Smoking substitute apparatus

A smoking substitute apparatus comprising:

• a housing having an air inlet;
• an outlet from the housing in communication with the air inlet through a flow passage defined therebetween;
• a liquid storage reservoir configured to store a liquid aerosol precursor;
• a vaporization chamber configured to generate an aerosol from the liquid aerosol precursor, the vaporization chamber being in communication with the flow passage and configured to deliver aerosol to the flow passage;
• a wick extending from the liquid storage reservoir and into the vaporization chamber;
• wherein the wick comprises a heatable portion arranged to generate the aerosol, wherein the heatable portion of the wick is disposed outside of an air flow path along the flow passage, and there being no other air flow path available to the aerosol generated by the vaporization chamber to reach the flow passage, such that air flowing through the flow passage bypasses the heatable portion of the wick;
• a base in contact with the heatable portion of the wick and arranged to receive a heater that is configured to heat the heatable portion of the wick via the base;
• and
• wherein the flow passage passes through a vaporization chamber inlet and a vaporization chamber outlet, wherein the vaporization chamber outlet is closer to the vaporization chamber inlet than to the heatable portion of the wick.

A smoking substitute device, comprising a heater, configured to removably engage with a smoking substitute apparatus comprising:

• a housing having an air inlet;
• an outlet from the housing in communication with the air inlet through a flow passage defined therebetween;
• a liquid storage reservoir configured to store a liquid aerosol precursor;
• a vaporization chamber configured to generate an aerosol from the liquid aerosol precursor, the vaporization chamber being in communication with the flow passage and configured to deliver aerosol to the flow passage, the vaporization chamber having a vaporization chamber inlet and a vaporization chamber outlet;
• a wick extending from the liquid storage reservoir and into the vaporization chamber;
• wherein the wick comprises a heatable portion arranged to generate the aerosol, wherein the heatable portion of the wick is disposed outside of an air flow path along the flow passage, and there being no other air flow path available to the aerosol generated by the vaporization chamber to reach the flow passage, such that air flowing through the flow passage bypasses the heatable portion of the wick;
• a base in contact with the heatable portion of the wick and arranged to receive a heater that is configured to heat the heatable portion of the wick via the base,
• the smoking substitute device being configured such that when the smoking substitute device is engaged with the smoking substitute apparatus, the base of the smoking substitute apparatus receives the heater of the smoking substitute device;
• and
• wherein the flow passage passes through the vaporization chamber inlet and the vaporization chamber outlet.

A smoking substitute system comprising:

• a smoking substitute device, comprising a heater, and
• a smoking substitute apparatus comprising:
• a housing having an air inlet;
• an outlet from the housing in communication with the air inlet through a flow passage defined therebetween;
• a liquid storage reservoir configured to store a liquid aerosol precursor;
• a vaporization chamber configured to generate an aerosol from the liquid aerosol precursor, the vaporization chamber being in communication with the flow passage and configured to deliver aerosol to the flow passage, the vaporization chamber having a vaporization chamber inlet and a vaporization chamber outlet;
• a wick extending from the liquid storage reservoir and into the vaporization chamber;
• wherein the wick comprises a heatable portion arranged to generate the aerosol, wherein the heatable portion of the wick is disposed outside of an air flow path along the flow passage, and there being no other air flow path available to the aerosol generated by the vaporization chamber to reach the flow passage, such that air flowing through the flow passage bypasses the heatable portion of the wick;
• a base in contact with the heatable portion of the wick and arranged to receive a heater that is configured to heat the heatable portion of the wick via the base,
• the smoking substitute device being configured to removably engage with the smoking substitute apparatus such that the base of the smoking substitute apparatus receives the heater of the smoking substitute device;
• and
• wherein the flow passage passes through the vaporization chamber inlet and the vaporization chamber outlet.