may be held in an inner container or cartridge seat of the e-cigarette, which may be accessed by reversibly removing outer or housing components of the e-cigarette, resulting in , the old (depleted) cartridge can be removed from the inner container or cartridge seat, and a new (liquid-filled) cartridge can be placed inside the e-cigarette instead.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. Other embodiments of the present invention and many of the intended advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description. Elements of the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale with respect to each other. Like reference numerals indicate corresponding like parts.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a liquid cartridge for use with an electronic cigarette, according to some embodiments; FIG. 4A-4D are schematic cross-sectional side views of liquid cartridges for use in electronic cigarettes, according to some further embodiments; FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of an end of a liquid cartridge positioned within an electronic cigarette near an atomizer, according to some further embodiments; 4A-4C are schematic cross-sectional side views of an open e-cigarette with a liquid cartridge being inserted, according to some further embodiments; FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a closed e-cigarette with liquid cartridge insertion complete, according to some further embodiments; 4A-4D are schematic cross-sectional side views of liquid cartridges for use in electronic cigarettes, according to some further embodiments; 4A-4D are schematic cross-sectional side views of liquid cartridges for use in electronic cigarettes, according to some further embodiments; 4A-4C are schematic cross-sectional side views of an open e-cigarette with a liquid cartridge being inserted, according to some further embodiments; FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a closed e-cigarette with liquid cartridge insertion complete, according to some further embodiments;

To facilitate a more abstract view of the embodiments, common and/or well-understood elements that may be useful or necessary in commercially viable embodiments are not necessarily shown. you will find that no. Elements in the drawings are not necessarily shown to scale relative to each other. While certain acts and/or steps in certain method embodiments may be described or illustrated in a certain order, those skilled in the art will appreciate that such limitations as to order are not actually required. will be further understood. The terms and expressions used herein are intended to be consistent with such terms and expressions for each corresponding area of research and research, unless a specific meaning is defined herein otherwise. will also be understood to have their ordinary meaning.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various alternative and/or equivalent implementations may be illustrated and described without departing from the scope of the invention. It will be understood that the specific embodiment described can be substituted.

In general, this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein. The present invention refers to personal vaporizers. Such personal vaporizers, sometimes referred to as aerosol generators, aerosol generators, e-cigarettes, etc., generally convert electrical energy and/or combustion energy into heat for subsequent It is intended to include any device capable of heating and thereby volatilizing particles, such as liquid or gas compositions contained within the container portion of the personal vaporizer/e-cig. In particular, personal vaporizers or electronic cigarettes of the present disclosure may have replaceable container parts designed as consumables. Personal vaporizers and e-cigarettes within the meaning of this disclosure can carry volatilized particles in an airflow through the vaporizer to a user of the vaporizer, and the user of the vaporizer generates an aerosol. Turning on or off and puffing or inhaling actions can control the duration, speed, and amount of airflow. A personal vaporizer within the meaning of the present invention is capable of producing variable amounts of aerosol depending on the rate and duration of heat transfer from a heating element within the vaporizer to the vaporizable material.

Wicking materials within the meaning of this disclosure may generally consist of porous and/or fibrous materials. Bulk porous and/or fibrous materials can be shaped as desired to form a core or permeable membrane. Porous and/or fibrous materials that can be used for the wicking material can be natural and man-made materials. In particular, porous and/or fibrous materials within the meaning of the invention are open-cell polymeric foams, natural fiber textiles such as wool, cotton or felt, synthetic textiles, porous solids or ceramic wool, etc. ceramics, silica twine, silica braid, stainless steel mesh, or nanoporous materials having organic or inorganic structures that support an ordered porous structure. . Such porous and/or fibrous materials have consistently sized pores that collectively and/or individually exhibit constant capillarity and permeability to certain substances such as fluids and liquids. , openings or apertures.

1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown a cartridge 10 in the form of a replaceable liquid holding container. Cartridge 10 is for use in a personal vaporization device 20 such as an electronic cigarette, an electrically operated cigarette or "e-cigarette", as exemplarily shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and described below. configured to The cartridge 10 is designed as a consumable product, i.e. a one-time use product that can be discarded or replaced when the liquid contained within the cartridge is completely or at least partially depleted.

