Cartridge for Vaporizer Device

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/965,966, filed on Oct. 14, 2022, which is a bypass continuation and claims priority to PCT/US2021/027402, filed on Apr. 15, 2021, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/010,571, filed on Apr. 15, 2020 and entitled “CARTRIDGE FOR VAPORIZER DEVICE,” the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The subject matter described herein relates generally to vaporizer devices and more specifically to a vaporizer cartridge configured to couple with a vaporizer device.

Vaporizer devices, which can also be referred to as vaporizers, electronic vaporizer devices or e-vaporizer devices, can be used for delivery of an aerosol (or “vapor”) containing one or more active ingredients by inhalation of the aerosol by a user of the vaporizing device. For example, electronic cigarettes, which may also be referred to as e-cigarettes, are a class of vaporizer devices that are typically battery powered and that may be used to simulate the experience of cigarette smoking, but without burning of tobacco or other substances.

In use of a vaporizer device, the user inhales an aerosol, commonly called vapor, which may be generated by a heating element that vaporizes (which generally refers to causing a liquid or solid to at least partially transition to the gas phase) a vaporizable material, which may be liquid, a solution, a solid, a wax, or any other form as may be compatible with use of a specific vaporizer device. The vaporizable material used with a vaporizer can be provided within a cartridge (e.g., a part of the vaporizer that contains the vaporizable material in a reservoir) that includes a mouthpiece (e.g., for inhalation by a user).

To receive the inhalable aerosol generated by a vaporizer device, a user may, in certain examples, activate the vaporizer device by taking a puff, by pressing a button, or by some other approach. A puff, as the term is generally used (and also used herein), refers to inhalation by the user in a manner that causes a volume of air to be drawn into the vaporizer device such that the inhalable aerosol is generated by a combination of vaporized vaporizable material with the air.

A typical approach by which a vaporizer device generates an inhalable aerosol from a vaporizable material involves heating the vaporizable material in a vaporization chamber (or a heater chamber) to cause the vaporizable material to be converted to the gas (or vapor) phase. A vaporization chamber generally refers to an area or volume in the vaporizer device within which a heat source (e.g., conductive, convective, and/or radiative) causes heating of a vaporizable material to produce a mixture of air and vaporized vaporizable material to form a vapor for inhalation by a user of the vaporization device.

In some vaporizer device embodiments, the vaporizable material can be drawn out of a reservoir and into the vaporization chamber via a wicking element (a wick). Such drawing of the vaporizable material into the vaporization chamber can be due, at least in part, to capillary action provided by the wick, which pulls the vaporizable material along the wick in the direction of the vaporization chamber. However, as vaporizable material is drawn out of the reservoir, the pressure inside the reservoir is reduced, thereby creating a vacuum and acting against the capillary action. This can reduce the effectiveness of the wick to draw the vaporizable material into the vaporization chamber, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the vaporization device to vaporize a desired amount of vaporizable material, such as when a user takes a puff on the vaporizer device. Furthermore, the vacuum created in the reservoir can ultimately result in the inability to draw all of the vaporizable material into the vaporization chamber, thereby wasting vaporizable material. As such, improved vaporization devices and/or vaporization cartridges that improve upon or overcome these issues is desired.

The term vaporizer device, as used herein consistent with the current subject matter, generally refers to portable, self-contained, devices that are convenient for personal use. Typically, such devices are controlled by one or more switches, buttons, touch sensitive devices, or other user input functionality or the like (which can be referred to generally as controls) on the vaporizer, although a number of devices that may wirelessly communicate with an external controller (e.g., a smartphone, a smart watch, other wearable electronic devices, etc.) have recently become available. Control, in this context, refers generally to an ability to influence one or more of a variety of operating parameters, which may include without limitation any of causing the heater to be turned on and/or off, adjusting a minimum and/or maximum temperature to which the heater is heated during operation, various games or other interactive features that a user might access on a device, and/or other operations.

Various vaporizable materials having a variety of contents and proportions of such contents can be contained in the cartridge. Some vaporizable materials, for example, may have a smaller percentage of active ingredients per total volume of vaporizable material, such as due to regulations requiring certain active ingredient percentages. As such, a user may need to vaporize a large amount of vaporizable material (e.g., compared to the overall volume of vaporizable material that can be stored in a cartridge) to achieve a desired effect.

