WO2025056880A1

WO2025056880A1 - Aerosol provision system and method

Info

Publication number: WO2025056880A1
Application number: PCT/GB2024/052264
Authority: WO
Inventors: Howard ROTHWELL; David Bishop
Original assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Current assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Priority date: 2023-09-15
Filing date: 2024-08-30
Publication date: 2025-03-20
Anticipated expiration: 2026-03-15

Abstract

Described is an aerosol provision system (1) for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision system including an aerosol-generating material storage portion (44) for storing an aerosol-generating material; an aerosol generator (48) provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion; and an air opening (7) provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion for allowing air to enter and/or exit the aerosol-generating material storage portion. The aerosol provision system is configured to vary the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator by varying the rate of air that is permitted to flow into or out of the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the air opening. Also described is a consumable, device and method.

Description

AEROSOL PROVISION SYSTEM AND METHOD

Field

The present disclosure relates to electronic aerosol provision systems such as nicotine delivery systems (e.g. electronic cigarettes and the like).

Background

Electronic aerosol provision systems such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) generally contain a reservoir of a source liquid containing a formulation, typically including nicotine, from which an aerosol is generated, e.g. through heat vaporisation. An aerosol source for an aerosol provision system may thus comprise a heater having a heating element arranged to receive source liquid from the reservoir, for example through wicking I capillary action. While a user inhales on the device, electrical power is supplied to the heating element to vaporise source liquid in the vicinity of the heating element to generate an aerosol for inhalation by the user. Such devices are usually provided with one or more air inlet holes located away from a mouthpiece end of the system. When a user sucks on a mouthpiece connected to the mouthpiece end of the system, air is drawn in through the inlet holes and past the aerosol source. There is a flow path connecting the aerosol source and an opening in the mouthpiece so that air drawn past the aerosol source continues along the flow path to the mouthpiece opening, carrying some of the aerosol from the aerosol source with it. The aerosol-carrying air exits the aerosol provision system through the mouthpiece opening for inhalation by the user.

Typically, such electronic aerosol provision systems are provided with heater assemblies suitable for heating the source liquid to form an aerosol. An example of such a heater assembly is a wick and coil heater assembly, which is formed of a coil of wire (typically nichrome NiCr 8020) wrapped or coiled around a wick (which typically comprises a bundle of collected fibres, such as cotton fibres, extending along the longitudinal axis of the coil of wire). The ends of the wick extend on either side of the coil of wire and are inserted into the reservoir of the source liquid.

In such systems, the liquid is typically wicked into the wick via capillary action. The capillary action, or capillary force, that a liquid experiences is typically a function of several parameters, including the properties of the liquid, the properties or the wick and, in some cases, the properties or construction of the aerosol provision system. Thus, the way in which liquid is fed to the wick and subsequently to the coil heater is typically defined by these parameters, meaning there are certain design constraints imposed on a designer when selecting a suitable wick or liquid. Additionally, the rate at which liquid is fed to the heater is typically fixed for a given arrangement of the aerosol provision system. In addition, in some instances, liquid aerosol-generating material can become blocked or stuck in the wick, which can lead to a decrease in the performance of systems employing such a wick.

Various approaches are described which seek to help address some of these issues.

Summary

According to a first aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision system including an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosolgenerating material, an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosolgenerating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion, and an air opening provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion for allowing air to enter and/or exit the aerosol-generating material storage portion. The aerosol provision system is configured to vary the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator by varying the rate of air that is permitted to flow into or out of the aerosolgenerating material storage portion via the air opening.

In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the air opening is configured to be in a first state in which the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the aerosol-generating material storage portion is at a first level and a second state in which the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the aerosol-generating material storage portion is at a second level, the first level being different from the second level.

In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the air opening defines an opening having a cross-sectional area, wherein the air opening is configured such that the size of the cross-sectional area is variable to provide the first state and the second state.

In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the first level and the second level are non-zero.

In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the air opening comprises a valve or an iris capable of being controlled so as vary the open area of the valve or iris.

In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the aerosol provision system comprises a plurality of aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathways, and wherein the air opening comprises a plurality of air openings each coupled to one of the plurality of aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathways, wherein the aerosol provision system is configured so as to selectively fluidly couple one of the plurality of aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathways to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and an external environment, and wherein the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the aerosol-generating material storage portion is able to be varied by selectively coupling different aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathways.

In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the aerosol-generating material storage portion is removable from a housing of the aerosol provision system, and wherein one of the plurality of aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathways is selectively fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and the external environment based on the orientation of the aerosol-generating material storage portion when coupled to the housing.

In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the aerosol-generating material storage portion is capable of being coupled to the housing of the aerosol provision system in a first orientation such that a first aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathway is fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and in a second orientation such that a second aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathway is fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein when the first aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathway is fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the air inlet is different to the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the air inlet when the the second aerosolgenerating material storage portion air pathway is fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion.

In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the aerosol-generating material storage portion comprises a septum, and wherein coupling an aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathways includes piercing the septum using a piercing element to fluidly couple the respective air opening to the aerosol-generating material storage portion.

In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the aerosol-generating material is an aerosol-generating material that is capable of flowing.

In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the air opening is configured such that aerosol-generating material within the aerosol-generating material storage portion is unable to exit the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the air opening.

In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the aerosol provision system further comprises a second aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing aerosolgenerating material and a second air opening provided in fluid communication with the second aerosol-generating material storage portion for supplying air to the second aerosolgenerating material storage portion, wherein the second aerosol-generating material storage portion is fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generator, and wherein the aerosol provision system is further configured to vary the rate at which the aerosol-generating material from the second aerosol-generating material storage portion is provided to the aerosol generator by varying the amount of air that is permitted to flow into the second aerosol-generating material storage portion via the second air opening.

In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the aerosol provision system is configured to independently vary the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator from the aerosol-generating material storage portion and the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator from the second aerosol-generating material storage portion.

In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the aerosol generator comprises a heater assembly including: a substrate; a heater layer provided at at least a first surface of the substrate and configured to generate heat when supplied with energy; and one or more capillary tubes extending from another surface of the substrate and through the heater layer, the one or more capillary tubes configured to supply aerosol-generating material from the another surface of the substrate to the heater layer. In normal use, aerosol-generating material is provided to the another surface of the substrate to form a layer extending across openings of the one or more capillary tubes.

In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the aerosol provision system comprises a primary air path through the aerosol provision system, the primary air path passing from an inlet to an outlet through which the user inhales generated aerosol, the primary air path passing via the aerosol generator, and wherein the air opening is provided in fluid communication with the primary air path.

In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, when a user inhales on the aerosol provision system, the air opening is arranged such that air is configured to leave the aerosolgenerating material storage portion via the air opening to relatively reduce the air pressure within the aerosol-generating material storage portion.

In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the air opening is configured such that the reduced pressure causes the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator to decrease.

According to a second aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a consumable for use with an aerosol provision system, the consumable including an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material, an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion, and an air opening provided in fluid communication with the aerosolgenerating material storage portion for allowing air to enter and/or exit the aerosolgenerating material storage portion. The aerosol-generating article is configured to vary the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator by varying the amount of air that is permitted to flow into or out of the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the air opening.

According to a third aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an aerosol provision device for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material provided in an aerosolgenerating material storage portion for storing aerosol-generating material using an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion. The aerosol provision device includes an air opening configured to fluidly communicate with the aerosol-generating material storage portion for allowing air to enter and/or exit the aerosol-generating material storage portion. The aerosol provision device is configured to vary the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator by varying the amount of air that is permitted to flow into or out of the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the air opening.

In accordance with some examples of the third aspect, the aerosol provision device further includes the aerosol generator.

According to a fourth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a method of configuring an aerosol provision system, the aerosol provision system comprising: an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material; an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosolgenerating material storage portion; and an air opening provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion for allowing air to enter and/or exit the aerosol-generating material storage portion. The method includes varying the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator by varying the amount of air that is permitted to flow into or out of the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the air opening.

According to a fifth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided Aerosol provision means for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision means including aerosol-generating material storage means for storing an aerosolgenerating material, aerosol generator means provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage means and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage means, and air opening means provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage means for allowing air to enter and/or exit the aerosol-generating material storage means. The aerosol provision means is configured to vary the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator means by varying the amount of air that is permitted to flow into or out of the aerosol-generating material storage means via the air opening means.

According to a sixth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material. The aerosol provision system includes an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosolgenerating material, an aerosol-generating material transport element provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion, an aerosol generator configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the aerosol-generating material transport element and/or the aerosol generator comprises one or more openings configured to receive aerosol-generating material and a vibration mechanism. The vibration mechanism is configured to apply vibrations to at least one of the aerosol generator and the aerosol-generating material transport element.

In accordance with some examples of the sixth aspect, the vibration mechanism is configured to apply vibrations to at least one of: aid in the transfer of aerosol-generating material into or through the aerosol generator and/or aerosol-generating material transport element, and aid in the release of air within the aerosol generator and/or aerosol-generating material transport element.

In accordance with some examples of the sixth aspect, the vibration mechanism includes any one of: a haptic motor and an acoustic wave generator.

In accordance with some examples of the sixth aspect, the vibration mechanism comprises a conduit component, the conduit component coupled to the vibration mechanism and at least one of the aerosol generator and the aerosol-generating material transport element and configured to apply vibrations generated by the vibration mechanism to at least one of the aerosol generator and the aerosol-generating material transport element.

In accordance with some examples of the sixth aspect, the aerosol generator and/or and the aerosol-generating material transport element is partly surrounded by a damping component, the damping component adapted to permit movement of the aerosol generator and/or and the aerosol-generating material transport element caused by the vibration mechanism and to reduce the transmission of vibrations through the damping component to the rest of the aerosol provision system. In accordance with some examples of the sixth aspect, the aerosol provision system is configured to determine when the aerosol generator is or has been activated and wherein the vibration mechanism is controlled to provide vibrations to the aerosol generator at at least one of: during activation of the aerosol generator, and after activation of the aerosol generator.

In accordance with some examples of the sixth aspect, the aerosol provision system further comprises a puff detection mechanism for detecting when a user puffs on the aerosol provision system, wherein determination of whether the aerosol generator is or has been activated is based on the output of the puff detection mechanism.

In accordance with some examples of the sixth aspect, when the vibrations are applied after activation of the aerosol generator, the vibration mechanism is controlled to apply vibrations for a predetermined duration, the predetermined duration set based on the refill rate of the aerosol generator in which the one or more openings of the aerosol generator are replenished with aerosol generating material.

In accordance with some examples of the sixth aspect, the aerosol provision system is configured such that vibrations generated by the vibration mechanism are only applied to the aerosol-generating material transport element and/or the aerosol generator.

In accordance with some examples of the sixth aspect, the aerosol generator comprises one or more capillary tubes defining the one or more openings of the aerosol generator.

In accordance with some examples of the sixth aspect, the aerosol generator comprises a heater assembly, the heater assembly comprising: a substrate; a heater layer provided at at least a first surface of the substrate and configured to generate heat when supplied with energy; and the one or more capillary tubes. The one or more capillary tubes are provided extending from another surface of the substrate and through the heater layer, and wherein the one or more capillary tubes are configured to supply aerosol-generating material from the another surface of the substrate to the heater layer.

According to a seventh aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a consumable for use with an aerosol provision system. The consumable includes an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material, an aerosol-generating material transport element provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion; an aerosol generator configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the aerosolgenerating material transport element and/or the aerosol generator comprises one or more openings configured to receive aerosol-generating material; and a vibration mechanism. The vibration mechanism is configured to apply vibrations to at least one of the aerosol generator and the aerosol-generating material transport element.

According to an eighth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an aerosol provision device for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material provided in an aerosolgenerating material storage portion for storing aerosol-generating material using an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion via an aerosol-generating material transport element provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the aerosol-generating material transport element and/or the aerosol generator comprises one or more openings configured to receive aerosol-generating material. The aerosol provision device includes a vibration mechanism, wherein the vibration mechanism is configured to apply vibrations to at least one of the aerosol generator and the aerosol-generating material transport element.

In accordance with some examples of the eighth aspect, the aerosol provision device further includes the aerosol generator.

According to a ninth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a method of supplying aerosol-generating material in an aerosol-generating material storage portion to an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion via an aerosol-generating material transport element provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the aerosol-generating material transport element and/or the aerosol generator comprises one or more openings configured to receive aerosol-generating material. The method includes applying vibrations to at least the aerosol generator and the aerosol-generating material transport element using a vibration mechanism.

According to a tenth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided aerosol provision means for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision means including aerosol-generating material storage means for storing an aerosolgenerating material, aerosol-generating material transport means provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage means, aerosol generator means configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage means, wherein the aerosol-generating material transport means and/or the aerosol generator means comprises one or more openings configured to receive aerosolgenerating material, and vibration means. The vibration means is configured to apply vibrations to at least the aerosol generator means and the aerosol-generating material transport means.

According to an eleventh aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision system including an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material, an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion, and a pre-heat mechanism configured to cause pre-heating of at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion. The pre-heating mechanism is configured to pre-heat the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosolgenerating material storage portion to adjust the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material.

In accordance with some examples of the eleventh aspect, the pre-heating mechanism is configured so as to cause heating of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material to change the viscosity and/or phase of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material.

In accordance with some examples of the eleventh aspect, the aerosol-generating material storage portion comprising a first region and a second region, the second region of a smaller volume than the first region and provided in fluid communication with the first region, wherein the second region is configured to receive the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material.

In accordance with some examples of the eleventh aspect, the pre-heating mechanism includes one or more heater elements, the one or more heater elements provided between the aerosol generator and the aerosol-generating material storage portion, and wherein the one or more heater elements are capable of being supplied with electrical power to generate heat.

In accordance with some examples of the eleventh aspect, the pre-heating mechanism includes at least two heater elements, and wherein the at least two heater elements are capable of being independently controlled to generate heat.

In accordance with some examples of the eleventh aspect, the one or more heater elements are integrally formed with the aerosol generator.

In accordance with some examples of the eleventh aspect, the one or more heater elements are further configured to facilitate the transport of aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion to the aerosol-generator. In accordance with some examples of the eleventh aspect, the one or more heater elements comprise a sintered structure formed from an electrically conductive material.

In accordance with some examples of the eleventh aspect, the pre-heating mechanism includes a pre-heating aerosol pathway, the pre-heating aerosol pathway extending from an aerosol generating region in which aerosol is generated from the aerosol-generating material by operation of the aerosol generator, and wherein the pre-heating aerosol pathway is arranged to pass-by at least a portion of the aerosol-generating material storage portion to transfer heat from aerosol passing through the pre-heating aerosol pathway to the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion.

In accordance with some examples of the eleventh aspect, the aerosol provision system comprises an aerosol pathway extending from the aerosol generating region to a mouthpiece of the aerosol provision system, and wherein the pre-heating aerosol pathway is arranged to extend from the aerosol pathway, wherein a portion of the aerosol generated in the aerosol generating region is able to pass along the pre-heating aerosol pathway.

In accordance with some examples of the eleventh aspect, the aerosol provision system further comprises a condensation region fluidly coupled to the pre-heating aerosol pathway, the condensation region arranged to allow aerosol that has passed along the pre-heating aerosol pathway to condense.

In accordance with some examples of the eleventh aspect, the aerosol provision system further comprises a return path provided between the condensation region and the aerosolgenerating material storage portion, the return path configured to permit condensed aerosolgenerating material to be returned to the aerosol-generating material storage portion.

In accordance with some examples of the eleventh aspect, the aerosol-generating material is a liquid or a gel.

In accordance with some examples of the eleventh aspect, the system further comprises a second aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing aerosol-generating material, wherein the second aerosol-generating material storage portion is fluidly coupled to the aerosol generator, and wherein the pre-heating mechanism is configured to pre-heat at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the second aerosol-generating material storage portion.

In accordance with some examples of the eleventh aspect, the pre-heating mechanism is configured to independently pre-heat the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion to adjust the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material, and to pre-heat the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the second aerosol-generating material storage portion to adjust the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the second aerosol-generating material storage portion.

In accordance with some examples of the eleventh aspect, the aerosol generator comprises a heater assembly comprising a substrate, a heater layer provided at at least a first surface of the substrate and configured to generate heat when supplied with energy, and one or more capillary tubes extending from another surface of the substrate and through the heater layer, the one or more capillary tubes configured to supply aerosol-generating material from the another surface of the substrate to the heater layer.

According to a twelfth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a consumable for use with an aerosol provision system, the consumable including an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material, an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion, and a pre-heat mechanism configured to cause pre-heating of at least a part of the aerosolgenerating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion. The preheating mechanism is configured to pre-heat the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion to adjust the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material.

According to a thirteenth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an aerosol provision device for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material provided in an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing aerosol-generating material using an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosolgenerating material storage portion. The aerosol provision device includes a pre-heat mechanism configured to cause pre-heating of at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the pre-heating mechanism is configured to pre-heat the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion to adjust the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material.

In accordance with some examples of the thirteenth aspect, the aerosol provision device further includes the aerosol generator.

According to a fourteenth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a method of preheating aerosol-generating material prior to aerosolising the aerosol-generating material using an aerosol generator in an aerosol provision system, wherein the aerosol generator is provided in fluid communication with an aerosol-generating material storage portion. The method includes pre-heating of at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein pre-heating the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion causes the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material to be adjusted.

According to a fifteenth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided aerosol provision means for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision means including aerosol-generating material storage means for storing an aerosolgenerating material, aerosol generator means provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage means and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage means, and pre-heat means configured to cause pre-heating of at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage means. The pre-heating means is configured to preheat the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage means to adjust the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosolgenerating material.

It will be appreciated that features and aspects of the invention described above in relation to the first and other aspects of the invention are equally applicable to, and may be combined with, embodiments of the invention according to other aspects of the invention as appropriate, and not just in the specific combinations described above.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an aerosol provision system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, including an air inlet capable of providing air to the reservoir of the aerosol provision system;

Figures 2a and 2b show an example air inlet suitable for use in the aerosol provision system of Figure 1, whereby Figure 2a shows the air inlet in a first configuration and Figure 2b shows the air inlet in a second configuration;

Figures 3a and 3b schematically show an arrangement of the cartridge and aerosol provision device comprising a plurality of reservoir air inlets according to a first implementation, where Figure 3a shows the cartridge provided in a first orientation relative to the aerosol provision device and Figure 3b shows the cartridge provided in a second orientation relative to the aerosol provision device;

Figure 4 schematically shows an arrangement of the cartridge and aerosol provision device comprising a plurality of reservoir air inlets according to a second implementation;

Figure 5 schematically shows an arrangement of the cartridge and aerosol provision device comprising a plurality of reservoir air inlets according to a third implementation;

Figures 6 and 6a schematically show an aerosol provision system comprising a plurality of reservoirs each with a corresponding air inlet, where Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the aerosol provision system and Figure 6a shows an end-on cross-sectional view along the longitudinal axis of the aerosol provision system;

Figure 7 schematically shows a perspective view of a heater assembly in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the heater assembly comprises a substrate, an electrically resistive layer, and capillary tubes extending through the substrate and electrically resistive layer;

Figure 8 is a method in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure for configuring an aerosol provision system, such as the aerosol provision system of Figure 1, for use;

Figure 9 schematically shows an arrangement of the cartridge and aerosol provision device whereby the air inlet is provided in fluid communication with a primary air path through the aerosol provision system;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of an aerosol provision system comprised of an aerosol provision device and a cartridge in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the cartridge includes a vibration mechanism for generating and applying vibrations to the aerosol generator and/or aerosol generating material transport element according to a first implementation;

Figure 11 schematically shows the cartridge of Figure 10 in more detail;

Figure 12 schematically shows an arrangement of the cartridge according to a further implementation, whereby the cartridge of the third implementation comprises a microfluidic heater assembly as an example of a combined heater and wick arrangement;

Figure 13 schematically shows a perspective view of a microfluidic heater assembly for use in the cartridge of Figure 12 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the heater assembly comprises a substrate, an electrically resistive layer, and capillary tubes extending through the substrate and electrically resistive layer; Figure 14 shows an example method for generating and applying vibrations to the aerosol generator and/or aerosol generating material transport element according to a first example in which the vibrations are applied during an inhalation;

Figure 15 shows an example method for generating and applying vibrations to the aerosol generator and/or aerosol generating material transport element according to a second example in which the vibrations are applied after an inhalation;

Figure 16 schematically shows a further configuration of a cartridge in which an aerosolgenerating material transport element is integrally provided with the cartridge housing or aerosol-generating material storage portion.

Figure 17 is a perspective view of an aerosol provision system comprised of an aerosol provision device and a cartridge in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the cartridge includes a pre-heating mechanism for pre-heating aerosol-generating material prior to be supplied to the aerosol generator according to a first implementation;

Figure 18 schematically shows an arrangement of the cartridge according to a second implementation, whereby the cartridge of the second implementation comprises one or more sub-reservoirs that are pre-heated by the pre-heat mechanism;

Figure 19 schematically shows an arrangement of the cartridge according to a third implementation, whereby the cartridge of the third implementation comprises a microfluidic heater assembly as an aerosol generator;

Figure 20 schematically shows a perspective view of a microfluidic heater assembly for use in the cartridge of Figure 19 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the heater assembly comprises a substrate, an electrically resistive layer, and capillary tubes extending through the substrate and electrically resistive layer; and

Figure 21 schematically shows a perspective view of modification to the microfluidic heater assembly of Figure 20, wherein the modification includes one of more integrate pre-heaters;

Figure 22 schematically shows an arrangement of the cartridge according to a fourth implementation, whereby the cartridge of the third implementation comprises one or more pre-heat aerosol pathways;

Figure 23 schematically shows a modification to the cartridge according to Figure 22, whereby the modification includes a condensation region for condensing aerosol used in a pre-heating process;

Figures 24 and 24a schematically show an aerosol provision system comprising a plurality of reservoirs each with a corresponding pre-heat mechanism that is capable of individually being controlled, where Figure 24 shows a cross-sectional view of the aerosol provision system and Figure 24a shows an end-on cross-sectional view along the longitudinal axis of the aerosol provision system; and

Figure 25 is a method in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure for performing pre-heating of the aerosol-generating material of an aerosol provision system, such as the aerosol provision system of Figure 17, prior to use.

