WO2024184652A1

WO2024184652A1 - Refilling unit and refill reservoir

Info

Publication number: WO2024184652A1
Application number: PCT/GB2024/050616
Authority: WO
Inventors: Howard ROTHWELL; Terry Lee ANGELL; Mohammed Al-Amin
Original assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Current assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Priority date: 2023-03-08
Filing date: 2024-03-08
Publication date: 2024-09-12
Anticipated expiration: 2025-09-08
Also published as: GB202303357D0

Abstract

Provided is a refilling unit for refilling a refillable article for use with a vapour provision device for generating aerosol from aerosol-generating material stored within the refillable article. The refilling unit includes a refill reservoir port for receiving a refill reservoir holding aerosol-generating material; and an engagement surface for engaging with the refill reservoir. The engagement surface comprises one or more electrical contacts for engaging with one or more electrical contacts of the refill reservoir when installed in the refill reservoir port. The engagement surface and refill reservoir port are configured to allow relative movement of the engagement surface towards the refill reservoir when installed in the refill reservoir port such that the one or more electrical contacts of the engagement surface are pressed into contact with corresponding one or more electrical contacts of the refill reservoir. Also provided is a refill reservoir for use with a refilling unit, a refilling system for refilling a refillable article, and a method for obtaining information from a refill reservoir for use in refilling a refillable article with aerosol-generating material using a refilling unit.

Description

REFILLING UNIT AND REFILL RESERVOIR

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to articles for use with an aerosol provision system, particularly refillable articles, and apparatuses for refilling a reservoir of an article. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to determining the operational lifetime of an article. Background

Electronic aerosol provision systems, which are often configured as so-called electronic cigarettes, can have a unitary format with all elements of the system in a common housing, or a multi-component format in which elements are distributed between two or more housings which can be coupled together to form the system. A common example of the latter format is a two-component system comprising a device and an article. The device typically contains an electrical power source for the system, such as a battery, and control electronics for operating elements in order to generate aerosol. The article, also referred to by terms including cartridge, cartomiser, consumable and clearomiser, typically contains a storage volume or area for holding a supply of aerosol-generating material from which the aerosol is generated, and in some instances an aerosol generator such as a heater operable to vaporise the aerosol-generating material. A similar three-component system may include a separate mouthpiece that attaches to the article. In many designs, the article is designed to be disposable, in that it is intended to be detached from the device and thrown away when the aerosol-generating material has been consumed. The user obtains a new article which has been prefilled with aerosol-generating material by a manufacturer and attaches it to the device for use. The device, in contrast, is intended to be used with multiple consecutive articles, with a capability to recharge the battery to allow prolonged operation.

While disposable articles, which may be called consumables, are convenient for the user, they may be considered wasteful of natural resources and hence detrimental to the environment. An alternative design of article is therefore known, which is configured to be refilled with aerosol-generating material by the user. This reduces waste, and can reduce the cost of electronic cigarette usage for the user. The aerosol-generating material may be provided in a bottle, for example, from which the user squeezes or drips a quantity of material into the article via a refilling orifice on the article. However, the act of refilling can be awkward and inconvenient, since the items are small and the volume of material involved is typically low. Alignment of the juncture between bottle and article can be difficult, with inaccuracies leading to spillage of the material. This is not only wasteful, but may also be dangerous. Aerosol-generating material frequently contains liquid nicotine, which can be poisonous if it makes contact with the skin.

Therefore, refilling units or devices have been proposed, which are configured to receive a bottle or other reservoir of aerosol-generating material plus a refillable cartridge, and to automate the transfer of the material from the former to the latter. Alternative, improved or enhanced features and designs for such refilling devices are therefore of interest.

Additionally, such refilling units may be configured to receive refill reservoirs comprising source liquid to be transferred to the refillable cartridge. The way in which the refilling unit handles the source liquid of the refilling unit may be dependent on certain properties or characteristics of the source liquid. In other instances, to help improve user convenience or user experience, the user may desire to obtain information concerning the refill reservoir without uninstalling the refill reservoir from the refilling unit. Thus, improvements in user experience using such refilling devices are desired.

Summary

According to a first aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a refilling unit for refilling a refillable article for use with a vapour provision device for generating aerosol from aerosol-generating material stored within the refillable article. The refilling unit includes a refill reservoir port for receiving a refill reservoir holding aerosol-generating material; and an engagement surface for engaging with the refill reservoir. The engagement surface comprises one or more electrical contacts for engaging with one or more electrical contacts of the refill reservoir when installed in the refill reservoir port. The engagement surface and refill reservoir port are configured to allow relative movement of the engagement surface towards the refill reservoir when installed in the refill reservoir port such that the one or more electrical contacts of the engagement surface are pressed into contact with corresponding one or more electrical contacts of the refill reservoir.

According to a second aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a refill reservoir for use with a refilling unit configured to refill a refillable article with aerosol-generating material for use with an aerosol provision device to generate aerosol from aerosol-generating material stored within the refillable article. The refill reservoir includes a housing comprising a storage area for storing aerosol-generating material; an electronically-readable element for storing information corresponding to the refill reservoir; and an engagement surface comprising one or more electrical contacts coupled to the electronically-readable element. The engagement surface is configured to engage with a corresponding engagement surface of the refilling unit such that one or more electrical contacts of the engagement surface are pressed into contact with corresponding one or more electrical contacts of the refilling unit.

According to a third aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a refilling system for refilling a refillable article. The system includes the refilling unit of the first aspect; and the refill reservoir of the second aspect.

According to a fourth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a method for obtaining information from a refill reservoir for use in refilling a refillable article with aerosolgenerating material using a refilling unit. The method includes providing the refill reservoir to the refilling unit; causing relative movement between the an engagement surface of the refill reservoir and an engagement surface of the refilling unit towards one another, wherein one or more electrical contacts on the engagement surface of the refill reservoir are pressed into contact with corresponding one or more electrical contacts on the engagement surface of the refilling unit, reading an electronically-readable element of the refill reservoir coupled to the one or more electrical contacts of the engagement surface of the refill reservoir.

According to a fifth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided refilling means for refilling a refillable article for use with vapour provision means for generating aerosol from aerosol-generating material stored within the refillable article. The refilling means includes receiving means for receiving a refill reservoir means holding aerosol-generating material; and an engagement means for engaging with the refill reservoir means. The engagement means comprises one or more electrical connection means for engaging with one or more electrical connection means of the refill reservoir means when installed in the receiving means. The engagement means and receiving means are configured to allow relative movement of the engagement means towards the refill reservoir means when installed in the receiving means such that the one or more electrical connection means of the engagement means are pressed into contact with corresponding one or more electrical connection means of the refill reservoir means.

According to a sixth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided refill reservoir means for use with refilling means configured to refill a refillable article with aerosol-generating material for use with aerosol provision means to generate aerosol from aerosol-generating material stored within the refillable article. The refill reservoir means includes: storage means for storing aerosol-generating material; electronically-readable means for storing information corresponding to the refill reservoir means; and an engagement means comprising one or more electrical connection means coupled to the electronically-readable means. The engagement means is configured to engage with a corresponding engagement means of the refilling means such that one or more electrical connection means of the engagement means are pressed into contact with corresponding one or more electrical connection means of the refilling means.

These and further aspects of the certain embodiments are set out in the appended independent and dependent claims. It will be appreciated that features of the dependent claims may be combined with each other and features of the independent claims in combinations other than those explicitly set out in the claims. Furthermore, the approach described herein is not restricted to specific embodiments such as set out below, but includes and contemplates any appropriate combinations of features presented herein.

Brief Description of the Drawings Various embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail by way of example only with reference to the following drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a simplified schematic cross-section through an example electronic aerosol provision system to which embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable;

Figure 2 shows a simplified schematic representation of a refilling device in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented;

Figure 3 schematically shows a part of the refilling device and a refill reservoir in which electrical contacts are provided on a moveable part of the refill reservoir and corresponding electrical contacts are provided on a transfer mechanism designed to engage with the moveable part of the refill reservoir to expel aerosol-generating material therefrom according to a first implementation of the disclosure;

Figure 4 schematically shows a part of the refilling device and a refill reservoir in which electrical contacts are provided on a rigid part of the refill reservoir and corresponding electrical contacts are provided on a refill reservoir port designed to receive the refill reservoir according to a second implementation of the disclosure; and

Figure 5 shows an example method for obtaining data form a data containing element of the refill reservoir in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments are discussed I described herein. Some aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments may be implemented conventionally and these are not discussed I described in detail in the interests of brevity. It will thus be appreciated that aspects and features of apparatus and methods discussed herein which are not described in detail may be implemented in accordance with any conventional techniques for implementing such aspects and features.

As used herein, the terms “system” and “delivery system” are intended to encompass systems that deliver a substance to a user, and include non-combustible aerosol provision systems that release compounds from an aerosol-generating material without combusting the aerosol-generating material, such as electronic cigarettes, tobacco heating products, and hybrid systems to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials, and articles comprising aerosol-generating material and configured to be used within one of these non-combustible aerosol provision systems.

According to the present disclosure, a “non-combustible” aerosol provision system is one where a constituent aerosol-generating material of the aerosol provision system (or component thereof) is not combusted or burned in order to facilitate delivery of at least one substance of the aerosol-generating material to a user. In some embodiments, the delivery system is a non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a powered non-combustible aerosol provision system. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device or electronic nicotine delivery (END) system, although it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol-generating material is not a requirement. The systems are intended to generate an inhalable aerosol by vaporisation of a substrate (aerosol-generating material) in the form of a liquid or gel which may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an aerosol-generating material heating system, also known as a heat-not- burn system. An example of such a system is a tobacco heating system. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is a hybrid system to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials, one or a plurality of which may be heated. Each of the aerosol-generating materials may be, for example, in the form of a solid, liquid or gel and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel aerosol generating material and a solid aerosol generating material. The solid aerosol generating material may comprise, for example, tobacco or a nontobacco product.

