# US 12,213,530 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 12,213,530 B2 - Document ID: US12213530B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/696,414 - Filed: 2022-03-16 - Published: 2022-06-30 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-09-20 - Assignees: Imperial Tobacco Limited - Applicants: Imperial Tobacco Limited - Inventors: Benjamin Illidge; Huanghai Lu; Benjamin Astbury; Nikhil Aggarwal - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12213530B2 ## CPC - A24F 40/485: Valves; Apertures - A24F 40/10: Devices using liquid inhalable precursors - 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 for generating an aerosol, comprising: a housing; an air inlet and an outlet formed at the housing; a passage extending between the air inlet and outlet, air flowing in use along the passage for inhalation by a user drawing on the apparatus; and an aerosol generation chamber containing an aerosol generator being operable to generate an aerosol from an aerosol precursor; wherein the aerosol generator is in fluid communication with a downstream portion of the passage for allowing the aerosol to entrain into an air flow along the passage; wherein the downstream portion of the passage comprises a flow converging section having a curved sidewall tapered towards the outlet, and wherein an upstream end of the flow converging section substantially conforms to a cross sectional profile of the aerosol generation chamber. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A smoking substitute apparatus for generating an aerosol, comprising: a housing; an air inlet and an outlet formed at the housing; a passage extending between the air inlet and outlet, air flowing in use along the passage for inhalation by a user drawing air through the apparatus; and an aerosol generation chamber containing an aerosol generator being operable to generate an aerosol from an aerosol precursor; wherein the aerosol generator is in fluid communication with a downstream portion of the passage for allowing the aerosol to entrain into an air flow along the passage; wherein the downstream portion of the passage comprises a flow converging section having a curved sidewall tapered towards the outlet, and wherein an upstream end of the flow converging section substantially conforms to a cross sectional profile of the aerosol generation chamber, and wherein the curved sidewall of the flow converging section comprises a sigmoidal profile along a longitudinal axis of the downstream portion of the passage. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The smoking substitute apparatus of claim 1, wherein the passage extends longitudinally through the aerosol generation chamber so as to allow an air flow to pass over the aerosol generator. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The smoking substitute apparatus of claim 1, wherein the downstream portion of the passage extends without discontinuity from the aerosol generation chamber towards the outlet. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The smoking substitute apparatus of claim 1, wherein a chamber inlet is opened at a base of the aerosol generation chamber, wherein the passage extends through said chamber inlet. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The smoking substitute apparatus of claim 1, wherein an upstream portion of the passage extends externally to the aerosol generation chamber, and wherein said upstream portion of the passage is configured to allow some or all of the air flow entering the housing through the air inlet to bypass the aerosol generation chamber. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The smoking substitute apparatus of claim 5, wherein a junction is provided along the passage to fluidly connect the upstream portion and the downstream portion of the passage with the aerosol generation chamber, the junction is configured to allow the aerosol in the aerosol generation chamber to entrain with the air flow across the junction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The smoking substitute apparatus of claim 5, wherein the aerosol generator is positioned in a stagnant cavity of the aerosol generation chamber, wherein the stagnant cavity is substantially free of the air flow. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The smoking substitute apparatus of claim 1, wherein a maximum angle subtended by an internal surface of a sidewall of the downstream portion of the passage is less than any one of 30 degrees, 20 degrees or 10 degrees from a longitudinal axis of said downstream portion, said angle measured in a plane including the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The smoking substitute apparatus of claim 1, wherein the aerosol precursor comprises a liquid aerosol precursor, and wherein the aerosol generator comprises a heater configured to generate the aerosol by vaporizing the liquid aerosol precursor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The smoking substitute apparatus of claim 1, wherein the smoking substitute apparatus is configured to generate an aerosol having a droplet size, d50, of at least 1 μm. ### Claim 11 A smoking substitute system for generating an aerosol, comprising: i) a smoking substitute apparatus; and ii) a main body wherein the smoking substitute apparatus comprises: a housing; an air inlet and an outlet formed at the housing; a passage extending between the air inlet and outlet, air flowing in use along the passage for inhalation by a user drawing air through the apparatus; and an aerosol generation chamber containing an aerosol generator being operable to generate an aerosol from an aerosol precursor; wherein the aerosol generator is in fluid communication with a downstream portion of the passage for allowing the aerosol to entrain into an air flow along the passage; wherein the downstream portion of the passage comprises a flow converging section having a curved sidewall tapered towards the outlet, and wherein an upstream end of the flow converging section substantially conforms to a cross sectional profile of the aerosol generation chamber, and wherein the curved sidewall of the flow converging section comprises a sigmoidal profile along a longitudinal axis of the downstream portion of the passage, wherein the main body is configured to engage with the smoking substitute apparatus, and wherein the main body comprises a controller and a power source configured to energize the aerosol generator. ### Claim 12 A method of using a smoking substitute apparatus, the smoking substitute apparatus comprising: a housing; an air inlet and an outlet formed at the housing; a passage extending between the air inlet and outlet, air flowing in use along the passage for inhalation by a user drawing air through the apparatus; and an aerosol generation chamber containing an aerosol generator being operable to generate an aerosol from an aerosol precursor; wherein the aerosol generator is in fluid communication with a downstream portion of the passage for allowing the aerosol to entrain into an air flow along the passage; wherein the downstream portion of the passage comprises a flow converging section having a curved sidewall tapered towards the outlet, and wherein an upstream end of the flow converging section substantially conforms to a cross sectional profile of the aerosol generation chamber, and wherein the curved sidewall of the flow converging section comprises a sigmoidal profile along a longitudinal axis of the downstream portion of the passage, wherein the method comprises the steps: i) generating the aerosol with the aerosol generator; ii) drawing on the apparatus to induce an air flow along the passage for entraining the generated aerosol.