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.

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 non-combustible aerosol provision system is an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device, electronic cigarette or electronic nicotine delivery system (END), although it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol-generating material is not a requirement. Throughout the following description the term “e-cigarette” is sometimes used but this term may be used interchangeably with aerosol (vapour) provision 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 aerosolgenerating material. The solid aerosol-generating material may comprise, for example, tobacco or a non-tobacco product.

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 liquid or gel which may or may not contain an active substance and/or flavourants. In some implementations, the aerosol-generating material may, for example, be in the form of a solid. In some implementations, 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 implementations, 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 implementations, 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 or each 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 materials.

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 implementations, the active substance comprises nicotine. In some implementations, 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 is 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.

As used herein, the terms "flavour" and "flavourant" refer to materials which, where local regulations permit, may be used to create a desired taste or aroma 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.

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 glycerine, 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.

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 aerosol-modifying agent.

The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be an additive or a sorbent. The aerosolmodifying 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.

In some implementations, the aerosol provision systems comprise a modular assembly including an aerosol provision device (sometimes referred to as a reusable part) and an article comprising aerosol-generating material (sometimes referred to as a consumable or a replaceable part). However, in other implementations, the aerosol provision systems may comprise a one-piece arrangement where the article and aerosol provision device are integrally formed.

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, in some implementations, 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.

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 (or storage portion), an aerosol-generating material transfer component, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a filter, a mouthpiece, 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. 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 electrical ly-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 electrical ly-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.

An aerosol generator is an apparatus configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material. In some implementations, 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 implementations, 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 following description will focus on embodiments in which the aerosol provision system is one in which a source liquid as the aerosol-generating material is vaporised to generate an aerosol for user inhalation. In such embodiments, the article is more commonly referred to as a cartridge. The cartridge mechanically engages with the aerosol provision device as described above. However, it should be appreciated that the principles of the present disclosure are applicable to aerosol provision systems capable of vaporising different aerosol-generating materials, such as gels, as described above. More generally, the principles of the present disclosure apply to aerosol provision systems for use with aerosolgenerating materials that are capable of flowing.

The present disclosure relates to an aerosol provision system that is configured to vary the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to an aerosol generator by varying the rate of air that is permitted to flow into an aerosol-generating material storage portion via an air inlet coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and the environment external to the aerosol-generating material storage portion. Broadly, the rate of flow of an aerosol-generating material is able to be controlled on the basis of how quickly the pressure in an aerosol-generating material storage portion is able to equalise during or after use of the aerosol provision system. In this regard, as a user inhales on the system, aerosol-generating material is drawn out of the aerosol-generating material storage portion that subsequently affects the pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage portion. By controlling how quickly this pressure equalises, the rate of flow of aerosol-generating material to the aerosol generator can be controlled. This may allow for greater freedom in respect of designing an aerosol provision system as well as helping to prevent leakage and/or reducing the chance of dry-out during usage. In implementations where there are a plurality of aerosol-generating material storage portions, controlling the rate of air flow permitted into each of the aerosolgenerating material storage portions can provide a low cost, low complexity way to control the proportions of mixing of the aerosol-generating material and/or the proportions of the generated aerosol generated from each of a first and second aerosol generating material.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through an aerosol provision system 1 provided in accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure.

The aerosol provision system 1 shown in Figure 1 comprises two main components, namely an aerosol provision device 2 and a replaceable I disposable cartridge 4 (which is an example of a consumable or article). The aerosol provision system 1 of Figure 1 is an example of a modular construction of an aerosol provision system 1. In this regard, the aerosol provision device 2 and the cartridge 4 are able to engage with or disengage from one another at an interface 6. However, as mentioned above, the principles of the present disclosure also apply to other constructions of the aerosol provision system 1 , such as one- part or unitary constructions where the device 2 and cartridge 4 may be integrally formed (or in other words, the aerosol provision device 1 is provided with an integrally formed aerosolgenerating material storage area or portion).

The aerosol provision system 1 is generally elongate and cylindrical in shape. The aerosol provision system 1 may be sized so as to approximate a cigarette. However, it should be understood that the general size and shape of the aerosol provision system 1 is not significant to the principles of the present disclosure. In some other implementations, the aerosol provision system 1 may conform to different overall shapes; for example, the aerosol provision device 2 may be based on so-called box-mod high performance devices that typically have a more box-like shape.

The device 2 comprises components that are generally intended to have a longer lifetime than the cartridge 4. In other words, the device 2 is intended to be used, sequentially, with multiple cartridges 4. The cartridge 4 comprises components (such as aerosol-generating material) that are consumed when forming an aerosol for delivery to the user during use of the aerosol provision system 1.

In the example modular configuration of Figure 1 , the device 2 and the cartridge 4 are releasably coupled together at the first interface 6. When the aerosol-generating material in the cartridge 4 is exhausted or the user simply wishes to switch to a different cartridge 4 (e.g., containing a different aerosol-generating material), the cartridge 4 may be removed from the device 2 and a replacement cartridge 4 attached to the device 2 in its place. The interface 6 provides a structural connection between the device 2 and cartridge 4 and may be established in accordance with suitable techniques, for example based around a screw thread, latch mechanism, bayonet fixing or magnetic coupling. In some implementations, the interface 6 may also provide an electrical coupling between the device 2 and the cartridge 4 using suitable electrical contacts. The electrical coupling may allow for power and I or data to be supplied to I from the cartridge 4.

It should also be understood that in some implementations, the cartridge 4 may be refillable. That is, the cartridge 4 may be refilled with aerosol-generating material when the cartridge 4 is depleted, using an appropriate mechanism such as a one-way refilling valve or the like. The cartridge 4 may be removed from the device 2 in order to be refilled. In other examples, the cartridge 4 may be configured so as to be refilled while attached to the device 2.

In implementations where the aerosol provision system 1 is a one-part or unitary system, the aerosol provision system 1 may be designed to be disposable once the aerosol-generating material is exhausted. Alternatively, the aerosol provision system 1 may be provided with a suitable mechanism, such as a one-way valve or the like, to enable the integrated cartridge 4 (or integrated aerosol-generating material storage area) to be refilled with aerosol-generating material.

In Figure 1, the cartridge part 4 comprises a cartridge housing 42, an aerosol-generating material storage area 44, an aerosol generator 48, an aerosol-generating material transport component 46, an outlet or opening 50, and an air path 52.

The cartridge housing 42 supports other components of the cartridge 4 and provides the mechanical interface 6 with the device 2. The cartridge housing 42 is formed from a suitable material, such as a plastics material or a metal material. In the described implementation, the cartridge housing 42 is generally circularly symmetric about a longitudinal axis along which the cartridge 4 couples to the device 2. In this example the cartridge 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, may be different in different implementations. The cartridge 4 comprises a first end, broadly defined by the interface 6, and a second end which is opposite the first end and includes the opening 50. The second end including the opening is intended to be received in / by a user’s mouth and may be referred to as a mouthpiece end of the cartridge 4.

Within the cartridge housing 42 is an aerosol-generating material storage area 44, which may be referred to herein as a reservoir 44. The cartridge 42 of Figure 1 is configured to store a liquid aerosol-generating material, which may be referred to herein as a source liquid, e-liquid or liquid. The source liquid may contain nicotine and I or other active ingredients, and / or one or more flavours, as described above. In some implementations, the source liquid may contain no nicotine. The reservoir 44 is suitably configured to hold or retain liquid therein.

The reservoir 44 in this example has an annular shape with an outer wall defined by the cartridge housing 42 and an inner wall that defines an air path 52 through the cartridge 4. The reservoir 44 is closed at each end with end walls to contain the liquid. The reservoir 44 may be formed in accordance with suitable techniques, for example it may comprise a plastics material and be integrally moulded with the cartridge housing 42.

The cartridge 4 further comprises an aerosol generator 48. The aerosol generator 48 is an apparatus configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material (e.g., the source liquid). The cartridge 4 further comprises the aerosol-generating material transport component 46, which is configured to transport the aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage area 44 (e.g., reservoir 44) to the aerosol generator 48. In some implementations, the aerosol-generating material transport component 46 may be integrated with the aerosol generator 48 to form a combined aerosol generator 48 and aerosol-generating material transport component 46.

The aerosol generator 48 is configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosolgenerating material. In some implementations, the aerosol generator 48 is a heater 48. The heater 48 is 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. By way of example, the heater 48 may take the form of an electrically resistive wire or trace intended to have electrical current passed between ends thereof, or a susceptor element which is intended to generate heat upon exposure to an alternating magnetic field. However, in other implementations, the aerosol generator 48 is configured to cause an aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator 48 may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to one or more of vibration, increased pressure, or electrostatic energy.

The aerosol-generating material transport element 46 is configured to transport aerosolgenerating material from the aerosol-generating material storage area 44 (reservoir 44) to the aerosol generator 48. The nature of the aerosol-generating material may dictate the form of the aerosol-generating material transport element 46. For example, for a liquid or viscous gel aerosol-generating material, the aerosol-generating material transport element 46 is configured to transport the liquid or viscous gel aerosol-generating material using capillary action. For example, the aerosol-generating material transport element 46 may comprise a porous material (e.g., ceramic) or a bundle of fibres (e.g., glass or cotton fibres) capable of transporting liquid / viscous gel using capillary action. In the described implementation of Figure 1 , the aerosol generator 48 is a heater 48 taking the form of a coil of metal wire, such as a nickel chrome alloy (Cr20Ni80) wire. The aerosolgenerating material transport element 46 in the implementation of Figure 1 is a wick 46 taking the form of a bundle of fibres, such as glass fibres. The heater 48 is wound around the wick 46 as seen in Figure 1 such that the heater 48 is provided in the proximity of the wick 46 and therefore also to any liquid held in the wick 46. In some implementations, the aerosol generator 48 may comprise a porous ceramic wick 46 and an electrically conductive track disposed on a surface of the porous ceramic wick acting as the heater 48. In yet other implementations, the heater 48 and wick 46 may be combined into a single component, e.g., a plurality of sintered steel fibres forming a planar structure.

The heater 48 and wick 46 are located towards an end of the reservoir 44. In this example, the wick 46 extends transversely across the cartridge air path 52 with its ends extending into the reservoir 44 of liquid through openings in the inner wall of the reservoir 44. The openings in the inner wall of the reservoir 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 air path 52 without unduly compressing the wick 46, which may be detrimental to its fluid transfer performance. The wick 46 is therefore configured to transport liquid from the reservoir 44 to the vicinity of the heater 48 via a capillary effect.

The wick 46 and heater 48 are arranged in the cartridge air path 52 such that a region of the cartridge air path 52 around the wick 46 and heater 48 in effect defines a vaporisation region for the cartridge 4. This vaporisation region is the region of the cartridge 4 where vapour is initially generated. In use, electrical power may be supplied to the heater 48 to vaporise an amount of liquid drawn to the vicinity of the heater 48 by the wick 46.

Aerosol is delivered to the user via the outlet 50 provided at the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 4. During use, the user may place their lips on or around the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 4 and draw air I aerosol through the outlet 50. More specifically, air is drawn into and along the air path 52, past the aerosol generator 48 where aerosol is entrained into the air, and the combined aerosol I air is then inhaled by the user through the opening 50. Although Figure 1 shows the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 4 as being an integral part of the cartridge 4, a separate mouthpiece component may be provided which releasably couples to the end of the cartridge 4.

The device 2 comprises an outer housing 12, an optional indicator 14, an inhalation sensor 16 located within a chamber 18, a controller or control circuitry 20, a power source 26, an air inlet 28 and an air path 30. The device part 2 comprises an outer housing 12 with an opening that defines an air inlet 28 for the aerosol provision system 1 , a power source 26 for providing operating power for the aerosol provision system 1, a controller or control circuitry 20 for controlling and monitoring the operation of the aerosol provision system 1 , and an inhalation sensor (puff detector) 16 located in a chamber 18. The device 2 further comprises an optional indicator 14.

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 4 so as to provide a smooth transition between the two parts at the interface 6. In this example, the device 2 has a length of around 8 cm so the overall length of the aerosol provision system 1 when the cartridge 4 and device 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 aerosol provision system 1 implementing the present disclosure is not significant to the principles described herein.

The outer housing 12 further comprises an air inlet 28 which connects to an air path 30 provided through the device 2. The device air path 30 in turn connects to the cartridge air path 52 across the interface 6 when the device 2 and cartridge 4 are connected together. In this regard, the interface 6 is also arranged to provide a connection of the respective air paths 30 and 52, such that air and/or aerosol is able to pass along the coupled air paths 30, 52. In other implementations, the device 2 does not comprise an air path 30 and instead the cartridge 4 comprises the air path 52 and a suitable air inlet which permits air to enter into the air path 52 when the cartridge 4 and device 2 are coupled.

The power source 26 in this example is a battery 26. The battery 26 may be rechargeable and may be, for example of the kind normally used in aerosol provision systems and other applications requiring provision of relatively high currents over relatively short periods. The battery 26 may be, for example, a lithium ion battery. The battery 26 may be recharged through a suitable charging connector provided at or in the outer housing 12, for example a USB connector. Additionally or alternatively, the device 2 may comprise suitable circuitry to facilitate wireless charging of the battery 26.

The control circuitry 20 is suitably configured I programmed to control the operation of the aerosol provision system 1. The control circuitry 20 may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units I circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the aerosol provision system's operation and may be implemented by provision of a (micro)controller, processor, ASIC or similar form of control chip. The control circuitry 20 may be arranged to control any functionality associated with the system 1. By way of non-limiting examples only, the functionality may include the charging or re-charging of the battery 26, the discharging of the battery 26 (e.g., for providing power to the heater 48), in addition to other functionality such as controlling visual indicators (e.g., LEDs) I displays, communication functionality for communicating with external devices, etc. The control circuitry 20 may be mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB). Note also that the functionality provided by the control circuitry 20 may be split across multiple circuit boards and I or across components which are not mounted to a PCB, and these additional components and I or PCBs can be located as appropriate within the aerosol provision device. For example, functionality of the control circuit 20 for controlling the (re)charging functionality of the battery 26 may be provided separately (e.g. on a different PCB) from the functionality for controlling the discharge of the battery 26.

As noted above, when the device 2 and the cartridge 4 are coupled together at interface 6, the interface 6 provides an electrical connection between the device 2 and the cartridge 4. More particularly, electrical contacts on the device 2, which are coupled to the power source 26, are electrically coupled to electrical contacts on the cartridge, which are coupled to the heater 48. Accordingly, under suitable control by the control circuitry 20, electrical power from the power source 26 is able to be supplied from the power source 26 to the heater 48, thereby allowing the heater 48 to vaporise liquid in the proximity of the heater 48 held in the wick 46.

In the example of Figure 1, the aerosol provision device 2 comprises a chamber 18 containing the inhalation sensor 16, which in this example is a pressure sensor 16. However, the inhalation sensor 16 may be any suitable sensor, such as an air flow sensor, for sensing when a user inhales on the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 4 and subsequently draws air along the air paths 30, 52. Accordingly, the presence of the chamber 18 is optional and its presence may depend on the characteristics of the selected inhalation sensor 16.

The pressure sensor 16 is in fluid communication with the air path 30 in the device 2 (e.g. the chamber 18 branches off from the air path 30 in the device 2). Thus, when a user inhales on the opening 50, there is a drop in pressure in the chamber 18, which if sufficient, is detected by the pressure sensor 16. The aerosol provision system 1 is controlled to generate aerosol in response to detecting an inhalation by a user. That is, when the pressure sensor 16 detects a drop in pressure in the pressure sensor chamber 18, the control circuitry 20 responds by causing electrical power to be supplied from the battery 26 to the aerosol generator 48 sufficient to cause vaporisation of the liquid held within the wick 46. This is an example of an aerosol provision system which is said to be “puff actuated”. The pressure sensor 16 may be used to start and I or end the power supply to the heater 48 (e.g., when the pressure sensor detects the absence of an inhalation). In other implementations, the aerosol provision system 1 includes a button or other user actuatable mechanism. When the button or other user actuatable mechanism is actuated by the user, the control circuitry 20 caused power to be supplied to the heater 48 as described above. This is an example of an aerosol provision system which is said to be “button actuated”. The button may be used to start and I or end power supply to the heater 48 (e.g., when the button is released by the user). In some implementations, both a button (or other user actuatable mechanism) and an inhalation sensor 16 may be used to control the delivery of power to the heater 48, e.g., by requiring both the button press and a pressure drop indicative of an inhalation to be present before supplying power to the heater 48.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the aerosol provision system 1, and in the example of Figure 1 the cartridge 4, is provided with a reservoir air inlet 7 that is in fluid communication with the aerosol generating material storage area I reservoir 44. The reservoir air inlet 7 is arranged so as to permit air to flow into the inner volume defined by reservoir 44 that contains the aerosol-generating material. In this regard, it should be appreciated that the air inlet 28 and air path 30 of the device 2 and the air path 52 of the cartridge 4 are provided to facilitate the flow of air through the aerosol provision system 1 from an inlet 28 to an outlet (opening 50) in order to provide the user with an inhalable aerosol. Conversely, the reservoir air inlet 7 is provided for the purposes of supplying air into the reservoir 44 and therefore generally does not supply air to the aerosol provision system 1 that is subsequently passed to the user via opening 50.

The reservoir air inlet 7 is configured to vary the rate at which air is able to enter into the reservoir 44, for example in response to a user actuation and/or under control of the control circuitry 20. As should be appreciated, during normal use, the liquid aerosol-generating material stored in the reservoir 44 is provided to the wick 46 which enables the transfer of liquid aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 44 to the aerosol generator 48 via capillary action. In practice, and prior to any vaporisation of the liquid aerosol-generating material by the aerosol generator 48, the wick 46 is typically saturated with liquid aerosolgenerating material. That is to say, any gaps or fibres within the wick 46 defining one or more capillary tubes are occupied by liquid aerosol-generating material that is wicked from the reservoir 44. During vaporisation, the aerosol generator 48 causes liquid aerosolgenerating material held in the wick 46 in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 48 to be vaporised. The wick 46 may still contain liquid aerosol-generating material in the ends that are proximate the reservoir 44. Such liquid aerosol-generating material is able to move, under capillary action, to the parts of the wick 46 in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 48 to replace the liquid aerosol-generating material that has been vaporised. It should also broadly be understood that at the region where the wick 46 is provided through the wall of the reservoir 44 (i.e., through an aperture in the wall of the air tube 52), liquid aerosol-generating material held in the wick 46 may effectively form an airtight seal (or at least prevent air from passing out of the reservoir 44 via the aperture). What this means is that, aside from the reservoir air inlet 7, the reservoir 44 effectively defines a sealed chamber.

Broadly speaking, the rate of flow of a liquid through a pipe (such as a capillary tube) depends on a number of factors, which may relate to the construction I shape of the pipe and the properties of the liquid aerosol-generating material. However, assuming these parameters are fixed, then the rate of flow of a liquid through the pipe is broadly considered proportional to the pressure difference between the pressure at one end of the pipe and the pressure at the other end of the pipe. In respect of the aerosol provision system 1 , this may is the pressure in the reservoir 44 and the pressure in the air tube 52 in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 48 (although note that this is strictly speaking a point in the middle of the wick 46). In addition, there is also the so-called capillary pressure, which represents the capillary forces involved between the liquid aerosol-generating material and the capillary tube and typically is a function of the surface tension (of the liquid aerosol-generating material), the contact angle (associated with the material properties of the capillary tube), and the geometry of the capillary tube. Overall, without wishing to be bound by theory, it can be observed that the rate of flow of liquid aerosol-generating material through a capillary tube (or gaps) formed in the wick 46 can be controlled by controlling the pressure at points along the capillary tube (i.e., at the end in the reservoir 44 and/at the middle of the wick 46 in the air path 52), while also taking account of the capillary pressure.

Absent any user interaction with the aerosol provision system 1 (what might otherwise be referred to as a static state), and in an idealised scenario, the pressure in the reservoir 44 and the pressure in the middle of the wick 46 may be approximately equal (i.e., at approximately atmospheric pressure). The movement of liquid aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 44 to the wick 46, to saturate the wick 46 with liquid aerosol-generating material, may be driven predominantly by the capillary pressure in this case. That is to say, the capillary pressure, which is a function of the properties of the liquid and/or of the wick 46, causes liquid aerosol-generating material to be drawn from the reservoir 44 and into and along the wick 46. The capillary pressure is set to a level so as to facilitate the transfer of liquid aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 44 (so in other words, the capillary pressure is set to a value high enough to enable this transfer), but is also set such that the capillary pressure does not cause excessive liquid aerosol-generating material to be provided to the wick 46 leading to excessive saturation and/or leakage of the liquid aerosolgenerating material from the wick 46 (so in other words, the capillary pressure is not set to a value that is too great). In normal use, as a user inhales on the mouthpiece end of the aerosol provision system through outlet 50, a change in pressure is provided in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 48. In particular, as the user inhales on the mouthpiece, a reduced pressure (i.e., reduced compared to atmospheric pressure) is formed in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 48. The reduced pressure acts effectively to draw liquid aerosol-generating material along the wick 46 from the reservoir 44 to replace the liquid aerosol-generating material held in the wick and vaporised by the aerosol generator 48. That is to say, the pressure at the middle of the wick 46 is relatively lower than the pressure in the reservoir 44. Hence, in this case, liquid aerosol-generating material flows from the reservoir 44 to the wick 46 owing to this pressure differential.

