FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices, and more particularly to an aerosol delivery device that include a reservoir and a vaporizing assembly, which may utilize electrical power to heat an aerosol precursor composition for the production of an aerosol. The aerosol precursor composition, which may incorporate materials and/or components that may be made or derived from tobacco or otherwise incorporate tobacco, is heated by the vaporizing assembly to produce an inhalable substance for human consumption.

BACKGROUND

Many smoking articles have been proposed through the years as improvements upon, or alternatives to, smoking products based upon combusting tobacco. Exemplary alternatives have included devices wherein a solid or liquid fuel is combusted to transfer heat to tobacco or wherein a chemical reaction is used to provide such heat source. Examples include the smoking articles described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

The goal of the improvements or alternatives to smoking articles typically has been to provide the sensations associated with cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking, without delivering considerable quantities of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products. To this end, there have been proposed numerous smoking products, flavor generators, and medicinal inhalers which utilize electrical energy to vaporize or heat a volatile material, or attempt to provide the sensations of cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking without burning tobacco to a significant degree. See, for example, the various alternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices and heat generating sources set forth in the background art described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al.; and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2013/0255702 to Griffith, Jr. et al.; and 2014/0096781 to Sears et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. See also, for example, the various types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices and electrically powered heat generating sources referenced by brand name and commercial source in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015/0220232 to Bless et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Additional types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices and electrically powered heat generating sources referenced by brand name and commercial source are listed in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015/0245659 to DePiano et al., which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Other representative cigarettes or smoking articles that have been described and, in some instances, been made commercially available include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,922,901, 4,947,874, and 4,947,875 to Brooks et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,671 to Counts et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,594 to Counts et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,977 to Higgins et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,176 to Adams et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,287 to White; U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,218 to Voges; U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,883 to Felter et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,461 to Nichols; U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,410 to Hon; U.S. Pat. No. 7,513,253 to Kobayashi; U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,896,006 to Hamano; U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,756 to Shayan; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2009/0095311 to Hon; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2006/0196518, 2009/0126745, and 2009/0188490 to Hon; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2009/0272379 to Thorens et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2009/0260641 and 2009/0260642 to Monsees et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2008/0149118 and 2010/0024834 to Oglesby et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2010/0307518 to Wang; and WO 2010/091593 to Hon, which are incorporated herein by reference.

Representative products that resemble many of the attributes of traditional types of cigarettes, cigars or pipes have been marketed as ACCORD® by Philip Morris Incorporated; ALPHA™, JOYE 510™ and M4™ by InnoVapor LLC; CIRRUS™ and FLING™ by White Cloud Cigarettes; BLU™ by Lorillard Technologies, Inc.; COHITA™, COLIBRI™, ELITE CLASSIC™, MAGNUM™, PHANTOM™ and SENSE™ by EPUFFER® International Inc.; DUOPRO™, STORM™ and VAPORKING® by Electronic Cigarettes, Inc.; EGAR™ by Egar Australia; eGo-C™ and eGo-T™ by Joyetech; ELUSION™ by Elusion UK Ltd; EONSMOKE® by Eonsmoke LLC; FIN™ by FIN Branding Group, LLC; SMOKE® by Green Smoke Inc. USA; GREENARETTE™ by Greenarette LLC; HALLIGAN™, HENDU™, JET™, MAXXQ™ PINK™ and PITBULL™ by SMOKE STIK®; HEATBAR™ by Philip Morris International, Inc.; HYDRO IMPERIAL™ and LXE™ from Crown7; LOGIC™ and THE CUBAN™ by LOGIC Technology; LUCI® by Luciano Smokes Inc.; METRO® by Nicotek, LLC; NJOY® and ONEJOY™ by Sottera, Inc.; NO. 7™ by SS Choice LLC; PREMIUM ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE™ by PremiumEstore LLC; RAPP E-MYSTICK™ by Ruyan America, Inc.; RED DRAGON™ by Red Dragon Products, LLC; RUYAN® by Ruyan Group (Holdings) Ltd.; SF® by Smoker Friendly International, LLC; GREEN SMART SMOKER® by The Smart Smoking Electronic Cigarette Company Ltd.; SMOKE ASSIST® by Coastline Products LLC; SMOKING EVERYWHERE® by Smoking Everywhere, Inc.; V2CIGS™ by VMR Products LLC; VAPOR NINE™ by VaporNine LLC; VAPOR4LIFE® by Vapor 4 Life, Inc.; VEPPO™ by E-CigaretteDirect, LLC; VUSE® by R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company; Mistic Menthol product by Mistic Ecigs; and the Vype product by CN Creative Ltd. Yet other electrically powered aerosol delivery devices, and in particular those devices that have been characterized as so-called electronic cigarettes, have been marketed under the tradenames COOLER VISIONS™; DIRECT E-CIG™; DRAGONFLY™; EMIST™; EVERSMOKE™; GAMUCCI®; HYBRID FLAME™; KNIGHT STICKS™; ROYAL BLUES™; SMOKETIP®; SOUTH BEACH SMOKE™.

