WO2024189346A1

WO2024189346A1 - Aerosol delivery devices, systems, consumables and methods

Info

Publication number: WO2024189346A1
Application number: PCT/GB2024/050667
Authority: WO
Inventors: Colin Dickens; Matthew Hodgson; Paul Gibson; Dean Cowan
Original assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Current assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Priority date: 2023-03-13
Filing date: 2024-03-12
Publication date: 2024-09-19
Anticipated expiration: 2025-09-13
Also published as: GB202303638D0

Abstract

An aerosol delivery device configured to receive a removable consumable comprising an aerosol- generating material and an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol in use, the device comprising a heat transfer element configured to provide supplementary heating or cooling to the aerosol-generating material in use.

Description

AEROSOL DELIVERY DEVICES, SYSTEMS, CONSUMABLES AND METHODS

Field

The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery systems such as, but not exclusively, nicotine delivery systems (e.g. e-cigarettes).

Background

Aerosol delivery systems such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) generally contain an aerosol generating material, such as a chamber of a source solid or liquid, which may contain an active substance and / or a flavour, from which an aerosol or vapour is generated for inhalation by a user, for example through heat vaporisation. Thus, an aerosol delivery system will typically comprise an aerosol generation area containing an aerosol generator, e.g. a heating element, arranged to vaporise or aerosolise a portion of precursor material to generate a vapour or aerosol in the aerosol generation area. As a user inhales on the device and electrical power is supplied to the vaporiser, air is drawn into the device through an inlet hole and along an inlet air channel connecting to the aerosol generation area, where the air mixes with vaporised precursor material to form a condensation aerosol. There is an outlet channel connecting the aerosol generation area to an outlet in the mouthpiece and the air drawn into the aerosol generation area as a user inhales on the mouthpiece continues along the outlet flow path to the mouthpiece outlet, carrying the aerosol with it, for inhalation by the user. Some electronic cigarettes may also include a flavour element in the air flow path through the device to impart additional flavours. Such devices may sometimes be referred to as hybrid devices, and the flavour element may, for example, include a portion of tobacco arranged in the air flow path between the aerosol generation area and the mouthpiece such that aerosol I condensation aerosol drawn through the device passes through the portion of tobacco before exiting the mouthpiece for user inhalation.

User experiences with electronic aerosol delivery systems are continually improving as such systems become more refined in respect of the nature of the vapour they provide for user inhalation, for example in terms of deep lung delivery, mouth feel and consistency in performance. Nonetheless, approaches for improving further still on these aspects remain of interest. In particular, it is of interest to develop approaches in which an aerosol delivery system comprises functionality maintaining consistent performance despite varying environmental conditions. Various approaches are described herein which seek to help address or mitigate at least some of these issues.

Terminology

Delivery System As used herein, the term “delivery system” is intended to encompass systems that deliver at least one substance to a user in use, and includes: combustible aerosol provision systems, such as cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, and tobacco for pipes or for roll-your-own or for make-your-own cigarettes (whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, tobacco substitutes or other smokable material); non-combustible aerosol provision systems that release compounds from an aerosolgenerating material without combusting the aerosol-generating material, such as electronic cigarettes, tobacco heating products, and hybrid systems to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosolgenerating materials; and aerosol-free delivery systems that deliver the at least one substance to a user orally, nasally, transdermally or in another way without forming an aerosol, including but not limited to, lozenges, gums, patches, articles comprising inhalable powders, and oral products such as oral tobacco which includes snus or moist snuff, wherein the at least one substance may or may not comprise nicotine.

Combustible Aerosol Provision System

According to the present disclosure, a “combustible” aerosol provision system is one where a constituent aerosol-generating material of the aerosol provision system (or component thereof) is combusted or burned during use in order to facilitate delivery of at least one substance to a user.

In some embodiments, the delivery system is a combustible aerosol provision system, such as a system selected from the group consisting of a cigarette, a cigarillo and a cigar. In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to a component for use in a combustible aerosol provision system, such as a filter, a filter rod, a filter segment, a tobacco rod, a spill, an aerosol-modifying agent release component such as a capsule, a thread, or a bead, or a paper such as a plug wrap, a tipping paper or a cigarette paper.

Non-Combustible Aerosol Provision System

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 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 system (END), although it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosolgenerating material is not a requirement. 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 aerosolgenerating material may comprise, for example, tobacco or a non-tobacco product.

Typically, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise a non-combustible aerosol provision device and a 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.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a non-combustible aerosol provision device thereof, may comprise a power source and a controller. The power source may, for example, be an electric power source or an exothermic power source. In some embodiments, the exothermic power source comprises a carbon substrate which may be energised so as to distribute power in the form of heat to an aerosol-generating material or to a heat transfer material in proximity to the exothermic power source.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise an area for receiving the consumable, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a mouthpiece, a filter and/or an aerosol-modifying agent. In some embodiments, the consumable for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise aerosol-generating material, an aerosol-generating material storage area, an aerosol-generating material transfer component, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a filter, a mouthpiece, and/or an aerosol-modifying agent.

Aerosol-Free Delivery System

In some embodiments, the delivery system is an aerosol-free delivery system that delivers at least one substance to a user orally, nasally, transdermally or in another way without forming an aerosol, including but not limited to, lozenges, gums, patches, articles comprising inhalable powders, and oral products such as oral tobacco which includes snus or moist snuff, wherein the at least one substance may or may not comprise nicotine. In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered may be an aerosol-generating material or a material that is not intended to be aerosolised. As appropriate, either 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.

Active Substance

In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered comprises an active substance. 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.

In some embodiments, the active substance comprises nicotine. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises caffeine, melatonin or vitamin B12.

As noted herein, the active substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of cannabis, such as one or more cannabinoids or terpenes. As noted herein, the active substance may comprise or be derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof. As used herein, the term "botanical" includes any material derived from plants including, but not limited to, extracts, leaves, bark, fibres, stems, roots, seeds, flowers, fruits, pollen, husk, shells or the like. Alternatively, the material may comprise an active compound naturally existing in a botanical, obtained synthetically. The material may be in the form of liquid, gas, solid, powder, dust, crushed particles, granules, pellets, shreds, strips, sheets, or the like.

Example botanicals are tobacco, eucalyptus, star anise, hemp, cocoa, cannabis, fennel, lemongrass, peppermint, spearmint, rooibos, chamomile, flax, ginger, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, licorice (liquorice), matcha, mate, orange skin, papaya, rose, sage, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, clove, cinnamon, coffee, aniseed (anise), basil, bay leaves, cardamom, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lavender, lemon peel, mint, juniper, elderflower, vanilla, Wintergreen, beefsteak plant, curcuma, turmeric, sandalwood, cilantro, bergamot, orange blossom, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, geranium, mulberry, ginseng, theanine, theacrine, maca, ashwagandha, damiana, guarana, chlorophyll, baobab or any combination thereof. The mint may be chosen from the following mint varieties: Mentha Arventis, Mentha c.v., Mentha niliaca, Mentha piperita, Mentha piperita citrata c.v., Mentha piperita c.v, Mentha spicata crispa, Mentha cardifolia, Memtha longifolia, Mentha suaveolens variegata, Mentha pulegium, Mentha spicata c.v. and Mentha suaveolens. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is tobacco. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is selected from eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa and hemp. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is selected from rooibos and fennel.