As the user inhales on the aerosol provision system and liquid from the reservoir 44 is drawn into the wick 46, the pressure in the reservoir 46 changes owing to the displacement of liquid from the reservoir 46. In particular, the pressure relative to atmospheric pressure drops. Therefore, the pressure differential between the pressure in the reservoir 44 and the pressure in the middle of the wick 46 (owing to the user’s inhalation). As the rate at which liquid moves along the wick 46 due to capillary action is a function of, at least, the pressure difference, if the pressure difference drops, the rate of liquid aerosol-generating material transfer from the reservoir 44 to the middle of the wick 46 also drops. In particular, the reduction in the difference in external pressures, in effect, acts to reduce the rate of liquid aerosol-generating material supplied to the wick 46. This subsequently affects the time for the wick 46 to replenish.

Additionally, when a user stops inhaling, the pressure in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 48 returns to atmospheric pressure. However, by virtue of the fact that some liquid aerosolgenerating material has been withdrawn from the reservoir 44, the pressure in the reservoir 44 is slightly lower than prior to the inhalation. As compared to the static state described above, this difference in external pressures (i.e., between the pressure at the end of the wick 46 in the reservoir 44 and the pressure at the middle of the wick 46) results in a force acting against the capillary pressure I force that acts to supply or replenish the wick 46. Hence, the difference in external pressures, in effect, acts to reduce the rate of liquid aerosol-generating material supplied to the wick 46. This subsequently affects the time for the wick 46 to replenish.

In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, the reservoir air inlet 7 is provided to control the flow of air into the reservoir 44 to equalise the pressure. In other words, the reservoir air inlet 7 acts to restore the pressure in the reservoir 44 to atmospheric pressure. However, by controlling the rate of air passing through the reservoir air inlet 7, the rate at which the wick 46 is able to be replenished can also be controlled. For example, if the rate of air passing through the reservoir air inlet 7 is relatively low, then the external pressure difference (whether this is during or after an inhalation) acts for a longer period of time on the capillary pressure I force, thereby resulting in a much slower replenishment of the wick 46. Conversely, if the rate of air passing through the reservoir air inlet 7 is relatively high, then the external pressure difference (again whether this is during or after an inhalation) acts for a shorter period of time on the capillary pressure I force, thereby resulting in a much faster replenishment of the wick 46.

Controlling the rate of replenishment of the wick 46 may be advantageous in certain implementations. For example, during an inhalation, if the aerosol generator 48 rapidly vaporises the aerosol-generating material in the wick 46 in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 48, then it may be advantageous to provide a greater rate of flow of liquid aerosolgenerating material to the wick 46. By setting the reservoir air inlet 7 to permit a greater rate of air to flow to the reservoir 44, a greater rate of flow of liquid aerosol-generating material along the wick 46 can be achieved (as the pressure in the reservoir 44 may be closer to atmospheric pressure thereby maximising the pressure difference). Conversely, if the aerosol generator 48 slowly vaporises the aerosol-generating material in the wick 46 in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 48, then it may be advantageous to provide a lower rate of flow of liquid aerosol-generating material to the wick 46. By setting the reservoir air inlet 7 to permit a lower rate of air to flow to the reservoir 44, a lower rate of flow of liquid aerosolgenerating material along the wick 46 can be achieved (as the pressure in the reservoir 44 may be lower than atmospheric pressure and closer to the pressure in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 48, thereby maximising the pressure difference). This may help reduce leakage of liquid aerosol-generating material in such implementations.

Additionally, after an inhalation has finished, by slowing down the rate of flow of liquid aerosol-generating material to the wick 46 (i.e., by setting the reservoir air inlet 7 to permit a lower rate of air to flow to the reservoir 44), a reduction in the chances of leakage of liquid aerosol-generating material from the wick 46 can be realised, for example. However, in such a situation, in order to receive a suitable quantity of vapour, it may be necessary for the user to wait a longer time between inhalations on the aerosol provision system 1 to allow for the aerosol-generating material to saturate the wick 46. Conversely, by increasing the rate of flow of liquid aerosol-generating material to the wick 46 (i.e., by setting the reservoir air inlet 7 to permit a higher rate of air to flow to the reservoir 44), a reduction in the time the user waits between inhalations on the aerosol provision system 1 for the wick 46 to saturate can be reduced, but there may be a corresponding increase in the chances of leakage of liquid aerosol-generating material from the wick 46. In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, the aerosol provision system 1 is configured to vary the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator 48 by varying the rate at which air is permitted to flow into the reservoir 44 via the reservoir air inlet 7.

In some implementations, the reservoir air inlet 7 may be controlled, e.g., via a user actuation or under control of the control circuitry 20, to vary the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the reservoir 7. That is to say, in some implementations, the reservoir air inlet 7 may comprise or be coupled to a user actuatable mechanism, such as a slider, which the user actuates to vary the rate at which air is permitted to flow into the reservoir 44 through the reservoir air inlet 7. In other implementations, the reservoir air inlet 7 may be coupled to the control circuitry 20 (e.g., through an electrical connection provided at the interface 6 of the aerosol provision system 1) and provided with some electrically operated mechanism (such as a motor) for setting the rate at which air is permitted to flow into the reservoir 44 through the reservoir air inlet 7. In the latter case, the control circuitry 20 may control the reservoir air inlet 7 on the basis of a certain interaction, for example such as the aerosol provision system 1 registering that the aerosol generator 48 has been activated (e.g., via a detected drop in pressure from the pressure sensor 16) or a duration of an inhalation/activation of the aerosol generator 48.

In some implementations, the reservoir air inlet 7 is configured to be in a first state in which the rate of air flow that is permitted to flow into the reservoir 44 is at a first level and a second state in which the rate of air flow of air that is permitted to flow into the reservoir 44 is at a second level. The first level is set to be different from the second level. By way of example only, for an aerosol provision system 1 that vaporises a liquid aerosol-generating material, such as described in Figure 1, on average between 2 to 4 pl of liquid aerosolgenerating material may be expected to be consumed per inhalation. Accordingly, in order to equalise the pressure within the reservoir 44 after a single inhalation, a corresponding amount of air may be admitted into the reservoir 44 via the reservoir air inlet 7. Therefore, the first level may be set to allow airflow through the reservoir air inlet 7 at a rate of approximately 4 to 6 pl/min (or 0.07 to 0.1 pl/s), which may cause the reservoir 44 to reach atmospheric pressure in a time between 20 to 60 seconds. The second level may be set to allow airflow through the reservoir air inlet 7 at a rate of approximately 16 to 20 pl/min (or 0.27 to 0.34 pl/s), which may cause the reservoir 44 to reach atmospheric pressure in a time between 7.5 to 15 seconds. Hence, in this example, setting the reservoir air inlet 7 at the first level results in a relatively prolonged replenishment of the wick 46, while setting the reservoir air inlet 7 at the second level results in a relatively rapid replenishment of the wick 46. It should be appreciated that the actual rate of air flow through the reservoir air inlet 7 may differ from the rates stated above (e.g., as the pressure in the reservoir 44 equalises). Hence, it should be understood that the reservoir air inlet 7 is configured to be set at a value that limits or restricts the maximum rate of air flow through the air inlet 7. Put another way, this is the rate of air flow that is permitted (i.e. , able to be achieved) through the reservoir air inlet 7, not necessarily the rate of air flow that is actually achieved. For instance, using the example above, the maximum rate of air flow through the reservoir air inlet 7 when the reservoir air inlet 7 is configured to be in the first state is set to be between 4 to 6 pl/min. This represents the (maximum) rate of air flow that is permitted to flow through the reservoir air inlet 7 in the first state. Initially, i.e., during or when a user inhalation has ceased, the actual rate of air flow through the reservoir air inlet 7 may be between 4 to 6 pl/min (i.e., the maximum rate permitted by the reservoir air inlet 7 in the first state). However, as the pressure in the reservoir 44 increases, i.e., approaches atmospheric pressure, the actual rate of air flow may tail off until the pressure in the reservoir 44 reaches atmospheric pressure. At this time, the rate of air flow through the reservoir air inlet 7 may be zero (although it should be appreciated that this in effect means there is no net flow of air through the reservoir air inlet 7).

In some implementations, the first level and the second level are set so as to be non-zero. In other words, the maximum rate of air flow through the reservoir air inlet 7 is set to be nonzero (or more specifically, greater than zero). What this means is that, in these implementations, air is always permitted to flow through the reservoir air inlet 7 to achieve equalisation of pressures. In such implementations, the reservoir 44 is not completely sealed and hence equalisation of the pressure within the reservoir 44 is achievable. However, it should be understood that the time to achieve pressure equalisation will depend on the state of the reservoir air inlet 7.

The reservoir air inlet 7 may be configured to be in one of a plurality of discrete states, i.e., so as to take one of a discrete number of values (or levels) in respect of the rate of flow of air through the reservoir air inlet 7. For example, the reservoir air inlet 7 may be configured to be set such that the permitted rate of air flow is either at the first level (first state) or the second level (second state), as described above. Alternatively, the reservoir air inlet 7 may be configured to be in any one of a number of continuous states, i.e., so as to take any one of a number of continuous values (or levels) in respect of the rate of flow of air through the reservoir air inlet 7. For example, the reservoir air inlet 7 may be configured to such that the rate of permitted air flow is set to any value between and including the first level and the second level. Figures 2a and 2b schematically illustrate an example configuration of a reservoir air inlet 7’ according to a first implementation for use in the aerosol provision system 1 of Figure 1. Figures 2a and 2b schematically show a part of the cartridge housing 42 and the reservoir air inlet 7’ according to the first implementation. Figures 2a shows the reservoir air inlet 7’ in a first state (i.e. , defining a permitted air flow rate of a first level) while Figure 2b shows the reservoir air inlet 7’ in a second state (i.e., defining a permitted air flow rate of a second level).

In Figures 2a and 2b, the reservoir air inlet 7’ is an iris or an iris valve. The air inlet 7’ comprises a valve housing 71 , which in this example has an annular shape, and a series of movable shutters 72 forming the iris. The moveable shutters 72 are able to be moved (either electrically via a motor and associated mechanism, or manually via a suitable user actuation mechanism) to vary the size of an opening 73 defined by ends of the shutters 72.

In Figure 2a, which represents the reservoir air inlet 7’ in the first state, the size of the opening 73 is relatively small. As described with the example above, this subsequently restricts the maximum rate that air can enter the reservoir 44 to equalise the pressure therein to a first level (or value). In Figure 2b, which represents the reservoir air inlet 7’ in the second state, the size of the opening 73 is relatively larger. That is, the shutters 72 are controlled to move so as to increase the size of the opening 73 when the reservoir air inlet 7’ is controlled to switch from the first state to the second state. As described with the example above, this subsequently restricts the maximum rate that air can enter the reservoir 44 to equalise the pressure therein to a second level (or value). However, as should be appreciated, because the opening 73 is larger in the second state (Figure 2b), the maximum rate that air can enter the reservoir 44 via the reservoir air inlet 7’ in the second state is greater than the maximum rate that air can enter the reservoir 44 via the reservoir air inlet 7’ in the first state (Figure 2a).

In some implementations, the reservoir air inlet 7’ may also be provided with a membrane (not shown) that extends across the opening 73. The membrane may act to further restrict the flow of air through the opening 73. That is to say, the membrane may act together with the opening 73 of the reservoir air inlet 7’ to define the maximum rate that air can enter the reservoir 44. In other implementations, the membrane or the like may be configured to not influence the permitted rate at which air is able to flow into the reservoir 44 (that is, the permitted rate at which air is able to flow into the reservoir 44 may be dictated solely by the size of the reservoir air inlet 7’). In addition, the membrane may be configured to prevent liquid aerosol-generating material from exiting the reservoir 44 via the air inlet 7’, i.e., the membrane may be air permeable but liquid aerosol-generating material impermeable. It should also be appreciated that although Figures 2a and 2b show a particular example of the reservoir air inlet 7’, more generally, any suitable valve or the like having a moveable or adjustable component may be used in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. This may encompass implementations such as a moveable iris or a moveable valve, but it also may encompass a slider-type arrangement where the valve includes a slider that covers an opening into the reservoir 44, and the slider in effect overlaps the opening to varying degrees. The position of the slider relative to the opening therefore exposes different amounts or proportions of the opening to vary the rate of air flow permitted into the reservoir 44.

Hence, in broad terms, in some implementations, the reservoir air inlet 7, 7’ defines an opening 73 having a cross-sectional area, and the reservoir air inlet 7, 7’ is configured such that the size of the cross-sectional area is able to be varied or adjusted to provide the first state and the second state of the reservoir air inlet 7, 7’.

In the example of Figures 2a and 2b, the reservoir air inlet 7, 7’ is provided as an inlet having a moveable component (e.g., a valve, shutters 72, a slider, etc.). However, in other implementations, a plurality of reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b may be provided where each of the plurality of reservoir air inlets 7a and 7b is configured to permit air to flow into the reservoir 44 via the reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b at different rates.

Figures 3a and 3b schematically show an arrangement of the cartridge 4 and aerosol provision device 2 comprising a plurality of reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b according to a first implementation. Figures 3a and 3b will be understood from Figure 1 but show an alternative arrangement of the aerosol provision device 2 and the cartridge 4. Like components are indicated with the same reference signs as used previously, and thus a description thereof is omitted for conciseness. In addition, only a part of the aerosol provision device 2 of Figure 1 is shown in Figures 3a and 3b, while certain components have been omitted from the cartridge 4 (such as the wick 46 and aerosol generator 48) and the device 2 (such as the pressure sensor 16 and chamber 18).

In the implementation of Figures 3a and 3b, the cartridge 4 is provided with a plurality of reservoir air pathways 74a, 74b (collectively referred to as reservoir air pathways 74). The reservoir air pathways 74 extend along the sides of the reservoir 44 and are each provided in fluid communication with one of a plurality of reservoir air inlets 7. In particular, a first reservoir air pathway 74a is provided in fluid communication with a first reservoir air inlet 7a, and a second reservoir air pathway 74b is provided in fluid communication with a second reservoir air inlet 7b. Accordingly, the housing 42 of the cartridge 4 in Figures 3a and 3b is suitably configured to provide these reservoir air pathways 74. In particular, it can be seen that the housing 42 includes partitioning walls that are provided between the outer wall of the housing 42 (defining the outer surface of the cartridge 4) and the inner wall of the housing 42 defining the air path I air tube 52. The reservoir air paths 74 may be arranged in any suitable way and/or take any suitable shape. For example, the reservoir air paths 74 may be provided as substantially cylindrical tubes (e.g., having a cross-section that is or approximates a circle) provided at certain locations of the cartridge 4, or the air paths 74 may extend around or substantially around the entire of the cartridge 4 as annular shaped tubular openings (e.g., around 90% or more of the periphery of the cartridge).

As in Figure 1 , each of the reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b is provided in fluid communication with the reservoir 44. That is, each of the reservoir air inlet 7a, 7b is configured to permit a certain (maximum) rate of air to flow into the reservoir 44 via reservoir air inlet 7a, 7b. Figures 3a and 3b schematically show the first reservoir air inlet 7a as having a relatively smaller opening (schematically shown as the distance between the end of a partitioning wall and the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 4) while the second reservoir air inlet 7b is shown as having a relatively larger opening (also schematically shown as the distance between the end of a partitioning wall and the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 4). Thus, it may be considered that the first reservoir air inlet 7a is configured to permit a rate of air flow to flow into the reservoir 44 at a first level (e.g., of between approximately 4 to 6 pl/min), while the second reservoir air inlet 7b is configured to permit a rate of air flow to flow into the reservoir 44 at a second level (e.g., of between approximately 16 to 20 pl/min).

The reservoir air pathways 74 are also seen extending to the lower surface of the cartridge 4 at the interface 6 between the cartridge 4 and the aerosol provision device 2. That is, the reservoir air pathways 74 extend to respective openings provided in the base of the cartridge 4 at the interface 6 of the aerosol provision system 1. Accordingly, the respective reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b are fluidly coupled to the reservoir air pathways 74a, 74b and to openings to the reservoir air pathways 74a, 74b so as to be able to receive air from outside the cartridge 4 via the openings and the reservoir air pathways 74a, 74b.

The reservoir air pathways 74a, 74b are shown in Figures 3a and 3b as being distributed around the reservoir 44. The partitioning walls of Figures 3a and 3b define the outer boundary of the reservoir 44 in this implementation, while the walls of the air tube 52 define the inner boundary of the reservoir 44. The reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b may be provided with a suitable membrane or the like which prevents liquid aerosol-generating material from exiting the reservoir 44 via the reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b but subsequently permits air to enter into the reservoir 44 via the reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b. In a similar manner to as described above, the membrane or the like may influence the permitted rate at which air is able to flow into the reservoir 44. In other implementations, the membrane or the like may be configured to not influence the permitted rate at which air is able to flow into the reservoir 44 (that is, the permitted rate at which air is able to flow into the reservoir 44 may be dictated solely by the size of the reservoir air inlet 7a, 7b).

As compared to the example of Figures 1 , 2a, and 2b, the reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b are not themselves configured to vary the rate at which air is permitted to flow into the reservoir 44 via the reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b. Instead, the aerosol provision system 1 as a whole is configured to vary the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator 48 by varying the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the reservoir 44 via selection of one of the plurality of reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b.

Figure 3a represents the aerosol provision system 1 in a first configuration. As can be seen in Figure 3a (and Figure 3b), the aerosol provision device 2 further includes a secondary air inlet 29 in addition to the air inlet 28. In Figure 3a, the secondary air inlet 29 is fluidly coupled to the opening of the first reservoir air pathway 74a, and hence also to the first reservoir air inlet 7a. Conversely, the opening of the second reservoir air pathway 74b is blocked (i.e., sealed) by the housing of the aerosol provision device 2 when the cartridge 4 is coupled to the aerosol provision device 2. Accordingly, when the aerosol provision system 1 is in this configuration, air from outside the aerosol provision system 1 is able to enter the reservoir 44 via the first reservoir air inlet 7a (and subsequently at a permitted rate of a first level), while air is prevent from entering the reservoir 44 via the second reservoir air inlet 7b. Accordingly, in the configuration of Figure 3a, the rate at which liquid aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator 48 is determined by the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the reservoir 44 via the first reservoir air inlet 7a.

Figure 3b represents the aerosol provision system 1 in a second configuration. In Figure 3b, the secondary air inlet 29 is fluidly coupled to the opening of the second reservoir air pathway 74b, and hence also to the second reservoir air inlet 7b. Conversely, the opening of the first reservoir air pathway 74a is now blocked (i.e., sealed) by the housing of the aerosol provision device 2 when the cartridge 4 is coupled to the aerosol provision device 2. Accordingly, when the aerosol provision system 1 is in this configuration, air from outside the aerosol provision system 1 is able to enter the reservoir 44 via the second reservoir air inlet 7b (and subsequently at a permitted rate of a second level), while air is prevent from entering the reservoir 44 via the first reservoir air inlet 7a. Accordingly, in the configuration of Figure 3b, the rate at which liquid aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator 48 is determined by the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the reservoir 44 via the second reservoir air inlet 7b. Hence, it should be appreciated that by providing a plurality of reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b, each configured to permit a different rate of air to flow the reservoir inlets 7a, 7b, the rate at which air can be provided to the reservoir 44, and hence the rate at which liquids aerosolgenerating material is provided to the aerosol generator 48, can be varied by selectively coupling the reservoir air pathway 74a, 74b and corresponding reservoir air inlet 7a, 7b to the environment such that air is capable of being provided to the reservoir 44 via the selectively coupled reservoir air inlet 7a, 7b.

While in Figures 3a and 3b it is shown that the reservoir air pathways 74 are approximately the same in terms of dimensions (e.g., cross-sectional area) and the reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b vary in size, and as such it is the reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b that govern the rate of air permitted to flow into the reservoir 44, it should be appreciated that in other implementations the reservoir air pathways 74 may instead be formed to have different dimensions from each other, whereby it is the reservoir air pathway 74 that governs the rate of air permitted to flow into the reservoir 44 via the reservoir air inlet 7a, 7b.

More generally, at least some portion of the pathway that air travels from outside of the cartridge 4 to the reservoir 44 (i.e. , the opening to the reservoir air pathway 74, the reservoir air pathway 74 and/or the reservoir air inlet 7) may be sized so as to govern the rate of air permitted to flow into the reservoir 44 via the air inlet 7a, 7b.

Hence, more generally, the aerosol provision system 1 can be said to comprise a plurality of reservoir air pathways 74a, 74b and a plurality of reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b each coupled to one of the plurality of reservoir air pathways 74a, 74b. The aerosol provision system 1 is configured so as to selectively fluidly couple one of the plurality of reservoir air pathways 74a, 74b (and subsequently the corresponding reservoir air inlet 7a, 7b) to the reservoir 44 and to the environment external to the reservoir 44. Each reservoir air pathway 74 is capable of supplying air to the reservoir 44 at a different permitted rate when fluidly coupled to the reservoir 44.

How the aerosol provision system 1 is able to be placed into the first or second configuration is not particularly limited, and any suitable mechanism may be implemented.

In accordance with a first implementation, the cartridge 4 (containing the aerosol-generating material storage area 44 I reservoir 44) is removable from the housing of the aerosol provision device 2. That is, as described above, the cartridge 4 is capable of being detached from or attached to the aerosol provision device 2 at the interface 6. One of the plurality of reservoir air pathways 74 is able to be selectively fluidly coupled to the reservoir 44 based on the orientation of the cartridge (and hence aerosol-generating material storage area I reservoir 44) coupled to the housing of the aerosol provision device 2. For example, assuming the cartridge 4 is coupled to the aerosol provision device 2 in the first configuration (i.e., the configuration of Figure 3a), to transition to the second configuration (i.e., the configuration of Figure 3b), the user may disconnect the cartridge 4 from the aerosol provision device 2, rotate the cartridge 180° about the longitudinal axis of the cartridge 4, and recouple the cartridge 4 to the aerosol provision device 2.