Typically, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise a non- combustible aerosol provision device and an article (consumable) for use with the non- combustible aerosol provision device. In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to consumables comprising aerosol-generating material and configured to be used with non- combustible aerosol provision devices. These consumables are sometimes referred to as articles throughout the disclosure. However, it is envisaged that articles which themselves comprise a means for powering an aerosol generator or aerosol generating component may themselves form the non-combustible aerosol provision system. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise a power source and a controller. The power source may, for example, be an electric power source. In some embodiments, the article for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise an aerosolgenerating material, an aerosol-generating component (aerosol generator), an aerosolgenerating area, a mouthpiece, and/or an area for receiving and holding aerosol-generating material.

In some systems the aerosol-generating component or aerosol generator comprises a heater capable of interacting with the aerosol-generating material so as to release one or more volatiles from the aerosol-generating material to form an aerosol. However, the disclosure is not limited in this regard, and applies also to systems that use other approaches to form aerosol, such as a vibrating mesh.

In some embodiments, the article for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise aerosol-generating material or an area for receiving aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, the article for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise a mouthpiece. The area for receiving aerosol-generating material may be a storage area for storing aerosol-generating material. For example, the storage area may be a reservoir which may store a liquid aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, the area for receiving aerosol-generating material may be separate from, or combined with, an aerosol generating area (which is an area at which the aerosol is generated). In some embodiments, the article for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise a filter and/or an aerosol-modifying agent through which generated aerosol is passed before being delivered to the user.

As used herein, the term “component” may be used to refer to a part, section, unit, module, assembly or similar of an electronic cigarette or similar device that incorporates several smaller parts or elements, possibly within an exterior housing or wall. An aerosol provision system such as an electronic cigarette may be formed or built from one or more such components, such as an article and a device, and the components may be removably or separably connectable to one another, or may be permanently joined together during manufacture to define the whole system. The present disclosure is applicable to (but not limited to) systems comprising two components separably connectable to one another and configured, for example, as an article in the form of an aerosol-generating material carrying component holding liquid or another aerosol-generating material (alternatively referred to as a cartridge, cartomiser, pod or consumable), and a device having a battery or other power source for providing electrical power to operate an aerosol generating component or aerosol generator for creating vapour/aerosol from the aerosol-generating material. A component may include more or fewer parts than those included in the examples.

In some examples, the present disclosure relates to aerosol provision systems and components thereof that utilise aerosol-generating material in the form of a liquid, gel or a solid which is held in an aerosol-generating material storage area such as a reservoir, tank, container or other receptacle comprised in the system, or absorbed onto a carrier substrate. An arrangement for delivering the aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage area for the purpose of providing it to an aerosol generator for vapour I aerosol generation is included. The terms “liquid”, “gel”, “solid”, “fluid”, “source liquid”, “source gel”, “source fluid” and the like may be used interchangeably with terms such as “aerosolgenerating material”, “aerosolisable substrate material” and “substrate material” to refer to material that has a form capable of being stored and delivered in accordance with examples of the present disclosure.

As used herein, “aerosol-generating material” (or “aerosolisable material”) is a material that is capable of generating aerosol, for example when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. The term “aerosol” may be used interchangeably with “vapour”. Aerosol-generating material may, for example, be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel which may or may not contain an active substance and/or flavourants. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may comprise an “amorphous solid”, which may alternatively be referred to as a “monolithic solid” (i.e. non-fibrous). In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may be a dried gel. The amorphous solid is a solid material that may retain some fluid, such as liquid, within it. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may for example comprise from about 50wt%, 60wt% or 70wt% of amorphous solid, to about 90wt%, 95wt% or 100wt% of amorphous solid. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may comprise one or more active constituents, one or more flavours, one or more aerosol-former materials, and/or one or more other functional materials. The active substance as used herein may be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. The active substance may for example be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, psychoactives. The active substance may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active substance may comprise for example nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, vitamins such as B6 or B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids, or constituents, derivatives, or combinations thereof. The active substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of tobacco, cannabis or another botanical. As used herein, the terms "flavour" and "flavourant" refer to materials which, where local regulations permit, may be used to create a desired taste, aroma or other somatosensorial sensation in a product for adult consumers. They may include naturally occurring flavour materials, botanicals, extracts of botanicals, synthetically obtained materials, or combinations thereof. The aerosolformer material may comprise one or more constituents capable of forming an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol-former material may comprise one or more of glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1 ,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-Erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, a diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate. The one or more other functional materials may comprise one or more of pH regulators, colouring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and/or antioxidants.

Figure 1 is a highly schematic diagram (not to scale) of an example electronic aerosol/vapour provision system 10, presented for the purpose of showing the relationship between the various parts of a typical system and explaining the general principles of operation. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to a system configured in this way, and features may be modified in accordance with the various alternatives and definitions described above and/or apparent to the skilled person.

The aerosol provision system 10 has a generally elongate shape in this example, extending along a longitudinal axis indicated by a dashed line, and comprises two main components, namely an aerosol provision device 20 (control or power component, section or unit), and an article or consumable 30 (cartridge assembly or section, sometimes referred to as a cartomiser, clearomiser or pod) carrying aerosol-generating material and operable to generate vapour/aerosol. In the following description, the aerosol provision system 10 is configured to generate aerosol from a liquid aerosol-generating material (source liquid), and the foregoing disclosure will explain the principles of the present disclosure using this example. However, the present disclosure is not limited to aerosolising a liquid aerosol-generating material, and features may be modified in accordance with the various alternatives and definitions described above and/or apparent to the skilled person in order to aerosolise different aerosol-generating materials, e.g., solid aerosol-generating materials or gel aerosolgenerating materials as described above.

The article 30 includes a reservoir 3 (as an example of an aerosol-generating material storage area) for containing a source liquid from which an aerosol is to be generated, for example containing nicotine. As an example, the source liquid may comprise around 1% to 3% nicotine and 50% glycerol, with the remainder comprising roughly equal measures of water and propylene glycol, and possibly also comprising other components, such as flavourings. Nicotine-free source liquid may also be used, such as to deliver flavouring. In some embodiments, a solid substrate (not illustrated), such as a portion of tobacco or other flavour imparting element through which vapour generated from the liquid is passed, may also be included.

The reservoir 3 may have the form of a storage tank, being a container or receptacle in which source liquid can be stored such that the liquid is free to move and flow within the confines of the tank. In other examples, the reservoir 3 may comprise absorbent material (either inside a tank or similar, or positioned within the outer housing of the article) that substantially holds the aerosol-generating material. For a consumable article, the reservoir 3 may be sealed after filling during manufacture so as to be disposable after the source liquid is consumed. However, the present disclosure is relevant to refillable articles that have an inlet port, orifice or other opening (not shown in Figure 1) through which new source liquid can be added to enable reuse of the article 30.

The article 30 also comprises an aerosol generator 5, which in this example has the form of an electrically powered heating element or heater 4 and an aerosol-generating material transfer element 6 designed to transfer aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 3 to the aerosol generator. The heater 4 is located externally of the reservoir 3 and is operable to generate the aerosol by vaporisation of the source liquid by heating. The aerosol-generating material transfer element 6 is a transfer or delivery arrangement configured to deliver aerosolgenerating material from the reservoir 3 to the heater 4. In some examples, it may have the form of a wick or other porous element. A wick 6 may have one or more parts located inside the reservoir 3, or otherwise be in fluid communication with liquid in the reservoir 3, so as to be able to absorb source liquid and transfer it by wicking or capillary action to other parts of the wick 6 that are adjacent or in contact with the heater 4. The wick may be formed of any suitable material which can cause wicking of the liquid, such as glass fibres or cotton fibres. This wicked liquid is thereby heated and vaporised, and replacement liquid is drawn, via continuous capillary action, from the reservoir 3 for transfer to the heater 4 by the wick 6. The wick 6 may be thought of as a conduit between the reservoir 3 and the heater 4 that delivers or transfers liquid from the reservoir to the heater. In some implementations, the heater 4 and the aerosol-generating material transfer element 6 are unitary or monolithic, and formed from a same material that is able to be used for both liquid transfer and heating, such as a material which is both porous and conductive. In still other cases, the aerosol-generating material transfer element 6 may operate other than by capillary action, such as by comprising an arrangement of one or more valves by which liquid may exit the reservoir 3 and be passed onto the heater 4.

A heater and wick (or similar) combination, referred to herein as an aerosol generator 5, may sometimes be termed an atomiser or atomiser assembly, and the reservoir 3 with its source liquid plus the atomiser may be collectively referred to as an aerosol source. Various designs are possible, in which the parts may be differently arranged compared with the highly schematic representation of Figure 1 . For example, and as mentioned above, the wick 6 may be an entirely separate element from the heater 4, or the heater 4 may be configured to be porous and able to perform at least part of the wicking function directly (a metallic mesh, for example).

In the present example, the system is an electronic system, and the heater 4 may comprise one or more electrical heating elements that operate by ohmic/resistive (Joule) heating. The article 30 may comprise electrical contacts (not shown) at an interface of the article 30 which electrically engage to electrical contacts (not shown) at an interface of the aerosol provision device 20. Electrical energy can therefore be transferred to the heater 4 via the electrical contacts from the aerosol provision device 20 to cause heating of the heater 4. In other examples, the heater 4 may be inductively heated, in which case the heater comprises a susceptor in an induction heating arrangement (which may comprise a suitable drive coil, e.g., located in the aerosol provision device 20, and through which an alternating electrical current is passed).