Flavours

In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered comprises a flavour. 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 (e.g., tobacco, cannabis, licorice (liquorice), hydrangea, eugenol, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek, clove, maple, matcha, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed (anise), cinnamon, turmeric, Indian spices, Asian spices, herb, Wintergreen, cherry, berry, red berry, cranberry, peach, apple, orange, mango, clementine, lemon, lime, tropical fruit, papaya, rhubarb, grape, durian, dragon fruit, cucumber, blueberry, mulberry, citrus fruits, Drambuie, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, aloe vera, cardamom, celery, cascarilla, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, khat, naswar, betel, shisha, pine, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, orange blossom, cherry blossom, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sage, fennel, wasabi, piment, ginger, coriander, coffee, hemp, a mint oil from any species of the genus Mentha, eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa, lemongrass, rooibos, flax, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, mate, orange skin, rose, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, juniper, elderflower, basil, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lemon peel, mint, beefsteak plant, curcuma, cilantro, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, limonene, thymol, camphene), flavour enhancers, bitterness receptor site blockers, sensorial receptor site activators or stimulators, sugars and/or sugar substitutes (e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharine, cyclamates, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol), and other additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, botanicals, or breath freshening agents. They may be imitation, synthetic or natural ingredients or blends thereof. They may be in any suitable form, for example, liquid such as an oil, solid such as a powder, or gas.

In some embodiments, the flavour comprises menthol, spearmint and/or peppermint. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components of cucumber, blueberry, citrus fruits and/or redberry. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises eugenol. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from tobacco. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from cannabis. In some embodiments, the flavour may comprise a sensate, which is intended to achieve a somatosensorial sensation which are usually chemically induced and perceived by the stimulation of the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve), in addition to or in place of aroma or taste nerves, and these may include agents providing heating, cooling, tingling, numbing effect. A suitable heat effect agent may be, but is not limited to, vanillyl ethyl ether and a suitable cooling agent may be, but not limited to eucolyptol, WS-3.

Aerosol-generating material

Aerosol-generating material is a material that is capable of generating aerosol, for example when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. 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.

The aerosol-generating material may comprise one or more active substances and/or flavours, one or more aerosol-former materials, and optionally one or more other functional material.

Aerosol-former material

The aerosol-former 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.

Functional material

The one or more other functional materials may comprise one or more of pH regulators, colouring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and/or antioxidants.

Substrate The material may be present on or in a support, to form a substrate. The support may, for example, be or comprise paper, card, paperboard, cardboard, reconstituted material, a plastics material, a ceramic material, a composite material, glass, a metal, or a metal alloy. In some embodiments, the support comprises a susceptor. In some embodiments, the susceptor is embedded within the material. In some alternative embodiments, the susceptor is on one or either side of the material.

Consumable

A consumable is an article comprising or consisting of aerosol-generating material, part or all of which is intended to be consumed during use by a user. A consumable may comprise one or more other components, such as an aerosol-generating material storage area, an aerosol-generating material transfer component, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a mouthpiece, a filter and/or an aerosol-modifying agent. A consumable may also comprise an aerosol generator, such as a heater, that emits heat to cause the aerosol-generating material to generate aerosol in use. The heater may, for example, comprise combustible material, a material heatable by electrical conduction, or a susceptor.

Susceptor

A susceptor is a material that is heatable by penetration with a varying magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field. The susceptor may be an electrically-conductive material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes induction heating of the heating material. The heating material may be magnetic material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes magnetic hysteresis heating of the heating material. The susceptor may be both electrically-conductive and magnetic, so that the susceptor is heatable by both heating mechanisms. The device that is configured to generate the varying magnetic field is referred to as a magnetic field generator, herein.

Aerosol-modifying agent

An aerosol-modifying agent is a substance, typically located downstream of the aerosol generation area, that is configured to modify the aerosol generated, for example by changing the taste, flavour, acidity or another characteristic of the aerosol. The aerosol-modifying agent may be provided in an aerosol-modifying agent release component, that is operable to selectively release the aerosolmodifying agent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be an additive or a sorbent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, comprise one or more of a flavourant, a colourant, water, and a carbon adsorbent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be a solid, a liquid, or a gel. The aerosol-modifying agent may be in powder, thread or granule form. The aerosol-modifying agent may be free from filtration material. Aerosol generator

An aerosol generator is an apparatus configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosolgenerating material. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is a heater configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to heat energy, so as to release one or more volatiles from the aerosol-generating material to form an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is configured to cause an aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to one or more of vibration, increased pressure, or electrostatic energy.

The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery systems (which may also be referred to as vapour delivery systems) such as nebulisers or e-cigarettes. Throughout the following description the term “e- cigarette” or “electronic cigarette” may sometimes be used, but it will be appreciated this term may be used interchangeably with aerosol delivery system I device and electronic aerosol delivery system I device. Furthermore, and as is common in the technical field, the terms "aerosol" and "vapour", and related terms such as "vaporise", "volatilise" and "aerosolise", may generally be used interchangeably.

Aerosol delivery systems (e-cigarettes) often, though not always, comprise a modular assembly comprising a reusable device part and a replaceable (disposable/consumable) cartridge part. Often, the replaceable cartridge part will comprise the aerosol generating material and the vaporiser (which may collectively be called a ‘cartomizer’) and the reusable device part will comprise the power supply (e.g. rechargeable power source) and control circuitry. It will be appreciated these different parts may comprise further elements depending on functionality. For example, the reusable device part will often comprise a user interface for receiving user input and displaying operating status characteristics, and the replaceable cartridge device part in some cases comprises a temperature sensor for helping to control temperature. Cartridges are electrically and mechanically coupled to the control unit for use, for example using a screw thread, bayonet, or magnetic coupling with appropriately arranged electrical contacts. When the aerosol generating material in a cartridge is exhausted, or the user wishes to switch to a different cartridge having a different aerosol generating material, the cartridge may be removed from the reusable part and a replacement cartridge attached in its place. Systems and devices conforming to this type of two-part modular configuration may generally be referred to as two-part systems/devices.

It is common for electronic cigarettes to have a generally elongate shape. For the sake of providing a concrete example, certain embodiments of the disclosure will be taken to comprise this kind of generally elongate two-part system employing disposable cartridges. However, it will be appreciated that the underlying principles described herein may equally be adopted for different configurations, for example single-part systems or modular systems comprising more than two parts, refillable devices and single-use disposables, as well as other overall shapes, for example based on so-called box-mod high performance devices that typically have a boxier shape. More generally, it will be appreciated certain embodiments of the disclosure are based on aerosol delivery systems which are operationally configured to provide functionality in accordance with the principles described herein and the constructional aspects of systems configured to provide the functionality in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure is not of primary significance.

Brief summary of the invention

The present invention provides aerosol delivery devices, systems and consumables as claimed.

The claimed invention generally provides a sub-assembly or sub-system suitable for use in an aerosol delivery system, or configured for use in an aerosol delivery system. The sub-system may generally form part of an aerosol delivery system and in particular may form part of the reusable device and/or the consumable cartridge.

