Vaporiser assembly for an aerosol-generating system
AssigneeAltria Client Services LLC
InventorFabien Duc
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vaporizer assembly includes a tube having a first end with an inlet opening and a second end with an outlet opening. The vaporizer assembly also includes a heater element configured to vaporize liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The heater element is at the second end of the tube. The first end of the tube is fluidly connectable with a liquid storage portion. When the first end of the tube is fluidly connected with the liquid storage portion, the liquid aerosol-forming substrate can flow from the liquid storage portion through the inlet opening into the tube. The outlet opening of the tube includes perforations having a width ranging from about 1 micrometer to about 500 micrometers.
Claims15
A vaporiser assembly for an aerosol-generating system, comprising:
- a tube having a first end with an inlet opening and a second end with an outlet opening;
- and
- a heater element configured to vaporize a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, the heater element being at the second end of the tube, the first end of the tube being configured to be fluidly connectable with a liquid storage portion such that when the liquid storage portion is connected with the first end of the tube, the liquid aerosol-forming substrate flows from the liquid storage portion through the inlet opening into the tube, the outlet opening of the tube and a portion of the tube between the outlet opening and the inlet opening including perforations, the perforations having a width ranging from about 1 micrometer to about 500 micrometers, and the width of the perforations being based on a droplet size of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate so as to prevent droplets of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from exiting the tube.
An aerosol-generating system, comprising:
- a power supply,
- electric circuitry configured to control the power supply,
- a vaporiser assembly including,
- a tube having a first end with an inlet opening and a second end with an outlet opening, and
- a heater element configured to vaporize liquid aerosol-forming substrate, the heater element being at the second end of the tube, the first end of the tube being configured to be fluidly connectable with a liquid storage portion such that when the liquid storage portion is connected with the first end of the tube, the liquid aerosol-forming substrate flows from the liquid storage portion through the inlet opening into the tube, the outlet opening of the tube and the outlet opening of the tube and a portion of the tube between the outlet opening and the inlet opening including perforations including perforations, the perforations having a width ranging from about 1 micrometer to about 500 micrometers, and the width of the perforations being based on a droplet size of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate so as to prevent droplets of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from exiting the tube;
- and
- a replaceable liquid storage portion fluidly connectable with the first end of the tube, the first end of the tube being insertable into the liquid storage portion, such that the tube comes into fluid communication with the liquid aerosol-forming substrate stored in the liquid storage portion.
A process for manufacturing a vaporiser assembly for an aerosol-generating system, the process comprising:
- providing a tube having a first end with an inlet opening and a second end with an outlet opening, the first end of the tube configured to be fluidly connectable with a liquid storage portion such that, when the liquid storage portion is connected with the first end of the tube, a liquid aerosol-forming substrate can flow from the liquid storage portion through the inlet opening into the tube,
- placing a heater element at the second end of the tube, and
- establishing the outlet opening of the tube and a portion of the tube between the outlet opening and the inlet opening as perforations, the perforations having a width ranging from about 1 micrometer to about 500 micrometers, the width of the perforations being based on a droplet size of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate so as to prevent droplets of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from exiting the tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.