Cartridge 10 includes a housing 1 having an outer housing wall 1a enclosing a liquid reservoir 4. As shown in FIG. Liquid reservoir 4 is used to store liquid 5 to be vaporized within electronic cigarette 20 . The liquid reservoir 4 may, for example, be implemented or formed as a buffer or contain a buffer therein. Generally speaking, the reservoir 4 can be a liquid container directly containing the liquid 5 to be vaporized, or it can act as a buffer for transporting the liquid 5 to be vaporized to the vaporization member.

The housing 1 may for example be of substantially tubular shape, ie the outer housing wall 1 a defines a cylindrical side defining a shell of the housing 1 around the reservoir 4 . The base housing wall 1b (shown illustratively on the right in FIG. 1) forms the base surface of the tubular housing, thereby giving the housing 1 the shape of an axially longitudinally extending right cylinder. A first distal end (illustrated exemplarily on the left in FIG. 1), opposite the second distal end where the base housing wall 1b rests, is formed with an opening in the housing. be.

The housing 1 can be made from thermoplastics such as, for example, polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyethylene, or even combinations thereof. Airflow channel 7 may extend through reservoir 4 along the central axis of symmetry of housing 1 . The airflow channel 7 may be bounded by the inner housing wall 1d as best shown in FIG. The airflow channel 7 may also have a tubular shape, so that the reservoir 4 between the airflow channel 7 and the outer housing wall 1a has the shape of a hollow right cylinder, allowing the airflow There is a substantially constant distance between the channel 7 and the outer housing wall 1a, which distance is perpendicular to the surface of the outer housing wall 1a and defines the volume of a hollow cylinder capable of holding the liquid 5. do.

As best shown in Figures 2 and 3, at least one compartment 2a may be provided within the opening and has the shape of an annulus or a portion of an annulus. The exemplary views of FIGS. 2 and 3 show substantially coincident and evenly distributed air flow channels 7 around the annular shape of the opening between the airflow channel 7 on the upper side of the housing 1 and the outer housing wall 1a. Three compartment openings 2b are shown. The housing 1 generally comprises a housing rim 1c on its upper side, which comprises a compartment wall with a plurality of compartment openings 2b. The compartment openings 2b may be arranged symmetrically generally around the central axis of symmetry of the housing 1, in particular around the airflow channels 7 extending along that central axis of symmetry. The number of compartment openings 2b is generally not limited and may in particular be more or less than three, as exemplarily shown in FIGS. In the case of a single compartment opening 2b of annular shape, the outer housing wall is separated from the central airflow channel 7 in order to mechanically stabilize the central airflow channel 7 within the center of the reservoir portion 4. There may be a single material bridge across the opening to 1a. If there is more than one compartment opening 2b, the compartment openings 2b may be separated by a gap 2d between the respective compartment walls, the gap 2d extending outward from the central airflow channel 7. It is formed by a thin material bridge spanning the opening over the housing wall 1a.

The compartment openings are inter alia permeable members 3, such as open-cell polymeric foams, natural fiber textiles, synthetic textiles, porous ceramics, ceramic wool, silica twine, silica braid, stainless steel mesh, and regular a membrane element formed from a wicking material selected from one or a combination of the group of nanoporous materials having organic or inorganic structures supporting the porous structure; membrane compartment 2a. The permeable member 3 may have a contour that is a ring or part of a ring with a predetermined thickness so as to allow the permeable member 3 to be flush with the compartment opening 2b.

There may be one or more permeable members 3 arranged within the housing 1 depending on the number of compartment openings 2b. Permeable member 3 is configured to transport liquid 5 from the interior of reservoir 4 to and through an opening in housing 1 by capillary action. By choosing an appropriate thickness for the flat plate of the transmissive member 3 , the top surface of the transmissive member 3 can be arranged flush with the upper edge 1 c of the housing 1 . Alternatively, a deeper compartment opening 2b or a thinner permeable member 3 are formed such that the top surface of the permeable member 3 is recessed into the housing 1 by a setback distance relative to the upper edge 1c of the housing 1. may be possible.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the permeable member 3 may be sealed inside the cartridge 10 in a liquid-tight manner, for example by providing a tear-off film 6 arranged over the upper edge 1 c of the housing 1 . The tear-off film 6 can be, for example, a plastic film adhered to the upper edge 1c by a mechanically removable adhesive. The tear-away film 6 may have a generally circular shape with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the opening in order to completely cover the opening of the housing 1 . A tear-off tab may be formed on one side of the tear-off film 6 for a user to grasp to facilitate removal of the tear-off film 6 prior to using the cartridge 10 in the electronic cigarette 20 .