Brief description of the figures

Embodiments of the disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are schematic cross-section views of aerosol delivery systems in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

Figure 3a is a schematic, perspective view of an aerosol delivery system in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

Figure 3b is a schematic, perspective view of the reusable device part of the aerosol delivery system of figure 3a in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

Figure 3c illustrates the heat transfer element of the aerosol delivery system of figure 3a in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

Figures 4a-d are schematic, cross-section views of cartridges for aerosol delivery systems in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Detailed description of the disclosure

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

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through a first example aerosol delivery system 1 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure. The aerosol delivery system 1 comprises two main parts, namely a reusable part 2 and a replaceable I disposable consumable cartridge part 4. In normal use, the reusable part 2 and the cartridge part 4 are releasably coupled together at an interface 6. When the cartridge part 4 is exhausted or the user simply wishes to switch to a different cartridge part 4, the cartridge part 4 may be removed from the reusable part 2 and a replacement cartridge part 4 attached to the reusable part 2 in its place. The interface 6 provides a structural, electrical and fluid flow path connection between the two parts 2, 4 and may be established in accordance with conventional techniques, for example based around a screw thread, magnetic or bayonet fixing with appropriately arranged electrical contacts and openings (cavities), housings and/or connectors for establishing the electrical connection and airflow path between the two parts 2, 4 as appropriate. The specific manner by which the cartridge part 4 mechanically mounts to the reusable part 2 is not significant to the principles described herein, but for the sake of a concrete example is assumed here to comprise a magnetic coupling (not represented in figure 1). It will also be appreciated the interface 6 in some implementations may not support an electrical and I or fluid flow path connection between the respective parts 2, 4. For example, in some implementations an aerosol generator may be provided in the reusable part 2 rather than in the cartridge part 4, or the transfer of electrical power from the reusable part 2 to the cartridge part 4 may be wireless (e.g. based on electromagnetic induction), so that an electrical connection between the reusable part 2 and the cartridge part 4 is not needed. Furthermore, in some implementations the airflow through the electronic cigarette might not go through the reusable part 2, so that an airflow path connection between the reusable part 2 and the cartridge part 4 is not needed. In some instances, a portion of the airflow path may be defined at the interface between portions of the reusable part 2 and cartridge part 4 when these are coupled together for use. Accordingly, when the consumable is received in the device a fluid flow pathway is formed from an air inlet on the device (or the consumable) to an aerosol outlet 50 on the consumable (or the device), via the aerosol generation region in which the aerosol generator 48 is configured to generate the aerosol from the aerosol-generating material. The aerosol outlet 50 may form at least part of a mouthpiece through which a user can inhale aerosol in use.

In figure 1 , the cartridge part 4 comprises a cartridge housing 42 formed of a plastics material. The cartridge housing 42 supports other components of the cartridge part 4 and provides the mechanical interface 6 with the reusable part 2. The cartridge housing 42 is generally circularly symmetric about a longitudinal axis along which the cartridge part 4 couples to the reusable part 2. In this example, the cartridge part 4 has a length of around 4 cm and a diameter of around 1 .5 cm. However, it will be appreciated the specific geometry, and more generally the overall shapes and materials used, may be different in different implementations.

Within the cartridge housing 42 is a chamber or reservoir 44 that contains aerosol-generating material. A typical volume for the chamber 44 is 1-5 ml, where each 1 ml provides around 100 typical puffs. In the example shown schematically in figure 1 , the reservoir 44 stores a supply of liquid aerosol generating material. In this example, the liquid reservoir 44 has an annular shape with an outer wall defined by the cartridge housing 42 and an inner wall that defines an airflow path 52 through the cartridge part 4. The reservoir 44 is closed at each end with end walls to contain the aerosol generating material. The reservoir 44 may be formed in accordance with conventional techniques, for example it may comprise a plastics material and be integrally moulded with the cartridge housing 42.

The cartridge I consumable part 4 further comprises an aerosol generator 48 located towards an end of the reservoir 44 opposite to the mouthpiece outlet 50. It will be appreciated that in a two-part system such as shown in figure 1 , the aerosol generator 48 may be in either of the reusable part 2 or the cartridge part 4. For example, in some embodiments, the aerosol generator 48 (e.g. a heater, which may be in the form of a wick and coil arrangement as shown, a distiller, which may be formed from a sintered metal fibre material or other porous conducting material, or any suitable alternative aerosol generator) may be comprised in the reusable part 2, and is brought into proximity with a portion of aerosol generating material in the cartridge part 4 when the cartridge part 4 is engaged with the reusable part 2. In such embodiments, the cartridge part 4 may comprise a portion of aerosol generating material, and an aerosol generator 48 comprising a heater is at least partially inserted into or at least partially surrounds the portion of aerosol generating material as the cartridge part 4 is engaged with the reusable part 2. The cartridge I consumable part 4 also comprises an integrated (annular) heat transfer element 70, which is described in more detail later.

In the example of figure 1 , a wick 46 in contact with the aerosol generator 48 extends transversely across the cartridge airflow path 52 with its ends extending into the reservoir 44 of the liquid aerosol generating material through openings in the inner wall of the reservoir 44. The openings in the inner wall of the reservoir 44 are sized to broadly match the dimensions of the wick 46 to provide a reasonable seal against leakage from the liquid reservoir 44 into the cartridge airflow path without unduly compressing the wick 46, which may be detrimental to its fluid transfer performance.

The wick 46 and aerosol generator 48 are arranged in the cartridge airflow path 52 such that a region of the cartridge airflow path 52 around the wick 46 and heater 48 in effect defines a vaporisation region for the cartridge part 4. Aerosol generating material in the reservoir 44 infiltrates the wick 46 through the ends of the wick extending into the reservoir 44 and is drawn along the wick by surface tension / capillary action (i.e. wicking). The aerosol generator 48 in this example comprises an electrically resistive wire coiled around the wick 46. In the example of figure 1 , the heater 48 comprises a nickel chrome alloy (Cr20Ni80) wire and the wick 46 comprises a glass fibre bundle, but it will be appreciated the specific aerosol generator configuration is not significant to the principles described herein. In use, electrical power may be supplied to the aerosol generator 48 to vaporise an amount of aerosol generating material (aerosol generating material) drawn to the vicinity of the aerosol generator 48 by the wick 46. Vaporised aerosol generating material may then become entrained in air drawn along the cartridge airflow path from the vaporisation region towards the mouthpiece outlet 50 for user inhalation.

As noted above, the rate at which aerosol generating material is vaporised by the aerosol generator 48 will depend on the amount (level) of power supplied to the aerosol generator 48. Thus electrical power can be applied to the aerosol generator 48 to selectively generate aerosol from the aerosol generating material in the cartridge part 4, and furthermore, the rate of aerosol generation can be changed by changing the amount of power supplied to the aerosol generator 48, for example through pulse width and/or frequency modulation techniques.

The reusable part 2 comprises an outer housing 12 having with an opening that defines an air inlet 28 for the e-cigarette, a power source 26 (for example a battery) for providing operating power for the electronic cigarette, control circuitry / controller 22 for controlling and monitoring the operation of the electronic cigarette, a first user input button 14, a second user input button 16, and a visual display 24.

The outer housing 12 may be formed, for example, from a plastics or metallic material and in this example has a circular cross section generally conforming to the shape and size of the cartridge part 4 so as to provide a smooth transition between the two parts 2, 4 at the interface 6. In this example, the reusable part 2 has a length of around 8 cm so the overall length of the e-cigarette when the cartridge part 4 and the reusable part 2 are coupled together is around 12 cm. However, and as already noted, it will be appreciated that the overall shape and scale of an electronic cigarette implementing an embodiment of the disclosure is not significant to the principles described herein.