More specifically, the cartridge 4 (comprising the aerosol-generating material storage area 44 I reservoir 44) is capable of being coupled to the housing of the aerosol provision device 2 in a first orientation such that a first reservoir air pathway 74a is fluidly coupled to the reservoir 44 and in a second orientation such that a second reservoir air pathway 74b is fluidly coupled to the reservoir 44, where, as described above, the first reservoir air pathway 74a is configured to supply air to the reservoir 44 at a different rate to the second reservoir air pathway 74b.

Figure 4 schematically shows an arrangement of the cartridge 4 and aerosol provision device 2 comprising a plurality of reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b according to a second implementation. Figure 4 will be understood from Figures 3a and 3b. Like components are indicated with the same reference signs as used previously, and thus a description thereof is omitted for conciseness.

Figure 4 shows the cartridge 4 separated from the aerosol provision device 2 for the purposes of explaining this implementation. The cartridge 4 and aerosol provision device 2 are broadly the same as the cartridge 4 and aerosol provision device 2 as described with respect to Figure 3a and 3b, except each of the reservoir air pathways 74a, 74b comprise a septum 75a, 75b at the openings thereof. The septa 75a, 75b are designed to seal the respective reservoir air pathways 74a, 74b such that air is unable to pass along the reservoir air pathways 74a, 74b. In particular, provision of the septa 75a, 75b may help ensure that air is unable to travel along the reservoir air pathway 74a, 74b that is not fluidly coupled to the second air inlet 29 (e.g., the second air pathway 74b in the example of Figure 4). This may mean that providing an airtight seal at the interface 6 between the base of the cartridge 4 comprising the opening to the reservoir air pathway not coupled to the second air inlet 29 (e.g., the second reservoir air pathway 74b) is not necessary. This may help ease of manufacturing of the device 2 and cartridge 4. Additionally, the septa 75a, 75b can also act to prevent any liquid aerosol-generating material that may have escaped the reservoir 44 (e.g., through reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b) from subsequently leaking out of the cartridge 4.

The aerosol provision device 2 is subsequently provided with a hollow needle 29a or the like. The hollow needle 29a may be broadly tubular in shape, and comprising a piercing element (e.g., a point or other sharp element) capable of piercing either of the septa 75a, 75b when the cartridge 4 is engaged with the aerosol provision device 2. The hollow needle 29a may therefore be formed of any suitable material, such as a metal, and take any suitable shape for piercing the septa 75a, 75b. The hollow inner part of the needle 29a is fluidly coupled to the secondary air inlet 29. Hence, when the cartridge 4 is coupled to the aerosol provision device 2, the hollow needle 29a is designed to pierce the septum 75a of, e.g., the first reservoir air pathway 74a, such that air is able to pass from the external environment of the aerosol provision system 1 through the secondary air inlet 29, through the hollow needle 29a, and into the e.g., first reservoir air pathway 74a.

Hence, it should be realised that, as with Figures 3a and 3b, in the second implementation shown in Figure 4, the cartridge 4 can again be decoupled and rotated (about the longitudinal axis of the cartridge 4) to selectively coupled either of the first reservoir air inlet 7a or second reservoir air inlet 7b to the secondary inlet 29. In the example of Figure 4, the septa 75a, 75b may be formed of a material (e.g., such as a rubber) that is capable of resealing after the needle 29a has been removed. That is to say, when the cartridge 4 is decoupled from the aerosol provision device 2, the septum 75a, 75b that had been pierced by the needle 29a is able to reseal thereby providing an effective seal at the opening of the corresponding reservoir air pathway.

In other implementations of an arrangement of the cartridge 4 and aerosol provision device 2 comprising a plurality of reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b, the cartridge 4, or a part thereof, may be configured to rotate relative to the rest of the cartridge 4 or aerosol provision device.

Figure 5 schematically shows an arrangement of the cartridge 4 and aerosol provision device 2 comprising a plurality of reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b according to a third implementation. Figure 4 will be understood from Figures 3a, 3b and 4. Like components are indicated with the same reference signs as used previously, and thus a description thereof is omitted for conciseness.

In Figure 5, the cartridge 4 is formed of two parts, an upper part 4a and a lower or base part 4b. The upper part 4a is configured to rotate relative to the base part 4b, as is schematically indicated by the dashed line separating the upper part 4a and base part 4b. The base part 4b may be suitably coupled to the upper part 4a to allow such rotational movement about the longitudinal axis of the cartridge 4, e.g., through a suitable rotational coupling.

It should be appreciated that, much like Figures 3a and 3b, when the upper part 4a of the cartridge 4 is rotated about the longitudinal axis of the cartridge 4, the reservoir air pathway 74a, 74b that is fluidly coupled to the secondary air inlet 29 can be changed accordingly. In this case, however, it can be seen that the reservoir air pathway 74 that is not fluidly coupled to the secondary air inlet 29 is blocked by the base part 4b of the cartridge 4 (as opposed to the housing of the aerosol provision device 2 in the examples of Figures 3a and 3b).

Hence, in accordance with Figures 3a, 3b, 4 and 5, several examples have been described in which the aerosol provision system 1 is configured to vary the rate at which liquid aerosolgenerating material is provided to the aerosol generator 48 by varying the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the reservoir 44 via a selected reservoir air inlet 7a, 7b from a plurality of reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b.

In the examples of Figures 3a to 5, selection of the corresponding reservoir air pathway 74 involves partial rotation of (at least a part of) the cartridge 4 about a longitudinal axis of the cartridge 4. However, it should be appreciated that, in other implementations, selection of the reservoir air pathway 74 may be performed differently. For example, the cartridge 4 may be provided with a plurality of reservoir air pathways 74 and associated reservoir air inlets 7, but a sliding or moveable cover (not shown) may be provided to allow selection of the corresponding reservoir air pathway 74. For example, the sliding cover may be a linear slider which is slidable between a first position in which the opening to the first reservoir air pathway 74a is exposed and the opening to the second reservoir air pathway 74b is covered, and a second position in which the opening to the second reservoir air pathway 74b is exposed and the opening to the first reservoir air pathway 74a is covered. In such implementations, the openings to the reservoir air pathways 74 may be provided on a surface of the cartridge 4 that is not obscured by the interface 6 - in which case, there may be no need for the secondary air inlet 29 in the aerosol provision device 2. In other implementations, the aerosol provision device 2 may comprise a plurality of secondary air inlets 29 which are coupled to each of the reservoir air pathways 74 but selectively blocked by movement of the slider.

In addition, while Figure 5 shows an implementation in which the base 4b of the cartridge 4 is rotatable with respect to the upper part 4a of the cartridge 4 to couple different reservoir air pathways 74 to the secondary air inlet 29 of the aerosol provision device 2, in other implementations, there may be no necessity for the secondary air inlet 29 in the device 2 and instead the cartridge 4 may be provided with rotatable sleeve or the like which selectively blocks openings to the reservoir air pathways 74 that may be provided radially around the cartridge 4. Alternatively, the upper part 4a of the cartridge 4 may be configured to have some mechanism which allows for rotation and allows selective coupling of the air pathways 74 to the environment.

Therefore, an aerosol provision system 1 has been described in which the aerosol provision system 1 is configured to vary the rate at which (liquid) aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator 48 by varying the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the aerosol-generating material storage area (reservoir 44) via the air inlet 7. In some implementations, this involves varying the properties of the air inlet 7 (such as the size of an opening) to provide different rates of air permitted to flow into the aerosol-generating material storage area (reservoir 44) via the air inlet 7. In other implementations, this involves fluidly coupling one of a plurality of air inlets 7a, 7b, each configured to permit a different rate of air to flow into the aerosol-generating material storage area (reservoir 44) via the respective air inlet 7a, 7b, to the external environment of the aerosol provision system 1 such that air is provided from the external environment to the reservoir 44 at the selected different rate. In such implementations, it can be seen that the varying the rate of air flow is achieved by selectively coupling one of the plurality of air inlets 7a, 7b to the external environment.

Regardless of whether there is single reservoir air inlet 7 or a plurality of reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b, in some implementations, the reservoir air inlet(s) 7, 7a, 7b are configured such that (liquid) aerosol-generating material within the aerosol-generating material storage area (reservoir 44) is unable to exit the aerosol-generating material storage area (reservoir 44) via the reservoir air inlet 7, 7a, 7b. For example, in instances where the air inlet 7, 7a, 7b comprises an opening (either of a fixed size or a variable size), the opening may be provided in combination with an air permeable, liquid impermeable membrane. Accordingly, air is permitted to flow through the opening of the air inlet 7, 7a, 7b but liquid aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 44 is prevented from flowing out of the reservoir 44. As noted above, the membrane may influence the permitted rate at which air is able to flow into the reservoir 44, or the membrane may be configured to not influence the permitted rate at which air is able to flow into the reservoir 44.

In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, a particular advantage may be realised when the aerosol generator 48 is fed with liquid aerosol-generating material from two different sources. In particular, the principles of the present disclosure offer a relatively low cost, low complexity mechanism for controlling the proportions of generated aerosol formed by vaporising two separate sources of liquid aerosol-generating material.

Figure 6 schematically represents an implementation in which two sources of liquid aerosolgenerating material are provided. Figure 6 will be understood from Figure 1. Like components are indicated with the same reference signs as used previously, and thus a description thereof is omitted for conciseness.

Figure 6 schematically shows an aerosol provision system 1 which is broadly the same as the aerosol provision system 1 in Figure 1. However, there are two notable differences. Firstly, the reservoir 44 is divided into a first reservoir 44a and a second reservoir 44b. For example, the annular reservoir 44 of Figure 1 may comprise a partitioning wall 44c that runs from one end of the reservoir 44 to the other end of the reservoir 44 to divide the reservoir 44 into two arc-shaped hollow tubes. Figure 6a schematically shows a view looking along the longitudinal axis of the aerosol provision system 1 (as indicated by the lines A-A in Figure 6). Figure 6a shows the two halves of the reservoir 44a, 44b divided by the partitioning wall 44c.

By virtue of the partitioning wall 44c, the first reservoir 44a and the second reservoir 44b are separate from one another. Thus, with the exception of the wick 46, the two liquid aerosolgenerating materials stored in each of the first reservoir 44a and second reservoir 44b are not capable of mixing while stored in the respective reservoirs 44a, 44b. As seen in Figures 6 and 6a, the wick 46 is arranged such that one end of the wick 46 extends into the first reservoir 44a and the other end of the wick 46 extends into the second reservoir 44b. Therefore, it is to be understood that the wick 46 is fed with aerosol-generating material from the first reservoir 44a at one end and is fed with aerosol-generating material from the second reservoir 44b at the other end. In the following example, it will be assumed that the aerosolgenerating material stored in the first reservoir 44a (herein the first aerosol-generating material) is different from the aerosol-generating material stored in the second reservoir 44b (herein the second aerosol-generating material). For example, the first aerosol-generating material may be or comprise a different flavour to the second aerosol-generating material.

In addition, it can be seen that the implementation of Figure 6 and 6a includes two reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b. The first reservoir air inlet 7a is provided in fluid communication with the first reservoir 44a, and is configured to permit air to enter the first reservoir 44a from the external environment of the aerosol provision system 1. The second reservoir air inlet 7b is provided in fluid communication with the second reservoir 44b, and is similarly configured to permit air to enter the second reservoir 44b from the external environment of the aerosol provision system 1. As described above, in some implementations, the reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b may be configured to prevent liquid aerosol-generating material from passing out of the respective reservoirs 44a, 44b to the external environment through the reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b.

The reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b are configured to provide different flow rates for the respective liquid aerosol-generating material to the wick 46 (and thus also to the aerosol generator 48) when replenishing the wick 46. For example, assuming the first aerosol-generating material and the second aerosol-generating material have the same properties, then by setting the first reservoir air inlet 7a to permit a different rate of air flow through the first air inlet 7a to the first reservoir 44a as compared to the second reservoir air inlet 7b in respect of permitting air to flow through the second air inlet 7b to the second reservoir 44b, the rate at which the first aerosol-generating material is transported along the wick 46 is different to the rate at which the second aerosol-generating material is transported along the wick 46. Correspondingly, this results in different amounts of the first and second aerosol generating material being stored in the wick 46. Subsequently, when the aerosol generator 48 vaporises the liquid held in the wick to generate an aerosol, the proportion of the aerosol that is formed form the first aerosol-generating material is different to the proportion of the aerosol that is formed from the second aerosol-generating material.

For example, the first reservoir air inlet 7a may be set such that the permitted rate of air flow into the first reservoir 44a is relatively low (e.g., it may be set to the first level as noted above in an earlier example). After an initial vaporisation such that the wick is at least partially depleted, the first aerosol-generating material may be provided to the wick 46 (or rather, moving along the wick 46 due to capillary action) at a relatively slower rate. Conversely, the second reservoir air inlet 7b may be set such that the permitted rate of air flow into the second reservoir 44b is relatively high (e.g., it may be set to the second level as noted above in an earlier example). Again, after an initial vaporisation such that the wick is at least partially depleted, the second aerosol-generating material may be provided to the wick 46 (or rather, moving along the wick 46 due to capillary action) at a relatively higher rate. In this example, because the second aerosol-generating material is provided to the wick 46 at a higher rate, after a given period of time, the wick 46 contains relatively more of the second aerosol-generating material than the first aerosol-generating material. For example, after a sufficient time has passed that the wick 46 is saturated, it may be that 80% of the capacity of the wick 46 comprises the second aerosol-generating material while only 20% of the capacity of the wick 46 comprises the first aerosol-generating material. Accordingly, a subsequent activation of the aerosol generator 48 which vaporises at least some of the material held within the wick 46 may result in a generated aerosol having approximately 80% formed form the second aerosol-generating material and approximately 20% formed from the first aerosol-generating material.

In this way, it can be seen that the aerosol provision system 1 is configured to vary the rate at which the first and second aerosol-generating materials are provided to the aerosol generator 48 by setting different rates of air that are permitted to flow into the aerosolgenerating material storage portion 44 via the respective air inlets 7a, 7b. Accordingly, the relative proportions of the aerosol formed by the first and second aerosol-generating materials are able to be controlled in a relatively inexpensive and simple manner simply by setting the rate at which air is permitted to enter the respective reservoirs 44a, 44b. It should be appreciated that although Figures 6 and 6a show the aerosol provision system 1 comprising two reservoirs 44a, 44b, it should be appreciated that the principles described may be extended to multiple reservoirs 44, noting that a suitable wick 46 or other aerosolgenerating material transport element may be implemented in such a case.

It should also be appreciated that in some implementations the first and second reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b may be configured in such a way that the permitted rate of air flow through the respective reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b is fixed. That is to say, the permitted rate of air flow through each individual reservoir air inlet 7a, 7b may not be changed. However, in other implementations, the first and second reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b may be configured in such a way that the permitted rate of air flow through the respective reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b is variable. As described above, the respective air inlets 7a, 7b may each be individually controlled to vary the size of an opening of the reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b (in a similar manner to as described in Figure 1, 2a and 2b), or the aerosol provision system 1 may be configured in such a way to allow selection of one of a plurality of reservoir air pathways 74 to be coupled to one of a plurality of reservoir air inlets 7a, 7b (as described in Figures 3a to 5). In the latter case, it should be appreciated that a plurality of reservoir air pathways 74 are provided for each of the first reservoir 44a and the second reservoir 44b. That is, for example, the first reservoir 44a may be provided with two reservoir air inlets 7 each coupled to a respective reservoir air pathway 74, where each of the two reservoir air inlets 7 are configured to permit a different rate of air flow in to the reservoir 44a, and the aerosol provision system 1 is configured to selectively coupled one of the reservoir air pathways 74 to the external environment. Equally, the second reservoir 44b may be provided with two reservoir air inlets 7 each coupled to a respective reservoir air pathway 74, where each of the two reservoir air inlets 7 are configured to permit a different rate of air flow in to the reservoir 44b, and the aerosol provision system 1 is configured to selectively coupled one of the reservoir air pathways 74 to the external environment. This may be through rotation or some other mechanism as described above in respect of Figures 3a to 5.

In accordance with some implementations, the above described techniques may be found to be particularly advantageous with the use of a microfluidic heater assembly as the aerosol generator 48. A microfluidic heater assembly is one in which a substrate 162 is provided with engineered through holes forming capillary tubes 166 through the substrate 162. The capillary tubes 166 can be fed with liquid aerosol-generating material in a similar manner to the wick 46 described above. However, because the capillary tubes 166 are engineered, more precise control over the flow of liquid aerosol-generating material into and along the capillary tubes 166 can be achieved.

Figure 7 illustrates a microfluidic heater assembly 106 in more detail. The microfluidic heater assembly 106 comprises a substrate 162 and an electrically resistive layer 164 disposed on a surface of the substrate 162.

In this implementation, the substrate 162 is formed from a non-conductive material, such as quartz (silicon dioxide); however, it should be appreciated that other suitable non-conductive materials may be used, such as ceramics, for example. The substrate 162 in some implementations may be formed from a porous material. The porous substrate 162 may be formed from naturally porous materials, such as sponges, porous stones or ceramics etc., or via materials that are engineered to be porous, such as sintered metals or other materials. These materials, either formed naturally or engineered, have pores or hollow regions which are interconnected and define passages that follow a random or substantially random pathway through the material (where substantially in this context means that, considering the bulk material of the substrate 62 as a whole, there may be some general trend in the direction that the pathways extend, e.g., left to right, but from the perspective of liquid I fluid passing through the substrate 62, the pathway is a series of random selections of e.g., pores or hollow regions). In other implementations, the substrate 162 may be considered impermeable or substantially impermeable (where substantially in this context means that the substrate 62 may have some degree of absorption of fluid, e.g., e-liquid; for example, the substrate 62 may be capable of absorbing up to 2 % or up to 1 % of the total volume of the substrate 62 of a volume of fluid). The way in which the substrate 162 is formed and the materials it is made therefrom is not of primary significance to the principles of the present disclosure.

The electrically resistive layer 164 is formed from any suitable electrically conductive material, for example a metal or a metal alloy such as titanium or nickel chromium. The electrically resistive layer 164 may be formed on a first surface 162a of the substrate 162 in any suitable way. For example, the electrically resistive layer 164 may be provided as a film that is adhered or otherwise bonded to the first surface 162a of the substrate 162. Alternatively, the electrically resistive layer 164 may be formed though a deposition technique, such as chemical or vapour deposition. The way in which the electrically resistive layer 164 is formed and the materials it is made therefrom is not of primary significance to the principles of the present disclosure.

The heater assembly 106 is planar and in the form of a rectangular cuboidal block, elongate in the direction of a longitudinal axis L2. The heater assembly 106 has the shape of a strip and has parallel sides. The planar heater assembly 106 has parallel upper and lower major (planar) surfaces, herein denoted as the first surface 162a and second surface 162b of the substrate 162, and parallel side surfaces and parallel end surfaces. In the shown implementation of Figure 7, the length of the heater assembly 106 is 10 mm, its width is 1 mm, and its thickness is 0.12 mm (where the thickness of the substrate 162 is approximately 0.10 mm, and the thickness of the electrically resistive layer 164 is approximately 0.02 mm). The small size of the heater assembly 106 may enable the overall size of a cartridge (such as cartridge 4) to be reduced and the overall mass of the components to be reduced. However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the heater assembly 106 may have different dimensions depending upon the application at hand.

Along the longitudinal axis L2, the heater assembly 106 has a central portion 167 and first and second end portions 168, 169. In Figure 7, the length of the central portion 167 (relative to the lengths of the end portions 168, 169) has been exaggerated for reasons of visual clarity. The end portions 168, 169 represent regions where an electrical connection may be made between a power source (such as power source 26), so that electrical power may be supplied to the electrically resistive layer 164 to cause heating of the electrically resistive layer 164.

In the central portion 167 of the heater assembly 106, a plurality of capillary tubes 166 are provided. Only the openings of the capillary tubes 66 are shown in Figure 7 (and in an exaggerated way for clarity), but the capillary tubes 166 extend from one side of the heater assembly 106 to the other. More specifically, the capillary tubes 106 extend from the second surface 162b of the substrate 162, through the substrate 162 toward the first surface 162a of the substrate 162 on which the electrically resistive layer 164 is disposed, and then through the electrically resistive layer 164. The plurality of capillary tubes 166 extend substantially linearly through the heater assembly 106 (that is, the capillary tubes 166 follow substantially linear paths). By substantially, it is meant that the capillary tubes 166 follow pathways that are within 5 %, within 2 % or within 1 % of a straight line. This measure may be obtained in any suitable way, e.g., by comparison of the length of the distance from a first point to a second point along the extent of the capillary tube 166 and the corresponding distance that the central axis of the capillary tube 166 extends between the same two points. The capillary tubes 166 are formed in the heater assembly 106 via a manufacturing process. That is to say, the capillary tubes 166 do not naturally exist in the substrate material 162 or electrically resistive layer 164, but rather, the capillary tubes 166 are formed in the substrate material 162 and electrically resistive layer 164 through a suitable process. A suitable process for forming the capillary tubes 166, particularly when forming capillary tubes 166 that substantially follow a linear path, is laser drilling. However, any other suitable technique may be employed in order to generate the capillary tubes 166.

The capillary tubes 166 are configured so as to transport liquid aerosol-generating material from one surface of the heater assembly 106 (i.e., the second surface 162b of the substrate 162) to the electrically resistive layer 164. The capillary tubes 166 may be formed based in part on the liquid aerosol-generating material to be stored in the reservoir 44 of the cartridge 4 and subsequently used with the heater assembly 106. For example, the properties of the liquid aerosol-generating material (e.g., viscosity) in the reservoir 44 of the cartridge 4 may influence the configuration of the capillary tubes 166 to help ensure that a suitable flow of liquid is provided to the electrically resistive layer 164. Broadly speaking, in some implementations, the capillary tubes 166 may have a diameter on the order to tens of microns, e.g., between 10 pm to 100 pm. However, it should be appreciated that capillary tubes 166 in other implementations may be configured differently.