Figure 3 shows a detailed view of the upper portion of the cartridge of Figures 1 and 2 in contact with the atomizer or vaporization member. The cartridge 10 can be removably retained within a cartridge seat of the body of the electronic cigarette. The electronic cigarette includes an atomizer having, for example, a heater 14 formed as an electrically resistive wire or wire-like element and a fluid transfer element 14a connected to the heater 14. The heater 14 may be positioned centrally and substantially across the upper opening 7a of the airflow channel 7 extending through the cartridge 10 . The fluid transfer element 14a may be placed over the compartment opening 2b and in particular may contact the permeable member 3 provided in the compartment opening 2b.

Fluid transport element 14a is one of a group of silica twine, silica braid, cotton, stainless steel mesh, and nanoporous materials having organic or inorganic structures that support a regular porous structure. Or it may be formed from wicking materials selected from a combination. Fluid transfer element 14a may be positioned to directly contact permeable member 3 of cartridge 10 when cartridge 10 is positioned on the cartridge seat of the body. In particular, the fluid transfer elements 14a may be formed such that the permeable member 3 is pressurized into the respective compartment openings 2b, thereby projecting the fluid transfer elements 14a at least partially into the cartridge 10. It may be possible. For example, the fluid transfer element 14a may be linear with a flexible bulge or bend that points toward the region where the compartment opening 2b of the cartridge 10 is located once the cartridge 10 is inserted into the electronic cigarette 20. can be an element.

4 and 5 show cross-sectional views of the electronic cigarette 20 with the removable cartridge 10 inserted. The electronic cigarette 20 has a body 15 with a container portion 15a enclosing a cartridge base 16. As shown in FIG. Cartridge seat 16 is sized to accommodate removable cartridge 10 . At the bottom of the cartridge seat 16, the fluid transfer element 14a of the atomizer can be placed. The atomizer may have a heater 14 coupled to a fluid transfer element 14a. Heater 14 may include, for example, an electrically resistive metal coil wrapped around atomizer core 13 .

Cartridge 10, which is inserted into cartridge seat 16, includes one or more permeable members 3 configured to transport liquid 5 from liquid reservoir 4 of cartridge 10 to the opening of cartridge 10 by capillary action. be done. This opening is in the vicinity of the heater 14 and the liquid 5 is first transported from the liquid reservoir 4 to the permeable member 3 and then to the fluid transfer element 14a in contact with the permeable member 3 and from there to the heater 14. be carried. Contact between the fluid transfer element 14a and the permeable member 3 occurs when the peel-off film 6 of the cartridge 10 is removed and the cartridge 10 is then placed on the cartridge seat 16 with the opening facing the fluid transfer element 14a. to be done.

The mouthpiece 11 is detachably attached to the main body 15 and encloses the cartridge base 16 . Mouthpiece 11 is capable of transporting vaporized liquid 5 from the atomizer through airflow channel 7 inside the housing of cartridge 10 . Coaxially with airflow channel 7 , body channel 15 b extends along the central axis of symmetry of body 15 through reservoir 4 of cartridge 10 to mouthpiece opening 12 and then to the user of electronic cigarette 20 . An air intake 15c in the outer wall 15a of the body 15 allows air to pass from the outside of the electronic cigarette 20 to the atomizer's heater 14, where the liquid 5 is vaporized and the air/liquid mixture flows into the mouth in the body channel 15b. It is carried up to the mouthpiece air channel 12 a inside the piece 11 and to the mouthpiece opening 12 .