In general, therefore, an aerosol generator in the present context can be considered as one or more elements that implement the functionality of an aerosol-generating element able to generate vapour by heating source liquid (or other aerosol-generating material) delivered to it, and a liquid transport or delivery element able to deliver or transport liquid from a reservoir or similar liquid store to the vapour-generating element by a wicking action I capillary force or otherwise. An aerosol generator is typically housed in an article 30 of an aerosol generating system, as in Figure 1 , but in some examples, at least the heater part may be housed in the device 20. Embodiments of the disclosure are applicable to all and any such configurations which are consistent with the examples and description herein.

Returning to Figure 1 , the article 30 also includes a mouthpiece or mouthpiece portion 35 having an opening or air outlet through which a user may inhale the aerosol generated by the heater 4.

The aerosol provision device 20 includes a power source such as a cell or battery 7 (referred to hereinafter as a battery, and which may or may not be re-chargeable) to provide electrical power for electrical components of the aerosol provision system 10, in particular to operate the heater 4. Additionally, there is control circuitry 8 such as a printed circuit board and/or other electronics or circuitry for generally controlling the aerosol provision system 10. The control circuitry 8 may include a processor programmed with software, which may be modifiable by a user of the system. The control circuitry 8, in one aspect, operates the heater 4 using power from the battery 7 when vapour is required. At this time, the user inhales on the system 10 via the mouthpiece 35, and air A enters through one or more air inlets 9 in the wall of the device 20 (air inlets may alternatively or additionally be located in the article 30). When the heater 4 is operated, it vaporises source liquid delivered from the reservoir 3 by the aerosol-generating material transfer component 6 to generate the aerosol by entrainment of the vapour into the air flowing through the system, and this is then inhaled by the user through the opening in the mouthpiece 35. The aerosol is carried from the aerosol generator 5 to the mouthpiece 35 along one or more air channels (not shown) that connect the air inlets 9 to the aerosol generator 5 to the air outlet when a user inhales on the mouthpiece 35.

More generally, the control circuitry 8 is suitably configured I programmed to control the operation of the aerosol provision system 10 to provide conventional operating functions of the aerosol provision system in line with established techniques for controlling such devices, as well as any specific functionality described as part of the foregoing disclosure. The control circuitry 8 may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units I circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the aerosol provision system’s operation in accordance with the principles described herein and other conventional operating aspects of aerosol provision systems, such as display driving circuitry for systems that may include a user display (such as an screen or indicator) and user input detections via one or more user actuatable controls 12. It will be appreciated that the functionality of the control circuitry 8 can be provided in various different ways, for example using one or more suitably programmed programmable computers and/or one or more suitably configured application-specific integrated circuits I circuitry I chips I chipsets configured to provide the desired functionality.

The device 20 and the article 30 are separate connectable parts detachable from one another by separation in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis, as indicated by the doubleheaded arrows in Figure 1. The components 20, 30 are joined together when the system 10 is in use by cooperating engagement elements 21 , 31 (for example, a screw or bayonet fitting) which provide mechanical and in some cases electrical connectivity between the device 20 and the article 30. Electrical connectivity may be present if the heater 4 operates by ohmic heating, so that current can be passed through the heater 4 when it is connected to the battery 5. In systems that use inductive heating, electrical connectivity can be omitted if no parts requiring electrical power are located in the article 30. An inductive work coil I drive coil can be housed in the device 20 and supplied with power from the battery 5, and the article 30 and the device 20 shaped so that when they are connected, there is an appropriate exposure of the heater 4 to flux generated by the coil for the purpose of generating current flow in the material of the heater.

It should be appreciated the Figure 1 design is merely an example arrangement, and the various parts and features may be differently distributed between the device 20 and the article 30, and other components and elements may be included. The two sections may connect together end-to-end in a longitudinal configuration as in Figure 1 , or in a different configuration such as a parallel, side-by-side arrangement. The system may or may not be generally cylindrical and/or have a generally longitudinal shape. Either or both sections or components may be intended to be disposed of and replaced when exhausted, or be intended for multiple uses enabled by actions such as refilling the reservoir and recharging the battery. In other examples, the system 10 may be unitary, in that the parts of the device 20 and the article 30 are comprised in a single housing and cannot be separated. Embodiments and examples of the present disclosure are applicable to any of these configurations and other configurations of which the skilled person will be aware.

The present disclosure relates to the refilling of a storage area for aerosol generating material in an aerosol provision system, whereby a user is enabled to conveniently provide a system with fresh aerosol generating material when a previous stored quantity has been used up. It is proposed that this be done automatically, by provision of apparatus which is termed herein a refilling device, refilling unit, refilling station, or simply dock. The refilling device is configured to receive an aerosol provision system, or more conveniently, the article from an aerosol provision system having an aerosol-generating material storage area which is empty or only partly full, plus a larger reservoir holding aerosol generating material. A fluid communication flow path is established between the larger reservoir and the storage area, and a controller in the refilling device controls a transfer mechanism (or arrangement) operable to move aerosol-generating material along the flow path from the larger reservoir in the refilling device to the storage area. The transfer mechanism can be activated in response to user input of a refill request to the refilling device, or activation may be automatic in response to a particular state or condition of the refilling device detected by the controller. For example, if both an article and a larger reservoir are correctly positioned inside or otherwise coupled to the refilling unit, refilling may be carried out. Once the storage area is replenished with a desired quantity of aerosol generating material (the storage area is filled or a user specified quantity of material has been transferred to the article, for example), the transfer mechanism is deactivated, and transfer ceases. Alternatively, the transfer mechanism may be configured to automatically dispense a fixed quantity of aerosol generating material in response to activation by the controller, such as fixed quantity matching the capacity of the storage area.

Figure 2 shows a highly schematic representation of an example refilling device. The refilling device is shown in a simplified form only, to illustrate various elements and their relationship to one another. More particular features of one or more of the elements with which the present disclosure is concerned will be described in more detail below.

The refilling device 50 will be referred to hereinafter for convenience as a “dock”. This term is applicable since a reservoir and an article are received or “docked” in the refilling device during use. The dock 50 comprises an outer housing 52. The dock 50 is expected to be useful for refilling of articles in the home or workplace (rather than being a portable device or a commercial device, although these options are not excluded). Therefore, the outer housing, made for example from metal, plastics or glass, may be designed to have a pleasing outward appearance such as to make it suitable for permanent and convenient access, such as on a shelf, desk, table or counter. It may be any size suitable for accommodating the various elements described herein, such as having dimensions between about 10 cm and 20 cm, although smaller or larger sizes may be preferred. Inside the housing 50 are defined two cavities or ports 54, 56.

A first port 54 is shaped and dimensioned to receive and interface with a refill reservoir 40. The first or refill reservoir port 54 is configured to enable an interface between the refill reservoir 40 and the dock 50, so might alternatively be termed a refill reservoir interface. Primarily, the refill reservoir interface is for moving aerosol-generating material out of the refill reservoir 40, but as described below, in some cases the interface may enable additional functions, such as electrical contacts and sensing capabilities for communication between the refill reservoir 40 and the dock 50 and determining characteristics and features of the refill reservoir 40.

The refill reservoir 40 comprises a wall or housing 41 that defines a storage space for holding aerosol-generating material 42. The volume of the storage space is large enough to accommodate many or several times the storage area I reservoir 3 of an article 30 intended to be refilled in the dock 50. A user can therefore purchase a filled reservoir 40 of their preferred aerosol generating material (flavour, strength, brand, etc.), and use it to refill an article 30 multiple times. A user could acquire several reservoirs 40 of different aerosol generating materials, so as to have a convenient choice available when refilling an article. The refill reservoir 40 includes an outlet orifice or opening 44 by which the aerosol generating material 42 can pass out of the refill reservoir 40. The outlet orifice 44 may include any suitable cap, valve, semipermeable membrane, septum, etc. to allow aerosol-generating material to selectively exit the refill reservoir 40 through the orifice 44.

A second port 56 is shaped and dimensioned to receive and interface with an article 30. The second or article port 56 is configured to enable an interface between the article 30 and the dock 50, so might alternatively be termed an article interface. Primarily, the article interface is for receiving aerosol-generating material into the article 30, but in some cases the interface may enable additional functions, such as electrical contacts and sensing capabilities for communication between the article 30 and the dock 50 and determining characteristics and features of the reservoir 30.

The article 30 itself comprises a wall or housing 31 that has within it (but possibly not occupying all the space within the wall 31) a storage area 3 for holding aerosol-generating material. The volume of the storage area 3 is many or several times smaller than the volume of the refill reservoir 40, so that the article 30 can be refilled multiple times from a single refill reservoir 40. The article 30 also includes an inlet orifice or opening 32 by which aerosolgenerating material can enter the storage area 3. The inlet orifice 32 may include any suitable cap, valve, semipermeable membrane, septum, etc. to allow aerosol-generating material to selectively enter the article 30 through the orifice 32. Various other elements may be included with the article 30, as discussed above with regard to Figure 1.

The housing also accommodates a fluid conduit 58, being a passage or flow path by which the reservoir 40 and the storage area 3 of the article 30 are placed in fluid communication, so that aerosol-generating material can move from the refill reservoir 40 to the article 30 when both the refill reservoir 40 and the article 30 are correctly positioned in the dock 50. Placement of the refill reservoir 40 and the article 30 into the dock 50 locates and engages them such that the fluid conduit 58 is connected between the outlet orifice 44 of the reservoir 40 and the inlet orifice 32 of the article 30. Note that in some examples, all or part of the fluid conduit 58 may be formed by parts of the refill reservoir 40 and the article 30, so that the fluid conduit is created and defined only when the refill reservoir 40 and/or the article 30 are placed in the dock 50. In other cases, the fluid conduit 58 may be a flow path defined within the housing 52 of the dock 50, to each end of which the respective orifices are engaged.

