Cartridge with Airflow Management Element and Sealing Element

The present disclosure relates to a cartridge for use with an aerosol-generating device. The present disclosure further relates to an aerosol-generating system comprising the cartridge and the aerosol-generating device.

It is known to provide an aerosol-generating device for generating an inhalable vapor. Such devices may heat an aerosol-forming substrate contained in a cartridge without burning the aerosol-forming substrate. The aerosol-generating device may comprise a heating arrangement. The heating arrangement may be an induction heating arrangement and may comprise an induction coil and a susceptor. The susceptor may be part of the device or may be part of the cartridge.

Upon heating to a target temperature, the aerosol-forming substrate vaporises to form an aerosol. The aerosol-forming substrate may be present in solid form or in liquid form. Liquid aerosol-forming substrate may be comprised in a liquid storage portion and may be delivered to the heating element via a capillary component. The liquid storage portion may form part of a replaceable or refillable cartridge. The cartridge may comprise manually removable liquid storage portion sealing means, for example a removable sealing cap or a disposable sealing foil, to avoid leakage of aerosol-forming substrate prior to use.

Vaporization may only partially take place. This may be due to insufficient air being delivered. Liquid aerosol-forming substrate may be insufficiently evaporated. This may impair the user's experience during consumption of the aerosol.

It would be desirable to provide a cartridge for an aerosol-generating device which may improve delivery of air for aerosol formation. It would be desirable to provide a cartridge for an aerosol-generating device which may improve the evaporation of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. It would be desirable to provide a cartridge for an aerosol-generating device which may improve the formation of an aerosol. It would be desirable to provide a cartridge for an aerosol-generating device which may improve the user experience. It would be desirable to provide a cartridge for an aerosol-generating device which may be more comfortably handled by a user. It would be desirable to provide a cartridge for an aerosol-generating device which may reduce or avoid leakage of aerosol-forming substrate. It would be desirable to provide a cartridge for an aerosol-generating device which allows preventing or reducing oxidation of the aerosol-forming substrate of the cartridge prior to the first use.

According to an embodiment of the invention there is provided a cartridge for use with an aerosol-generating device. The cartridge may comprise a liquid storage portion for holding a liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The cartridge may include an inner airflow path extending between a proximal end and a distal end of the cartridge. The cartridge may furthermore comprise a tubular internal unit circumscribing at least a portion of the inner airflow path. The internal unit may comprise a tubular heater component comprising a susceptor element arranged in the inner airflow path. The internal unit may comprise a tubular heater component. The tubular heater component may comprise a susceptor element arranged in the inner airflow path. Furthermore, the cartridge may comprise a tubular sleeve element circumscribing at least a portion of the internal unit. A liquid supply channel arranged between the internal unit and the sleeve element may be present. The liquid supply channel may be configured for supplying the liquid aerosol-forming substrate to the susceptor element. The internal unit may further comprise an airflow management component provided distal of the tubular heater component. The airflow management component may comprise at least one air inlet configured for providing air into the inner airflow path. The airflow management component may comprise a tubular sidewall circumscribing the inner airflow path. A distal sealing element arranged on an outer surface of the tubular sidewall may be present. The distal sealing element may be configured for sealing a distal end of the liquid supply channel.

Another embodiment provides a cartridge for use with an aerosol-generating device. The cartridge comprises a liquid storage portion for holding a liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The cartridge comprises an inner airflow path extending between a proximal end and a distal end of the cartridge. The cartridge also includes a tubular internal unit circumscribing at least a portion of the inner airflow path. The internal unit comprises a tubular heater component comprising a susceptor element arranged in the inner airflow path. A tubular sleeve element is present circumscribing at least a portion of the internal unit. A liquid supply channel is arranged between the internal unit and the sleeve element. The liquid supply channel is configured for supplying the liquid aerosol-forming substrate to the susceptor element. The internal unit furthermore comprises an airflow management component provided distal of the tubular heater component. The airflow management component comprises at least one air inlet configured for providing air into the inner airflow path. A tubular sidewall of the airflow management component circumscribes the inner airflow path. A distal sealing element is arranged on an outer surface of the tubular sidewall. The distal sealing element is configured for sealing a distal end of the liquid supply channel.