The heater assembly 106 is configured to be used with a suitable cartridge 4. In this regard, the cartridge 4 shown in Figures 1 to 6a may be suitable adapted to accommodate the heater assembly 106. For example, in some implementations, the second surface 162b of the heater assembly 106 is provided in direct fluid communication with the reservoir 44. That is to say, for example, the reservoir 44 is provided with an opening into which the heater assembly 106 is placed such that the second surface 62b receives liquid aerosol-generating material. In some implementations, when there are a plurality of reservoirs 44a, 44b, each reservoir 44a, 44b may have an opening which communicates with a part of the second surface 162b of the heater assembly 106. The electrically resistive layer 164 is arranged to face into the air tube 52. In this regard, when the aerosol-generating material is vaporised by applying an electrical current to the electrically resistive layer 164, the vaporised liquid passes into the air tube 52 where it is entrained in air passing through the air tube 52 (i.e., from a user’s inhalation). It should also be appreciated that the air path 30 and air tube 52 may be adapted I repositioned to accommodate the heater assembly 106.

In the context of the present disclosure, by varying the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the reservoir 44 via the air inlet 7, the rate at which liquid aerosol-generating material is provided to the heater assembly 106 can be varied. More specifically, the rate at which the capillary tubes 166 either replenish during or after an inhalation can be adapted based on setting the rate of air flow permitted into the reservoir 44 by the air inlet 7.

Figure 8 depicts an example method for configuring an aerosol provision system 1, such as the aerosol provision system 1 of Figure 1.

At step S1, the method includes providing an aerosol provision system 1. As described above, the aerosol provision system 1 comprises an aerosol-generating material storage portion 44 (or reservoir 44) for storing an aerosol-generating material, an aerosol generator 48 (which may include heater assembly 106) provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion 44 and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion 44; and a reservoir air inlet 7, 7a, 7b provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion 44 for supplying air to the aerosol-generating material storage portion 44.

At step S2, the method involves varying the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the aerosol-generating material storage portion 44 via the air inlet 7, 7a, 7b. As noted above, this may include changing the size of an air inlet 7, e.g., by setting the size of the opening 73 of the air inlet 7’. Alternatively, this may include changing the configuration of the aerosol provision system 1, e.g., by selectively coupling one of a plurality of air inlets 7a, 7b to the external environment such that air is able to be provided to the reservoir 44 via the selected air inlet 7a, 7b. Accordingly, by varying the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the aerosol-generating material storage portion 44 via the air inlet 7, 7a, 7b, during use of the aerosol provision system 1 , it is possible to vary the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator 48, 106.

The above described implementations of the aerosol provision system 1 have focused on providing an air inlet 7, 7a, 7b, 7’ that s configured to receive air from the environment surrounding the aerosol provision system 1, and in particular the reservoir 44. In particular, the air inlet 7, 7a, 7b, 7’ is provided independently of the airflow path past the aerosol generator 48, 106 (e.g., from the air inlet 28 through air path 30, air path 52 and out via the opening 50 in the mouthpiece end of the system 1). However, in other implementations, the air inlet may be provided in fluid communication with the primary air path through the aerosol provision system 1.

Figure 9 schematically show an arrangement of the cartridge 4 and aerosol provision device 2 comprising a reservoir air inlet 7c coupled to the main air path through a reservoir air pathway 74c. Figure 9 will be understood from Figure 1 but shows an alternative arrangement of the aerosol provision device 2 and the cartridge 4. Like components are indicated with the same reference signs as used previously, and thus a description thereof is omitted for conciseness. In addition, only a part of the aerosol provision device 2 of Figure 1 is shown in Figure 9, while certain components have been omitted from the cartridge 4 (such as the wick 46 and aerosol generator 48) and the device 2 (such as the pressure sensor 16 and chamber 18).

In the implementation of Figure 9, the cartridge 4 is provided with a reservoir air pathway 74c, which in this implementation extends along the side of the reservoir 44. At one end, the reservoir air pathway 74c is in fluid communication with a reservoir air inlet 7c. The housing 42 of the cartridge 4 in Figure 9 is suitably configured to provide the reservoir air pathway 74c. In particular, it can be seen that the housing 42 includes a partitioning wall that is provided between the outer wall of the housing 42 (defining the outer surface of the cartridge 4) and the inner wall of the housing 42 defining the air path I air tube 52. The reservoir air path 74c may be arranged in any suitable way and/or take any suitable shape. For example, the reservoir air path 74c may be provided as cylindrical tube (e.g., having a cross-section that is or approximates a circle).

As in Figure 1 , the reservoir air inlet 7c is provided in fluid communication with the reservoir 44. That is, the reservoir air inlet 7c is configured to permit a certain (maximum) rate of air to flow into the reservoir 44 via reservoir air inlet 7c. The reservoir air inlet 7c may take any suitable form as described above with respect to air inlet 7, 7a, 7b, or 7’.

The reservoir air pathway 74c extends to the lower surface of the cartridge 4 at the interface 6 between the cartridge 4 and the aerosol provision device 2. That is, the reservoir air pathway 74c extends, in this implementation, to respective opening provided in the base of the cartridge 4 at the interface 6 of the aerosol provision system 1. However, unlike the cartridge 4 shown in Figures 3a and 3b, the reservoir air pathway 74c is provided in fluid communication with the air inlet 28 I air path 30, as opposed to having a separate air inlet (such as air inlet 29 of Figures 3a and 3b). Specifically, the aerosol provision device 2 includes an opening 28a that fluidly connects to the air inlet 28 I air path 30 and to the reservoir air pathway 74c. Therefore, the reservoir air inlet 7c is provided in fluid communication with the primary air path through the aerosol provision system 1. Thus, the reservoir air path 74c may be thought of as branching off the primary air path (that passes via the aerosol generator) at the opening 28a. In the implementation of Figure 9, the reservoir air pathway 74c is shown as branching off the primary air path at a location upstream of the aerosol generator 48 (with respect to the direction of airflow along the primary air path during use); however, in other implementations, the reservoir air pathway 74c may branch off the primary air path at a location downstream of the aerosol generator 48.

In accordance with the configuration of Figure 9, when a user inhales on the mouthpiece end of the aerosol provision system 1, as described above, air is drawn into the aerosol provision system 1 via the air inlet 28, passes along the air path 30 and air path 52 via the aerosol generator 48 (where aerosol is entrained in the air flow if the aerosol generator 48 is activated) and out of the mouthpiece opening 50. However, in this implementation, the air that is drawn into the aerosol provision system 1 via the air inlet 28 as the user inhales passes by the opening 28a coupled to the reservoir air pathway 74c. This creates a venturi effect, essentially drawing air along the reservoir air pathway 74c and, accordingly, also from the reservoir 44 via the air inlet 7c (which acts in this instance as an air outlet for the reservoir 44 but an air inlet for the reservoir air pathway 74c). Hence, this causes a relative decrease in the air pressure within the reservoir 44 which may reduce the rate at which liquid aerosol generating material is supplied to the wick 46 and/or aerosol generator 48. That is to say, because of the venturi effect, the rate of supply of liquid aerosol-generating material to the aerosol generator 48 can be decreased in response to a user inhaling on the aerosol provision system 1. In addition, it should be appreciated that the magnitude of the venturi effect is proportional to the strength of the inhalation. That is, if a user inhales more strongly on the aerosol provision system 1, the venturi effect is relatively greater which decreases the pressure within the reservoir 44 by a greater amount, thereby decreasing the flow of aerosolgenerating material to the aerosol generator 48.

In implementations where the aerosol generator 48 is a heater 48, the relative operational temperature of the heater 48 can be adjusted based on the strength of the user’s inhalation. In this regard, liquid aerosol-generating material supplied to the heater 48 provides a cooling effect, in effect where the thermal energy is used to vaporise the liquid aerosol-aerosol generating material. However, it the supply of liquid aerosol-generating material is reduced (that is, if the rate of supply of liquid aerosol-generating material to the heater 48 is reduced), the cooling effect is subsequently reduced. Thus, for the same applied power to the heater 48, the heater 48 runs at a higher temperature when the rate of supply if liquid aerosolgenerating material thereto is reduced. Put simply, the stronger the user inhales on the aerosol provision system 1, the greater the operational temperature of the heater 48 for a given power supplied to the heater 48. By increasing the temperature, certain effects may be seen in the generated aerosol. For example, because the generated aerosol is warmer by virtue of the increased operating temperature, the particle size of the generated aerosol may be smaller. As a result a user’s experience can be varied in response to different inhalations strengths. Moreover, similar effects have been observed in combustible cigarettes, whereby stronger inhalations provide warmer aerosol/smoke. Thus, the described user experience using the cartridge 4 of Figure 9 may be more familiar to smokers transitioning to aerosol provision systems 1.

While it should be understood that the configuration of Figure 9 generates a reduced pressure in the reservoir 44, dependent on the strength of the inhalation, when the user is no longer inhaling on the aerosol provision system 1 , the air inlet 7c may function to allow air to enter the reservoir 44 and subsequently equalize the pressure within the reservoir 44, in a broadly similar manner to described above. In such cases, the rate of flow of liquid aerosolgenerating material may relatively increase (compared to when the reservoir 44 is at a lower pressure) to allow liquid aerosol-generating material to replenish the aerosol generator 48 I wick 46. It should be appreciated that the configuration shown in Figure 9 is an example configuration only and, depending on the structure of a particular cartridge 4, the air inlet 7c and air pathway 74c may be provided in different configurations for the application at hand.

Moreover, while reference is made to an air inlet 7, 7a, 7b, 7’ and 7c, it may be more appropriate to define an air opening which, in some implementations, allows air to enter the reservoir 44 I aerosol-generating material storage portion 44 to vary the rate of aerosolgenerating material supplied to the aerosol generator 48, and in other implementations, to allow air to exit the reservoir 44 I aerosol-generating material storage portion 44 to vary the rate of aerosol-generating material supplied to the aerosol generator 48.

In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, there is also provided aerosol provision means, including the aerosol provision system 1 , for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision means comprising: aerosol-generating material storage means, including the aerosol-generating material storage portion 44, for storing an aerosol-generating material; aerosol generator means, including the aerosol generator 48, 106, provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage means and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosolgenerating material storage means; and air opening means, including the air inlet 7, provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage means for allowing air to enter and/or exit the aerosol-generating material storage means. The aerosol provision means is configured to vary the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator means by varying the amount of air that is permitted to flow into or out of the aerosol-generating material storage means via the air opening means.

Thus, there has been described an aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision system including an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material; an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion; and an air opening provided in fluid communication with the aerosolgenerating material storage portion for allowing air to enter and/or exit the aerosolgenerating material storage portion. The aerosol provision system is configured to vary the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator by varying the rate of air that is permitted to flow into or out of the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the air opening. Also described is a consumable, device and method.

Alternatively, the present disclosure may be summarised as providing an aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision system comprising: a first aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing a first aerosol-generating material; a second aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing a second aerosol-generating material; an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the first aerosol-generating material storage portion and the second aerosol generatingmaterial storage portion and configured to receive first aerosol-generating material and second aerosol-generating material; a first air inlet provided in fluid communication with the first aerosol-generating material storage portion for supplying air to the first aerosolgenerating material storage portion; and a second air inlet provided in fluid communication with the second aerosol-generating material storage portion for supplying air to the second aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the rate at which the first aerosolgenerating material is provided to the aerosol generator is set based on the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the first aerosol-generating material storage portion via the first air inlet, and the rate at which the second aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator is set based on the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the second aerosolgenerating material storage portion via the second air inlet, wherein the rate at which the first aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator is different from the rate at which the second aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator.

The present disclosure also relates to an aerosol provision system that is configured to apply vibrations to an aerosol generator and/or an aerosol-generating material transport element for supplying the aerosol generator with liquid aerosol generating material. The vibration mechanism is provided so as to help facilitate the flow of liquid aerosol generating material through the aerosol generator and/or an aerosol-generating material transport element by imparting additional energy to the liquid aerosol-generating material and/or by removing pockets of air trapped in the aerosol generator and/or an aerosol-generating material transport element. This may help to ensure a more consistent flow of aerosol-generating material to the aerosol generator, which may provide a more consistent and uniform user experience as well as preventing damage from over activation of the aerosol generator.

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view through an aerosol provision system 201 provided in accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure.

The aerosol provision system 201 shown in Figure 10 comprises two main components, namely an aerosol provision device 202 and a replaceable I disposable cartridge 204 (which is an example of a consumable or article). The aerosol provision system 201 of Figure 10 is an example of a modular construction of an aerosol provision system 201. In this regard, the aerosol provision device 202 and the cartridge 204 are able to engage with or disengage from one another at an interface 206. However, as mentioned above, the principles of the present disclosure also apply to other constructions of the aerosol provision system 201 , such as one-part or unitary constructions where the device 202 and cartridge 204 may be integrally formed (or in other words, the aerosol provision device 201 is provided with an integrally formed aerosol-generating material storage area or portion).

The aerosol provision system 201 is generally elongate and cylindrical in shape. The aerosol provision system 201 may be sized so as to approximate a cigarette. However, it should be understood that the general size and shape of the aerosol provision system 201 is not significant to the principles of the present disclosure. In some other implementations, the aerosol provision system 201 may conform to different overall shapes; for example, the aerosol provision device 202 may be based on so-called box-mod high performance devices that typically have a more box-like shape.

The device 202 comprises components that are generally intended to have a longer lifetime than the cartridge 204. In other words, the device 202 is intended to be used, sequentially, with multiple cartridges 204. The cartridge 204 comprises components (such as aerosolgenerating material) that are consumed when forming an aerosol for delivery to the user during use of the aerosol provision system 201.

In the example modular configuration of Figure 10, the device 202 and the cartridge 204 are releasably coupled together at the first interface 206. When the aerosol-generating material in the cartridge 204 is exhausted or the user simply wishes to switch to a different cartridge 204 (e.g., containing a different aerosol-generating material), the cartridge 204 may be removed from the device 202 and a replacement cartridge 204 attached to the device 202 in its place. The interface 206 provides a structural connection between the device 202 and cartridge 204 and may be established in accordance with suitable techniques, for example based around a screw thread, latch mechanism, bayonet fixing or magnetic coupling. In some implementations, the interface 206 may also provide an electrical coupling between the device 202 and the cartridge 204 using suitable electrical contacts. The electrical coupling may allow for power and I or data to be supplied to I from the cartridge 204.

It should also be understood that in some implementations, the cartridge 204 may be refillable. That is, the cartridge 204 may be refilled with aerosol-generating material when the cartridge 204 is depleted, using an appropriate mechanism such as a one-way refilling valve or the like. The cartridge 204 may be removed from the device 202 in order to be refilled. In other examples, the cartridge 204 may be configured so as to be refilled while attached to the device 202.

In implementations where the aerosol provision system 201 is a one-part or unitary system, the aerosol provision system 201 may be designed to be disposable once the aerosolgenerating material is exhausted. Alternatively, the aerosol provision system 201 may be provided with a suitable mechanism, such as a one-way valve or the like, to enable the integrated cartridge 204 (or integrated aerosol-generating material storage area) to be refilled with aerosol-generating material.

In Figure 10, the cartridge part 204 comprises a cartridge housing 242, an aerosolgenerating material storage area 244, an aerosol generator 248, an aerosol-generating material transport component 246, an outlet or opening 250, and an air path 252.

The cartridge housing 242 supports other components of the cartridge 204 and provides the mechanical interface 206 with the device 202. The cartridge housing 242 is formed from a suitable material, such as a plastics material or a metal material. In the described implementation, the cartridge housing 242 is generally circularly symmetric about a longitudinal axis along which the cartridge 204 couples to the device 202. In this example the cartridge 204 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, may be different in different implementations. The cartridge 204 comprises a first end, broadly defined by the interface 206, and a second end which is opposite the first end and includes the opening 250. The second end including the opening is intended to be received in / by a user’s mouth and may be referred to as a mouthpiece end of the cartridge 204.

Within the cartridge housing 242 is an aerosol-generating material storage area 44, which may be referred to herein as a reservoir 244. The cartridge 242 of Figure 10 is configured to store a liquid aerosol-generating material, which may be referred to herein as a source liquid, e-liquid or liquid. The source liquid may contain nicotine and I or other active ingredients, and I or one or more flavours, as described above. In some implementations, the source liquid may contain no nicotine. The reservoir 244 is suitably configured to hold or retain liquid therein.

The reservoir 244 in this example has an annular shape with an outer wall defined by the cartridge housing 242 and an inner wall that defines an air path 252 through the cartridge 204. The reservoir 244 is closed at each end with end walls to contain the liquid. The reservoir 244 may be formed in accordance with suitable techniques, for example it may comprise a plastics material and be integrally moulded with the cartridge housing 242.

The cartridge 204 further comprises an aerosol generator 248. The aerosol generator 248 is an apparatus configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material (e.g., the source liquid). The cartridge 204 further comprises the aerosol-generating material transport component 246, which is configured to transport the aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage area 244 (e.g., reservoir 244) to the aerosol generator 248. In some implementations, the aerosol-generating material transport component 246 may be integrated with the aerosol generator 248 to form a combined aerosol generator 248 and aerosol-generating material transport component 246.

The aerosol generator 248 is configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosolgenerating material. In some implementations, the aerosol generator 248 is a heater 248. The heater 248 is 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. By way of example, the heater 248 may take the form of an electrically resistive wire or trace intended to have electrical current passed between ends thereof, or a susceptor element which is intended to generate heat upon exposure to an alternating magnetic field. However, in other implementations, the aerosol generator 248 is configured to cause an aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator 248 may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to one or more of vibration, increased pressure, or electrostatic energy.

The aerosol-generating material transport element 246 is configured to transport aerosolgenerating material from the aerosol-generating material storage area 244 (reservoir 244) to the aerosol generator 248. The nature of the aerosol-generating material may dictate the form of the aerosol-generating material transport element 246. For example, for a liquid or viscous gel aerosol-generating material, the aerosol-generating material transport element 246 is configured to transport the liquid or viscous gel aerosol-generating material using capillary action. For example, the aerosol-generating material transport element 246 may comprise a porous material (e.g., ceramic) or a bundle of fibres (e.g., glass or cotton fibres) capable of transporting liquid / viscous gel using capillary action.

In the described implementation of Figure 10, the aerosol generator 248 is a heater 248 taking the form of a coil of metal wire, such as a nickel chrome alloy (Cr20Ni80) wire. The aerosol-generating material transport element 246 in the implementation of Figure 10 is a wick 246 taking the form of a bundle of fibres, such as glass fibres. The heater 248 is wound around the wick 246 as seen in Figure 10 such that the heater 248 is provided in the proximity of the wick 246 and therefore also to any liquid held in the wick 246. In some implementations, the aerosol generator 248 may comprise a porous ceramic wick 246 and an electrically conductive track disposed on a surface of the porous ceramic wick acting as the heater 248. In yet other implementations, the heater 248 and wick 246 may be combined into a single component, e.g., a plurality of sintered steel fibres forming a planar structure.

The heater 248 and wick 246 are located towards an end of the reservoir 244. In this example, the wick 246 extends transversely across the cartridge air path 252 with its ends extending into the reservoir 244 of liquid through openings in the inner wall of the reservoir 244. The openings in the inner wall of the reservoir are sized to broadly match the dimensions of the wick 246 to provide a reasonable seal against leakage from the liquid reservoir 244 into the cartridge air path 252 without unduly compressing the wick 246, which may be detrimental to its fluid transfer performance. The wick 246 is therefore configured to transport liquid from the reservoir 244 to the vicinity of the heater 248 via a capillary effect.

The wick 246 and heater 248 are arranged in the cartridge air path 252 such that a region of the cartridge air path 252 around the wick 246 and heater 248 in effect defines a vaporisation region for the cartridge 204. This vaporisation region is the region of the cartridge 204 where vapour is initially generated. In use, electrical power may be supplied to the heater 248 to vaporise an amount of liquid drawn to the vicinity of the heater 248 by the wick 246.

Aerosol is delivered to the user via the outlet 250 provided at the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 204. During use, the user may place their lips on or around the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 204 and draw air I aerosol through the outlet 250. More specifically, air is drawn into and along the air path 252, past the aerosol generator 248 where aerosol is entrained into the air, and the combined aerosol I air is then inhaled by the user through the opening 250. Although Figure 10 shows the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 204 as being an integral part of the cartridge 204, a separate mouthpiece component may be provided which releasably couples to the end of the cartridge 204.

The device 202 comprises an outer housing 212, an optional indicator 214, an inhalation sensor 216 located within a chamber 218, a controller or control circuitry 220, a power source 226, an air inlet 228 and an air path 230.

The device part 202 comprises an outer housing 212 with an opening that defines an air inlet 228 for the aerosol provision system 201 , a power source 226 for providing operating power for the aerosol provision system 201 , a controller or control circuitry 220 for controlling and monitoring the operation of the aerosol provision system 201, and an inhalation sensor (puff detector) 216 located in a chamber 218. The device 202 further comprises an optional indicator 214.

The outer housing 212 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 204 so as to provide a smooth transition between the two parts at the interface 206. In this example, the device 202 has a length of around 8 cm so the overall length of the aerosol provision system 201 when the cartridge 204 and device 202 are coupled together is around 12 cm. However, and as already noted, it will be appreciated that the overall shape and scale of an aerosol provision system 201 implementing the present disclosure is not significant to the principles described herein.

The outer housing 212 further comprises an air inlet 228 which connects to an air path 230 provided through the device 202. The device air path 230 in turn connects to the cartridge air path 252 across the interface 206 when the device 202 and cartridge 204 are connected together. In this regard, the interface 206 is also arranged to provide a connection of the respective air paths 230 and 252, such that air and/or aerosol is able to pass along the coupled air paths 230, 252. In other implementations, the device 202 does not comprise an air path 230 and instead the cartridge 204 comprises the air path 252 and a suitable air inlet which permits air to enter into the air path 252 when the cartridge 204 and device 202 are coupled.

