# US 12,108,789 B2 · Smoking substitute apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,108,789 B2 - Document ID: US12108789B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/697,100 - Filed: 2022-03-17 - Published: 2022-06-30 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2019-09-20 - Assignees: Imperial Tobaco Limited - Applicants: Imperial Tobacco Limited - Inventors: Benjamin Illidge; Benjamin Astbury; Nikhil Aggarwal; Huanghai Lu; John McKeon - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12108789B2 ## CPC - A24F 40/10: Devices using liquid inhalable precursors - A24F 40/485: Valves; Apertures - A24F 40/44: Wicks - A24F 40/46: Shape or structure of electric heating means - A24F 40/50: Control or monitoring - A24F: SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES (inhaling appliances for medical purposes, shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes A61M15/06) ## Abstract A smoking substitute apparatus is disclosed, having: an air inlet; an outlet; and a flow passage formed therebetween. A vaporization chamber is in communication with the flow passage, the vaporization chamber having an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol from an aerosol precursor by heating. The aerosol generator comprises a vaporizer element loaded with aerosol precursor, the vaporizer element being heatable by a heater and presenting a vaporizer element surface to air in the vaporization chamber. A vaporizer element region is defined as a volume extending outwardly from the vaporizer element surface to a distance of 1 mm from the vaporizer element surface. The air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that, when the air flow rate inhaled by the user through the apparatus is 1.3 L min−1, the turbulence intensity in the vaporizer element region is not more than 1%. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A smoking substitute apparatus having: an air inlet; an outlet; a flow passage formed between the air inlet and the outlet; a vaporization chamber in communication with the flow passage, the vaporization chamber having an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol from an aerosol precursor by heating, wherein the aerosol generator comprises: a vaporizer element loaded with aerosol precursor, the vaporizer element being heatable by a heater and presenting a vaporizer element surface to air in the vaporization chamber, a vaporizer element region being defined as a volume extending outwardly from the vaporizer element surface to a distance of 1 mm from the vaporizer element surface, wherein the air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that, when the air flow rate inhaled by the user through the apparatus is 1.3 L min−1, the turbulence intensity in the vaporizer element region is not more than 1%. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 1 wherein, when the air flow rate inhaled by the user through the apparatus is 1.3 L min−1, the turbulence intensity in the vaporizer element region is not more than 0.6%. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the apparatus is operable such that the aerosol has a Dv50 of more than 1 μm. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that, when the air flow rate inhaled by the user through the apparatus is 1.3 L min−1, the average magnitude of velocity of air in the vaporization chamber is in the range 0-1.3 ms−1. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that, when the air flow rate inhaled by the user through the apparatus is 2.0 L min−1, the average magnitude of velocity of air in the vaporization chamber is in the range 0-1.3 ms−1. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that, when the air flow rate inhaled by the user through the apparatus is 1.3 L min−1, the average magnitude of velocity of air in the vaporizer element region is in the range 0-1.2 ms−1. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 6 wherein, when the air flow rate inhaled by the user through the apparatus is 1.3 L min−1, the average magnitude of velocity of air in the vaporizer element region is at most 0.6 ms−1. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that, when the air flow rate inhaled by the user through the apparatus is 2.0 L min−1, the average magnitude of velocity of air in the vaporizer element region is in the range 0-1.2 ms−1. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 8 wherein, when the air flow rate inhaled by the user through the apparatus is 2.0 L min−1, the average magnitude of velocity of air in the vaporizer element region is at most 0.6 ms−1. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that: when the aerosol precursor is an e-liquid consisting of 1.6% freebase nicotine and the remainder a 65:35 propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin mixture, the e-liquid having a boiling point of 209° C., air being drawn into the air inlet at a temperature of 25° C., and the vaporizer operated to release a vapor of total particulate mass 5 mg over a 3 second duration from the vaporizer element surface in an air flow rate between the air inlet and outlet of 1.3 L min−1, the cooling rate of the vapor is such that the time taken to cool to 50° C. is not less than 16 ms. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 10 wherein an equivalent linear cooling rate of the vapor to 50° C. is not more than 5° C./ms. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that: when the aerosol precursor is an e-liquid consisting of 1.6% freebase nicotine and the remainder a 65:35 propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin mixture, the e-liquid having a boiling point of 209° C., air being drawn into the air inlet at a temperature of 25° C., and the vaporizer operated to release a vapor of total particulate mass 5 mg over a 3 second duration from the vaporizer element surface in an air flow rate between the air inlet and outlet of 1.3 L min−1, the cooling rate of the vapor is such that the time taken to cool to 75° C. is not less than 4.5 ms. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 12 wherein an equivalent linear cooling rate of the vapor to 75° C. is not more than 10° C./ms. ### Claim 14 A method of operating a smoking substitute apparatus, the substitute apparatus having: an air inlet; an outlet; a flow passage formed between the air inlet and the outlet; a vaporization chamber in communication with the flow passage, the vaporization chamber having an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol from an aerosol precursor by heating, the aerosol generator comprising a vaporizer element loaded with aerosol precursor, the vaporizer element being heatable by a heater and presenting a vaporizer element surface to air in the vaporization chamber, the method including: drawing air between the inlet and outlet by user inhalation at a flow rate in the range 1.3 to 2.0 L min−1; heating the vaporizer element to release vapor, so that in a vaporizer element region, being defined as a volume extending outwardly from the vaporizer element surface to a distance of 1 mm from the vaporizer element surface, the turbulence intensity in the vaporizer element region is not more than 1%. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) A method according to claim 14 wherein the turbulence intensity in the vaporizer element region is not more than 0.6%. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) A method according to claim 14 wherein the average magnitude of velocity of air in the vaporizer element region is in the range 0-1.2 ms−1. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) A method according to claim 16 wherein the average magnitude of velocity of air in the vaporizer element region is at most 0.6 ms−1. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) A method according to claim 14 wherein the cooling rate of the vapor is such that the time taken to cool to 50° C. is not less than 16 ms. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) A method according to claim 18 wherein an equivalent linear cooling rate of the vapor to 50° C. is not more than 5° C./ms. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) A method according to claim 14 wherein the cooling rate of the vapor is such that the time taken to cool to 75° C. is not less than 4.5 ms.