Access to the reservoir port 54 and the article port 56 can be by any convenient means. Apertures may be provided in the housing 52 of the dock 50, through which the refill reservoir 40 and the article 30 can be placed or pushed. The refill reservoir 40 and/or the article 30 may be completely contained within the respective apertures or may partially be contained such that a portion of the refill reservoir 40 and/or the article 30 protrude from the respective ports 54, 56. In some instances, doors or the like may be included to cover the apertures to prevent dust or other contaminants from entering the apertures. When the refill reservoir 40 and/or the article 30 are completely contained in the ports 54, 56, the doors or the like might require to be placed in closed state to allow refilling to take place. Doors, hatches and other hinged coverings, or sliding access elements such as drawers or trays, might include shaped tracks, slots or recesses to receive and hold the refill reservoir 40 or the article 30, which bring the refill reservoir 40 or the article 30 into proper alignment inside the housing 52 when the door, etc. is closed. Alternatively, the housing of the dock 50 may be shaped so as to include recessed portions into which the article 30 or refill reservoir 40 may be inserted. These and other alternatives will be apparent to the skilled person, and do not affect the scope of the present disclosure.

The dock 50 also includes an aerosol generating material transfer mechanism, arrangement, or apparatus 53, operable to move or cause the movement of fluid out of the refill reservoir 40, along the conduit 58 and into the article 30. Various options are contemplated for the transfer mechanism 53, but by way of an example, the refill reservoir 40 may comprise a collapsible or movable wall (e.g., a plunger) such that the volume of the refill reservoir can be adjusted (reduced) and the aerosol-generating material transfer mechanism 53 comprises a suitable push rod or the like for actuating the collapsible or movable wall of the refill reservoir 40 to supply aerosol-generating material along the conduit 58. In other implementations, the transfer mechanism 53 may comprise a fluid pump, such as a peristaltic pump. The peristaltic pump may be arranged to rotate and compress parts of the conduit 58 to force source liquid along the length of the conduit towards the inlet orifice 32 of the article 30 in accordance with the conventional techniques for operating a peristaltic pump.

A controller 55 is also included in the dock 50, which is operable to control components of the dock 50, in particular to generate and send control signals to operate the transfer mechanism 53. As noted, this may be in response to a user input, such as actuation of a button or switch (not shown) on the housing 52, or automatically in response to both the refill reservoir 40 and the article 30 being detected as present inside their respective ports 54, 56. The controller 55 may therefore be in communication with contacts and/or sensors (not shown) at the ports 54, 56 in order to obtain data from the ports and/or the refill reservoir 40 and article 30 that can be used in the generation of control signals for operating the transfer mechanism 53. The controller 55 may comprise a microcontroller, a microprocessor, or any configuration of circuitry, hardware, firmware or software as preferred; various options will be apparent to the skilled person.

Finally, the dock 50 includes a power source 57 to provide electrical power for the controller 55, and any other electrical components that may be included in the dock, such as sensors, user inputs such as switches, buttons or touch panels, and, if present, display elements such as light emitting diodes and/or display screens to convey information about the dock’s operation and status to the user. In addition, the transfer mechanism 53 may be electrically powered. Since the dock 50 may be for permanent location in a house or office, the power source 57 may comprise a socket for connection of an electrical mains cable to the dock 50, so that the dock 50 may be “plugged in” to mains electricity. Any suitable electrical converter to convert mains electricity to a suitable operational supply of electricity to the dock 50 may be provided, either on the mains cable or within the dock 50. Alternatively, the power source 57 may comprise one or more batteries, which might be replaceable or rechargeable, and in the latter case the dock 50 may also comprise a socket connection for a charging cable adapted to recharge the battery or batteries while housed in the dock.

As noted above, the fluid conduit 58 is arranged so as to be in fluid communication with the reservoir 40 and the article 30 to allow source liquid to be transferred to the storage area of the article 30. The article 30 is suitably configured to be able to be refilled by the dock 50, e.g., via inlet opening 32. However, the article 30 is arranged so as to, on the one hand, provide a relatively easy engagement between the fluid conduit 58 (or other component(s) linked to the fluid conduit 58) so as to facilitate refilling of the article 30, and on the other hand, is arranged so as to prevent or reduce source liquid exiting the article 30 (for example, when the (full) article 30 is transitioned between the dock 50 and the aerosol provision device after the dock 50 has refilled the article 30 with source liquid).

Figure 2 further shows the refill reservoir 40 comprising a data containing element 40a and an associated data reader 54a provided in the dock 50. The data reader 54a is coupled to the controller 55 of the dock 50, e.g., by wires or suitable cabling as shown in Figure 2. The data reader 54a is configured to obtain data from the data containing element 40a of the refill reservoir 40 when the refill reservoir 40 is engaged with the refill port 54 and subsequently provide the read data to the controller 55. The data reader 54a may be configured to automatically read the data containing element 40a in response to the refill reservoir 40 being engaged with the refill reservoir port 54 and I or in response to an instruction to read the data containing element 40a of the refill reservoir 40 (e.g., in response to a button press by a user or as part of an instruction to begin the refilling process).

As noted, the refill reservoir 40 is provided with a data containing element 40a which, in this implementation, is configured to store information or data corresponding to the refill reservoir 40. For example, the data containing element 40a may contain data pertaining to the source liquid contained in the refill reservoir 40 (e.g., the strength or concentration of nicotine or other active ingredient, the flavour, or the composition of the source liquid). In other implementations, the data containing element 40a may contain data regarding the amount of source liquid stored within the refill reservoir 40, which may include an initial amount of source liquid (e.g., the amount in the refill reservoir 40 when sold) or the current amount of source liquid in the refill reservoir 40. In other implementations, the data containing element 40a may contain an indication of the number of possible refill processes the refill reservoir 40 is suitable for or is able to be used for. In other implementations, the data containing element 40a may contain information relevant to the manufacture of the refill reservoir 40, such as a date of filling, batch number, etc. In other implementations, the data containing element 40a may contain certain parameters or instructions for use by the dock 50 to operate the transfer mechanism 53 to transfer the source liquid. For example, this may include parameters such as a pump speed or motor speed for operating a push rod or the like. This data may vary depending on the specific transfer mechanism 53 used. It should be appreciated that other forms of information or data that may relate to the refill reservoir 40 may also be stored in the data containing element 40a. That is, the type of data stored in the data containing element 40a is not particularly limited.

The data containing element 40a of the refill reservoir 40 may be any suitable data containing element 40a which is at least capable of storing the aforementioned data and of being read by the associated data reader 54a provided in the dock 50. The data containing element 40a may be an electronically readable memory (such as a microchip or the like) that contains the aforementioned data for the refill reservoir 40, for example in the form of a numerical value which can be electronically read. The electronically readable memory may be any suitable form of memory, such as electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), although other types of suitable memory may be used depending on the application at hand. The electronically readable memory in this implementation is non-volatile, as the refill reservoir 40 is not continuously coupled to a power source (e.g., the power source 53 located in the dock 50 or the power source 7 located in the device 20). However, in other implementations, the electronically readable memory may be volatile or semi-volatile, in which case the refill reservoir 40 may be provided with its own power source which may lead to increased costs and increased material wastage when the refill reservoir 40 is disposed of (e.g., when the refill reservoir 40 is depleted).

The data containing element 40a may be electronically read by coupling electrical contacts (not shown in Figure 2) on the refill reservoir 40 with electrical contacts (not shown in Figure 2) in the refill reservoir port 54. That is, when the refill reservoir 40 is positioned in the refill reservoir port 54, an electrical connection is formed between the refill reservoir 40 and the reader 54a. Application of an electric current from the reader 54a to the data containing element 40a allows the reader 54a to obtain the data from the data containing element 40a of the refill reservoir 40. The reader 54a is coupled to the controller 55 and is therefore configured to provide the obtained data to the controller 55 of the dock 50.

The data containing element 40a of the refill reservoir 40 may be provided affixed to the housing 41 or co-moulded as part of the housing 41. The housing 41 may be suitably configured to receive the data containing element 40a. For example, the housing 41 may have a recessed portion into which the data containing element 40a is located and / or the housing 41 may have a separate compartment (e.g., separate from the container housing the source liquid 42) in which the data containing element 40a is located. Alternatively, the housing 41 may have the data containing element 40a embedded within the walls of the housing 40a. Any associated electrical wires, contacts or cabling, may also suitably be provided in the recessed portions, separate compartments or embedded within the walls of housing 41 as desired.

In some implementations, the data reader 54a may additionally be configured to write data to the data containing element 40a where the data containing element 40a is capable of being written to (e.g., a read-write memory). In some instances, it may be desirable to write data to the data containing element 40a; for example, to record a number of refilling operations or operational parameters used during the refilling operation.

In order for the reader 54a to correctly and reliably read (and/or write) the data from the data containing element 40a of the refill reservoir 40, sufficient electrical contact between the electrical contacts of the reader 54a and of the refill reservoir 40 is to be established. The inventors have identified that sufficient electrical contact is provided by allowing relative movement of an engagement surface for engaging with the refill reservoir 40 towards the refill reservoir 40 when installed in the refill reservoir port 54 such that the one or more electrical contacts of the engagement surface are pressed into contact with corresponding one or more electrical contacts of the refill reservoir 40. By providing this forcing of the electrical contacts together, reliable and sufficient electrical coupling between the electrical contacts can be provided.