The air inlet 28 connects to an airflow path 51 through the reusable part 2. The reusable part airflow path 51 in turn connects to the cartridge airflow path 52 across the interface 6 when the reusable part 2 and cartridge part 4 are connected together. Thus, when a user inhales on the mouthpiece opening 50, air is drawn in through the air inlet 28, along the reusable part airflow path 51 , across the interface 6, through the aerosol generation area in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 48 (where vaporised aerosol generating material becomes entrained in the air flow), along the cartridge airflow path 52, and out through the mouthpiece opening 50 for user inhalation. The power source 26 in this example is rechargeable and may be of a conventional type, for example of the kind normally used in electronic cigarettes and other applications requiring provision of relatively high currents over relatively short periods. The power source 26 may be recharged through a charging connector in the reusable part housing 12, for example a USB connector.

First and/or second user input buttons 14, 16 may be provided, which in this example are conventional mechanical buttons, for example comprising a spring mounted component which may be pressed by a user to establish an electrical contact. In this regard, the input buttons may be considered input devices for detecting user input and the specific manner in which the buttons are implemented is not significant. The buttons may be assigned to functions such as switching the aerosol delivery system 1 on and off, and adjusting user settings such as a power to be supplied from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48. However, the inclusion of user input buttons is optional, and in some embodiments buttons may not be included.

A display 24 may be provided to give a user with a visual indication of various characteristics associated with the aerosol delivery system, for example current power setting information, remaining power source power, and so forth. The display may be implemented in various ways. In this example the display 24 comprises a conventional pixilated LCD screen that may be driven to display the desired information in accordance with conventional techniques. In other implementations, the display may comprise one or more discrete indicators, for example LEDs, that are arranged to display the desired information, for example through particular colours and I or flash sequences. More generally, the manner in which the display 24 is provided and information is displayed to a user using the display is not significant to the principles described herein. For example, some embodiments may not include a visual display and/or may include other means for providing a user with information relating to operating characteristics of the aerosol delivery system, for example using audio signalling, or may not include any means for providing a user with information relating to operating characteristics of the aerosol delivery system.

A controller 22 is suitably configured I programmed to control the operation of the aerosol delivery system 1 to provide functionality in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure as described further herein, as well as for providing conventional operating functions of the aerosol delivery system 1 in line with the established techniques for controlling such devices. The controller (processor circuitry) 22 may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units I circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the operation of the aerosol delivery system 1 . In this example the controller 22 comprises power supply control circuitry for controlling the supply of power from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48 and/or heat transfer element 70 in response to user input, user programming circuitry 20 for establishing configuration settings (e.g. user-defined power settings) in response to user input, as well as other functional units I circuitry associated functionality in accordance with the principles described herein and conventional operating aspects of electronic cigarettes, such as display driving circuitry and user input detection circuitry. It will be appreciated that the functionality of the controller 22 can be provided in various different ways, for example using one or more suitably programmed programmable computer(s) and I or one or more suitably configured application-specific integrated circuit(s) I circuitry I chip(s) I chipset(s) configured to provide the desired functionality.

The functionality of the controller 22 is described further herein. For example, the controller 22 may comprise an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or microcontroller, for controlling the aerosol delivery device. The microcontroller or ASIC may include a CPU or micro-processor. The operations of a CPU and other electronic components are generally controlled at least in part by software programs running on the CPU (or other component). Such software programs may be stored in nonvolatile memory, such as ROM, which can be integrated into the microcontroller itself, or provided as a separate component. The CPU may access the ROM to load and execute individual software programs as and when required.

The reusable part 2 comprises an airflow sensor 30 which is electrically connected to the controller 22. In most embodiments, the airflow sensor 30 comprises a so-called “puff sensor”, in that the airflow sensor 30 is used to detect when a user is puffing on the device. In some embodiments, the airflow sensor 30 comprises a switch in an electrical path providing electrical power from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48. In such embodiments, the airflow sensor 30 generally comprises a pressure sensor configured to close the switch when subjected to a particular range of pressures, enabling current to flow from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48 once the pressure in the vicinity of the airflow sensor 30 drops below a threshold value. The threshold value can be set to a value determined by experimentation to correspond to a characteristic value associated with the initiation of a user puff. In other embodiments, the airflow sensor 30 is connected to the controller 22, and the controller distributes electrical power from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48 in dependence of a signal received from the airflow sensor 30 by the controller 22. The specific manner in which the signal output from the airflow sensor 30 (which may comprise a measure of capacitance, resistance or other characteristic of the airflow sensor, made by the controller 22) is used by the controller 22 to control the supply of power from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48 can be carried out in accordance with any approach known to the skilled person.

In the example shown in figure 1 , the airflow sensor 30 is mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB) 31 , but this is not essential. The airflow sensor 30 may comprise any sensor which is configured to determine a characteristic of airflow in an airflow path 51 disposed between air inlet 28 and mouthpiece opening 50, for example a pressure sensor or transducer (for example a membrane or solid-state pressure sensor), a combined temperature and pressure sensor, or a microphone (for example an electret-type microphone), which is sensitive to changes in air pressure, including acoustical signals. The airflow sensor 30 is situated within a sensor cavity or chamber 32, which comprises the interior space defined by one or more chamber walls 34. The sensor cavity 32 comprises a region internal to one or more chamber walls 34 in which an airflow sensor 30 can be fully or partially situated. In some embodiments, the PCB 31 comprises one of the chamber walls of a sensor housing comprising the sensor chamber / cavity 32.

A deformable membrane is disposed across an opening communicating between the sensor cavity 32 containing the sensor 30, and a portion of the airflow path disposed between air inlet 28 and mouthpiece opening 50. The deformable membrane covers the opening, and is attached to one or more of the chamber walls according to approaches described further herein.

As described further herein, the aerosol delivery system 1 comprises communication circuitry configured to enable a connection to be established with one or more further electronic devices (for example, a storage I charging case, and / or a refill I charging dock) to enable data transfer between the aerosol delivery system 1 and further electronic device(s). In some embodiments, the communication circuitry is integrated into controller 22, and in other embodiments it is implemented separately (comprising, for example, separate application-specific integrated circuit(s) I circuitry I chip(s) I chipset(s)). For example, the communication circuitry may comprise a separate module to the controller 22 which, while connected to controller 22, provides dedicated data transfer functionality for the aerosol delivery device. In some embodiments, the communication circuitry is configured to support communication between the aerosol delivery system 1 and one or more further electronic devices over a wireless interface. The communication circuitry may be configured to support wireless communications between the aerosol delivery system 1 and other electronic devices such as a case, a dock, a computing device such as a smartphone or PC, a base station supporting cellular communications, a relay node providing an onward connection to a base station, a wearable device, or any other portable or fixed device which supports wireless communications.

Wireless communications between the aerosol delivery system 1 and a further electronic device may be configured according to data transfer protocols such as Bluetooth®, ZigBee, WiFi®, Wifi Direct, GSM, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE, NFC, RFID, or generally any other wireless, and/or wired, network protocol or interface. The communication circuitry may comprise any suitable interface for wired data connection, such as USB-C, micro-USB or Thunderbolt interfaces, and may comprise pin or contact pad arrangements configured to engage cooperating pins or contact pads on a dock, case, cable, or other external device which can be connected to the aerosol delivery system 1 . The various subassemblies may comprise one or more processors and data processing steps may be performed on any of these processors or on a remote processor, the data communicated by wire or wirelessly.

