# US 12,178,959 B2 · Aerosol-generating system with pump > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,178,959 B2 - Document ID: US12178959B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/178,787 - Filed: 2023-03-06 - Published: 2023-06-29 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2015-12-22 - Assignees: Altria Client Services LLC - Applicants: Altria Client Services LLC - Inventors: Shaun Phillips; Bruce Renfrew; Ben Mazur; Ben Bright; Rui Nuno Batista - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12178959B2 ## CPC - A61M 15/06: Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes - A24F 40/42: Cartridges or containers for inhalable precursors - A24F 40/48: Fluid transfer means, e.g. pumps - A24F 40/485: Valves; Apertures - A24F 40/50: Control or monitoring - F04B 13/02: of two or more fluids at the same time - F04B 17/03: driven by electric motors - F04B 19/006: {Micropumps (F04B43/043 and F04B43/095 take precedence)} - F04B 23/02: having reservoirs - F04B 43/046: {with piezoelectric drive} - F04B 53/10: Valves; Arrangement of valves - H05B 1/0244: {Heating of fluids (H05B1/0247 takes precedence)} - A24F 15/015: with means for refilling of liquid inhalable precursors - A24F 40/10: Devices using liquid inhalable precursors - A61M 15/0015: {located upstream of the dispenser, i.e. not traversed by the product} - H05B 2203/021: Heaters specially adapted for heating liquids - H05B 2203/022: Heaters specially adapted for heating gaseous material - 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)} - A24F: SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES (inhaling appliances for medical purposes, shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes A61M15/06) - F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F) - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL ## Abstract An aerosol-generating system may include a liquid storage portion configured to hold liquid aerosol-forming substrate, a vaporizer including a heating element with an internal passage at least partially defined by a surface of the heating element, and a micro pump configured to deliver liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid storage portion to the internal passage of the heating element, such that the vaporizer is configured to heat the delivered liquid aerosol-forming substrate at the internal passage to a temperature sufficient to volatilize at least a part of the delivered liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The micro pump may be configured to deliver a particular amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate to the internal passage based on the micro pump performing an individual pump cycle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An aerosol-generating system, comprising: a liquid storage portion configured to hold a liquid aerosol-forming substrate; a first tubing segment fluidly coupled to an outlet of the liquid storage portion; a micro pump fluidly coupled to the first tubing segment and configured to deliver the liquid aerosol-forming substrate at a flow rate from the liquid storage portion to a chamber adjacent an outlet end of the micro pump; a second tubing segment fluidly coupled to the outlet end of the micro pump and configured to deliver the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the micro pump to the chamber; and a heating element within the chamber, the heating element defining an internal passage fluidly coupled to the second tubing segment, the heating element configured to directly heat the delivered liquid aerosol-forming substrate within the internal passage, a temperature of the heating element controlled based on at least a preheat duration parameter and adjusted in accordance with the flow rate, the micro pump configured to be activated for at least an individual pump cycle in response to the temperature reaching an operating temperature within a preheat duration based on the preheat duration parameter. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The aerosol-generating system according to claim 1, wherein the micro pump is configured to deliver a determined amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid storage portion to the internal passage of the heating element based on the micro pump performing the individual pump cycle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The aerosol-generating system according to claim 1, wherein the heating element is arranged downstream of an open end of the second tubing segment. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The aerosol-generating system according to claim 1, wherein the second tubing segment includes a capillary tube. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The aerosol-generating system according to claim 1, wherein the heating element includes a heating coil extending from and partially overlapping an open-ended side of the second tubing segment. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The aerosol-generating system according to claim 1, wherein the heating element includes a heating coil extending from the second tubing segment in a longitudinal direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The aerosol-generating system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid storage portion includes a rigid container and a one-way valve that is configured to direct air into the rigid container upon delivering the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid storage portion to the internal passage of the heating element. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The aerosol-generating system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid storage portion includes a flexible container including at least one movable wall, the at least one movable wall configured to reduce a volume of the liquid storage portion to cause the liquid aerosol-forming substrate to be delivered from the liquid storage portion to the internal passage of the heating element. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The aerosol-generating system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid storage portion includes a septum configured to enable refilling of the liquid storage portion with the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The aerosol-generating system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid storage portion includes a one-way valve between the liquid storage portion and the micro pump. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The aerosol-generating system according to claim 1, wherein the flow rate of the delivered liquid aerosol-forming substrate through the micro pump is within 0.5 to 2 microliters per second. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The aerosol-generating system according to claim 1, further comprising: a main unit and a cartridge, the cartridge configured to be removably coupled to the main unit, the main unit including a power supply, the liquid storage portion being within the cartridge, the micro pump being located in the main unit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The aerosol-generating system according to claim 12, wherein the cartridge includes the liquid storage portion. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The aerosol-generating system according to claim 1, wherein the micro pump comprises a piezoelectric diaphragm, a first check valve at a micro pump inlet, and a second check valve at a micro pump outlet, the piezoelectric diaphragm configured to be deformed upon applying a voltage to the piezoelectric diaphragm. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The aerosol-generating system according to claim 1, wherein the micro pump comprises two or more micro pumps connected in series. ### Claim 16 A method, comprising: delivering a liquid aerosol-forming substrate from a liquid storage portion to a micro pump through a first tubing segment; controlling the micro pump to deliver the liquid aerosol-forming substrate at a flow rate from the liquid storage portion to a chamber through a second tubing segment, the chamber adjacent an outlet end of the micro pump, a heating element within the chamber and defining an internal passage; and controlling the heating element to directly heat the liquid aerosol-forming substrate within the internal passage, a temperature of the heating element controlled based on at least a preheat duration parameter and adjusted in accordance with the flow rate, the micro pump configured to be activated for at least an individual pump cycle in response to the temperature reaching an operating temperature within a preheat duration based on the preheat duration parameter. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein the controlling the micro pump includes causing the micro pump to deliver a determined amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid storage portion to the internal passage of the heating element based on causing the micro pump performing the individual pump cycle. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein the controlling the micro pump includes causing the micro pump to deliver the liquid aerosol-forming substrate at the flow rate that is within 0.5 to 2 microliters per second.