# US 11,432,582 B2 · Electronic cigarette > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,432,582 B2 - Document ID: US11432582B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/585,814 - Filed: 2019-09-27 - Published: 2020-06-25 - Granted: 2022-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2018-12-21 - Assignees: Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education, on behalf of the Desert Research Institute - Applicants: Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education on behalf of the Desert Research Institute - Inventors: Andrei Khlystov; Vera Samburova; Marc Lynn Pitchford - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11432582B2 ## CPC - A24B 15/167: in liquid or vaporisable form, e.g. liquid compositions for electronic cigarettes - A24F 40/30: Devices using two or more structurally separated inhalable precursors, e.g. using two liquid precursors in two cartridges - A61M 11/042: {electrical} - A24F 40/10: Devices using liquid inhalable precursors - A61M 2205/3368: Temperature - A24B: MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF - A24F: SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES (inhaling appliances for medical purposes, shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes A61M15/06) - A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)} ## Abstract Provided is an e-cigarette that includes a housing containing an atomizer, a first module and a second module. The first module can include a first e-liquid that is free, or substantially free, of flavorants. The second module can store a second e-liquid that includes flavorants. The atomizer can volatilize the first e-liquid by heating to form an aerosol at a high temperature. The heated aerosol can pass along a flow path from the first module into the second module. The second e-liquid can be volatilized at a low temperature within the second module by the heated aerosol. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An e-cigarette, comprising: a carrier reservoir configured to store a carrier liquid; an atomizer configured to aerosolize the carrier liquid into an aerosol; a power source configured to provide an electrical current to the atomizer; a flavorant reservoir configured to store a flavorant liquid; an air channel extending from the carrier reservoir to the flavorant reservoir and from the flavorant reservoir to a mouthpiece, the air channel configured to provide an airway for delivering the aerosol via the mouthpiece to a user; and a delivery mechanism formed by a diffusing material configured to expose the flavorant liquid to the air channel, the diffusing material positioned between the flavorant reservoir and the air channel; wherein the delivery mechanism is positioned downstream of the atomizer along the air channel. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The e-cigarette of claim 1, wherein passage of the aerosol through the delivery mechanism aerosolizes the flavorant liquid into the aerosol. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The e-cigarette of claim 1, wherein the carrier liquid is aerosolized at a first temperature and the flavorant liquid is aerosolized at a second temperature, the second temperature being below the first temperature. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The e-cigarette of claim 1, further comprising a first module containing the atomizer for aerosolizing the carrier liquid at a first temperature. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The e-cigarette of claim 1, wherein: the power source comprises a battery, and the flavorant reservoir, the carrier reservoir, and the battery are modular and attachable by one or more threaded connections. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The e-cigarette of claim 1, wherein the carrier liquid comprises at least one of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine, water, and ethanol. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The e-cigarette of claim 1, wherein the flavorant liquid comprises at least one of maltol, benzyl alcohol, ethyl maltol, vanillin, ethyl vanillin, and limonene. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The e-cigarette of claim 1, wherein the flavorant liquid is a gel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The e-cigarette of claim 1, wherein less than 30 nanograms of formaldehyde per puff are produced for a common-use vaping topography. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The e-cigarette of claim 1, wherein the carrier liquid is substantially free of flavorants. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The e-cigarette of claim 1, wherein the diffusing material surrounds at least a portion of the air channel between the atomizer and the mouthpiece. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The e-cigarette of claim 1, further comprising an inner wall member separating the flavorant reservoir from the diffusing material, the inner wall member including at least one aperture through which the flavored e-liquid can seep into the delivery mechanism formed by the diffusing material. ### Claim 13 (depends on 3) The e-cigarette of claim 3, wherein aerosolizing the flavorant liquid at the second temperature reduces the formation of at least one of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein relative to aerosolizing the flavorant liquid at the first temperature. ### Claim 14 (depends on 4) The e-cigarette of claim 4, further comprising a second module containing the flavorant reservoir. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The e-cigarette of claim 14, wherein the second module and the first module can be assembled together by one or more couplings. ### Claim 16 An e-cigarette, comprising: a carrier reservoir configured to store a carrier liquid; an atomizer configured to aerosolize the carrier liquid into an aerosol; a power source configured to provide an electrical current to the atomizer; a flavorant reservoir configured to store a flavorant liquid; an air channel extending from the carrier reservoir to the flavorant reservoir and from the flavorant reservoir to a mouthpiece, the air channel configured to provide an airway for delivering the aerosol via the mouthpiece to a user; and a delivery mechanism formed by a diffusing material configured to expose the flavorant liquid to the air channel; wherein the delivery mechanism is positioned downstream of the atomizer along the air channel; and the delivery mechanism comprises a sleeve configured to wick the flavorant liquid, and the aerosol passes through at least a portion of the sleeve along the airway. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The e-cigarette of claim 16, wherein the sleeve comprises a porous material. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The e-cigarette of claim 16, wherein the air channel comprises a tortuous path through the delivery mechanism. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The e-cigarette of claim 16, wherein the delivery mechanism comprises a honeycombed structure. ### Claim 20 A flavorant reservoir module of an e-cigarette, comprising: a chamber having a first end and a second end, the first end configured to couple with an atomizer and house a flavorant liquid separately from the atomizer; a flavorant reservoir configured to house the flavorant liquid ; and an air channel configured to accommodate an aerosol flow through the chamber, the first and second ends of the chamber located along the air channel; wherein a delivery mechanism formed by a diffusing material is positioned between the flavorant reservoir and the air channel, the diffusing material configured to expose the flavorant liquid to the air channel. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The module of claim 20, wherein the air channel is surrounded by the diffusing material. ### Claim 22 An apparatus, comprising: a first chamber configured to store a carrier liquid, the carrier liquid free of flavorants; a second chamber located proximal relative to the first reservoir and connected to the first reservoir via a first channel comprising a first aerosol nozzle, the second chamber configured to store a flavorant liquid; and a mouthpiece located proximal relative to the second chamber and connected to the second chamber via a second channel comprising a second aerosol nozzle; wherein the first chamber comprises an atomizer coupled to the first reservoir and configured to, in use, aerosolize the carrier liquid into an aerosol that passes through the first aerosol nozzle of the first channel to the second chamber; wherein the second chamber is configured to, in use, receive the aerosol from the first chamber and expose the aerosol to the flavorant liquid to generate a flavored aerosol that passes through the second aerosol nozzle of the second channel to the mouthpiece; wherein the second chamber includes an inner wall member that separates the flavorant liquid from the second channel, the inner wall member including at least one aperture through which the flavored e-liquid can seep into a delivery mechanism formed by a diffusing material.