As noted above, the cartridge I consumable part 4 comprises an integrated heat transfer element 70. In this example, heat transfer element 70 has an annular shape and is contained within the annular chamber or reservoir 44. The heat transfer element 70 is configured to provide supplementary heating or cooling to the aerosol-generating material in use, to enhance performance. In many configurations, the aerosol generator 48 itself provides heating to generate aerosol and the heat transfer element 70 provides supplementary heating or cooling to the aerosol-generating material in use in addition, separate to the heating provided by the aerosol generator 48 to generate aerosol, but in other examples, the aerosol generator is not heat-based and the heat transfer element 70 provides supplementary heating or cooling to enhance performance, e.g. response time. It will be appreciated that in a two-part system such as shown in figure 1 , like the aerosol generator 48, the heat transfer element 70 may be in the cartridge part 4 as in Figure 1 , the reusable part 2 (see figure 2), or both.

The heat transfer element 70 may take any form suitable for providing active (powered) heating (a heater) or cooling (a cooler), i.e. the heat transfer element 70 is not a passive element such as a heatsink. More specifically, the heat transfer element 70 may comprise a powered heating element such as an electrically-resistive plate, a wire, a coil, an inductive heating susceptor or coil, or a ceramic heating element; an etched metal foil or film heater such as a polyimide heater; an infrared heat source; a thermoelectric heater or cooler such as a heat pipe or heat pump (peltier device); and/or an air cooler such as a fan.

In figure 1 , the heat transfer element 70 is in direct contact with a portion of the aerosol generating material in the reservoir 44 and connects to a power supply 26 in the reusable part 2 in use. The heat transfer element 70 is thereby able to provide active (powered) heating or cooling to the aerosol generating material, supplementary to the heating provided by the aerosol generator 48 which generates aerosol for inhalation by the user. The heat transfer element 70 can thus pre-heat or precool the aerosol generating material before delivery to the aerosol generator 48. Such pre-heating or cooling can provide more consistent performance, particularly enabling the system to stabilise and provide greater control of the delivery temperature of aerosol-generating material to the aerosol generator 48 to provide consistent aerosol delivery, e.g. in environmental conditions such as high or low temperatures, rather than simply aerosolising from ambient conditions which may be variable and/or unpredictable.

The heat transfer element 70 may be activated selectively manually by the user, e.g. via a suitable user interface (Ul) mechanism or actuator such as a button, gesture or paired smartphone app (such Ul mechanism which might ordinarily otherwise be used to active the aerosol generator 48 in a standard device). Alternatively, the heat transfer element 70 may be activated automatically, e.g. in response to a sensor detecting movement (anticipating a user puff on the device) such as a number of taps, a change in resistance or capacitance (touch detection) or changes/sequences of changes of orientation detected by a sensor such as an accelerometer, or sensing an environmental parameter such as an ambient temperature, or temperature or viscosity of the aerosol generating-material. The system may be configured to activate the heat transfer element 70 automatically when the parameter exceeds or falls below a threshold. Various methods for anticipating user activation of an aerosol delivery system are disclosed in W02019171017A1 , incorporated herein by reference. Such activation may provide customisability for the user, e.g. to provide a boost function for a prolonged, consistent puffing session. The system may be configurable between a pre-warming configuration and an inhalation configuration, for example having two different positions for the cartridge part 4 within the device 2. In one example, in the pre-warming configuration, the consumable part 4 is at least partially received within the device part 2; and in the inhalation configuration, a mouthpiece is presented to the user for inhalation. In some embodiments, the system automatically moves from the pre-warming configuration to the inhalation configuration when the system is ready for use, e.g. the aerosolgenerating material reaches a pre-configured temperature or viscosity suitable for puffing. In one embodiment, the system comprises a double-click ballpoint-type mechanism where the user presses the cartridge once to push it down into the device part 2 for pre-heating/cooling, then the cartridge automatically pops up when ready for puffing. Alternatively, the user can press the cartridge again to pop it up for puffing.

Figure 2 is a schematic cross-section view of a second aerosol delivery system in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure, fundamentally where the heat transfer element 70 is in the reusable part 2, rather than the cartridge part 2. Thus, in some embodiments based on figure 2, the cartridge part 4 of the system may be broadly conventional. Features in figure 2 that correspond to figure 1 are not repeated for brevity.

In figure 2, the heat transfer element 70 comprises two parts or elements 70a, 70b, sized and shaped to fit within the reusable part 2, and each element 70a, 70b is in contact at the interface 6 with a wall of the reservoir 44 surrounding the aerosol generating material in the cartridge part 4, when the cartridge part 4 is engaged with the reusable part 2 (as shown). The heat transfer elements 70a, 70b are sized and positioned to effectively heat/cool a portion of the aerosol generating material that is closest to the aerosol generator 48 in use - the heat transfer elements 70 have minimal impact on the aerosol generating material furthest upstream from the aerosol generator 48, away from the heat transfer element parts 70a, 70b.

Depending on the type of heat transfer element used, advantageously, the wall(s) of the reservoir 44 which contact the heat transfer element 70 at the interface 6 may have a high thermal conductivity (e.g. made from copper, silver or, to a lesser extent, aluminium, or any comparable non-metallic materials) to promote heat transfer from the heat transfer elements 70 to the aerosol-generating material inside the chamber 44, whereas the other surrounding walls, not contacting the heat transfer element 70, may be thermally insulating (e.g. PVC) or comprise insulating constructions including dual wall or thermally reflective surfaces to minimise heat loss.

In some embodiments, the heat transfer element 70 comprises an infrared heat source, which may provide an efficient heat transfer means, particularly when configured to transfer heat to the chamber where at least part of a wall of the chamber has an infrared wavelength (about 700 nm to about 1 mm) transmittance and/or radio (RF) wavelength (about 1 mm to about 10⁵ m) transmittance of 70% or higher, preferably 80% or higher or 90% or higher, to allow efficient transmission therethrough of heat from the infrared heat source in the device or cartridge part 2,4.

In some embodiments, the cartridge part 4 may comprise a metal base plate, which can be configured to operate as an integrated heat transfer element 70 in use, as part of an aerosol delivery system, for example by the device part 2 making electrical contact with the base plate at the interface 6 between the device and cartridge parts 2,4 and passing current therethrough in use, providing efficient heat transfer to the aerosol-generating material in the cartridge. In some such embodiments, the consumable pod 4 may be broadly conventional, but function differently in combination with the device part 2. Alternatively, the device part 2 may wirelessly heat the base plate using induction (i.e. the base plate functions as a susceptor and the device part 2 comprises an induction coil). The metal base plate may be dual function, i.e. functioning as both the heat transfer element 70 and additionally as part of a connector coupling between the device part 2 and the consumable pod 4 at the interface 6, minimising material use. Such connector couplings are described further below.

Figure 3a is a schematic, perspective view of a third aerosol delivery system in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Figure 3b is a schematic, perspective view of the reusable part of the system of figure 3a. As shown in figures 3a-b, in this embodiment, the reusable device part 2 comprises a housing 12 having a cavity or pocket configured to partially receive the cartridge or consumable part 4. The housing 12 comprises the heat transfer element 70, shown in figure 3c as a thin-film polyimide heater 70, which is compact, lightweight and efficient. The device part 2 and the heat transfer element 70 thus form a sleeve around the consumable part 4 in use, surrounding the aerosol-generating material and so enhancing heat transfer efficiency thereto. The reverse arrangement, where the consumable part 4 comprises a housing 12 having a cavity or pocket configured to receive the reusable device part 2 is an alternative implementation (not shown). In such embodiments, either part 2,4 may comprise the heat transfer element 70.