In certain aspects of the current subject matter, challenges associated with the presence of liquid vaporizable materials in or near certain susceptible components of an electronic vaporizer device may be addressed by inclusion of one or more of the features described herein or comparable/equivalent approaches as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

In one aspect, there is provided a vaporizer cartridge having a cartridge housing, a reservoir, a heating element, and wicking element. The cartridge housing may include a first housing segment coupled with a second housing segment. At least a portion of the cartridge housing may form a wick housing. The reservoir may be disposed within the cartridge housing. The reservoir may include a storage chamber and a collector. The collector may include an overflow channel configured to retain a volume of a vaporizable material in fluid contact with the storage chamber. The overflow channel may include one or more microfluidic features configured to provide a constriction point at which a meniscus forms. The meniscus may create a pressure differential between the reservoir and ambient pressure. The meniscus may further regulate an exchange of air and the vaporizable material into and out of the reservoir. The heating element may include a heating portion disposed at least partially inside the wick housing and a contact portion extending at least partially outside of the wick housing. The contact portion may include one or more cartridge contacts configured to form an electric coupling with one or more contacts in the vaporizer device. The wicking element may be disposed at least partially inside the wick housing and proximate to the heating portion of the heating element. The wicking element may be in fluid communication with the reservoir. The wicking element may be configured to draw the vaporizable material from the reservoir for vaporization by the heating element.

In some variations, one or more features disclosed herein including the following features can optionally be included in any feasible combination. The collector may be disposed between the first housing segment and the second housing segment.

In some variations, the first housing segment may include a first portion of the collector. The second housing segments may include a second portion of the collector.

In some variations, the first housing segment and the second housing segment may be joined by one or more of an adhesive, ultrasonic welding, electron beam welding, and laser beam welding.

In some variations, the first housing segment and the second housing segment may be joined by a laser beam forming a laser weld between the first housing segment and the second housing segment.

In some variations, the first housing segment may be formed from a first material that is transparent to the laser beam. The second housing segment may be formed from a second material that is opaque to the laser beam. The laser beam may penetrate the first housing segment to form the laser weld by melting the second housing segment.

In some variations, the first housing segment and the second housing segment may be formed from a first material that is transparent to the laser beam. A film of a second material that is opaque to the laser beam may be disposed between the first housing segment and the second housing segment. The laser beam may penetrate the first housing segment or the second housing segment to form the laser weld by melting the film disposed between the first housing segment and the second housing segment.

In some variations, a portion of the cartridge may be a male connector configured to be disposed at least partially inside a receptacle in a body of the vaporizer device.

In some variations, the male connector may include at least a portion of the wick housing.

In some variations, the cartridge may include a sleeve extending at least partially over and/or around the male connector. The sleeve may extend below an open top of the receptacle to at least partially enclose the receptacle when the cartridge is coupled with the body of the vaporizer device.

In some variations, a recessed area may be formed between the sleeve and the body of the vaporizer device when the cartridge is coupled with the body of the vaporizer device. The receptacle may include one or more air inlets configured to provide airflow to the cartridge coupled with the body of the vaporizer device. The one or more air inlets in the receptacle may be disposed within the recessed area when the cartridge is coupled with the body of the vaporizer device.

In some variations, a portion of the cartridge may be a female connector configured to couple with a protrusion in a body of the vaporizer device.

In some variations, the contact portion may be further configured to form a mechanical coupling with a receptacle of the vaporizer device. The mechanical coupling may secure the cartridge to the receptacle of the vaporizer device.

In some variations, the wick housing may include one or more vents configured to provide airflow to the wicking element.

In some variations, the cartridge may include an airflow passageway connecting the wick housing to an orifice in the cartridge that provides an outlet for an aerosol that is formed by the heating element vaporizing the vaporizable material.

In some variations, an interior surface of the airflow passageway may include one or more features configured to collect a condensate formed by the aerosol and direct at least a portion the collected condensate towards the wicking element.

In some variations, the airflow passageway may include one or more impact plates configured to collect a condensate formed by the aerosol.