Certain existing embodiments of aerosol delivery devices include a control body (i.e., a power source assembly) and a cartridge (i.e., a reservoir housing). A power source (e.g., a battery) may be positioned in the control body, and an aerosol precursor composition may be retained and/or stored within the cartridge. It would be desirable to provide a cartridge capable of adding one or more flavors to the aerosol precursor composition as desired by the user.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In various embodiments, the present disclosure provides a flavor article that can be included in, or combined with, an aerosol delivery device. The flavor article can incorporate at least one flavor substrate that is adapted to or configured to retain a flavor material that may be released therefrom for entrainment in a gaseous stream. As such, the flavor article is configured for inclusion within or attachment to an aerosol delivery device (or similar device) in any location therein where a flowing gaseous stream (e.g., an aerosol stream) may pass therealong.

The present disclosure can provide a variety of articles that are each adapted to or configured to provide a flavor. In some embodiments, the disclosure can relate to a flavor delivery article that can be adapted to or configured to be combined with a further article, such as a cartridge of an aerosol delivery device and/or a mouthpiece that is attachable to a cartridge of an aerosol delivery device. In further embodiments, the disclosure can relate to a flavor delivery mouthpiece that includes a flavor delivery article and that is adapted to or configured to be attached to a cartridge of an aerosol delivery device. In other embodiments, the present disclosure can relate to a cartridge of an aerosol delivery device. Such cartridge can include a flavor delivery article that can be included directly into the cartridge housing and/or can be include in a mouthpiece that is attached to the cartridge housing. In still further embodiments, the present disclosure can relate to an aerosol delivery device that includes a power unit and a cartridge. The power unit and cartridge can be provided in a single housing or can be provided in separate housings. The aerosol delivery device in particular can include a flavor delivery article combined therewith, such as being included in the cartridge and/or being included in a mouthpiece that is attached to the cartridge.

In one or more embodiments, a flavor delivery article according to the present disclosure can comprise: an outer shell extending along a longitudinal axis between a distal end including at least one opening and a proximal end including at least one opening, the outer shell defining a chamber therein; at least one elongated flavor substrate formed of a porous material and extending along a longitudinal axis between a first end and an opposing second end, the at least one elongated flavor substrate being positioned within the chamber of the outer shell such that the longitudinal axis of the at least one elongated substrate is substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the outer shell; and a flavor material retained by the elongated flavor substrate. In some embodiments, the flavor delivery article can be further characterized in relation to one or more of the following statements, which can be combined in any number or order.

The flavor delivery article further can comprise a film substantially circumscribing the at least one elongated flavor substrate.

The film can be formed of a polymeric material.

The polymeric material can be selected from the group consisting of polyesters, acetals, polycarbonates, celluloses, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and combinations thereof.

The film can be formed of a material selected from the group consisting of paper foil, filter paper, ceramics, aluminum, and combinations thereof.

The film can have a thickness of about 2 microns to about 500 microns.

The at least one elongated flavor substrate can have a graded porosity across a wall thickness thereof.

The porous material forming the at least one elongated flavor substrate can be a polymeric material.

The polymeric material can be selected from the group consisting of polyethersulfone, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, nylon, polylactic acid (PLA), cellulose nitrate, regenerated cellulose, cellulose acetate, silica, cotton, and combinations thereof.

One or more of the following conditions can be met: the at least one elongated flavor substrate can be in the form of a pleated sheet; the at least one elongated flavor substrate can be in the form of a gathered sheet; the at least one elongated flavor substrate can be in the form of a rolled sheet; the at least one elongated flavor substrate can comprise one or more rods; the at least one elongated flavor substrate can comprise one or more tubes.

The flavor delivery article further can comprise a mouthpiece engaging the proximal end of the outer shell.

At least a portion of the outer shell can be shaped and dimensioned for insertion into a cartridge of an aerosol delivery device.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure can provide a cartridge for an aerosol delivery device. For example, the cartridge can comprise: a cartridge housing having a mouthend; a reservoir including an aerosol precursor composition; a heater adapted to vaporize the aerosol precursor composition; and a flavor delivery article as otherwise described herein engaged with the cartridge such that at least the distal end of the outer shell is engaged with the mouthend of the cartridge housing.

The cartridge further can comprise a liquid transport element configured for transport of the aerosol precursor composition between a reservoir and the heater.

The reservoir can include a fibrous material.

The reservoir can be a tank.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure can provide an aerosol delivery device. For example, the aerosol deliver device can comprise: a power unit housing including a power source and a controller; and a cartridge as otherwise described herein.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure can provide a cartridge for an aerosol delivery device. For example, the cartridge can comprise: a cartridge housing having a mouthend; a reservoir including an aerosol precursor composition; a heater adapted to vaporize the aerosol precursor composition; and a flavor delivery article comprising: at least one elongated flavor substrate formed of a porous material and extending along a longitudinal axis between a first end and an opposing second end; a flavor material retained by the elongated flavor substrate unit; and a film substantially circumscribing the at least one elongated flavor substrate.

The cartridge further can comprise an air entry and an airflow passage through the cartridge.

The heater and the flavor delivery article can be both positioned substantially within the airflow passage.

The flavor delivery article can be positioned in the airflow passage downstream from the heater.

The flavor delivery article can be positioned in a mouthpiece attached to the mouthend of the cartridge housing.

The cartridge can be adapted or configured such that one or more of the following conditions can be met: the at least one elongated flavor substrate can be in the form of a pleated sheet; the at least one elongated flavor substrate can be in the form of a gathered sheet; the at least one elongated flavor substrate can be in the form of a rolled sheet; the at least one elongated flavor substrate can comprise one or more rods; the at least one elongated flavor substrate can comprise one or more tubes.