The distal end of the cartridge may be configured for engaging with an aerosol-generating device. A distal portion of the cartridge may be configured for being received by an aerosol-generating device.

The cartridge may provide one single component, the airflow management component which provides both air into the inner airflow path and also sealing means for sealing the liquid supply channel. This allows for an easy entry of air into the inner airflow path. This also allows to seal the liquid supply channel in an easy way.

The tubular sidewall of the airflow management component may coaxially circumscribe the inner airflow path.

As used herein, the terms ‘tubular’, ‘tubular unit’, ‘tubular component’, ‘tubular element’, and ‘tubular shape’ refer to three-dimensional objects and three-dimensional geometric shapes comprising a bottom basal plane, a top basal plane, and a sidewall circumscribing a hollow interior, the sidewall being arranged between the bottom basal plane and the top basal plane. The sidewall extends along a longitudinal axis of the tubular element between the bottom basal plane and the top basal plane. The longitudinal axis may be perpendicular to one or both of the bottom basal plane and the top basal plane.

A bottom base of the tubular element lies within the bottom basal plane. A top base of the tubular element lies within the top basal plane. A cross-sectional shape of one or both of the bottom and top bases may be circular. A cross-sectional shape of one or both of the bottom and top bases may be non-circular, for example elliptic, stadium-shaped, or rectangular. One or both of the bottom base and the top base may be open.

The tubular element may have the shape of a right circular hollow cylinder. The tubular element may have the shape of a non-circular hollow cylinder, for example an elliptic hollow cylinder, or a stadium-shaped hollow cylinder. The tubular element may have the shape of a hollow cuboid.

The longitudinal axis of the tubular element may be arranged in parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cartridge. A longitudinal center axis of the tubular element may coincide with a longitudinal center axis of the cartridge.

The airflow management component may comprise a distal portion and a proximal portion. The distal sealing element may be arranged in the proximal portion of the airflow management component.

The distal sealing element may abut an inner wall of the tubular sleeve element. This may allow the sealing element to reliably seal the distal end of the liquid supply channel.

The at least one air inlet may be located in the distal portion of the airflow management component. This may allow the airflow management component to provide two different functions for the cartridge in the distal portion and in the proximal portion.

The proximal portion of the airflow management component may include the distal sealing element. The distal portion of the airflow management component may comprise the at least one air inlet.

An outer surface of the proximal portion of the airflow management component may comprise a first and a second protrusion. The distal sealing element may be arranged between the first and second protrusion. This may allow the airflow management component to reliably hold the distal sealing element in place.

The distal sealing element also may be permanently attached to the airflow management component by an adhesive. In this case, the first and second protrusion for holding the distal sealing element in place may be avoided.

An outer diameter of the distal portion of the airflow management component may be smaller than an outer diameter of the proximal portion of the airflow management component. A larger outer diameter of the proximal portion of the airflow management component may allow a reliable sealing of the liquid supply channel with the distal sealing element.

The distal portion of the airflow management component may include the at least one air inlet. The distal portion therefore does not necessarily have to have an outer diameter which is sufficiently large for sealing the liquid supply channel. Therefore, the outer diameter of the distal portion of the airflow management may be smaller than the outer diameter of the proximal portion of the airflow management component.

In the cartridge, the distal portion of the airflow management component may protrude from a distal end of the tubular sleeve element.

This may allow the distal portion of the airflow management component to be pushed into the cartridge when the cartridge is received by a cavity of an aerosol-generating device. This may open a fluid connection between the liquid storage portion and the liquid supply channel as explained further down below.

The airflow management component may comprise a distal end wall. The distal end wall may form a distal end of the tubular internal unit. The distal end wall may be the part of the distal portion of the airflow management component protruding from the distal end of the tubular sleeve element. The distal end wall of the airflow management component may be pushed into the cartridge when the cartridge is received by an aerosol-generating device.

The at least one air inlet may be located in the distal end wall. This may provide an easy way of introducing air through the at least one air inlet into the inner airflow path of the cartridge.

