Electronic smoking article comprising one or more microheaters
AssigneeR.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
InventorsWilliam Robert Collett, Stephen Benson Sears, Dennis Lee Potter, Steven Lee Alderman, Mo Kebaili
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to an electronic smoking article that provides for improved aerosol delivery. Particularly, the article comprises one or more microheaters. In various embodiments, the microheaters provide for improved control of vaporization of an aerosol precursor composition and provide for reduced power requirements to achieve consistent aerosolization. The present disclosure further relates to methods of forming an aerosol in a smoking article.
Claims18
1-61. (canceled)
An aerosol forming article comprising:
- an electrical power source;
- an atomizing chamber defined by a plurality of walls, the atomizing chamber including at least one entry adapted for passage of aliquots of an aerosol precursor composition into the chamber and at least one exit adapted for passage of formed vapor therefrom;
- a controller adapted to control active flow of the aliquots of the aerosol precursor composition into the atomizing chamber;
- and
- a microheater that forms at least a portion of one of the plurality of walls defining the atomizing chamber, the microheater comprising an electrically conductive material overlying a supporting layer and being configured to vaporize the aliquots of the aerosol precursor composition.
An atomizer for an aerosol forming article, the atomizer comprising an atomizing chamber defined by a plurality of walls, wherein:
- at least a portion of one of the plurality of walls defining the atomizing chamber comprises a microheater including an electrically conductive material overlying a supporting layer and being configured to vaporize aliquots of an aerosol precursor composition;
- at least one of the plurality of walls includes an opening adapted for passage of the aliquots of the aerosol precursor composition into the chamber and into a heating arrangement with the microheater;
- and
- the atomizer includes at least one opening adapted for passage of formed vapor from the atomizing chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.