The heater 14 is energized by electrical energy from an electrical energy storage 19a located at the bottom 18 of the body 15 of the electronic cigarette 20. As shown in FIG. The electrical energy storage 19a may be configured to deliver electrical energy to a controller 19b, such as a microcontroller of the electronic cigarette 20 that controls the operation of the electronic cigarette 20 and its electrical components.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show possible configurations of a cartridge 10 for use in a personal vaporization device 20, such as an electronic cigarette 20 as illustratively shown and described in connection with FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. Cartridge 10 includes housing 1 enclosing reservoir 4 for storing liquid 5 to be vaporized within electronic cigarette 20 . The housing 1 has an opening in the upper part (shown on the left in the views of FIGS. 6 and 7). The housing 1 may for example be made of thermoplastic material, in particular one of polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyethylene. Housing 1 may, for example, be of substantially tubular shape.

One or more compartments 2a are provided in openings in the upper part of housing 1 . This compartment 2 a is attached to the inner wall 1 d of the housing 1 . In the case of a tubular housing 1 the compartment 2a can be provided in a circular opening concentric with the circular cross-section of the housing 1 . One or more permeable members 3, eg permeable membrane elements, are retained within compartment 2a. The permeable membrane element is designed to transport liquid 5 from the interior of reservoir 4 to the opening in the upper part of housing 1 by capillary action. The compartment 2a may for example have a compartment wall with a plurality of compartment openings 2b. In this way, the plurality of compartment openings 2b are distributed around the bottom and/or side walls of the compartment 2a to form a strainer structure 2c, i.e. a structure comprising smaller openings bridged by thin material bridges. Form. Liquid can permeate this strainer structure 2c, but a larger permeable membrane element can be held firmly in place inside compartment 2a.

Permeable membrane elements that can be held in compartment 2a include, for example, open-cell polymeric foams, natural fiber textiles, synthetic textiles, porous ceramics, ceramic wool, silica twine, silica braid, stainless steel mesh, and regular wicking materials, such as nanoporous materials having organic or inorganic structures supporting a porous structure. The shape of the permeable membrane element can be designed to match the shape of the cavity of the compartment 2a, for example so that the upper surface of the permeable membrane element is flush with the upper edge 1c of the housing 1. Alternatively, it may be possible to form a thinner permeable membrane element such that the top surface of the permeable membrane element is sunk inside the housing 1 by a setback distance relative to the upper edge 1c of the housing 1 . In the case of a substantially tubular housing 1, the permeable membrane element can be formed in a disk shape with a diameter between approximately 50% and 90% of the diameter of the tubular housing 1.

6 and 7, the permeable membrane element is sealed inside the cartridge 10 in a liquid-tight manner, for example by providing a tear-off film 6 arranged over the upper edge 1c of the housing 1. can be The tear-off film 6 can be, for example, a plastic film adhered to the upper edge 1c by a mechanically removable adhesive. The tear-away film 6 may have a generally circular shape with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the opening in order to completely cover the opening of the housing 1 . A tear-off tab may be formed on one side of the tear-off film 6 for a user to grasp to facilitate removal of the tear-off film 6 prior to using the cartridge 10 in the electronic cigarette 20 .

A sealing pad 6a may be attached to the back of the tear-away film 6 if the top surface of the permeable membrane element is sunken (as exemplarily shown in FIG. 7). Such a sealing pad 6a may have a thickness corresponding to the recession distance of the top surface of the permeable membrane element within the housing 1, so that the sealing pad 6a remains permeable during transport and shipment of the cartridge 10. Hold the membrane element in place.

Cartridge 10 may further comprise liquid retention barriers 4 a , 4 b positioned within reservoir 4 . Such liquid retaining barriers 4a, 4b completely or partially prevent the liquid in the upper part of the reservoir 4 from flowing back to the lower part of the reservoir 4. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a personal vaporization device 20, such as an electronic cigarette 20, may include a body having a housing 15. As shown in FIG. The housing may include a cartridge seat or cartridge receptacle 16 for cartridge 10 as shown in FIGS. An atomizer inside the body 15 includes a heater 14 and a fluid transfer element 13a. Heater 14 may be coupled to fluid transfer element 14a. Heater 14 may include, for example, an electrically resistive metal coil wrapped around atomizer core 13 .