In the embodiment of figures 3a-c, the device part 2 receives the consumable part 4 in the cavity and the device part 2 or the consumable part 4 may comprise a connector, such as a protrusion, recess, helical thread, magnet, magnetic or ferromagnetic material for connection to a complementary connector on the other of the device part 2 and the consumable part 4. The connector or complementary connector may also comprise the heat transfer element 70. In this embodiment, the device part 2 also comprises the aerosol generator 48 as shown in figure 3a and receives the aerosolgenerating material from the cartridge part 4 in use, but in other embodiments, the consumable part 4 may comprise the aerosol generator 48, e.g. as in figure 2.

In figure 3a, the heat transfer element 70 is adjacent to and surrounds the chamber 44 of the consumable cartridge part 4 containing the aerosol-generating material in use, when the consumable 4 is received in the device part 2. More generally, the heat transfer element 70 (and the aerosol generator 48) may be within, adjacent to, in close proximity to and/or at least partially surround the aerosol-generating material (or the chamber therefor) in use, to provide more direct and/or uniform heating. Alternatively, at least part of the aerosol generator 48 and/or at least part of the heat transfer element 70 forms at least part of a wall of the chamber 44, e.g. as in figure 4a. In some embodiments, the chamber 44 itself comprises (contains) the aerosol generator 48 and/or the heat transfer element 70 in use.

Figure 3b also illustrates a sensor 80 which is operable to read an identifier on the consumable, providing information about the consumable, such as identifying the aerosol-generating material within. The identifier may be any suitable marker e.g. comprising alphanumeric characters, a barcode, a colour or a watermark. The identifier may be visible to the human eye or not, e.g. steganographically encoded. The sensor may be any suitable sensor such as a camera, barcode reader, a photosensor or watermark reader. In further examples (not shown), the identifier is stored in a memory of the cartridge and read by a processor in the device/system upon electrical connection or use, e.g. through the power lines or other electrical contacts, e.g. to identify the type of substrate I flavour etc. The identification allows the system, e.g. a controller therein, to control the heat transfer element 70 and/or the aerosol generator 48 specifically for that aerosol-generating material. In particular, different materials have different material properties (e.g. thermal capacity, boiling point, viscosity) and so the controller can adjust power delivery to provide an optimum experience dependent on the identified material. For example, the heat transfer element 70 may be configured to pre-heat (or pre-cool) the aerosol-generating material to a pre-configured temperature or viscosity dependent on the identification, prior to delivery of the aerosol-generating material to the aerosol generator 48. The system may comprise memory storing configurations for identifiable cartridges I aerosol-generating materials and this data may be updated remotely e.g. via wireless data connection to a mobile app. Furthermore, this identification may beneficially be combined with sensing environmental parameters/conditions, as discussed above, to provide a more tailored experience.

Figure 3c illustrates the heat transfer element 70 of the third aerosol delivery system of figure 3a in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Here, the heat transfer element 70 comprises a thin-foil heater 70 providing a sleeve around the aerosol-generating material in use.

Typically, known heating systems heat the aerosol-generating material to a standard temperature for puffing. In some embodiments, the system herein takes into account the non-linear dependence of liquid viscosity on temperature when selecting a pre-warming/cooling temperature for the aerosolgenerating material. Rather than heating the aerosol-generating material to a fixed temperature for puffing, the system may instead be configured to aim to achieve a significant drop in viscosity, but not continue heating beyond a temperature at which the viscosity decrease starts to tail off, i.e. tailoring the heating/cooling to the particular aerosol-generating material, optimising the heating time for a particular user preference. Preferably, the system comprises the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism outlined above with reference to figure 3b, to tailor the system for the particular aerosol-generating material composition in use. Alternatively, the system may be programmable by the user to set the composition and the system can tailor accordingly.

Figures 4a-d are schematic, cross-section views of cartridges for aerosol delivery systems, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. In these embodiments, the consumable cartridge part 4 comprises the heat transfer element 70, which allows it to be physically closer to the aerosol-generating material and thus increases efficiency, but also increases the cost of the (disposable) pod.

The cartridge of figure 4a comprises the heat transfer element 70 substantially adjacent to the aerosol generator 48 and having an active heating/cooling surface 71a forming a heat transfer wall of the chamber 44. The other surrounding walls of the chamber 44 are thermally insulated, to retain heat. In figure 4a, the heat transfer element 70 is annular, following the same profile as the chamber 44. Note, the power supply connections to the heat transfer element 70 and aerosol generator 48 are not shown for clarity.

In figure 4a, the chamber 44 is partitioned, defining a first, primary volume 45 and a second, subvolume 47, where the walls 34 of the chamber 44 comprise a necked portion between the two volumes 45, 47. The chamber 44 has a total volume of 2 ml, where here the primary volume has a volume of 1 .9 ml and the sub-volume has a volume of 0.1 ml, the latter accommodating sufficient aerosol-generating material for approximately 10 puffs. The partition helps to contain and redirect preheated aerosol-generating material to the aerosol generator 48, but permits flow between the volumes under gravity, at least when the consumable is not orientated horizontally - typical user movement during a puff readily refills the sub-volume from the primary volume.

More generally, the system may be configured to pre-heat/cool only a sub-volume of aerosolgenerating material that will be aerosolised in the next few (e.g. 1-20) puffs, avoiding pre- heating/cooling material that will not be vaporised for some time yet. The heat transfer element 70 may be located within, adjacent to and/or at least partially surround only a sub-volume of the chamber 44 in use. In some embodiments, the sub-volume may be 0.01 to 0.2 ml, preferably 0.03-0.2 ml, 0.03- 0.1 ml, 0.03-0.07 ml or substantially 0.05 ml, suitable to pre-heat/cool enough aerosol-generating material for a few upcoming puffs. Given the small dimensions of the chamber 44, this may be implemented by the heat transfer element 70 being on or integrated into an internal wall of the chamber 44 and an active (heated/cooled) surface 71a of the heat transfer element 70 comprising 1- 20%, preferably 3-20%, 3-10%, 3-7% or substantially 5% of the total surface area of the internal walls of the chamber 44.

In figure 4a, the annular heat transfer element 70 is configured to provide supplementary heating or cooling only to the sub-volume 47 of the aerosol-generating material by being located at one end of the chamber 44 and by the (optional) partition aiding to recirculate the pre-heated/cooled aerosol generating material to the aerosol generator 48. This arrangement is particularly beneficial for preheating since heated aerosol-generating material will have lower specific gravity (less dense) and thus be buoyant and so travel from the heated surface 71a to the aerosol generator 48 more readily in normal use (generally when the mouthpiece is slightly inclined from horizontal), as indicated by the arrows.

In figure 4a, the annular heat transfer element 70 has an active/powered (i.e. heated or cooled) contact surface area with the aerosol-generating material that is smaller than (e.g. up to 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% or 90% smaller than) a contact surface area of the wick and coil aerosol generator 48 with the aerosol-generating material, the contact surfaces indicated by the dotted lines showing in figure 4a. Such configurations may provide pre-heating/cooling to a suitable volume without pre-heating/cooling an unnecessarily large volume compared to the capacity of the aerosol generator 48, leading to excessive power consumption and/or overheating/cooling.

Figures 4b-d are further schematic, cross-section views of other cartridges for aerosol delivery systems. For simplicity, the full length of the chamber 44 has not been shown in these figures and is represented by dashed lines.