Figure 3 schematically illustrates a part of the refilling dock 50 and refill reservoir 40 employing the abovementioned principles according to a first aspect of the present disclosure.

Figure 3 schematically shows a part of the refill dock 50 (such as the controller 55, at least a part of the transfer mechanism 53, and the refill reservoir port 54) and the refill reservoir 40. Other features of the refill dock 50 are omitted for reasons of clarity.

The refill reservoir 40 is shown in Figure 3 installed in the refill port 54 of the dock 50. The refill reservoir port 54 is shown highly schematically in Figure 3.

The refill reservoir 40 of this implementation includes a moveable or deformable part. In particular, the housing 41 is configured so as to comprise the moveable or deformable part. The housing 41 includes a space or volume where the aerosol-generating material (source liquid) 42 is located and the moveable or deformable part is configured to allow the volume storing the aerosol-generating material 42 to change, and in particular, to decrease. By decreasing the volume storing the aerosol-generating material 42, the aerosol-generating material 42 is able to be forced or pushed out of the refill reservoir 40 via the outlet orifice 44 provided in the housing 41.

In the implementation of Figure 3, the moveable or deformable part of the refill reservoir 40 is a plunger 41a. The plunger 41a is a wall or part of the housing 41 that is configured to move (e.g., slide) with respect to the remaining walls of the housing 41. That is to say, the volume that stores the aerosol-generating material is bounded by a surface of the plunger 41a and the inner surfaces of the housing 41 , where the plunger 41a is moveable with respect to the rest of the housing 41 to change the size of the volume. The housing 41 has parallel side walls (shown as vertical side walls in Figure 3) between which the plunger 41a is arranged and may slide. The plunger 41a may comprise any suitable sealing elements, for example such as O-rings around the outer circumference of the plunger 41a, that are arranged to provide a seal between the plunger 41 a and the parallel side walls of the housing 41 to prevent or reduce aerosol-generating material 42 from passing between the plunger 41a and the side walls of the housing 41. As the plunger 41a moves in the direction shown by the arrow in Figure 3, the plunger 41a is guided by the parallel sides. As the plunger 41a moves in the direction shown by the arrow in Figure 3, the volume bounded by the plunger 41a and inner surfaces of housing 41 decreases. Therefore, any aerosol-generating material 42 stored within this volume is able to be forced or pushed out of the refill reservoir 40 through outlet orifice 44. The refill reservoir 40 of Figure 3 further shows an optional nozzle 44a provided in fluid communication with the outlet orifice 44. The nozzle 44a is provided to help facilitate connection with the fluid conduit 58 (not shown in Figure 3) and thereby to provide a pathway for the aerosol-generating material to pass once it has left the outlet orifice 44. The nozzle 44a may be separately formed and attached to housing 41 as shown in Figure 3, or may be formed as part of the housing 41. Other mechanisms for establishing a connection with the fluid conduit 58 are possible and may be implemented in other implementations.

The plunger 41a further comprises electrical contacts 45a and 45b (hereinafter referred to collectively as electrical contacts 45, and sometimes referred to herein as contact pads) and data containing element 40a. The electrical contacts 45 are coupled to the data containing element 40a via wiring, cabling or other conductive elements. Two electrical contacts 45a and 45b are shown in Figure 3, where one electrical contact 45a is coupled to an input of the data containing element 40a and one electrical contact 45b is coupled to the output of the data containing element 40a. In this implementation, when a signal (e.g., an electrical current) is applied to the input of the data containing element 40a, a signal is output from the output of the data containing element 40a where the output signal is indicative of some or all of the data contained within the data containing element 40a. However, it should be appreciated that more than two electrical contacts 45 may be provided in other implementations, which may be dependent in part on how the data containing element 40a is configured e.g., pairs of contacts may be provided for providing power in/out, data in/out, etc. as appropriate. The data containing element 40a may be embedded in the plunger 41a or fixed on a surface thereof. Additionally the wiring or cabling connecting the data containing element 40a to the electrical contacts 45 may be embedded within the plunger 41a or fixed on a surface thereof. The electrical contacts 45 are provided on or embedded in a surface of the plunger 41a with at least a part thereof exposed. More particularly, the electrical contacts 45 are provided in the same or a parallel plane as the surface of the plunger 41a.

The aerosol-generating material transfer mechanism 53 is shown highly schematically in Figure 3. Only a part of the transfer mechanism 53 is shown in Figure 3 as will be explained below.

The transfer mechanism 53 includes a push rod 531 which includes a stem 532 and a disc 533 positioned at one end of the stem 532. The stem 532 and disc 533 may be separately formed and coupled together, e.g., via a screwthread, adhesive, welding or any other form of attachment, or they may be integrally formed. The push rod 531 is configured to be moveable in the direction of the arrow of Figure 3 (e.g., towards the outlet orifice 44 of the refill reservoir 40). A motor or the like is provided in the dock 50 to facilitate the movement of the push rod 531 accordingly. Suitable linkage, etc. which couples the motor to the stem 532 is also provided where appropriate.

The disc 533 is arranged to contact the plunger 41a of the refill reservoir 40 when the push rod 531 is moved in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3. That is, when the refill reservoir 40 is installed in the refill reservoir port 54, as in Figure 3, the push rod 531 is configured to move towards the plunger 41a of the refill reservoir 40 and engage therewith. The disc 533 therefore comprises an engagement surface 534 which is the surface of the disc 533 configured to engage with refill reservoir 40, and more specifically with the plunger 41a of the refill reservoir 40. The disc 533 further comprises two electrical contacts 535a and 535b (herein collectively referred to as electrical contacts 535, and sometimes referred to herein as contact pads). The electrical contacts 535 are provided at the engagement surface 534, such that at least a part of the electrical contacts 535 are exposed. The electrical contacts 535 may be provided on the engagement surface 534, embedded within the disc 533 or provided in a corresponding recess of the disc 533. Two electrical contacts 535a and 535b are shown in Figure 3, where these are provided to correspond to the electrical contacts 45a and 45a of the plunger 41a. However, it should be appreciated that more than two electrical contacts 535 may be provided in the disc 533 in other implementations, in order to correspond to a plurality of electrical contacts 45 provided on the plunger 41a. The electrical contacts 535 of the push rod 531 are provided with a cabling, wiring or other electrically conductive elements which couple to the controller 55 of the dock 50. The cabling or the like may extend from the electrical contacts 535 through a hollow portion of the push rod 531 or alternatively be embedded in the push rod 531.

The two electrical contacts 535 of the push rod 531 are considered to be or form a part of the data reader 54a. For example, the controller 55 may comprise suitable hardware or software to pass a signal (e.g., an electrical current) along the cabling or wires to electrical contact 535a and subsequently receive and process a signal (e.g., an electrical current) along the cabling or wires from electrical contact 535b. Together, the controller 55 and electrical contacts 535 embody the data reader 54a. Alternatively, suitable circuitry may be provided between the controller 55 and the electrical contacts 535 which may cause the generation and application of the signal to electrical contact 535a and the receipt and processing of the signal from electrical contact 535b. In such implementations, the data reader 54a may be embodied by the suitable circuitry and the electrical contacts 535.

Accordingly, it should be understood from the above configuration that, when the refill reservoir 40 is installed in the refill reservoir port 54, the push rod 531 may be controlled (e.g., via the controller 55 operating an associated motor) to move towards the refill reservoir 40, and in particular towards the plunger 41a of the refill reservoir 40. As the push rod 531 is brought closer to the plunger 41a, the engagement surface 534 of the disc 533 eventually engages with a surface of the plunger 41a (which is the surface of the plunger 41a opposite the surface that forms a part of the volume in which the source liquid 42 is located in the refill reservoir 40). The electrical contacts 45 of the plunger 41a (or, more generally, of the refill reservoir 40) are subsequently brought into physical contact with the electrical contacts 535 of the push rod 531. In this regard, the electrical contact 45a of the plunger 41a and the electrical contact 535a of the push rod 531 are arranged such that when the engagement surface 534 of the push rod 531 is brought into contact with the plunger 41a, the electrical contact 45a of the plunger 41a and the electrical contact 535a of the push rod 531 are aligned (or at least partially overlap) and are brought into physical contact with one another. Additionally, the electrical contact 45b of the plunger 41a and the electrical contact 535b of the push rod 531 are arranged such that when the engagement surface 534 of the push rod 531 is brought into contact with the plunger 41a, the electrical contact 45b of the plunger 41a and the electrical contact 535b of the push rod 531 are aligned (or at least partially overlap) and are brought into physical contact with one another.

Accordingly, with the electrical contacts 45 and 535 engaged, upon a suitable electrical signal being applied to the electrical contact 535a of the push rod 531 , the signal is applied to the electrical contact 45a of the plunger 41a and subsequently applied to the data containing element 40a. The data containing element 40a, in response to receiving the electrical signal, is configured to output a suitable electrical signal that is applied to the electrical contact 45b of the plunger 41a and is subsequently applied to the electrical contact 535b of the push rod 531 . The received signal is processed as described above (ether by the controller 55 and/or suitable circuitry forming the data reader 54a).

The way in which the data containing element 40a generates the signal to be applied to the electrical contact 535b may depend on the construction and operation of the data element 40a. For example, the data containing element 40a may comprise a resistor which subsequently affects the properties of the applied signal (e.g., magnitude of the current) which may be sensed on the output electrical contact 535b. The size of the resistor, and hence the influence on the electrical signal, may codify the information regarding the refill reservoir 40. This may be referred to as a passive data containing element 40a. Alternatively, the data containing element 40a may comprise certain logic or control circuitry (e.g., a plurality of transistors) that is configured to generate or selectively provide an output signal (which may be a binary or digital signal) in response to the applied signal. This may be referred to as an active data containing element 40a. In either case, the data containing element 40a is configured to be read by application of an electrical signal to the data containing element 40a.