The power source 226 in this example is a battery 226. The battery 226 may be rechargeable and may be, for example of the kind normally used in aerosol provision systems and other applications requiring provision of relatively high currents over relatively short periods. The battery 226 may be, for example, a lithium ion battery. The battery 226 may be recharged through a suitable charging connector provided at or in the outer housing 212, for example a USB connector. Additionally or alternatively, the device 202 may comprise suitable circuitry to facilitate wireless charging of the battery 226.

The control circuitry 220 is suitably configured I programmed to control the operation of the aerosol provision system 201. The control circuitry 220 may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units I circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the aerosol provision system's operation and may be implemented by provision of a (micro)controller, processor, ASIC or similar form of control chip. The control circuitry 220 may be arranged to control any functionality associated with the system 201. By way of nonlimiting examples only, the functionality may include the charging or re-charging of the battery 226, the discharging of the battery 226 (e.g., for providing power to the heater 248), in addition to other functionality such as controlling visual indicators (e.g., LEDs) I displays, communication functionality for communicating with external devices, etc. The control circuitry 220 may be mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB). Note also that the functionality provided by the control circuitry 220 may be split across multiple circuit boards and I or across components which are not mounted to a PCB, and these additional components and I or PCBs can be located as appropriate within the aerosol provision device. For example, functionality of the control circuit 220 for controlling the (re)charging functionality of the battery 226 may be provided separately (e.g. on a different PCB) from the functionality for controlling the discharge of the battery 226. As noted above, when the device 202 and the cartridge 204 are coupled together at interface 206, the interface 206 provides an electrical connection between the device 202 and the cartridge 204. More particularly, electrical contacts on the device 202, which are coupled to the power source 226, are electrically coupled to electrical contacts on the cartridge, which are coupled to the heater 248. Accordingly, under suitable control by the control circuitry 220, electrical power from the power source 226 is able to be supplied from the power source 226 to the heater 248, thereby allowing the heater 248 to vaporise liquid in the proximity of the heater 248 held in the wick 246.

In the example of Figure 10, the aerosol provision device 202 comprises a chamber 218 containing the inhalation sensor 216, which in this example is a pressure sensor 216. However, the inhalation sensor 216 may be any suitable sensor, such as an air flow sensor, for sensing when a user inhales on the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 204 and subsequently draws air along the air paths 230, 252. Accordingly, the presence of the chamber 218 is optional and its presence may depend on the characteristics of the selected inhalation sensor 216.

The pressure sensor 216 is in fluid communication with the air path 230 in the device 202 (e.g. the chamber 218 branches off from the air path 230 in the device 202). Thus, when a user inhales on the opening 250, there is a drop in pressure in the chamber 218, which if sufficient, is detected by the pressure sensor 216. The aerosol provision system 201 is controlled to generate aerosol in response to detecting an inhalation by a user. That is, when the pressure sensor 216 detects a drop in pressure in the pressure sensor chamber 218, the control circuitry 220 responds by causing electrical power to be supplied from the battery 226 to the aerosol generator 248 sufficient to cause vaporisation of the liquid held within the wick 246. This is an example of an aerosol provision system which is said to be “puff actuated”. The pressure sensor 216 may be used to start and I or end the power supply to the heater 248 (e.g., when the pressure sensor detects the absence of an inhalation).

In other implementations, the aerosol provision system 201 includes a button or other user actuatable mechanism. When the button or other user actuatable mechanism is actuated by the user, the control circuitry 220 caused power to be supplied to the heater 248 as described above. This is an example of an aerosol provision system which is said to be “button actuated”. The button may be used to start and I or end power supply to the heater 248 (e.g., when the button is released by the user). In some implementations, both a button (or other user actuatable mechanism) and an inhalation sensor 216 may be used to control the delivery of power to the heater 248, e.g., by requiring both the button press and a pressure drop indicative of an inhalation to be present before supplying power to the heater 248. In accordance with the present disclosure, the aerosol provision system 201, and in the example of Figure 10 the cartridge 204, is provided with a vibration mechanism 209.

The vibration mechanism 209 is shown highly schematically in Figure 10. The vibration mechanism 209 is configured to apply vibrations to at least one of the aerosol-generating material transport element (e.g., wick 246) and the aerosol generator (e.g., heater 248).

In this regard, it should be understood that the wick 246 is capable of transporting the liquid aerosol-generating material stored in the reservoir 244 to the heater 248. The wick 246 as described above may be formed from a porous material (e.g., ceramic) or a bundle of fibres (e.g., glass or cotton fibres) that is capable of transporting liquid I viscous gel using capillary action. More particularly, the wick 246 comprises a number of interconnected gaps or holes that define various channels through the wick 246 that allow for the transport of liquid aerosol-generating material via capillary action. Hence, the channels may be referred to as capillary channels. These capillary channels therefore receive the liquid aerosol-generating material and allow the liquid aerosol-generating material to flow in a direction towards the heater 248 where the liquid aerosol-generating material is vaporised as described above.

In idealised situations, the liquid aerosol-generating material that enters the wick 246 flows towards the heater 248 to replace liquid aerosol-generating material held in the wick 246 in the vicinity of the heater 248 that has been subsequently vaporised. However, there may be instances where this is not the case that liquid aerosol-generating material may become stuck or trapped in the respective capillary tube prior to reaching the heater 248 and subsequently becoming vaporised. For example, the magnitude of a capillary force acting on a liquid in a capillary tube is dependent on a number of parameters, including the structure and dimensions of the capillary tube. In materials such as a porous ceramic or a bundle of fibres, the dimensions of the capillary tubes may not be consistent throughout the wick 246. For example, the diameter of a capillary tube may vary. Where the diameter of the capillary tube becomes too narrow or too large, this may lead to an insufficient capillary force acting on the liquid aerosol-generating material owing, in part, to the surface tension of the liquid aerosol-generating material, thus resulting in the liquid aerosol-generating material becoming trapped at a location in the wick 246. In some instances, it may also be possible for air to enter into the wick 246 (e.g., when the reservoir 244 starts running low of aerosolgenerating material and/or if the aerosol provision system 201 is inverted during use or the like). The presence of air in the capillary tubes may lead to blockage of the liquid aerosolgenerating material as the air forms a barrier that prevents passage of the liquid aerosolgenerating material. When liquid aerosol-generating material is blocked or trapped within the wick 246, it should be appreciated that the overall performance of the aerosol provision system 201 may be decreased in respect of the ability to generate aerosol. That is, the overall rate of supply of liquid aerosol-generating material to the heater 248 may decrease. If the rate of supply of aerosol-generating material to the heater 248 becomes lower than rate of vaporisation, then a decrease in the amount of aerosol that is generated would be expected, and in some cases, this may also lead to overheating of the heater 248 and/or charring of the wick 246.

Hence, the vibration mechanism 209 is provided to help aid in the transfer of aerosolgenerating material into or through the wick 246, and/or to aid in the release of air within the wick 246. By applying vibrations to the wick 246, any liquid aerosol-generating material and/or air that is trapped in the wick 246 has a greater chance of being released or freed, thereby improving the flow of aerosol-generating material to the heater 248. The vibrations applied to the wick 246 may cause minor changes to the structure of the wick 246 (e.g., the spacing between the interconnected gaps or holes) and/or may impart some energy to the trapped liquid aerosol-generating material (thus aiding the transfer of the material along the wick 246). In some implementations, the generated vibrations may be sufficient to reduce (or break) the surface tension of any trapped liquid and/or liquid adjacent the heater 248 I wick 246 (for example that might pool or sit in the vicinity of these components).

The vibration mechanism 209 itself is not particularly limited and any suitable vibration mechanism 209 may be employed in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. For example, the vibration mechanism 209 may include a haptic motor or an acoustic wave generator. However, any other suitable mechanism for generating vibrations may be employed.

The way in which the vibration mechanism 209 is operated may depend on the application at hand, e.g., in terms of the frequency of vibrations, the intensity of vibrations, etc. Factors such as the structure and dimensions of the wick 246, the properties of the liquid aerosolgenerating material to be used in the aerosol provision system 201, etc. may all impact the degree to which blockages of liquid aerosol-generating material occur and the vibrations to be applied to dislodge the blockage. However, for a given application, the operational parameters may be found through computer simulation or empirical testing.

In the example of Figure 10, the vibration mechanism 209 is shown as being located in the reservoir 244 of the cartridge 204. In such examples, the vibration mechanism 209 may be suitable for being submerged in the aerosol-generating material. It should be appreciated that the vibration mechanism 209 may be mounted in the reservoir 244 using any suitable mounting arrangement (not shown), e.g., such as a cradle or holder provided on the inner surface of the outer housing 242 forming the reservoir 244 that the vibration mechanism 209 fits within. In other examples, the vibration mechanism 209 may be mounted in a part of the cartridge 204 that does not allow the liquid aerosol-generating material to contact the vibration mechanism 209. For example, the vibration mechanism 209 may be embedded within a base wall (i.e., the wall at the interface 206) of the cartridge 204.

Additionally, in the implementation of Figure 10, the vibration mechanism 209 is intended to operate when an electrical current is supplied to the vibration mechanism 209. The vibration mechanism 209 is therefore provided with electrical wiring or the like (not shown) that extends from the vibration mechanism 209 to a suitable controller in the aerosol provision device 202, such as control circuitry 220. Suitable electrical contacts between the cartridge 204 and the aerosol provision device 202 may be provided at the interface 206, in a similar manner as described above in respect of heater 248.

However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the vibration mechanism 209 may be configured to operate in manner that does not require electrical wiring. For example, the vibration mechanism 209 may comprise circuitry that is capable of receiving a signal from the aerosol provision device 202. The vibration mechanism 209 may comprise its own power source, e.g., a battery, that supplies power to the vibration mechanism 209 in response to receiving the signal, or alternatively in some implementations, the circuitry is capable of converting the signal from the aerosol provision device 202 into power for powering the vibration mechanism 209.

In yet other implementations, the vibration mechanism 209 may be provided in the aerosol provision device 202 itself, whereby the vibrations generated by the vibration mechanism 209 of the device 202 are capable of being transferred to the wick 246 of the cartridge 204 (e.g., via a conduit component described below).

Figure 11 schematically shows a part of the cartridge 204 for use with the aerosol provision device 202 of Figure 10 in more detail. Figure 11 will be understood from Figure 10. Like components are indicated with the same reference signs as used previously, and thus a description thereof is omitted for conciseness.

Figure 11 schematically shows an example arrangement of the vibration mechanism 209 in the cartridge 204 of Figure 10 in more detail. In particular, Figure 11 shows the vibration mechanism 209 along with a conduit component 291 , two wick damping components 292 and a vibration mechanism damping component 293.

In Figure 11, the conduit component 291 is provided between the vibration mechanism 209 and an end of the wick 246. The conduit component 291 more specifically takes the form of a C-shaped element with the end of the wick 246 inserted into the opening of the C-shape, although it should be appreciated that the conduit component 291 is not limited to such a structure I shape. The conduit component 291 provides a coupling between the vibration mechanism 209 and the wick 246 in this implementation, and acts as a conduit for the vibrations generated by the vibration mechanism 209 such that they can be applied to the wick 246. The conduit component 291 is therefore formed from a material that is suitable for transferring the vibrations to the wick 291. For example, it may be formed from a rigid plastics material.

Accordingly, when the vibration mechanism 209 is activated (i.e., generates vibrations), the vibrations are subsequently applied to the conduit component 291 which in turn applies the vibrations to the wick 246.

In some implementations, the conduit component 291 may be omitted. However, in such implementations, the vibration mechanism 209 may be provided in direct contact with the wick 246.

In the described implementation of Figure 11, the vibrations are intended to predominantly be provided to the wick 246 (and also subsequently to the heater 248 wound around the wick 246). In some implementations, it may be desirable to prevent the vibrations extending to other components of the cartridge 204 I aerosol provision system 201. For example, such vibrations, if applied to the housing 242 of the cartridge 204 may be felt by a user during use of the aerosol-generating system 201, which may be undesirable in some implementations. Accordingly, the cartridge 204 in this example is optionally provided with one or more damping components 292, 293 configured to absorb or dampen the generated vibrations which are to be applied to the wick 246 (and heater 248).

In Figure 11 , the wick 246 extends across the air tube 252. In particular, the air tube 252 comprises openings which allow for ends of the wick 246 to extend into the reservoir 244 and subsequently the body of the wick 246 to extend across the air tube 252 between the two openings. Therefore, it should be appreciated that the wick 246 is provided in contact with the walls defining the air tube 252 at the vicinity of the openings. In accordance with the present disclosure, two O-ring wick damping components 292 are provided at each of the openings in the air tube 252. The two O-ring wick damping components 292 have an internal diameter broadly corresponding to the diameter of the wick 246 such that the O-ring wick damping components 292 are able to receive the wick 246 therethrough. The O-ring wick damping components 292 are provided within the openings of the air tube 252 (although noting that the openings may be formed slightly larger in order to accommodate the O-ring wick damping components 292). The O-ring wick damping components 292 may be formed from a suitable material, such as rubber, which is capable of at least partially absorbing the vibrations applied to the wick 246 thereby preventing the vibrations from extending to other components of the cartridge 204 I aerosol provision system 201. In this example, the O-ring wick damping components 292 also act as a seal sealing the space between the wick 246 and the openings of the air tube 252, thereby acting to prevent or reduce liquid aerosol generating material escaping the reservoir 244. By forming the O-ring wick damping components 292 from a resilient or flexible material may help to ensure the seal between the wick 246 and the O-ring wick damping component 292 remains intact even during the application of vibrations to the wick 246.

In addition, the vibration mechanism 209 in Figure 11 is also provided with a vibration mechanism damping component 293. The vibration mechanism damping component 293 is optional and its provision may depend on the way in which the vibration mechanism 209 generates vibrations. However, in instances where the vibrations are not exclusively applied to the conduit component 291, the vibration mechanism damping component 293 may be provided to at least partially absorb the generated vibrations that are not applied to the wick 246 thereby preventing the generated vibrations from extending to other components of the cartridge 204 I aerosol provision system 201. For example, in Figure 11, the vibration mechanism 209 is mounted to the inside of the housing 242 of the cartridge 204 using the vibration mechanism damping component 293. As with the O-ring wick damping components 292, the vibration mechanism damping component 293 may be formed from a suitable material, such as rubber, capable of at least partially absorbing the vibrations generated. In the absence of the vibration mechanism damping component 293, any generated vibrations from the vibration mechanism 209 may be applied to the housing 242 of the cartridge 204. However, in the presence of the vibration mechanism damping component 293, these vibrations are subsequently dampened and hence are absorbed (at least partially) prior to reaching the outer housing 242 of the cartridge 204.

Hence, it should be appreciated that the wick damping components 292 and vibration mechanism damping component 293 are provided in implementations where the transmission of vibrations from the vibration mechanism 209 to the other components of the aerosol provision system 201 is not desired, and in such implementations, the wick damping components 292 and vibration mechanism damping component 293 are provided in relevant locations to prevent or reduce the transmission of vibrations to the other components of the aerosol provision system. In the example of Figures 10 and 11, the aerosol provision system is provided with a separate wick 246 and a separate heater 248. However, in some implementations, a combined wick 246 and heater 248 may be used in place of the separate components.

Figure 12 schematically represents a cartridge 204 for use with the aerosol provision device 202 of Figure 10, where the cartridge 204 is adapted for use with a microfluidic heater assembly 260 (shown schematically in Figure 12 but described in more detail in Figure 13). The microfluidic heater assembly 260 is an example of a combined wick 246 and heater 248. Figure 12 will be understood from Figures 10 and 11. Like components are indicated with the same reference signs as used previously, and thus a description thereof is omitted for conciseness. Only the differences or modifications are described. Figure 13 schematically shows the microfluidic heater assembly 260 in more detail.

In Figure 12, the cartridge 204 as described with respect to Figures 10 and 11 is adapted wherein the reservoir 244 further includes a tubular passageway 244’ that extends across the air tube 252 and provides a fluid pathway between opposite sides of the reservoir 244. In effect, the tubular passageway 244’ provides a similar fluid pathway between opposite sides of the reservoir 244 as in Figures 10 and 11.

Air entering the air tube 252 from the direction of the interface 206 (e.g., as when the user inhales on the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 204) enters the air tube 252 and bifurcates as it passes around the outside of the tubular passageway 244’ before converging further along the air tube 252 and exiting the cartridge 204 via opening 250.

With reference to Figure 13, the microfluidic heater assembly 260 comprises a substrate 262 and an electrically resistive layer 264 disposed on a surface of the substrate 262.

In this implementation, the substrate 262 is formed from a non-conductive material, such as quartz (silicon dioxide); however, it should be appreciated that other suitable non-conductive materials may be used, such as ceramics, for example. In the described implementation, the substrate 262 may be considered impermeable or substantially impermeable (where substantially in this context means that the substrate 262 may have some degree of absorption of fluid, e.g., e-liquid; for example, the substrate 262 may be capable of absorbing up to 2 % or up to 1 % of the total volume of the substrate 262 of a volume of fluid). That is, the material forming the substrate 262 may be a suitable material that is impermeable to liquid aerosol-generating material. However, in other implementations, the substrate 262 may be formed from a porous material. The porous substrate 262 may be formed from naturally porous materials, such as sponges, porous stones or ceramics etc., or via materials that are engineered to be porous, such as sintered metals or other materials. These materials, either formed naturally or engineered, have pores or hollow regions which are interconnected and define passages that follow a random or substantially random pathway through the material (where substantially in this context means that, considering the bulk material of the substrate 262 as a whole, there may be some general trend in the direction that the pathways extend, e.g., left to right, but from the perspective of liquid I fluid passing through the substrate 262, the pathway is a series of random selections of e.g., pores or hollow regions). The way in which the substrate 262 is formed and the materials it is made therefrom is not of primary significance to the principles of the present disclosure.

The electrically resistive layer 264 is formed from any suitable electrically conductive material, for example a metal or a metal alloy such as titanium or nickel chromium. The electrically resistive layer 264 may be formed on a first surface 262a of the substrate 262 in any suitable way. For example, the electrically resistive layer 264 may be provided as a film that is adhered or otherwise bonded to the first surface 262a of the substrate 262. Alternatively, the electrically resistive layer 264 may be formed though a deposition technique, such as chemical or vapour deposition. The way in which the electrically resistive layer 264 is formed and the materials it is made therefrom is not of primary significance to the principles of the present disclosure.

The heater assembly 260 is planar and in the form of a rectangular cuboidal block, elongate in the direction of a longitudinal axis L2. The heater assembly 260 has the shape of a strip and has parallel sides. The planar heater assembly 260 has parallel upper and lower major (planar) surfaces, herein denoted as the first surface 262a and second surface 262b of the substrate 262, and parallel side surfaces and parallel end surfaces. In the shown implementation of Figure 13, the length of the heater assembly 260 is 10 mm, its width is 1 mm, and its thickness is 0.12 mm (where the thickness of the substrate 262 is approximately 0.10 mm, and the thickness of the electrically resistive layer 264 is approximately 0.02 mm). The small size of the heater assembly 260 may enable the overall size of a cartridge 204 to be reduced and the overall mass of the components to be reduced. However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the heater assembly 260 may have different dimensions depending upon the application at hand.

Along the longitudinal axis L2, the heater assembly 260 has a central portion 267 and first and second end portions 268, 269. In Figure 13, the length of the central portion 267 (relative to the lengths of the end portions 268, 269) has been exaggerated for reasons of visual clarity. The end portions 268, 269 represent regions where an electrical connection may be made between a power source (such as power source 226), so that electrical power may be supplied to the electrically resistive layer 264 to cause heating of the electrically resistive layer 264. With reference to Figure 12, electrical wires are schematically shown extending from the interface 206 to the heater assembly 260. These electrical wires may contact the end portions 268, 269 to allow an electrical current to pass through the electrically resistive layer 264 (in a broadly similar manner to the heater 248 of Figures 10 and 11).

In the central portion 267 of the heater assembly 260, a plurality of capillary tubes 266 are provided. Only the openings of the capillary tubes 266 are shown in Figure 13 (and in an exaggerated way for clarity), but the capillary tubes 266 extend from one side of the heater assembly 260 to the other. More specifically, the capillary tubes 260 extend from a second surface 262b of the substrate 262, through the substrate 262 toward the first surface 262a of the substrate 262 on which the electrically resistive layer 264 is disposed, and then through the electrically resistive layer 264. The plurality of capillary tubes 266 extend substantially linearly through the heater assembly 260 (that is, the capillary tubes 266 follow substantially linear paths). By substantially, it is meant that the capillary tubes 266 follow pathways that are within 5 %, within 2 % or within 1 % of a straight line. This measure may be obtained in any suitable way, e.g., by comparison of the length of the distance from a first point to a second point along the extent of the capillary tube 266 and the corresponding distance that the central axis of the capillary tube 266 extends between the same two points. The capillary tubes 266 are formed in the heater assembly 260 via a manufacturing process. That is to say, the capillary tubes 266 do not naturally exist in the substrate material 262 or electrically resistive layer 264, but rather, the capillary tubes 266 are formed in the substrate material 262 and electrically resistive layer 264 through a suitable process. A suitable process for forming the capillary tubes 266, particularly when forming capillary tubes 266 that substantially follow a linear path, is laser drilling. However, any other suitable technique may be employed in order to generate the capillary tubes 266.

The capillary tubes 266 are configured so as to transport liquid aerosol-generating material from one surface of the heater assembly 260 (i.e., the second surface 262b of the substrate 262) to the electrically resistive layer 264. The capillary tubes 266 may be formed based in part on the liquid aerosol-generating material to be stored in the reservoir 244 of the cartridge 204 and subsequently used with the heater assembly 260. Broadly speaking, in some implementations, the capillary tubes 266 may have a diameter on the order to tens of microns, e.g., between 10 pm to 100 pm. However, it should be appreciated that capillary tubes 266 in other implementations may be configured differently.