In the figure 4b embodiment, in comparison to figure 4a, heat transfer element 70 is assumed to be a simple cylinder or rod (not an annular element, used in figure 4a), having the same truncated cylindrical profile as the wick and coil aerosol generator 48, where the circular active surface 71 a of the heat transfer element 70 (see inset) opposes/faces the circular profile of the wick 46. In other embodiments, any suitable aerosol generator 48 may be used and the facing profiles of the element 70 and aerosol generator 48 may be the same or differ. The (dashed) active, circular contact surface 71a of the heat transfer element 70 mirrors and opposes the (dashed) primary, circular contact surface of the wick of the aerosol generator 48 and thus readily allows the preheated/cooled contacting aerosol-generating material to flow directly to the aerosol generator 48, whilst the subvolume is replenished by flow elsewhere around the heat transfer element 70 (because it is not annular). Only one heat transfer element 70 is shown for simplicity, but the arrangement may be replicated (or an alternative arrangement provided) on the opposing side.

Optionally, other surfaces 71 b, 71c of the heat transfer element may be active (powered) - in one advantageous configuration, the surface 71 b most distal from and parallel to the mouthpiece 50 is also active, to provide a similar buoyant heated fluid flow effect as the arrangement in figure 4a. For a corresponding advantageous cooling configuration, the surface 71c most proximal and parallel to the mouthpiece 50 is active, so that the cooled fluid is denser and more readily flows to the aerosol generator 48 in normal use. The system may be selectively operable in any/all such modes depending on the heating/cooling required. In the figure 4c embodiment, the heat transfer element 70 is embedded into the outer elongate wall of the chamber 44 and forms a part thereof, and extends from opposite to the distiller aerosol generator 48 (at the edge nearest the mouthpiece), towards the distal end of the chamber 44. The (dashed) active contact surface 71a of the heat transfer element 70 opposes and extends beyond the (dashed) primary contact surface of the distiller 48, substantially combining the direct flow and (heated) buoyancy effects of the arrangements of figures 4a and 4b, director aerosol-generating material to the distiller 48.

In further embodiments (not shown), the heat transfer element 70 comprises multiple active portions or surfaces which are selectively actuatable, e.g. depending on whether and/or where cooling or heating is required, such as to provide appropriate buoyancy flow. In one embodiment, the heat transfer element 70 additionally extends toward the mouthpiece 55 beyond the aerosol generator 48, and different active portions of the element 70 can be selectively activated, e.g. the portion extending toward the mouthpiece 55 may be activated to cool the aerosol generating material, where the buoyancy effect will again cause the denser, cooled aerosol-generating material to more readily flow to the aerosol generator 48 in normal use.

In the figure 4d embodiment, the heat transfer element 70 is in the form of a rod within the wick of the aerosol generator 48, providing heating only to a sub-volume of fluid from the reservoir 44, i.e. the volume within the wick 46 as shown.

In some embodiments, the walls 34 of the chamber 44 for the aerosol-generating material have particular material properties to promote or minimise heat transfer to/from the aerosol-generating material. Generally speaking, any wall (or part thereof) between the heat transfer element 70 and the aerosol-generating material may be thermally conductive; anything else may be thermally insulating. Suitable thermally conductive materials include metals such as copper and polymer-graphite composites.

In some embodiments, at least part of a wall of the chamber has a low thermal conductivity that is lower than 10, preferably lower than 1 , more preferably lower than 0.1 Wm'¹K'¹ at 25°C, e.g. to aid insulating the chamber 44. In some embodiments, at least part of a wall of the chamber has a high thermal conductivity greater than 100, preferably greater than 200, more preferably greater than 300 Wm‘¹K‘¹ at 25°C, e.g. to aid conducting heat to the chamber 44 and the aerosol-generating material within. In some embodiments, at least part of a wall (e.g. of the chamber) between the aerosolgenerating material and the aerosol generator has a high thermal conductivity within the above ranges, e.g. to aid conducting heat to the chamber 44 and the aerosol-generating material within from the aerosol generator 48, when in use.

In some embodiments, the mouthpiece is thermally insulated from the aerosol-generating material and/or the chamber 44 therefor, to minimise heat transfer to the user’s mouth. Such a configuration allows the aerosol-generating material to be warmed to higher temperatures without significantly increasing temperature of mouthpiece. In particular, in some embodiments, the system comprises a thermally insulating element between the mouthpiece and the chamber 44 and/or a thermally insulating element between the mouthpiece and the aerosol generator 48.

In some embodiments, the mouthpiece itself has a low thermal conductivity within the above ranges, to minimise heat transfer to the user’s mouth. In some embodiments, at least part of a wall of a fluid flow pathway between the aerosol generation region and the mouthpiece has a low thermal conductivity; and/or the system comprises a thermally insulating element between the mouthpiece and the aerosol generator 48 and/or the chamber 44, the thermally insulating element ideally having a low thermal conductivity, to reduce heat transfer from the system to the mouthpiece in use.

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 ofthe 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. Protection may also be sought for any features disclosed in any one or more published documents referenced herein in combination with the present disclosure.

Index to reference numerals

1 aerosol delivery system

2 reusable part

4 cartridge part

6 interface between reusable part and cartridge part

12 reusable part housing

14, 16 user input buttons

20 user programming circuitry

22 controller

24 display

26 power source

28 air inlet airflow sensor printed circuit board (PCB) sensor cavity or chamber chamber wall cartridge housing chamber or reservoir chamber primary volume wick chamber sub-volume aerosol generator mouthpiece outlet airflow path through reusable part airflow path through cartridge heat transfer element heat transfer surface consumable identifier sensor

Claims

1 . An aerosol delivery device configured to receive a removable consumable comprising an aerosol-generating material and an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol in use, the device comprising a heat transfer element configured to provide supplementary heating or cooling to the aerosol-generating material in use.

2. An aerosol delivery device configured to receive a removable consumable comprising an aerosol-generating material, the device comprising: a. an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol in use; and b. a heat transfer element configured to provide supplementary heating or cooling to the aerosol-generating material in use.

3. An aerosol delivery system comprising a device and a removable consumable, wherein: a. the consumable comprises an aerosol-generating material; b. the device or the consumable comprises an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol in use; and c. the device is configured to removably receive the consumable and comprises a heat transfer element configured to provide supplementary heating or cooling to the aerosol-generating material in use.

4. An aerosol delivery consumable comprising: a. a chamber for storing an aerosol-generating material; and b. a heat transfer element, wherein, in use: i. the consumable is removably received in a separable aerosol delivery device comprising an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol; and ii. the heat transfer element in the consumable provides supplementary heating or cooling to the aerosol-generating material.

5. An aerosol delivery system comprising a device and a removable consumable, wherein: a. the consumable comprises an aerosol-generating material and a heat transfer element configured to provide supplementary heating or cooling to the aerosolgenerating material in use; b. the device or the consumable comprises an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol in use; and c. the device is configured to removably receive the consumable.

6. An aerosol delivery system comprising: a. the aerosol delivery device of claim 1 or 2 and the consumable; or b. the consumable of claim 4 and the aerosol delivery device.

7. The device, consumable or system of any preceding claim, further comprising: a. a cavity or housing on the aerosol delivery device or the consumable, configured to receive the other of the aerosol delivery device and the consumable; and/or b. a connector on the aerosol delivery device or the consumable, configured to connect to a complementary connector on the other of the aerosol delivery device and the consumable.

8. The device, consumable or system of claim 7, wherein the connector, the complementary connector, the cavity and/or the housing comprises: a. a protrusion or a recess; and/or b. a magnet or magnetic material; and/or c. a ferromagnetic material; and/or d. the heat transfer element.