Hence, it can be seen that in order to provide a more reliable electrical connection between the electrical contacts 535 of the push rod 531 and the electrical contacts 45 of the refill reservoir 40, the push rod 531 is controlled to bring the electrical contacts 535 into engagement with the electrical contacts 45 of the plunger 41a, and to thereby press the electrical contacts 535 into a more reliable engagement with the electrical contacts 45. This can enable the data containing element 40a of the refill reservoir 40 to be more reliably read.

In addition, it should be understood that the electrical contacts 535 of the push rod 531 form a part of the transfer mechanism 53. Accordingly, in the event that refilling is instructed and I or permitted, the push rod 531 is controlled to continue movement in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3 to apply a further force to the plunger 41a. Assuming the applied force is sufficient to overcome any resistances in the system (e.g., frictional forces between the plunger 41a and the sides of the housing 41 and/or any resistance provided by the source liquid 42), the force applied causes the plunger 41a to move in the direction of the arrow of Figure 3 and therefore cause the volume within the refill reservoir 40 in which the source liquid 42 is located to reduce I decrease. This enables the source liquid 42 to exit from the refill reservoir 40 via the outlet orifice 44, where it is passed to the fluid conduit 58 and subsequently to the article 30. Accordingly, the plunger 41a and the push rod 531 together form a part of the fluid transfer mechanism 53 as in cooperation these components allow the source liquid to be expelled from the refill reservoir 40. The amount of movement of the plunger 41a in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3 determines the amount of source liquid 42 that exits the refill reservoir 40 via the outlet orifice 44. The controller 55 may cause the push rod 531 to move by a certain predetermined distance in the direction of the arrow of Figure 3 to cause a predetermined amount of source liquid 42 to leave the refill reservoir 40.

In the present example, the push rod 531 is provided for two purposes: firstly, to bring the electrical contacts 535 into contact with, and apply a force to, the electrical contacts 45 of the plunger 41a, to thereby help provide a more reliable electrical connection with the data containing element 40a; and secondly, to act as the transfer mechanism 53 for causing the source liquid to exit the refill reservoir 40 and be passed to the article 30. In this way, one moveable component (i.e. the push rod 531) can be provided for both purposes, which may simply construction of the dock 50 and/or reduce component count. In the example of Figure 3, the engagement surface 535 (for engaging with the refill reservoir 40) is provided as part of the transfer mechanism 53 adapted to transfer source liquid from the refill reservoir 40 to the article 30.

In terms of when the data containing element 40a is read, the controller 55 / data reader 54a may be controlled to read the data containing element 40a prior to refilling of the article 30. By providing the electrical contacts 535 as part of the engagement surface 5341 transfer mechanism 53, the engagement surface 534 is brought into contact with the plunger 41a prior to refilling performed. In this regard, the push rod 531 may be controlled in a two-phase approach, where the push rod 531 is firstly moved by a certain amount to be brought into contact with the plunger 41a (and subsequently the controller 55 I data reader 54a is configured to read the data containing element 40a in this position) as a first phase before then being controlled to move a predetermined amount to expel a predetermined amount of source liquid from the refill reservoir 40 as a second phase. The push rod 531 may be controlled to move in the first phase in response to the refill reservoir 40 being installed in the refill reservoir port 54. For example, the refill reservoir port 54 may comprise a sensor for detecting when the refill reservoir 40 is installed, or the user may be asked to press a button on a user interface of the dock 50 to confirm the refill reservoir 40 has been installed. The push rod 531 may then subsequently be moved so that the engagement surface 534 contacts the plunger 41a and more specifically the electrical contacts 45 of the plunger 41a contact the electrical contacts 535 of the disc 533. The push rod 531 may then be controlled to move in the second phase in response to receiving an instruction to refill the reservoir 3 of the article 30 (e.g., which may be in response to the article 30 being installed in the article port 56 or a button press from a user). In some implementations, the time required to read the data containing element 40a may be relatively short (for example on the order of a few milliseconds). Therefore, there may be little to no pause between the engagement surface 534 first engaging with plunger 41a and the engagement surface 534 proceeding to push the plunger 41a in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3 in some implementations. In other implementations, the push rod 531 may be controlled to move in the first phase in response to an instruction to refill the reservoir 3 of the article 30, where in these implementations, the data containing element 40a may be read as the push rod 531 transitions from the first phase to the second phase.

However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the data containing element 40a may additionally or alternatively be read during or after a refilling operation.

In some implementations, the data obtained from the data containing element 40a prior to or during any refilling operation of the article 30 may be used to subsequently control or prevent a refilling operation. For example, in some implementations, the type of source liquid contained within refill reservoir 40 may be identified in order to ensure consistency with the source liquid currently in article 30 and/or used to previously refill article 30. In some implementations, the manufacturing information, such as a date of filling, may be identified to ensure that the source liquid complies with lifetime limitations (i.e. , the source liquid is e.g., no older than six months). In some implementations, the amount of source liquid in the refill reservoir 40 is identified to ensure that refilling of the article 30 is possible. In some implementations, one or more properties for controlling the transfer mechanism 53 are identified in order to control the transfer mechanism 53 to provide optimised refilling of the article 30. Thus, in such implementations, pressing the electrical contacts 535 of the push rod 531 and the electrical contacts 45 of the refill reservoir 40 together via movement of the push rod 531 allows for a more reliable reading of the data containing element 40a of the refill reservoir 40, and therefore may help to ensure suitable or appropriate use of the refill dock 50 to refill the article 30.

Figure 3 additionally shows the electrical contacts 45a and 45b of the plunger 41a protruding upwards from the surface of the plunger 41a. This is shown in an exaggerated way in Figure 3 for the purposes of clarity, and in practical implementations, the electrical contacts 45 may only protrude from the surface of the plunger 41a by one mm or less. In some configurations, the electrical contacts may include moveable electrical contacts such as leaf springs or pogo pins, which are designed to move upon application of a load and provide a biasing force against the load. With such a configuration, the electrical contacts 45a and 45b are arranged such that when the engagement surface 534 is brought towards the plunger 41 a, the electrical contacts 45 are the first elements of the plunger 41a that make contact with the engagement surface 534. Moreover, providing the contacts 45 such that they protrude from the surface of the plunger 41a can help further ensure reliable contact between the electrical contacts 45 of the plunger 41a and the electrical contacts 535 of the push rod 531. It should be appreciated that while the electrical contacts 45 of the plunger 41 a are shown as protruding from the surface of the plunger 41a, the electrical contacts 535 of the push rod 531 may additionally or alternatively protrude from the engagement surface 534 of the push rod 531.

The arrangement described in Figure 3 is an example of the engagement surface 534 of the transfer mechanism 53 being provided to dually engage with a moveable or deformable part of the refill reservoir 40 for the purposes of acting as a fluid transfer mechanism 53 and to provide electrical contact between the contacts 45, 535. However, it should be understood that alternative configurations of the transfer mechanism 53 and/or refill reservoir 40 may be possible. For example, instead of a plunger 41a, the refill reservoir 40 may comprise a deformable or flexible wall (that is, a wall which is configured to flex or deform), or a collapsible wall (that is, a wall that may be configured to move, such as a bellows-type wall). Additionally or alternatively, the transfer mechanism 53 may have a different form from that described; for example, the transfer mechanism 53 may be or comprise an inflatable element or a pressurebased system, which applies pressure to the moveable or deformable part of the refill reservoir 40 when inflated or pressurised. Hence, the precise configuration of the refill reservoir 40 and/or the transfer mechanism 53 may vary from implementation to implementation.

Additionally, in other implementations, the engagement surface that engages with the refill reservoir 40 and comprises electrical contacts (forming part of the data reader 54a) may not be provided as part of the transfer mechanism 53.

Figure 4 schematically illustrates a part of the refilling dock 50 and refill reservoir 40 employing the abovementioned principles according to a second aspect of the present disclosure, where the engagement surface is not provided as part of the transfer mechanism 53.

Figure 4 schematically shows a part of the refill dock 50 (such as the controller 55, at least a part of the transfer mechanism 53, and the refill reservoir port 54) and the refill reservoir 40, and will be broadly understood from Figure 3. Other features of the refill dock 50 are omitted for reasons of clarity.

In Figure 4, the reservoir 40 is shown installed in the refill reservoir port 54 as before. The refill reservoir 40 includes housing 41 , outlet orifice 44 and optional nozzle 44a as before. However, in this implementation, the housing 41 does not include a moveable or deformable part, and instead the outer housing 41 is substantially rigid. In particular, in place of the plunger 41a of Figure 3, the outer housing 41 of refill reservoir 40 of Figure 4 includes a rigid wall extending between the side walls of the housing 41.

In addition, the outer housing 41 is shown comprising electrical contacts 411a and 411b (hereinafter referred to collectively as electrical contacts 411) and data containing element 40a. The data containing element 40a is substantially the same as the data containing element 40a as described in Figure 3, and the electrical contacts 411 are substantially the same as electrical contacts 45 as described in Figure 3. However, the data containing element 40a and electrical contacts 411 are shown embedded in a wall of the housing 41 of the refill reservoir 40 in Figure 4. The wall of the housing 41 of the refill reservoir 40 is shown in an exaggerated manner for the purposes of clarity, although it should be appreciated that depending on the thickness of the wall of the outer housing 41 and the thickness of the data containing element 40a and/or the electrical contacts 411 the wall of the outer housing 41 may have an increased thickness relative to the remaining walls of the housing 41. In addition, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the refill reservoir 40 may comprise a separate walled section, isolated from the volume comprising the source liquid 42, where the data containing element may be housed. In other implementations, the data containing element 40a may be attached to the surface of the housing 41 . The electrical contacts 411 are coupled to the data containing element 40a via wiring, cabling or other conductive elements (in a similar manner to the electrical contacts 45 of Figure 3). Two electrical contacts 411a and 411 b are shown in Figure 4, but again it should be appreciated that more than two electrical contacts 411 may be provided in other implementations as appropriate. The electrical contacts 411 are provided on or embedded in the wall of the housing 41 with at least a part thereof being exposed.