In some variations, the airflow passageway may further include a fluid return formed from a porous material. The fluid return may be configured to absorb the condensate collected by the one or more impact plates and direct the condensate to the reservoir.

In some variations, the cartridge may further include a sponge disposed proximate to an interface between the airflow passageway and the orifice. The sponge may be configured to filter a condensate formed by the aerosol.

In some variations, the cartridge may further include an intake slot through which air enters the airflow passageway in response to air being drawn into the cartridge.

In some variations, the cartridge may further include an air intake flap configured to admit the air into the airflow passageway while preventing an egress of the vaporizable material from the intake slot.

In some variations, the air intake flap in an undeflected state may cover the intake slot to prevent the egress of the vaporizable material from the intake slot. The air intake flap may be configured to deflect in response to the air being drawn into the cartridge through the intake slot. The intake slot may be at least partially uncovered while the air intake flap is in a deflected state to admit air into the airflow passageway.

In some variations, the one or more microfluidic features may include one or more bumps, raised edges, and/or protrusions extending from an interior surface of the overflow channel.

In some variations, the one or more microfluidic features may include one or more spirals, curves, bends, tapers, slopes, and/or turns along a length of the overflow channel.

In some variations, the heating element may include a substrate material that is cut and folded to form the heating portion of the heating element and the contact portion of the heating element. The heating portion of the heating element may be configured to receive at least a portion of the wicking element.

In some variations, an interior surface of the wicking housing may include at least one channel extending from the storage chamber to the wick housing. The at least one channel may be configured to route the vaporizable material in the storage chamber to the wicking element.

In some variations, the at least one channel may be configured to route the vaporizable material to one or more portions of the wicking element disposed proximate to the heating portion of the heating element.

In some variations, the vaporizable material may enter the overflow channel through a first opening at a first end of the overflow channel. Air may enter the overflow channel through a second opening at a second end of the overflow channel.

In some variations, the first opening may be disposed proximate to the wick element to at least minimize a hydrostatic head between the wicking element and the storage chamber.

In some variations, a lip may be disposed at least partially around perimeter of the wick housing. The lip may provide a capillary break preventing a contact between the vaporizable material and a body of the vaporizer device by at least forming a gap between the wick housing and the body of the vaporizer device when the cartridge is coupled with the body of the vaporizer device.

In another aspect, there is provided a vaporizer cartridge having a cartridge housing, a reservoir, a heating element, a wicking element, and a diaphragm. The cartridge housing may include a first housing segment coupled with a second housing segment. The reservoir may be configured to store a vaporizable material. The wicking element may be disposed proximate to the heating element. The wicking element may be in fluid communication with the reservoir. The wicking element may be configured to draw the vaporizable material from the reservoir for vaporization by the heating element. The diaphragm may be coupled to the first housing segment and have a first side defining a wall of the reservoir. The diaphragm may be configured to prevent the vaporizable material from leaking through the wicking element by at least exerting a pulling force against the vaporizable material in the reservoir.

In some variations, one or more features disclosed herein including the following features can optionally be included in any feasible combination. The diaphragm may be configured to distend in response to the vaporizable material being drawn from the reservoir and air entering a pocket between a second side of the diaphragm and the first housing segment through an air inlet in the first housing segment. The diaphragm may distend in order to maintain pulling force exerted against with the vaporizable material remaining in the reservoir.

In some variations, the air inlet may include an aperture in the first housing segment.

In some variations, the air inlet may include a channel configured to enable airflow while minimizing a transmission of vapor.

In some variations, the channel may include a groove in the first housing segment that is covered by a barrier coupled to the first housing.

In some variations, the barrier may include a metalized film that is coupled to the first housing segment by heating staking and/or laser welding.

In some variations, the diaphragm may be formed from an elastic material comprising a natural rubber, a synthetic rubber, a nitrile rubber, a silicone rubber, a urethane rubber, a chloroprene rubber, and/or an ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) rubber.

In some variations, the diaphragm may be coupled to the first housing segment by a fluid tight seal.

In some variations, the fluid tight seal may include a laser weld formed around a perimeter of the diaphragm.

In some variations, the diaphragm may maintain a pressure within the reservoir below an ambient pressure.