9. The aerosol delivery system of claim 3 or 5, or any claim dependent thereon, wherein when the consumable is received in the device: a. a fluid flow pathway is formed from an air inlet on the device or the consumable to an aerosol outlet on the device or the consumable, via an aerosol generation region in which the aerosol generator is configured to generate aerosol from the aerosolgenerating material; and optionally b. the aerosol outlet forms at least part of a mouthpiece through which a user can inhale aerosol in use.

10. The device, consumable or system of any preceding claim, further comprising a power source configured to power the aerosol generator and/or the heat transfer element in use.

11 . The device, consumable or system of any preceding claim, wherein: a. the aerosol generator is configured to heat the aerosol-generating material to generate the aerosol; and/or b. the heat transfer element is selectively actuatable by a user; and/or c. the device, consumable or system comprises a user interface for a user to selectively actuate the heat transfer element; and/or d. the device, consumable or system comprises a sensor configured to detect movement thereof and the heat transfer element is selectively actuatable dependent on the sensor data; and/or e. the device, consumable or system comprises a sensor configured to sense an environmental parameter, such as an ambient temperature or an aerosol-generating material temperature or viscosity, and the heat transfer element is selectively actuatable dependent on the sensed environmental parameter.

12. The device, consumable or system of any preceding claim, wherein: a. the aerosol generator and/or the heat transfer element is within, adjacent to, in close proximity to and/or at least partially surrounds the aerosol-generating material in use; and/or b. the aerosol generator and/or the heat transfer element is within, adjacent to, in close proximity to and/or at least partially surrounds a part of the consumable containing the aerosol-generating material in use; and/or c. the heat transfer element is sized and/or positioned to provide the supplementary heating or cooling to a portion of the aerosol-generating material closest to the aerosol generator; and/or d. the device comprises a housing having a cavity for receiving the consumable and the housing comprises the heat transfer element.

13. The device, consumable or system of any preceding claim, wherein the consumable comprises a chamber containing the aerosol-generating material, wherein: a. the aerosol generator and/or the heat transfer element is within, adjacent to, in close proximity to and/or at least partially surrounds the chamber in use; and/or b. the chamber comprises the aerosol generator and/or the heat transfer element in use; and/or c. at least part of the aerosol generator and/or at least part of the heat transfer element forms at least part of a wall of the chamber in use; and/or d. at least part of a wall of the chamber has a thermal conductivity lower than 10, preferably lower than 1 , more preferably lower than 0.1 Wm‘¹K‘¹ at 25°C; and/or e. at least part of a wall of the chamber has a thermal conductivity greater than 100, preferably greater than 200, more preferably greater than 300 Wm'¹K'¹ at 25°C; and/or f. at least part of a wall between the aerosol-generating material and the aerosol generator has a thermal conductivity greater than 100, preferably greater than 200, more preferably greater than 300 Wm'¹K'¹ at 25°C; and/or g. at least part of a wall of the chamber comprises a polymer-graphite composite; and/or h. at least part of a wall of the chamber has a radio (RF) wavelength (about 1 mm to about 10⁵ m) transmittance of 70% or higher, preferably 80% or higher or 90% or higher; and/or i. at least part of a wall of the chamber has an infrared wavelength (about 700 nm to about 1 mm) transmittance of 70% or higher, preferably 80% or higher or 90% or higher.

14. The device, consumable or system of any preceding claim, wherein: a. the chamber comprises a partition or necked portion forming a primary volume and a secondary sub-volume; and/or b. the heat transfer element is configured to provide supplementary heating or cooling only to a sub-volume of the aerosol-generating material and/or the chamber; and/or c. the heat transfer element has an active contact surface area with the aerosolgenerating material that is smaller than a contact surface area of the aerosol generator with the aerosol-generating material; and/or d. the heat transfer element is located upstream from, substantially adjacent to or within the aerosol generator in the chamber.

15. The device, consumable or system of claim 14, in which the heat transfer element is configured to provide supplementary heating or cooling only to a sub-volume of the chamber, wherein: a. in use, the heat transfer element is located within, adjacent to or at least partially surrounds only a sub-volume of the chamber; and/or b. the sub-volume has a volume of 0.01 to 0.2 ml, preferably 0.03-0.2 ml, 0.03-0.1 ml, 0.03-0.07 ml or substantially 0.05 ml; and/or c. an active surface of the heat transfer element comprises 1-20%, preferably 3-20%, 3- 10%, 3-7% or substantially 5% of the total surface area of the internal walls of the chamber; and/or d. the chamber is shaped to refill the sub-volume with liquid aerosol-generating material when the device or consumable is orientated horizontally, vertically or moving therebetween.

16. The device, consumable or system of any preceding claim, wherein the heat transfer element is a powered heat transfer element comprising one or more of: a. a heating element such as an electrically-resistive plate, a wire, a coil, an inductive heating susceptor or coil or a ceramic heating element; b. an etched metal foil or a film heater such as a polyimide heater; c. an infrared heat source; d. a thermoelectric heater or cooler such as a heat pipe or heat pump; and/or e. an air cooler such as a fan.

17. The system of claim 3, 5 or 6 or any claim dependent thereon, comprising a mouthpiece through which a user can inhale aerosol in use, wherein: a. the mouthpiece has a thermal conductivity lower than 10, preferably lower than 1 , more preferably lower than 0.1 Wm‘¹K‘¹ at 25°C; and/or b. at least part of a wall of a fluid flow pathway between the aerosol generator and the mouthpiece has a thermal conductivity lower than 10, preferably lower than 1 , more preferably lowerthan 0.1 Wm‘¹K‘¹ at 25°C; and/or c. the system comprises a thermally insulating element between the mouthpiece and the aerosol generator, optionally the thermally insulating element having a thermal conductivity lower than 10, preferably lower than 1 , more preferably lower than 0.1 Wm-’K’¹ at 25°C. d. the consumable comprises a chamber containing the aerosol-generating material and the system comprises a thermally insulating element between the mouthpiece and the chamber, optionally the thermally insulating element having a thermal conductivity lower than 10, preferably lower than 1 , more preferably lower than 0.1 Wm'¹K'¹ at 25°C.

18. The device, consumable or system of any preceding claim, wherein the consumable comprises an identifier and the device or system comprises a sensor or processor for reading the identifier.

19. The device, consumable or system of any preceding claim, wherein: a. the heat transfer element is configured to heat or cool the aerosol-generating material to a pre-configured temperature or viscosity; and/or b. the heat transfer element is configured to pre-heat or pre-cool the aerosol-generating material to a pre-configured temperature or viscosity prior to delivery of the aerosolgenerating material to the aerosol generator; and/or c. the device or system is configured to identify the consumable or the aerosolgenerating material and the heat transfer element is configured to pre-heat or precool the aerosol-generating material in the consumable to a pre-configured temperature or viscosity, dependent on the identification.

20. The device, consumable or system of any preceding claim, wherein the system is configurable between a pre-warming configuration and an inhalation configuration.

21 . The device, consumable or system of claim 20, wherein: a. in the pre-warming configuration, the consumable is at least partially received within the aerosol delivery device; and/or b. in the inhalation configuration, a mouthpiece is presented to the user for inhalation; and/or c. the system automatically moves from the pre-warming configuration to the inhalation configuration when the aerosol-generating material reaches a pre-configured temperature or viscosity.

22. The device, consumable or system of any preceding claim, comprising multiple heat transfer elements; or wherein the heat transfer element(s) comprise(s) multiple active portions or surfaces that are selectively actuatable.