In the implementation of Figure 4, the refill reservoir port 54 comprises an engagement surface 541. In the specific arrangement of Figure 4, the engagement surface 541 is the lowermost surface of the refill reservoir port 54. The engagement surface 541 further comprises electrical contacts 542a and 542b (herein collectively referred to as electrical contacts 542). The electrical contacts 542 are substantially the same as electrical contacts 535 of Figure 3, except the electrical contacts 542 are provided at the engagement surface

541 of the refill reservoir port 54 instead of in the push rod 531. The electrical contacts 542 are provided at the engagement surface 541 , such that at least a part of the electrical contacts

542 are exposed. The electrical contacts 542 may be provided on the engagement surface 542, embedded within the refill reservoir port 54 or provided in a corresponding recess of the refill reservoir port 54. Again, two electrical contacts 542a and 542b are shown in Figure 4, however, it should be appreciated that more than two electrical contacts 542 may be provided in the refill reservoir port 54 in other implementations, in order to correspond to a plurality of electrical contacts 411 provided on the refill reservoir 40. The electrical contacts 542 are provided with a cabling, wiring or other electrically conductive elements which couple to the controller 55 of the dock 50.

The two electrical contacts 542 of the refill reservoir port 54 are considered to be or form a part of the data reader 54a. For example, the controller 55 may comprise suitable hardware or software to pass a signal (e.g., an electrical current) along the cabling or wires to electrical contact 542a and subsequently receive and process a signal (e.g., an electrical current) along the cabling or wires from electrical contact 542b. Together, the controller 55 and electrical contacts 542 embody the data reader 54a. Alternatively, suitable circuitry may be provided between the controller 55 and the electrical contacts 542 which may cause the generation and application of the signal to electrical contact 542a and the receipt and processing of the signal from electrical contact 542b. In such implementations, the data reader 54a may be embodied by the suitable circuitry and the electrical contacts 542.

Figure 4 also shows a pressing element 60 forming part of the refill reservoir port 54 and arranged relative to the void of the refill reservoir port 54 for accommodating the refill reservoir 40. The pressing element 60 is arranged to apply a pressing force to the refill reservoir 40, and in particular, a force which is broadly along a direction that is normal to the electrical contacts 542 and 411. In other words, the pressing element 60 is arranged to apply a force to the refill reservoir 40 that causes the refill reservoir 40 to move towards the engagement surface 541 of the refill reservoir port 54, and subsequently the electrical contacts 411 of the refill reservoir 40 to engage with the electrical contacts 542 of the refill reservoir port 54. In the example shown in Figure 4 the pressing element 60 has a similar form to the push rod 531 of Figure 3 in that the pressing element 60 comprises a stem 61 that is coupled to (or formed integrally with) a disc 62. The disc 62 is arranged to engage with the rigid top surface of the outer housing 41 of the refill reservoir 40. The pressing element 60 may be coupled to a biasing element (not shown), such as a spring or a motor or the like. The biasing element is an element that causes the pressing element 60 to move and apply the force to the refill reservoir 40 and any suitable biasing element may be used. In the case of basing elements such as a spring, suitable mechanisms may be provided to help control the position of the pressing element 60. For example, a latch or the like may retain the pressing element 60 in a retracted positon while the refill reservoir 40 is inserted into the refill reservoir port 54, and subsequently release the pressing element 60 once the refill reservoir 40 is installed. For biasing elements that are capable of being controlled, such as a motor, the controller 55 may cause the biasing element 60 to move between a retracted and engaged position accordingly.

In much the same way as described above in respect of Figure 3, the implementation of Figure 4 permits relative movement of the engagement surface 541 of the refill reservoir port 54 towards the refill reservoir 40 when the refill reservoir 40 is installed in the refill reservoir port 54. The electrical contacts 542 of the engagement surface 541 are correspondingly pressed into contact with the corresponding electrical contacts 411 of the refill reservoir 40. In this way, and in a similar manner to described above with respect to Figure 3, the electrical contacts 411 , 542 can be forced into contact with one another thereby heling to ensure a more reliable electrical connection and subsequently a more reliable reading of the data containing element 40a.

In the implementation of Figure 4, the pressing element 60 is operated independently of the transfer mechanism 53. In other words, the pressing element 60 may be biased into contact with the refill reservoir 40 independently of any instruction or request to begin a refilling operation. However, in some implementations, the pressing element 60 may not be brought into contact until the refill processing is instructed. In the implementation of Figure 4, the transfer mechanism 53 may be any suitable mechanism for extracting the source liquid from the refill reservoir 40, e.g., such as a peristaltic pump provided along the fluid conduit 58. In such implementations, the engagement surface 541 does not form part of the transfer mechanism 53 and therefore an additional component (such as the pressing element 60) is provided in order to be able to apply a force to the refill reservoir 40.

In addition, while the above implementation of Figure 4 shows the engagement surface 541 formed as part of the refill reservoir port 54, it should be appreciated that the engagement surface 541 may instead be formed on the disc 62 of the pressing element 60 (in a similar manner to the push rod of Figure 3), with the corresponding wall of the housing 41 of the refill reservoir 40 comprising the data containing element 40a and the electrical contacts 411.

Additionally, it is shown in Figure 4 that the electrical contacts 542 protrude from the engagement surface 541 . However, in the same manner as with respect to the implementation of Figure 3, the electrical contacts 411 may additionally or alternatively protrude from the surface of the housing 41 of the refill reservoir 40. In some configurations, the electrical contacts may include moveable electrical contacts such as leaf springs or pogo pins, which are designed to move upon application of a load and provide a biasing force against the load.

Thus, generally, the above describes a refill dock 50 which is provided with a refill reservoir port 54 for receiving a refill reservoir 40 holding aerosol-generating material (source liquid) and an engagement surface 534, 541 for engaging with the refill reservoir 40. The engagement surface 534 may form part of a transfer mechanism 53 configured to engage with the refill reservoir 40 and move or deform a part of the refill reservoir 40, or the engagement surface 534 may be a surface of the refill reservoir port 54 or a pressing element 60 designed to engage with the refill reservoir 40. The engagement surface 534, 541 comprises one or more electrical contacts 535, 542 for engaging (and electrically coupling) with one or more electrical contacts 45, 411 of the refill reservoir 40 when the refill reservoir 40 is installed in the refill reservoir port 54. The electrical contacts 45 may be provided on a moveable or deformable part of the refill reservoir 40, or the electrical contacts 411 may be provided on a rigid part of the refill reservoir 40. The engagement surface 534, 541 and refill reservoir port 54 are configured to allow relative movement of the engagement surface 534, 541 towards the refill reservoir 40 when installed in the refill reservoir port 54 such that the one or more electrical contacts 535, 542 of the engagement surface 535, 542 are pressed into contact with corresponding one or more electrical contacts 45, 411 of the refill reservoir 40.

The refill reservoir 40 comprises an electronically-readable element coupled to the one or more electrical contacts 45, 411 of the refill reservoir 40. In the examples described above, the electronically-readable element is the data containing element 40a. In this regard, it should be appreciated that any data containing element which is capable of being read electronically by application of a current thereto is contemplated as the electronically-readable element. As described above, this may range from a simple resistor which codifies certain data (e.g., a resistance in the range of X to Y indicates one characteristic (e.g., flavour of the source liquid), and a resistance in the range Y to Z indicates another characteristic, etc.) or the data containing element may be a memory formed of a series of transistors or the like which may be read electronically. The skilled person will be aware of various arrangements for the data containing element 40a. Prior to reading the electronically-readable element of the refill reservoir 40, the dock 50 is configured to move the engagement surface 534, 541 into contact with the refill reservoir 40. This may be achieved passively, e.g., through the spring-loaded pressing element 60, or actively through control of a motor. In this way, electrical contact between the respective contacts of the engagement surface 534, 541 and the refill reservoir 40 can be ensured.

It should be appreciated that the specific implementations described in respect of Figures 3 and 4 are examples only and other implementations employing the principles of the present disclosure may be realised.

Furthermore, while the above has described an engagement surface 534, 541 of the reservoir port 54 or the transfer mechanism 53, it should be appreciated that the refill reservoir 40 comprises a corresponding engagement surface. That is to say, the surface of the refill reservoir 40 that comprises the electrical contacts 45, 411 (i.e. , the surface of the plunger 41a or the surface of the housing 41) may also be referred to as an engagement surface of the refill reservoir 40. The engagement surface of the refill reservoir 40 is configured to engage with the engagement surface 534, 541 of the reservoir port 54 or the transfer mechanism 53 accordingly.

Figure 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of using the dock 50 to obtain information or data from the data containing element 40a of a refill reservoir 40 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

The method starts at step S1. At step S1 , the refill reservoir 40 is engaged with the dock 50. More particularly, the refill reservoir 40 is installed in the refill reservoir port 54 of the dock 50. As noted above, this may include firstly opening a door or activating some mechanism in order to allow the refill reservoir 40 to be installed in the refill reservoir port 54.

