# US 11,992,059 B2 · Electronic smoking article > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,992,059 B2 - Document ID: US11992059B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/149,436 - Filed: 2023-01-03 - Published: 2023-05-11 - Granted: 2024-05-28 - Earliest claimed: 2013-07-24 - Assignees: Altria Client Services LLC - Applicants: Altria Client Services LLC - Inventors: David B. Kane; David R. Schiff; Tony Gatta; Chris Carrick; Jonathan D. Albert - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11992059B2 ## CPC - A24F 40/485: Valves; Apertures - A24F 40/10: Devices using liquid inhalable precursors - A24F 40/44: Wicks - A24F: SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES (inhaling appliances for medical purposes, shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes A61M15/06) ## Abstract An electronic smoking article or electronic vaping article includes a reservoir containing a liquid material and having an outlet, a capillary having a capillary inlet and a capillary outlet, the capillary inlet of the capillary in communication with the outlet of the reservoir, a heater operable to heat the capillary to a temperature sufficient to at least initially volatilize liquid material contained within the capillary, and a shuttle valve between the outlet of the reservoir and the capillary inlet. The shuttle valve is operable to prevent release of liquid material from the reservoir when the shuttle valve is in a closed position and is operable to release liquid material from the reservoir when the shuttle valve is in an open position. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic vaping article comprising: a reservoir; a capillary structure configured to receive and vaporize a liquid material from the reservoir; a shuttle valve including a valve housing, a plunger, and a cavity between a bottom portion of the valve housing and the plunger, the cavity being in fluid communication with the reservoir; and a sheath flow insert downstream from the capillary structure, the sheath flow insert including a plurality of vanes extending along an external surface of the sheath flow insert, the plurality of vanes defining a plurality of channels. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic vaping article of claim 1, wherein the sheath flow insert is configured to receive a first portion of incoming ambient air along the external surface of the sheath flow insert via the plurality of channels and configured to receive a second portion of the incoming ambient air through an interior of the sheath flow insert. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electronic vaping article of claim 1, wherein the sheath flow insert defines a mixing chamber and a constriction section therein. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The electronic vaping article of claim 3, further comprising: an outer housing defining at least one air inlet upstream from and in fluidic communication with the mixing chamber of the sheath flow insert. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The electronic vaping article of claim 3, further comprising: an outer housing defining at least one air inlet superimposed with the sheath flow insert, wherein the sheath flow insert further defines a plurality of air holes in fluidic communication with the at least one air inlet of the outer housing and the mixing chamber of the sheath flow insert. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The electronic vaping article of claim 3, wherein about 80% to about 95% of incoming ambient air flows into the mixing chamber and about 5% to about 20% of the incoming ambient air flows through the plurality of channels. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The electronic vaping article of claim 3, further comprising: a mouth-end insert downstream from the sheath flow insert, the mouth-end insert and the sheath flow insert defining a growth cavity therebetween. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electronic vaping article of claim 1, wherein the reservoir is configured to store the liquid material. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electronic vaping article of claim 1, wherein the shuttle valve is configured to: switch between a closed position and an open position, and release the liquid material from an annular space surrounding the plunger to the capillary structure when in the open position. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The electronic vaping article of claim 1, wherein the capillary structure has an internal diameter of about 0.05 to 0.4 mm and a length of about 5 mm to about 72 mm. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The electronic vaping article of claim 1, wherein the capillary structure includes a metallic tube. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The electronic vaping article of claim 1, wherein the capillary structure includes a non-metallic tube with a heater in thermal contact with the non-metallic tube. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The electronic vaping article of claim 1, further comprising: a power supply configured to apply a voltage to the capillary structure to vaporize the liquid material. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The electronic vaping article of claim 13, wherein the power supply includes a battery. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The electronic vaping article of claim 14, wherein the battery is connected to the capillary structure by two electrical leads. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The electronic vaping article of claim 13, further comprising: control circuitry configured to control the voltage from the power supply to the capillary structure. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The electronic vaping article of claim 16, wherein the control circuitry is configured to heat the capillary structure while the liquid material is being released from the reservoir. ### Claim 18 An electronic vaping article comprising: a reservoir; a capillary structure configured to receive and vaporize a liquid material from the reservoir; a valve including a valve housing, a plunger, and a cavity between a bottom portion of the valve housing and the plunger, the cavity being in fluid communication with the reservoir; a sheath flow insert downstream from the capillary structure, the sheath flow insert including a plurality of vanes extending along an external surface of the sheath flow insert, the plurality of vanes defining a plurality of channels; and at least two spaced-apart seals between the valve housing and the plunger, the plunger configured to retract from the cavity to place the valve in a closed position and to protract into the cavity to place the valve in an open position. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The electronic vaping article of claim 18, wherein the plunger is configured to fit within the cavity such that the liquid material can flow between the plunger and the valve housing when the valve is in the open position, and the at least two spaced-apart seals are configured to separate the liquid material from the capillary structure when the valve is in the closed position by securing the liquid material in an annular space surrounding the plunger. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The electronic vaping article of claim 18, wherein the valve housing and the plunger define a draw-back chamber in fluidic communication with the capillary structure when the valve is in the closed position.