The distal end wall may be a closed distal end wall. The closed distal end wall may be configured as a retention element for receiving liquid aerosol-forming substrate. This may prevent leakage from one or both of the susceptor element and the inner airflow path.

The at least one air inlet may be spaced apart from the distal end of the airflow management component. This may allow air to enter the inner airflow path of the cartridge through the at least one air inlet without interfering with the retention element for receiving the liquid aerosol-forming substrate.

The airflow management component may comprise a tubular sidewall. The at least one air inlet may be located in the tubular sidewall. Preferably, the at least one air inlet may be located in a distal portion of the tubular sidewall of the airflow management component.

Preferably, at least two air inlets are located in the tubular sidewall of the airflow management component. The at least two air inlets may allow air to pass into the inner airflow path of the cartridge from different directions. The at least two air inlets may provide air to different parts of the susceptor element.

The distal sealing element may be provided as a seal lip or as an O-ring. This may provide a particular reliable sealing of the distal end of the liquid supply channel. An O-ring may provide a reliable sealing between the inner walls of the tubular sleeve element and the tubular airflow management component.

The airflow management component may comprise an airflow directing element arranged in the inner airflow path. The airflow directing element may be configured for directing an airflow over a surface of the susceptor element. This may enhance the formation of an aerosol from the liquid aerosol-forming substrate evaporated from the susceptor element.

The airflow directing element may be located upstream of the susceptor element in the inner airflow path of the cartridge. The airflow directing element may be located downstream of the at least one air inlet configured for providing air into the inner airflow path.

The airflow directing element may comprise at least one partition wall element extending from the tubular sidewall of the airflow management component.

The internal unit may further comprise a tubular sealing component provided proximal to the tubular heater component. The sealing component may comprise a tubular element circumscribing a portion of the airflow path. The sealing component may comprise a proximal sealing element arranged on an outer surface of the tubular element. The internal unit may be axially movable with respect to the sleeve element from a blocking position in which the proximal sealing element is arranged to block a fluid connection between the liquid storage portion and the liquid supply channel. The internal unit may be axially movable with respect to the sleeve element to an open position in which the proximal sealing element is moved to open a fluid connection between the liquid storage portion and the liquid supply channel.

Movement of the internal unit with respect to the sleeve element therefore may allow the internal unit to move between the blocking position and the open position for blocking and allowing fluid connection between the liquid storage portion and the liquid supply channel.

The heater component may comprise a fluid permeable wall portion arranged to allow migration of liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid supply channel to the inner airflow path. The fluid permeable wall portion may be formed by two slits in opposing sidewalls of the tubular heater component.

The cartridge may comprise a wick element arranged to transfer liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid supply channel to the susceptor element.

The heater component may comprise the wick element. The wick element may extend from the inner airflow path through the two slits in opposing sidewalls of the tubular heater component into the liquid supply channel.

The wick element may extend transversely through the inner airflow path and may protrude from the inner airflow path through the slits into the liquid supply channel.

This may allow an easy transfer of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid supply channel to the susceptor element via capillary action.

The wick element may comprise one or more of a cotton-based material, a porous ceramic-based material, a porous graphite-based material.

The wick element may be in direct contact with the susceptor element. Preferably, the wick element may be sandwiched between two layers of the susceptor element.

This may allow a sufficient contact between the liquid aerosol-forming substrate and the susceptor element. This may facilitate an easy formation of an aerosol from the liquid aerosol-forming substrate by evaporating the substrate via the susceptor element.

The wick element may be in the form of a sheet and the susceptor element may be U-shaped. The U-shaped susceptor element may be mounted on the wick element within the airflow path.

This may provide spatial arrangement between the wick element and the susceptor element with a large interface between both elements. This may increase the formation of an aerosol.

A distal end of the heater component may be connected to a proximal end of the airflow management component. A proximal end of the heater component may be connected to a distal end of the sealing component.

The sealing component, the heater component, and the airflow management component may be connected by plug connections.

The airflow management component and the tubular heater component may be configured as separate structural components. Additionally, the tubular sealing component may be configured as a separate structural component.

The sealing component, the heater component, and the airflow management component may be connected along a longitudinal axis of the tubular internal unit.