With reference back to Figure 12, the heater assembly 260 is suitably arranged in the cartridge 204. In particular, the heater assembly 260 is arranged such that the second surface 262b is provided inside the tubular portion 244’ of the reservoir 244, such that it is capable of receiving liquid aerosol-generating material from the tubular portion 244’, while the electrically resistive layer 264 is orientated so as to face into the air tube 252 (specifically, towards the end of the cartridge comprising the interface 206). Hence, when the liquid aerosol-generating material is vaporised by applying an electrical current to the electrically resistive layer 264, the vaporised liquid passes into the air tube 252 where it is entrained in air passing through the air tube 252 (e.g., from a user’s inhalation).

It should be appreciated that the implementation of Figure 12 is just one example of how the cartridge 204 of Figure 10 and 11 may be modified to accommodate a microfluidic heater assembly 260, and other designs and arrangements may be possible. For example, the cartridge may not comprise a tubular portion 244’, and instead the heater assembly 260 may be located at one end of the reservoir 244, whereby the air tube 252 passes in front of the heater assembly 260 (i.e., in front of the electrically resistive layer 264) approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cartridge 204, before turning 90° and heading around the side of the reservoir 244 to the mouthpiece 250. Various configurations are contemplated within the present disclosure.

More generally, it should be appreciated that the heater assembly 260 is an example of a combined wick and heater arrangement, whereby the functions of wicking liquid aerosolgenerating material from the reservoir 244 are provided by the substrate 262 and capillary tube 266, and the function of heating the liquid aerosol-generating material is provided by the electrically resistive layer 264. However, this is just an example of a combined heater and wick arrangement and the principles of the present disclosure are not limited to solely this example. For example, in other implementations, a combined wick and heater arrangement may be formed from a planar arrangement of a plurality of sintered stainless steel fibres, for example.

Regardless of the precise form of the combined wick and heater arrangement, in a similar manner to the previously described implementations, the cartridge 204 of Figure 12 for use with the combined wick and heater arrangement is provided with a vibration mechanism 209, a conduit component 291 and a heater assembly damping component 292.

The vibration mechanism 209 is arranged in the tubular portion 244’ of the reservoir 244 and is configured to apply vibrations to the second surface 262b of the heater assembly 260 (via the optional conduit component 291). However, in this example, the vibration mechanism 209 applies vibrations directly to the heater assembly 260 (as an example of an aerosol generator 248). Thus, while in the examples of Figures 10 and 11, the vibration are applied to the wick 246 and, in directly, to the heater 248, in the example of Figure 12, the vibrations are applied directly to the heater assembly 2601 aerosol generator by virtue of the fact that the heater assembly 260 is an example of a combined wick and heater. As described above, the conduit component 291 and heater assembly damping component 292 are optional. If present, the conduit component 291 is arranged to apply the generated vibrations to the second surface 262b of the heater assembly 260. The conduit component 291 in this implementation takes the form of a rod having one circular face coupled to the vibration mechanism 209 and another circular face coupled to the second surface 262b of the substrate 262. If present, the heater assembly damping component 292 is provided extending around a periphery of the heater assembly 260 such that the edges of the electrically resistive layer 264 and potentially the side surfaces of the substrate 262 are provided in contact with the heater assembly damping component 292. As in the example of Figure 11 , the heater assembly damping component 292 also acts dually as a seal preventing or reducing liquid escaping from around the sides of the heater assembly 260 and into the air tube 252 as well as preventing or reducing vibrations being transferred to other components of the aerosol provision system 201.

Figure 14 represents an example method for operating the vibration mechanism 209 according to any of the implementations described above. In the example of Figure 14, the vibrations are generated and applied during an inhalation on the aerosol provision system 201.

The method begins at step S11 where suitable circuitry, such as the control circuitry 220 in the aerosol provision device 202, determines whether or not the aerosol generator 248, 260 is activated. By activated, it is meant that the aerosol generator 248, 260 is currently being used to generate aerosol. In the examples of the heater 248 and the heater assembly 260, the heater 248 and heater assembly 260 are activated when an electrical current (from the power source 226) is supplied to the heater 248 or heater assembly 260.

As described above, the aerosol provision device 202 may comprise an inhalation sensor 216 (or more generally a puff detection mechanism) for detecting when a user puffs or inhales on the aerosol provision system 201. More specifically, in such implementations, when the user inhales on the aerosol provision system 201, the control circuitry 220 senses a change in the pressure based on the signal output by the inhalation sensor 216 and, assuming the change in pressure surpasses a threshold, the control circuitry 220 determines that a user is inhaling on the aerosol provision system 201. Accordingly, the control circuitry 220 causes power to be supplied to the aerosol generator 248, 260 and, in accordance with the present disclosure, also determines that the aerosol generator 248, 260 is active. However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the control circuitry 220 may determine that the aerosol generator 248, 260 is activated in a different manner, e.g., by detecting whether or not a button has been pressed by a user to activate the aerosol generator 248, 260. As seen in Figure 14, if it is determined that the aerosol generator 248, 260 is not activated (i.e., a NO at step S11), then the method loops at step S11 until an activation is detected. However, if it is determined that the aerosol generator 248, 260 is activated (i.e., a YES at step S11), then the method proceeds to step S12.

At step S12, the vibration mechanism 209 is controlled to generate and apply vibrations to the aerosol-generating material transport element (e.g., wick 246) and/or to the aerosol generator (heater 248 or heater assembly 260). Suitable circuitry, such as control circuitry 220, may cause power to be provided to the vibration mechanism 209 (from power source 226 and via the interface 206) or otherwise send a control signal to the vibration mechanism 209 to cause the vibration mechanism 209 to generate vibrations. The vibrations may be applied in a suitable manner depending on the implementation at hand. In some implementations, the vibrations may be applied via a suitable conduit component 291, as described above.

Depending on the implementation at hand, the method may proceed either to step S13 or step S14.

At step S13, the control circuitry 220 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed from when the vibrations at step S12 started being applied to the wick 246 and heater 2481 heater assembly 260. The predetermined time may be set to correspond to a typical duration of an inhalation (e.g., on the order of two seconds). In other implementations, the predetermined time may be set to be shorter than this, and may be set depending on the rate of flow to liquid aerosol-generating material to the heater 248 or electrically resistive layer 264. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, i.e., NO at step S13, the method returns to step S12. Conversely, if the predetermined time has elapsed, i.e., YES at step S13, the method proceeds to step S15.

At step S14, the control circuitry 220 determines whether the aerosol generator 248, 260 is still currently active. For example, the control circuitry 220 may determine the heater 2481 heater assembly 260 is still active if the pressure sensor 218 outputs a signal indicative of a user inhaling on the aerosol provision system 201 or if the button is still depressed by the user. If the aerosol generator 248, 260 is still active, i.e., YES at step S14, the method returns to step S12. Conversely, if the aerosol generator 248, 260 is not active, i.e., NO at step S14, the method proceeds to step S15. At step S15, the control circuitry 220 is configured to cause the vibration mechanism 209 to stop generating (and hence applying to the aerosol-generating material transport element (e.g., wick 246) and/or to the aerosol generator (heater 248 or heater assembly 260)) vibrations. Although Figure 14 shows the method proceeding via either of step S13 or step S14, it should be appreciated that in some implementations, the aerosol provision system 201 is configured to perform either of steps S13 or S14. In other words, an aerosol provision system 201 may perform step S15 if either the predetermined time has elapsed (at step S13) or if the aerosol generator 248, 260 is no longer active (at step S14).

Figure 15 represents an example method for operating the vibration mechanism 209 according to any of the implementations described above. In the example of Figure 15, the vibrations are generated and applied after an inhalation on the aerosol provision system 201.

The method begins at step S110 where suitable circuitry, such as the control circuitry 220 in the aerosol provision device 202, determines whether or not the aerosol generator 248, 260 has been activated. In this regard, the aerosol generator 248, 260 is considered as having been activated either when the inhalation sensor 216 (or more generally a puff detection mechanism) no longer detects a user’s inhalation or when the button is no longer depressed by a user. That is to say, the activation of the aerosol generator 248, 260 has ceased. If at step S110 the aerosol generator 248, 260 is still active, the method loops back to step S110.

On the other hand, if at step S110 the control circuitry 220 determines the aerosol generator 248, 260 is no longer active (i.e., has been active), at step S112 the control circuitry 220 causes the vibration mechanism 209 to generate and apply vibrations to the aerosolgenerating material transport element (e.g., wick 246) and/or to the aerosol generator (heater 248 or heater assembly 260). As above, the control circuitry 220 may cause power to be provided to the vibration mechanism 209 (from power source 226 and via the interface 206) or otherwise send a control signal to the vibration mechanism 209 to cause the vibration mechanism 209 to generate vibrations. The vibrations may be applied in a suitable manner depending on the implementation at hand. In some implementations, the vibrations may be applied via a suitable conduit component 291, as described above.

At step S114, the control circuitry 220 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed from when the vibrations at step S112 started being applied to the wick 246 and heater 2481 heater assembly 260. The predetermined time may be set to any suitable value. In some implementations, the predetermined time is set based on the refill rate of the aerosol-generating material transport element (e.g., wick 246) and/or to the aerosol generator (heater 248 or heater assembly 260) in which the one or more openings of the aerosol-generating material transport element (e.g., wick 246) and/or to the aerosol generator (heater 248 or heater assembly 260). are capable of replenished with aerosol generating material. In other words, the vibrations are provided for a duration that helps to fully replenish the wick 246 or heater assembly 260. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, i.e., a NO at step S114, the method proceeds back to step S112. If, conversely, the, predetermined time has elapsed, i.e., a YES at step S114, the method proceeds to step S116. At step S116, the control circuitry 220 is configured to cause the vibration mechanism 209 to stop generating (and hence applying to the aerosol-generating material transport element (e.g., wick 246) and/or to the aerosol generator (heater 248 or heater assembly 260)) vibrations.

Hence, Figures 14 and 15 describe two implementations in which vibrations are applied to the aerosol-generating material transport element (e.g., wick 246) and/or to the aerosol generator (heater 248 or heater assembly 260). The vibrations may be applied during activation of the aerosol generator 248, 260 where it may be advantageous to help ensure that a continuous supply of liquid aerosol generating material is supplied to the aerosol generator during use to prevent or reduce the chances of dry out. The vibrations may alternatively be applied after the aerosol generator 248, 260 has been activated where it may be able to help fully saturate the aerosol-generating material transport element 246.

However, in some implementations, it may be that the vibrations are applied both during and after an inhalation (i.e., that the methods of Figures 14 and 15 are applied simultaneously, but instead of proceeding to step S15 after steps S13 or S14, the method may instead proceed to step S112).

Additionally, it should also be understood that the magnitude (or other parameters) of the vibrations applied during an inhalation I activation of the aerosol generator may be different to the magnitude (or other parameters) of the vibrations applied after an inhalation I activation of aerosol generator. For example, it may be that during the inhalations, the vibrations generated by the vibration mechanism are stronger because it may be necessary to ensure that a certain flow rate of liquid aerosol-generating material to the aerosol generator 248, 260 is achieved, whereas the vibrations may be weaker after the inhalation when providing a certain flow rate may be less critical in order to preserve battery power.

In some other implementations, it should be appreciated that the vibrations applied by the vibration mechanism 209 may be suitable for reducing (or breaking) the surface tension of a liquid that pools or sits near to the aerosol-generating material transport component 246 and/or aerosol generator 248 but is otherwise unable to flow due to insufficient capillary force. In other words, the surface tension is too great to allow for capillary action, but by applying vibration energy, the surface tensions is reduced to facilitate flow of the liquid aerosol-generating material. In some implementations, this affect may be more prominent in situations where the reservoir 244 is low on aerosol-generating material (e.g., as the “weight” of the aerosol-generating material behind the wick 246 / heater 248 decreases, the surface tension may be increasing more difficult to overcome). Thus, the vibrations may help to increase the efficiency of the cartridge 204 in respect of the amount of aerosol-generating material that is able to be aerosolised by the aerosol generator 248. In yet further implementations, in order to help with power efficiency, the vibration mechanism 209 may be configured to generate vibrations once the amount of aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 244 falls below a threshold. The aerosol provision system 201 may be provided with a sensor to detect the amount of aerosol-generating material in the reservoir and/or the aerosol provision system 201 may be configured to estimate the amount of aerosolgenerating material in the reservoir based on the usage of the aerosol provision system 201 (e.g., such as the number of uses I puffs on the system 201).

It has been described above that the aerosol-generating material transport component 246 may either be separately formed to the aerosol generator 248 or integrally formed with the aerosol generator 248 (to form a combined aerosol generator and aerosol-generating material transport component). Additionally, the aerosol-generating material transport component 246 is understood to be separate from the cartridge housing 242 and aerosolgenerating material storage portion 244. However, in other implementations, the aerosolgenerating material transport component 246 may be integrally formed with the cartridge housing 242 and/or aerosol-generating material storage portion 244. For example, in some implementations, the cartridge housing 2421 aerosol-generating material storage portion 244 may comprise a series of hollow tubular columns at a region of the aerosol-generating material storage portion 244 in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 248.

Figure 16 highly schematically shows an example arrangement of such an arrangement. Figure 16 shows, highly schematically, a cartridge part 204” comprising a cartridge housing 242” defining a reservoir 244” in which a liquid aerosol-generating material is stored, the heater assembly 260 of Figure 13, and an optional aerosol-generating material transport layer 246. Several components of the cartridge 204” are omitted for clarity and only the relevant parts of the cartridge housing 242” and reservoir 244’ are shown. In addition, and for the sake of a concrete example, the air/aerosol flow in this implementation is along (parallel to) the exposed surface of heater assembly 260 (i.e. , the electrically resistive layer 264).

In the example of Figure 16, the heater assembly 260 is arranged with the second surface 262b orientated closer to the reservoir 244”, and in a similar manner to as described above, it is the second surface 262b that is the part of the heater assembly 260 that first receives the liquid from the reservoir 244”. As the optional aerosol-generating material transport component 246, a wicking material (e.g., a cotton or sintered metal powder/fibre structure) is placed in contact with the second surface 262b of the substrate 262 in this example. The wicking material may act to facilitate both vertical and horizontal/lateral flow of the liquid aerosol-generating material (where horizontal and vertical are relative to the plane of Figure 16).

In the example of Figure 16, the reservoir 244” I housing 242” of the cartridge 204” comprises a plurality of tubular columns 246a arranged such that the longitudinal axes thereof are aligned. The tubular columns 246a are provided to facilitate the flow of liquid aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 244” to the second surface 262b of the heater assembly 260 and/or to the optional wicking material. Accordingly, the inner dimensions (e.g., inner diameter) of the tubular columns 246a may be sized so as to receive and facilitate the flow of the liquid aerosol-generating material. It should be appreciated that in some implementations, the inner diameter of the tubular columns 246a may be set so as to apply a capillary force to the liquid aerosol-generating material, but this may not be the case for all implementations. The tubular columns 246a are provided integrally formed with the cartridge housing 242” or reservoir 244”. For example, the cartridge housing 242” may be formed from a plastic or metal material, while the tubular columns 246a may be formed through suitable moulding or drilling or the like. Accordingly, in use, liquid aerosol-generating material is capable of flowing from the reservoir 244”, through the tubular columns 246a, through the optional wicking material 246, and to the second surface 262b of the substrate 62 of the heater assembly 260.

In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, a vibration mechanism 209 is provided to apply vibrations to the tubular column 246a. For example, in Figure 16, the vibration mechanism 209 (shown highly schematically) is arranged so as to transfer the generated vibrations to the tubular columns 209. In a similar manner to as described above in respect of the aerosol-generating material transport component 246, the vibrations can help facilitate the flow of liquid through the tubular columns 246a. That is, by applying vibrations to the tubular columns 246a, any liquid aerosol-generating material and/or air that is trapped in the tubular columns 246a has a greater chance of being released or freed, thereby improving the flow of aerosol-generating material to the heater assembly 260.

It should be appreciated that Figure 16 represents an example of the cartridge housing 242” I reservoir 244’ integrally comprising a region that is configured to help facilitate the flow of liquid aerosol-generating material to the aerosol generator 2481 heater assembly 260. It should be appreciated that, in other implementations, the cartridge housing 242” I reservoir 244’ may not comprise the tubular columns 246a described above but instead may comprise an alternative arrangement which facilitates the flow of liquid aerosol-generating material to the aerosol generator 2481 heater assembly 260. For example, with reference to Figure 13, in some instances, the tubular passage 244’ of the reservoir 244 may be provided with an aerosol-generating material transport component, such as the tubular columns 246a (albeit in this instance such that the longitudinal axes are parallel with a horizontal direction (i.e. , in a direction toward/away from the centre of the tubular passage 244’). Such an arrangement may help facilitate the liquid flow in a horizontal direction, and may be particularly suitable for configurations of the reservoir that have a liquid flow path that, at least in some regions, is generally not parallel to the direction along which gravity acts when the aerosol provision system 201 is held in a normal orientation (i.e., an orientation in which the user is expected to use the aerosol provision system 201).

Thus, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to implementations where the vibrations are applied to a separate aerosol-generating material transport element 246, but may also be applied to aerosol-generating material transport elements (such as the tubular columns 246a) that are integrated with the cartridge housing 242” I reservoir 244” (or more generally with the aerosol provision system 201).

In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, there is also provided aerosol provision means, which includes the aerosol provision system 201, for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material. The aerosol provision means includes aerosolgenerating material storage means, which includes the aerosol-generating material storage portion 244, for storing an aerosol-generating material, aerosol-generating material transport means, which includes the aerosol-generating material transport component 246, provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage means, aerosol generator means, which includes the aerosol generator 248 (which may in turn comprise the heater assembly 260), configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosolgenerating material storage means, wherein the aerosol-generating material transport means and/or the aerosol generator means comprises one or more openings configured to receive aerosol-generating material, and vibration means, which includes the vibration mechanism 209, wherein the vibration means is configured to apply vibrations to at least the aerosol generator means and the aerosol-generating material transport means.

Thus, there has been described an aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material. The aerosol provision system includes an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material, an aerosol-generating material transport element provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion, an aerosol generator configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the aerosolgenerating material transport element and/or the aerosol generator comprises one or more openings configured to receive aerosol-generating material and a vibration mechanism. The vibration mechanism is configured to apply vibrations to at least one of the aerosol generator and the aerosol-generating material transport element. Also described is a consumable for use with an aerosol provision system, an aerosol provision device a method of supplying aerosol-generating material, and aerosol provision means.

The present disclosure also relates to an aerosol provision system that is configured to control the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to an aerosol generator by pre-heating the aerosol-generating material prior to being delivered to the aerosol generator. Broadly, the rate of flow of an aerosol-generating material is able to be controlled on the basis of the viscosity of the aerosol-generating material proximate a wick or similar fluid transport element. This may allow for greater freedom in respect of designing an aerosol provision system as well as helping to prevent leakage and/or reducing the chance of dry-out during usage. In implementations where there are a plurality of aerosol-generating material storage portions, controlling the rate of flow of each of the aerosol-generating materials can provide a low cost, low complexity way to control the proportions of mixing of the aerosolgenerating material and/or the proportions of the generated aerosol generated from each of a first and second aerosol generating material.

Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view through an aerosol provision system 301 provided in accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure.

The aerosol provision system 301 shown in Figure 17 comprises two main components, namely an aerosol provision device 302 and a replaceable I disposable cartridge 304 (which is an example of a consumable or article). The aerosol provision system 301 of Figure 17 is an example of a modular construction of an aerosol provision system 301. In this regard, the aerosol provision device 302 and the cartridge 304 are able to engage with or disengage from one another at an interface 306. However, as mentioned above, the principles of the present disclosure also apply to other constructions of the aerosol provision system 301 , such as one-part or unitary constructions where the device 302 and cartridge 304 may be integrally formed (or in other words, the aerosol provision device 301 is provided with an integrally formed aerosol-generating material storage area or portion).

The aerosol provision system 301 is generally elongate and cylindrical in shape. The aerosol provision system 301 may be sized so as to approximate a cigarette. However, it should be understood that the general size and shape of the aerosol provision system 301 is not significant to the principles of the present disclosure. In some other implementations, the aerosol provision system 301 may conform to different overall shapes; for example, the aerosol provision device 302 may be based on so-called box-mod high performance devices that typically have a more box-like shape. The device 302 comprises components that are generally intended to have a longer lifetime than the cartridge 304. In other words, the device 302 is intended to be used, sequentially, with multiple cartridges 304. The cartridge 304 comprises components (such as aerosolgenerating material) that are consumed when forming an aerosol for delivery to the user during use of the aerosol provision system 301.

In the example modular configuration of Figure 17, the device 302 and the cartridge 304 are releasably coupled together at the first interface 306. When the aerosol-generating material in the cartridge 304 is exhausted or the user simply wishes to switch to a different cartridge 304 (e.g., containing a different aerosol-generating material), the cartridge 304 may be removed from the device 302 and a replacement cartridge 304 attached to the device 302 in its place. The interface 306 provides a structural connection between the device 302 and cartridge 304 and may be established in accordance with suitable techniques, for example based around a screw thread, latch mechanism, bayonet fixing or magnetic coupling. In some implementations, the interface 306 may also provide an electrical coupling between the device 302 and the cartridge 304 using suitable electrical contacts. The electrical coupling may allow for power and I or data to be supplied to I from the cartridge 304.

It should also be understood that in some implementations, the cartridge 3034 may be refillable. That is, the cartridge 304 may be refilled with aerosol-generating material when the cartridge 304 is depleted, using an appropriate mechanism such as a one-way refilling valve or the like. The cartridge 304 may be removed from the device 302 in order to be refilled. In other examples, the cartridge 304 may be configured so as to be refilled while attached to the device 302.