Cartridge 10, which is inserted into cartridge seat 16, contains one or more permeable members 3 or permeable membrane elements 3 which, by capillary action, move liquid from liquid reservoir 4 of cartridge 10 to the opening of cartridge 10. configured to carry 5. This opening is in the vicinity of the heater 14 and the liquid 5 is first conveyed from the liquid reservoir 4 to the permeable member 3 and then to the fluid transfer element 13a in contact with the permeable member 3 and from there to the heater 14. be carried. Contact between the fluid transfer element 13a and the permeable member 3 occurs when the peel-off film 6 of the cartridge 10 is removed and the cartridge 10 is then placed on the cartridge seat 16 with the opening facing the fluid transfer element 14a. to be done. The fluid transfer element 13a may in particular be formed as a wick contact surface 13a of the wick 13 of the atomizer.

The mouthpiece 11 is detachably attached to the main body 15 and encloses the cartridge base 16 . Mouthpiece 11 is capable of transporting vaporized liquid 5 from the atomizer through airflow channel 7 inside the housing of cartridge 10 . An air intake 15c in the outer wall 15a of the body 15 allows air to pass from the outside of the electronic cigarette 20 to the atomizer's heater 14, where the liquid 5 is vaporized and the air/liquid mixture passes through the mouthpiece inside the mouthpiece 11. It is carried up to the air channel and leads to the mouthpiece opening 12 . The air/liquid mixture is then released at the mouthpiece opening 12 (indicated by reference character A) and can be inhaled by the user.

The heater 14 is powered by electrical energy from an electrical energy storage located at the bottom 18 of the body 15 of the electronic cigarette 20 . The electrical energy storage may be configured to deliver electrical energy to a controller, such as a microcontroller of electronic cigarette 20 that controls the operation of electronic cigarette 20 and its electrical components. The bottom part 18 may be, in particular, the rear part of the electronic cigarette 20 configured to be detachably attached to the vaporizer housing 15 , this attachment being achieved, for example, by internal threads 17 formed in the inner wall of the cartridge container 16 . , by a screwing or closing action S which engages an external thread 19 formed in the outer wall of the rear portion 18 . Thus, the rear portion 18 can be removed from the cartridge receptacle 16, the cartridge 10 inserted by a pushing action P, and the cartridge receptacle 16 enclosed by reattaching the rear portion 18. FIG.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, those skilled in the art will recognize that various alternative and/or equivalent implementations exist. It should be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration in any way. Rather, the foregoing summary and detailed description provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing at least one exemplary embodiment, and the scope of the appended claims and their legal equivalents. It is understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described in the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope described in . In general, this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein.

Also, as used herein, "comprise," "comprising," "include," "including," "contain," "containing." , "have," "have," and any variations thereof, are used to describe the process, method, apparatus, apparatus, or system described herein in the form of the recited feature or portion. or are not limited to elements or steps, as may include other elements, features, parts or steps not expressly listed or inherent in such process, method, article, or apparatus. , is intended to be understood in an inclusive (ie, non-exclusive) sense. Further, as used herein, the terms "a" and "an" are intended to be understood to mean one or more, unless expressly specified otherwise. It is Further, terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc. are used merely as indicators to impose numerical requirements on the subject of those terms or to specify the importance of the subject of those terms. It is not intended to rank the

1 housing 1a outer housing wall 1b base housing wall 1c upper housing rim 2a compartment 2b compartment opening 2c colander structure 2d compartment gap 3 permeable member 4 liquid reservoir 4a/4b liquid retaining barrier 5 liquid 6 tear-away film 6a sealing pad 7 airflow channel 7a channel opening 7b channel opening 10 liquid cartridge 11 mouthpiece 12 mouthpiece opening 13 atomizer wick 13a wick contact surface 14 atomizer heater 14a fluid transfer element 15 body 15a body housing 15b body channel 15c air intake 16 cartridge Pedestal 17 Female screw 18 Vaporizer rear part 19 Male screw 20 Electronic cigarette 21 Atomizer A Air flow P Pushing direction S Closing direction

Claims (18)