Once the refill reservoir 40 is installed (and in some implementations is properly housed in the dock 50, e.g., any doors to the refill reservoir port 54 are closed), the method proceeds to step S2. At step S2, an engagement surface of the dock 50 (which may be the engagement surface 534 of the push rod 531 or the engagement surface 541 of the refill reservoir port 54) is moved relative to an engagement surface of the refill reservoir 40 (which may be the surface of the plunger 41a or the outer surface of the housing 41). The precise way in which the relative movement is performed will vary based on the implementation at hand, as described above with respect to Figures 3 and 4, for example. However, regardless of how the movement is effected, the respective engagement surfaces are brought into contact with one another and, moreover, are brought into contact with a pressing force that maintains contact between the engagement surfaces. As described in more detail above, specifically, the electrical contacts on each of the engagement surfaces are pressed into contact with one another. Thereafter, step S3 is performed. At step S3, the data containing element 40a of the refill reservoir 40 is read. For example, as described above, this may include passing an electrical signal from the dock 50 to the data containing element 40a (via electrical contacts on the refill dock 50 and the refill reservoir 40 that are pressed into contact with one another) and receiving an electrical signal from the data containing element 40a (via electrical contacts on the refill dock 50 and the refill reservoir 40 that are pressed into contact with one another). The signal received from the data containing element 40a by the dock 50 may be indicative of certain data or information concerning the refill reservoir 40, which as described above may include information regarding the type of source liquid stored in the refill reservoir 40. Owing to the fact that the electrical contacts are pressed into contact with one another, the reading of the data containing element 40a can be more reliably performed. For example, data regarding the refill reservoir 40 may be reliably obtained before a refilling operation is performed.

The method of Figure 5 is then shown passing to step S4 where a refilling of the article 30 is performed. This step S4 may be performed sometime after the step S3 is performed, e.g., in response to a request to refill the article 30, although in some implementations step S4 may quickly follow step S3. The transfer mechanism 53 is operated to cause source liquid 42 to exit the refill reservoir 40 and be passed to the reservoir 3 of the article 30 via the fluid conduit 58. In some implementations, the transfer mechanism 53 includes the engagement surface of the dock 50, and therefore further movement of the engagement surface I transfer mechanism 53 causes a movable or deformable part of the refill reservoir 40 to be moved or deformed expelling source liquid from the outlet orifice 44 of the refill reservoir 40.

Figure 5 shows the method stopping at step S4 but it should be understood that the method may repeat step S4 in response to further requests to refill the article 30 until the refill reservoir 40 is depleted. In other implementations, steps S2 and S3 along with step S4 may be performed each time a refill operation is requested or initiated.

Figure 5 represents an example method for obtaining data from a data containing element 40a of the refill reservoir 40. It should be appreciated that the method may be adapted from that shown in other implementations depending in part on the configuration of the engagement surfaces and/or the configuration of the refill dock 50.

Although it has been described above that the refilling device I dock 50 is provided to transfer source liquid from a refill reservoir 40 to an article 30, as discussed, other implementations may use other aerosol-generating materials (such as solids, e.g., tobacco). The principles of the present disclosure apply equally to other types of aerosol-generating material, and suitable refill reservoirs 40 and articles 30 for storing I holding the aerosolgenerating materials, and a suitable transfer mechanism 53, may accordingly be employed by the skilled person for such implementations. Hence, it has been described a refilling unit for refilling a refillable article for use with a vapour provision device for generating aerosol from aerosol-generating material stored within the refillable article. The refilling unit includes a refill reservoir port for receiving a refill reservoir holding aerosol-generating material; and an engagement surface for engaging with the refill reservoir. The engagement surface comprises one or more electrical contacts for engaging with one or more electrical contacts of the refill reservoir when installed in the refill reservoir port. The engagement surface and refill reservoir port are configured to allow relative movement of the engagement surface towards the refill reservoir when installed in the refill reservoir port such that the one or more electrical contacts of the engagement surface are pressed into contact with corresponding one or more electrical contacts of the refill reservoir. Also described is a refill reservoir for use with a refilling unit, a refilling system for refilling a refillable article, and a method for obtaining information from a refill reservoir for use in refilling a refillable article with aerosol-generating material using a refilling unit.

The various embodiments described herein are presented only to assist in understanding and teaching the claimed features. These embodiments are provided as a representative sample of embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. It is to be understood that advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and/or other aspects described herein are not to be considered limitations on the scope of the invention as defined by the claims or limitations on equivalents to the claims, and that other embodiments may be utilised and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. Various embodiments of the invention may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, appropriate combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc., other than those specifically described herein. In addition, this disclosure may include other inventions not presently claimed, but which may be claimed in future.

Claims

1. A refilling unit for refilling a refillable article for use with a vapour provision device for generating aerosol from aerosol-generating material stored within the refillable article, the refilling unit comprising: a refill reservoir port for receiving a refill reservoir holding aerosol-generating material; and an engagement surface for engaging with the refill reservoir, wherein the engagement surface comprises one or more electrical contacts for engaging with one or more electrical contacts of the refill reservoir when installed in the refill reservoir port, and wherein the engagement surface and refill reservoir port are configured to allow relative movement of the engagement surface towards the refill reservoir when installed in the refill reservoir port such that the one or more electrical contacts of the engagement surface are pressed into contact with corresponding one or more electrical contacts of the refill reservoir.

2. The refilling unit of claim 1 , wherein the refill reservoir comprises an electronically- readable element coupled to the one or more electrical contacts of the refill reservoir, and wherein the refilling unit is configured to read the electronically-readable element of the refill reservoir when the engagement surface is pressed into contact with the electrical contacts of the refill reservoir.

3. The refilling unit of any of the preceding claims, wherein the refilling unit is configured to move the engagement surface into contact with the refilling reservoir prior to reading the electronically-readable element of the refill reservoir.

4. The refilling unit of any of the preceding claims, wherein the engagement surface forms a part of a transfer mechanism adapted to transfer aerosol-generating material from the refill reservoir to the article.

5. The refilling unit of any of the preceding claims, wherein the transfer mechanism comprises a pressing element adapted to press a moveable or deformable part of the refill reservoir to cause the contents of the refill reservoir to evacuate through an opening of the refill reservoir, wherein the pressing element comprises the engagement surface.

6. The refilling unit of any of the preceding claims, wherein the engagement surface is configured to engage with a moveable plunger of the refill reservoir.

7. The refilling unit of any of the preceding claims, wherein the electrical contacts of the engagement surface comprise protrusions extending from the engagement surface.

8. A refill reservoir for use with a refilling unit configured to refill a refillable article with aerosol-generating material for use with an aerosol provision device to generate aerosol from aerosol-generating material stored within the refillable article, the refill reservoir comprising: a housing comprising a storage area for storing aerosol-generating material; an electronically-readable element for storing information corresponding to the refill reservoir; and an engagement surface comprising one or more electrical contacts coupled to the electronically-readable element, wherein the engagement surface is configured to engage with a corresponding engagement surface of the refilling unit such that one or more electrical contacts of the engagement surface are pressed into contact with corresponding one or more electrical contacts of the refilling unit.

9. The refill reservoir of claim 8, wherein the engagement surface forms a part of a transfer mechanism adapted to transfer aerosol-generating material from the refill reservoir to the article.

10. The refill reservoir of any of claims 8 to 9, wherein the transfer mechanism comprises a deformable or moveable surface of the refill reservoir, and the deformable or moveable surface is arranged to be deformed or moved via a pressing element of the refilling unit to cause the contents of the refill reservoir to evacuate through an opening of the refill reservoir, wherein the deformable or moveable surface comprises the engagement surface.

11. The refill reservoir of any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the refill reservoir comprises a plunger configured to move relative to the housing of the refill reservoir to cause aerosolgenerating material to be forced out of the opening, wherein a surface of the plunger comprises the engagement surface.

12. The refill reservoir of any of claims 8 to 11, wherein the electrical contacts of the engagement surface comprise electrical contact pads provided in the same or parallel plane as the engagement surface.

13. A refilling system for refilling a refillable article, the system comprising: the refilling unit of any of claims 1 to 7; and the refill reservoir of any of claims 8 to 12.

14. A method for obtaining information from a refill reservoir for use in refilling a refillable article with aerosol-generating material using a refilling unit, the method comprising: providing the refill reservoir to the refilling unit; causing relative movement between the an engagement surface of the refill reservoir and an engagement surface of the refilling unit towards one another, wherein one or more electrical contacts on the engagement surface of the refill reservoir are pressed into contact with corresponding one or more electrical contacts on the engagement surface of the refilling unit, reading an electronically-readable element of the refill reservoir coupled to the one or more electrical contacts of the engagement surface of the refill reservoir.

15. Refilling means for refilling a refillable article for use with vapour provision means for generating aerosol from aerosol-generating material stored within the refillable article, the refilling means comprising: receiving means for receiving a refill reservoir means holding aerosol-generating material; and an engagement means for engaging with the refill reservoir means, wherein the engagement means comprises one or more electrical connection means for engaging with one or more electrical connection means of the refill reservoir means when installed in the receiving means, and wherein the engagement means and receiving means are configured to allow relative movement of the engagement means towards the refill reservoir means when installed in the receiving means such that the one or more electrical connection means of the engagement means are pressed into contact with corresponding one or more electrical connection means of the refill reservoir means.

16. Refill reservoir means for use with refilling means configured to refill a refillable article with aerosol-generating material for use with aerosol provision means to generate aerosol from aerosol-generating material stored within the refillable article, the refill reservoir means comprising: storage means for storing aerosol-generating material; electronically-readable means for storing information corresponding to the refill reservoir means; and an engagement means comprising one or more electrical connection means coupled to the electronically-readable means, wherein the engagement means is configured to engage with a corresponding engagement means of the refilling means such that one or more electrical connection means of the engagement means are pressed into contact with corresponding one or more electrical connection means of the refilling means.