A cartridge (10) for use in an electronic cigarette (20), comprising:
a housing (1) enclosing a reservoir (4) for storing a liquid (5) to be vaporized in the electronic cigarette (20), the housing (1) having an opening;
at least one permeable member (3) disposed within said housing and configured to transport liquid (5) from said reservoir (4) to said opening of said housing (1) by capillary action; At least one compartment (2a) is provided in said opening in the upper part of said housing (1), and said at least one permeable member (3) is located in said at least one compartment (2a). a cartridge (10) comprising at least one permeable member (3), which is a permeable member (3). A cartridge (10) according to claim 1, further comprising an airflow channel (7) extending through the reservoir (4) along the central axis of symmetry of the housing (1). Said housing (1) has an axially longitudinally extending cylindrical shape, a first distal end and a second distal end, said opening being defined by said first distal end or said 3. Cartridge (10) according to claim 1 or 2, located at the second distal end. A cartridge (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one compartment (2a) comprises a compartment wall with a plurality of compartment openings (2b). Said at least one permeable member (3) is made of open cell polymeric foam, natural fiber textile, synthetic textile, porous ceramics, ceramic wool, silica twine, silica braid, stainless steel mesh, and regular porous 5. A wicking material according to any one of claims 1 to 4 formed from a wicking material selected from one or a combination of the group of nanoporous materials having organic or inorganic structures supporting the structure of A cartridge (10) as described. A cartridge (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the top surface of said at least one permeable member (3) is flush with the upper edge (1c) of said housing (1). 6. The method of claim 1 to 5, wherein the top surface of said at least one permeable member (3) is recessed inside said housing (1) by a setback distance with respect to said upper edge (1c) of said housing (1). A cartridge (10) according to any one of the preceding claims. further a tear-away film (6) disposed over said upper edge (1c) of said housing (1) and liquid-tightly sealing said at least one permeable member (3) inside said cartridge (10); 7. A cartridge (10) according to claim 5 or 6, comprising: 9. The claim 1 to 8, wherein said at least one compartment (2a) comprises at least two compartments (2a) symmetrically arranged around a central axis of symmetry of said housing (1). cartridge (10). 10. Cartridge (10) according to claim 9, wherein said at least two compartments (2a) are separated by a gap (2d) between said respective compartment walls. 11. The claim 9 and 10, wherein the housing (1) is of substantially tubular shape and the at least one compartment (2a) has the shape of an annulus or part of an annulus. Cartridge (10). 12. A cartridge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said housing (1) is made of a thermoplastic material, in particular one of polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyethylene ( 10). a removable cartridge (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 12;
A body having a cartridge seat (16) configured to house said removable cartridge (10), and an atomizer having a heater (14) and a fluid transfer element (14a) connected to said heater (14). (15), including
said at least one permeable member (3) is configured to transport liquid (5) from said reservoir (4) of said cartridge (10) to said opening of said cartridge (10) by capillary action; An electronic cigarette (20) whereby liquid (5) is transported from said reservoir (4) to said atomizer when said fluid transfer element (14a) contacts said at least one permeable member (3). Said fluid transfer element (14a) is in direct contact with said permeable member (3) of said cartridge (10) when said cartridge (10) is placed on said cartridge seat (16) of said body (15). 14. The electronic cigarette (20) of claim 13, configured to: The fluid transfer element (14a) is configured to pressurize the permeable member (3) such that the fluid transfer element (14a) protrudes at least partially into the cartridge (10). 15. An electronic cigarette (20) according to Item 14. further comprising a mouthpiece (11) detachably attached to the body (15) and enclosing the cartridge seat (16), the mouthpiece (11) ejecting the vaporized liquid (5) from the atomizer to through the airflow channels (7, 15b) extending through the reservoir (4) of the cartridge (10) along the central axis of symmetry of the body (15) to the mouthpiece opening (12) and thereafter, An electronic cigarette (20) according to any one of claims 13 to 15, adapted to be carried to a user of said electronic cigarette (20). The electronic cigarette (20) according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein said fluid transfer element (14a) is arranged at the bottom of said cartridge seat (16). Said fluid transfer element (14a) is from the group of silica twine, silica braid, cotton, stainless steel mesh, and nanoporous materials having an organic or inorganic structure supporting a regular porous structure. 18. The electronic cigarette (20) according to any one of claims 13 to 17, formed from a wicking material selected from one or a combination of:

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