In implementations where the aerosol provision system 301 is a one-part or unitary system, the aerosol provision system 301 may be designed to be disposable once the aerosolgenerating material is exhausted. Alternatively, the aerosol provision system 301 may be provided with a suitable mechanism, such as a one-way valve or the like, to enable the integrated cartridge 304 (or integrated aerosol-generating material storage area) to be refilled with aerosol-generating material.

In Figure 17, the cartridge part 304 comprises a cartridge housing 342, an aerosolgenerating material storage area 344, an aerosol generator 348, an aerosol-generating material transport component 346, an outlet or opening 350, and an air path 352.

The cartridge housing 342 supports other components of the cartridge 304 and provides the mechanical interface 306 with the device 302. The cartridge housing 342 is formed from a suitable material, such as a plastics material or a metal material. In the described implementation, the cartridge housing 342 is generally circularly symmetric about a longitudinal axis along which the cartridge 304 couples to the device 302. In this example the cartridge 304 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, may be different in different implementations. The cartridge 304 comprises a first end, broadly defined by the interface 306, and a second end which is opposite the first end and includes the opening 350. The second end including the opening is intended to be received in / by a user’s mouth and may be referred to as a mouthpiece end of the cartridge 304.

Within the cartridge housing 342 is an aerosol-generating material storage area 344, which may be referred to herein as a reservoir 344. The cartridge 342 of Figure 17 is configured to store a liquid aerosol-generating material, which may be referred to herein as a source liquid, e-liquid or liquid. The source liquid may contain nicotine and I or other active ingredients, and I or one or more flavours, as described above. In some implementations, the source liquid may contain no nicotine. The reservoir 344 is suitably configured to hold or retain liquid therein.

The reservoir 344 in this example has an annular shape with an outer wall defined by the cartridge housing 342 and an inner wall that defines an air path 352 through the cartridge 304. The reservoir 344 is closed at each end with end walls to contain the liquid. The reservoir 344 may be formed in accordance with suitable techniques, for example it may comprise a plastics material and be integrally moulded with the cartridge housing 342.

The cartridge 304 further comprises an aerosol generator 348. The aerosol generator 348 is an apparatus configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material (e.g., the source liquid). The cartridge 304 further comprises the aerosol-generating material transport component 346, which is configured to transport the aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage area 344 (e.g., reservoir 344) to the aerosol generator 348. In some implementations, the aerosol-generating material transport component 346 may be integrated with the aerosol generator 348 to form a combined aerosol generator 348 and aerosol-generating material transport component 346.

The aerosol generator 348 is configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosolgenerating material. In some implementations, the aerosol generator 348 is a heater 348. The heater 348 is 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. By way of example, the heater 348 may take the form of an electrically resistive wire or trace intended to have electrical current passed between ends thereof, or a susceptor element which is intended to generate heat upon exposure to an alternating magnetic field. However, in other implementations, the aerosol generator 348 is configured to cause an aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator 348 may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to one or more of vibration, increased pressure, or electrostatic energy.

The aerosol-generating material transport element 346 is configured to transport aerosolgenerating material from the aerosol-generating material storage area 344 (reservoir 344) to the aerosol generator 348. The nature of the aerosol-generating material may dictate the form of the aerosol-generating material transport element 346. For example, for a liquid or viscous gel aerosol-generating material, the aerosol-generating material transport element 346 is configured to transport the liquid or viscous gel aerosol-generating material using capillary action. For example, the aerosol-generating material transport element 346 may comprise a porous material (e.g., ceramic) or a bundle of fibres (e.g., glass or cotton fibres) capable of transporting liquid / viscous gel using capillary action.

In the described implementation of Figure 17, the aerosol generator 348 is a heater 348 taking the form of a coil of metal wire, such as a nickel chrome alloy (Cr20Ni80) wire. The aerosol-generating material transport element 346 in the implementation of Figure 17 is a wick 346 taking the form of a bundle of fibres, such as glass fibres. The heater 348 is wound around the wick 346 as seen in Figure 17 such that the heater 348 is provided in the proximity of the wick 346 and therefore also to any liquid held in the wick 346. In some implementations, the aerosol generator 348 may comprise a porous ceramic wick 346 and an electrically conductive track disposed on a surface of the porous ceramic wick acting as the heater 348. In yet other implementations, the heater 348 and wick 346 may be combined into a single component, e.g., a plurality of sintered steel fibres forming a planar structure.

The heater 348 and wick 346 are located towards an end of the reservoir 344. In this example, the wick 346 extends transversely across the cartridge air path 352 with its ends extending into the reservoir 344 of liquid through openings in the inner wall of the reservoir 344. The openings in the inner wall of the reservoir are sized to broadly match the dimensions of the wick 346 to provide a reasonable seal against leakage from the liquid reservoir 344 into the cartridge air path 352 without unduly compressing the wick 346, which may be detrimental to its fluid transfer performance. The wick 346 is therefore configured to transport liquid from the reservoir 344 to the vicinity of the heater 348 via a capillary effect.

The wick 346 and heater 348 are arranged in the cartridge air path 352 such that a region of the cartridge air path 352 around the wick 346 and heater 348 in effect defines a vaporisation region for the cartridge 304. This vaporisation region is the region of the cartridge 304 where vapour is initially generated. In use, electrical power may be supplied to the heater 348 to vaporise an amount of liquid drawn to the vicinity of the heater 348 by the wick 346.

Aerosol is delivered to the user via the outlet 350 provided at the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 304. During use, the user may place their lips on or around the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 304 and draw air I aerosol through the outlet 350. More specifically, air is drawn into and along the air path 352, past the aerosol generator 348 where aerosol is entrained into the air, and the combined aerosol I air is then inhaled by the user through the opening 350. Although Figure 17 shows the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 304 as being an integral part of the cartridge 304, a separate mouthpiece component may be provided which releasably couples to the end of the cartridge 304.

The device 302 comprises an outer housing 312, an optional indicator 314, an inhalation sensor 316 located within a chamber 318, a controller or control circuitry 320, a power source 326, an air inlet 328 and an air path 330.

The device part 302 comprises an outer housing 312 with an opening that defines an air inlet 328 for the aerosol provision system 301 , a power source 326 for providing operating power for the aerosol provision system 301 , a controller or control circuitry 320 for controlling and monitoring the operation of the aerosol provision system 301, and an inhalation sensor (puff detector) 316 located in a chamber 318. The device 302 further comprises an optional indicator 314.

The outer housing 312 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 304 so as to provide a smooth transition between the two parts at the interface 306. In this example, the device 302 has a length of around 8 cm so the overall length of the aerosol provision system 301 when the cartridge 304 and device 302 are coupled together is around 12 cm. However, and as already noted, it will be appreciated that the overall shape and scale of an aerosol provision system 301 implementing the present disclosure is not significant to the principles described herein.

The outer housing 312 further comprises an air inlet 328 which connects to an air path 330 provided through the device 302. The device air path 330 in turn connects to the cartridge air path 352 across the interface 306 when the device 302 and cartridge 304 are connected together. In this regard, the interface 306 is also arranged to provide a connection of the respective air paths 330 and 352, such that air and/or aerosol is able to pass along the coupled air paths 330, 352. In other implementations, the device 302 does not comprise an air path 330 and instead the cartridge 304 comprises the air path 352 and a suitable air inlet which permits air to enter into the air path 352 when the cartridge 304 and device 302 are coupled.

The power source 326 in this example is a battery 326. The battery 326 may be rechargeable and may be, for example of the kind normally used in aerosol provision systems and other applications requiring provision of relatively high currents over relatively short periods. The battery 326 may be, for example, a lithium ion battery. The battery 326 may be recharged through a suitable charging connector provided at or in the outer housing 312, for example a USB connector. Additionally or alternatively, the device 302 may comprise suitable circuitry to facilitate wireless charging of the battery 326.

The control circuitry 320 is suitably configured I programmed to control the operation of the aerosol provision system 301. The control circuitry 320 may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units I circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the aerosol provision system's operation and may be implemented by provision of a (micro)controller, processor, ASIC or similar form of control chip. The control circuitry 320 may be arranged to control any functionality associated with the system 301. By way of nonlimiting examples only, the functionality may include the charging or re-charging of the battery 326, the discharging of the battery 326 (e.g., for providing power to the heater 348), in addition to other functionality such as controlling visual indicators (e.g., LEDs) I displays, communication functionality for communicating with external devices, etc. The control circuitry 320 may be mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB). Note also that the functionality provided by the control circuitry 320 may be split across multiple circuit boards and I or across components which are not mounted to a PCB, and these additional components and I or PCBs can be located as appropriate within the aerosol provision device. For example, functionality of the control circuit 320 for controlling the (re)charging functionality of the battery 326 may be provided separately (e.g. on a different PCB) from the functionality for controlling the discharge of the battery 326.

As noted above, when the device 302 and the cartridge 304 are coupled together at interface 306, the interface 306 provides an electrical connection between the device 302 and the cartridge 304. More particularly, electrical contacts on the device 302, which are coupled to the power source 326, are electrically coupled to electrical contacts on the cartridge, which are coupled to the heater 348. Accordingly, under suitable control by the control circuitry 320, electrical power from the power source 326 is able to be supplied from the power source 326 to the heater 348, thereby allowing the heater 348 to vaporise liquid in the proximity of the heater 348 held in the wick 346. In the example of Figure 17, the aerosol provision device 302 comprises a chamber 318 containing the inhalation sensor 316, which in this example is a pressure sensor 316. However, the inhalation sensor 316 may be any suitable sensor, such as an air flow sensor, for sensing when a user inhales on the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 304 and subsequently draws air along the air paths 330, 352. Accordingly, the presence of the chamber 318 is optional and its presence may depend on the characteristics of the selected inhalation sensor 316.

The pressure sensor 316 is in fluid communication with the air path 330 in the device 302 (e.g. the chamber 318 branches off from the air path 330 in the device 302). Thus, when a user inhales on the opening 350, there is a drop in pressure in the chamber 318, which if sufficient, is detected by the pressure sensor 316. The aerosol provision system 301 is controlled to generate aerosol in response to detecting an inhalation by a user. That is, when the pressure sensor 316 detects a drop in pressure in the pressure sensor chamber 318, the control circuitry 320 responds by causing electrical power to be supplied from the battery 326 to the aerosol generator 348 sufficient to cause vaporisation of the liquid held within the wick 346. This is an example of an aerosol provision system which is said to be “puff actuated”. The pressure sensor 316 may be used to start and I or end the power supply to the heater 348 (e.g., when the pressure sensor detects the absence of an inhalation).

In other implementations, the aerosol provision system 301 includes a button or other user actuatable mechanism. When the button or other user actuatable mechanism is actuated by the user, the control circuitry 320 caused power to be supplied to the heater 348 as described above. This is an example of an aerosol provision system which is said to be “button actuated”. The button may be used to start and I or end power supply to the heater 348 (e.g., when the button is released by the user). In some implementations, both a button (or other user actuatable mechanism) and an inhalation sensor 316 may be used to control the delivery of power to the heater 348, e.g., by requiring both the button press and a pressure drop indicative of an inhalation to be present before supplying power to the heater 348.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the aerosol provision system 301 , and in the example of Figure 17 the cartridge 304, is provided with a pre-heat mechanism 309.

In the described implementation of Figure 17, the pre-heat mechanism 3039 includes a pair of pre-heat heaters 309 (or sometimes referred to herein as heaters 309). The pair of preheat heaters 309 are provided in the reservoir 344, with a heater 309 being located in the vicinity of each end of the wick 346. In Figure 17, the heaters 309 are shown highly schematically. It should be appreciated that the heaters 309 may be mounted in the reservoir 344 using any suitable mounting arrangement (not shown), e.g., such as a cradle or holder provided on the inner surface of the outer housing 342 forming the reservoir 344 that the heater 309 fits within. Additionally, in the implementation of Figure 17, each of the heaters 309 are resistive heaters intended to generate heat when an electrical current is supplied to the heaters 309. Each heater 309 is therefore provided with electrical wiring or the like (not shown) that extends from each heater 309 to a suitable controller in the aerosol provision device 302, such as control circuitry 320. Suitable electrical contacts between the cartridge 304 and the aerosol provision device 302 may be provided at the interface 306, in a similar manner as described above in respect of aerosol generator I heater 348.

However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the heaters 309 may be configured to operate in manner that does not require electrical wiring. For example, the heaters 309 may each comprise a susceptor that is capable of being inductively heated via a suitable induction coil or coils provided in the aerosol provision device 302. In other examples, the heaters 309 may be configured to generate heat using e.g., a chemical reaction or the like. Hence, it should be appreciated that the specific construction of the heaters 309 and/or the way in which the heaters 309 generate heat is not significant to the principles of the present disclosure.

The wick 346 as described above is provided to facilitate the transfer of liquid aerosol generating material from the reservoir 344 to the aerosol generator 348. More particularly, the wick 346 is constructed so as to have one or more capillaries (i.e., tubes or interconnected gaps or holes) that facilitate the transfer of liquid aerosol-generating material due to capillary action. Without wishing to be bound by theory, the degree of capillary action is influenced by a number of factors, such as the materials I shape I dimensions of the capillaries as well as the properties of the liquid aerosol-generating material. For example, properties such as the viscosity and surface tension of a given liquid aerosol-generating material can influence the degree of capillary action, or indeed, even if capillary action is possible, for a given wick 346.

Accordingly, for a given construction of the wick 346, the pre-heat heaters 309 are provided to heat the liquid aerosol-generating material in the vicinity of the heaters 309 (and subsequently also at the ends of the wick 346) to change the properties of the liquid aerosolgenerating material. For example, by heating the liquid aerosol-generating material in at least a part of the reservoir 344, the viscosity of the liquid aerosol-generating material in the liquid reservoir 344 may decrease (i.e., the liquid aerosol-generating material may be become less viscous). In some implementations, pre-heating the liquid aerosol-generating material in the vicinity of the wick 346 changes the viscosity of the liquid aerosol-generating material to improve or increase the rate of flow of liquid aerosol-generating material along the wick 346 (i.e., from the ends of the wick 346 in the reservoir 344 to the middle of the wick 346 in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 348). During use, when the aerosol generator 348 is activated, liquid aerosol-generating material in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 348 held in the wick 346 is vaporised and is subsequently replaced or replenished by liquid aerosol-generating material flowing along the wick 346 from the ends to the middle of the wick 346. If the rate at which liquid aerosol-generating material flows along the wick 346 is increased, then it should be understood that there is a reduced chance of the wick 346 drying out (i.e., being heated by the aerosol-generator 348 when no liquid aerosolgenerating material is present in the wick 346 in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 348) when the pre-heating heaters 309 are activated to reduce the viscosity of the liquid aerosolgenerating material. In addition, or alternatively, in some implementations, at an ambient temperature, the liquid aerosol-generating material may be incapable of flowing through the wick 346 via capillary action. This may be in implementations where it is desired to reduce leakage of the liquid aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 344 (i.e., via the wick 346) when the aerosol provision system 301 is not in use. Therefore, pre-heating the liquid aerosol-generating material using the pre-heat heaters 309 may enable the flow of such a liquid aerosol-generating material to the aerosol generator 348 via the wick 346.

Hence, in broad summary, by providing a pre-heating mechanism 309, such as the pair of pre-heat heaters 309, the properties of the liquid aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 344 (e.g., in the vicinity of the ends of the wick 346) can be changed thereby either facilitating the flow of the liquid aerosol-generating material along the wick 346 to the aerosol generator 348 and/or increasing the rate of flow of liquid aerosol-generating material along the wick 346 to the aerosol generator 348.

The degree of heating (i.e., the amount of thermal energy) provided by the pre-heat heaters 309 may depend on the particular implementation at hand. Different liquid aerosolgenerating materials and different constructions and properties of the wick 346, etc. may use differing amounts of energy to reach the desired change in viscosity (and hence a desired flow rate of aerosol-generating material along the wick 346). Equally, the size of the heater 309, the mass of liquid aerosol-generating material in the vicinity of the heater 309 and/or in the reservoir 344 may all influence to what extent the viscosity of the liquid aerosolgenerating material is changed in response to heating. In other words, the precise degree of heating is highly dependent on the design of the aerosol provision system 3031 and properties of the materials used in certain components. While there may be a number of factors that influence the degree of heating to be provided, a suitable degree of heating may be identified via empirical testing or computer simulation. However, it should be appreciated that the heaters 309 are not responsible for aerosolising the liquid aerosol-generating material and therefore the degree of heating 309 is set such that the temperature of the liquid aerosol-generating material in the vicinity of the pre-heat heaters 09 is below the vaporisation temperature (and hence also the temperature of the liquid aerosol-generating material in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 348 when the aerosol generator 348 is a heater).

In addition, in some implementations, the degree of heating may be varied based on external factors, such as the ambient temperature. For example, a temperature sensor, e.g., provided as part of the control circuitry 320 and/or pressure sensor 316, may be provided to measure the ambient temperature and, based on the ambient temperature, the degree of heating may be adjusted. For instance, it may be expected that a lower degree of heating (i.e. a lower amount of energy provided by the heaters 309) is appropriate when the ambient temperature is relatively higher.

The pre-heat heaters 309 may be activated (e.g., supplied with power from power source 326) continuously when the aerosol provision system 301 is turned on. In this case, the aerosol provision system 301 includes a state where power is provided to components of the aerosol provision system 301 (such as the control circuitry 320 and/or pressure sensor 316), but the aerosol generator 348 is not provided with power. That is, when the aerosol provision system 301 is on, the aerosol generator 348 may be active or not. In implementations where the pre-heat heaters 309 are electrically operated, in order to conserve power, the pre-heat heaters 309 may be activated in response to a trigger indicative of the user inhaling on the aerosol provision system 301 or the user’s intent to inhale on the aerosol provision system 301. For example, the pre-heat heaters 309 may be activated in response to a drop in pressure being detected by pressure sensor 316 indicative of a user inhaling on the aerosol provision system 301. In other examples, the aerosol provision system 301 may include a suitable sensor, such as an accelerometer or the like, that senses a movement of the aerosol provision system 301 to the user’s lips and, in response to this indication of a user’s intention to use the aerosol provision system 301 , activates the pre-heat heaters 309 (in advance of the user actually inhaling on the aerosol provision system 301).

In some implementations, whether or not the pre-heat heaters 309 are activated may be based on external factors, such as the ambient temperature. For example, a temperature sensor, e.g., provided as part of the control circuitry 320 and/or pressure sensor 316, may be provided to measure the ambient temperature and, based on the ambient temperature, a suitable controller, such as control circuitry 3320, may determine whether or not to activated the pre-heat heaters 309 (for example, in response to receiving one of the triggers described above). For instance, in some implementations, if the ambient temperature is above a given threshold temperature, the control circuitry 320 may cause the pre-heat heaters 309 to remain off in response to a drop in pressure being detected by pressure sensor 316 indicative of a user inhaling on the aerosol provision system 301 or in response to detecting an indication of a user’s intention to use the aerosol provision system 301.

Additionally or alternatively, whether or not the pre-heat heaters 3039 are activated may depend on the settings of the aerosol provision system 301 and, in particular, of the aerosol generator 348. For example, the aerosol generator 348 may be configured to operate at different levels, where each level is configured to vaporise liquid aerosol-generating material at a particular rate. For example, when the aerosol generator 348 is a heater 348, the heater 348 may be operated at a low power level (e.g., 5W) and a high power level (e.g., 10W), where relatively more aerosol-generating material is able to be vaporised at the high power level. The rate of supply of liquid aerosol-generating material to the aerosol generator 348 when operating at the low power level may be sufficient without activating the pre-heat heaters 309. However, when the aerosol generator 348 is operated at the higher power level, the pre-heat heaters 309 may be activated to increase the rate of flow of aerosolgenerating material to the aerosol generator 348 to account for the increased rate of vaporisation. Hence, a suitable controller, e.g., the control circuitry 320, may be configured to activate the pre-heat heaters 309 based on a setting of the aerosol provision system 301.

Hence, the aerosol provision system 301 of Figure 17 provides a pre-heat mechanism 309 configured to cause pre-heating of at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the reservoir 344 to adjust the properties or characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material. The flow of the aerosol-generating material to the aerosolgenerator 348 is therefore changed (typically improved) by pre-heating the aerosolgenerating material. As stated above, this may help to ensure sufficient aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator 348 during use such that sufficient aerosol may be generated and/or a reduction (or prevention) of damage to components of the aerosol provision system 301 may be realised.

Figure 18 schematically represents a cartridge 304 for use with the aerosol provision device 302 of Figure 17 according to a second implementation. That is to say, the cartridge 304 of Figure 18 may be used in place of the cartridge of Figure 17 with the aerosol provision device 302 of Figure 17. Figure 18 will be understood from Figure 17. Like components are indicated with the same reference signs as used previously, and thus a description thereof is omitted for conciseness. Only the differences or modifications are described.

In the implementation of Figure 18, the reservoir 344 is provided with a secondary reservoir or sub-reservoir 345 located within the reservoir 344. That is to say, the reservoir 344 comprises a first region or volume (formed by the parts of the reservoir 344 that do not include the sub-reservoir 345) and a second region or volume (formed by the sub-reservoir 345 or sub-reservoirs 345). The sub-reservoir 345 or second region is defined by one or more walls that act as a boundary for the sub-reservoir 345. As can be seen in Figure 18, there are two sub-reservoirs 345, with a sub-reservoir 345 provided in the vicinity of each end of the wick 346. The sub-reservoir 345 defines a relatively smaller volume as compared to the first region of the reservoir 344, but is provided in fluid communication with the first region of the reservoir 344 such that liquid aerosol-generating material held in the first region of the reservoir 344 is capable of passing into the sub-reservoirs 345. In the example of Figure 18, the sub-reservoirs 345 each comprise an opening 345a in the boundary wall that allows for liquid aerosol-generating material to pass into the sub-reservoirs 345. In some implementations, the opening 345a may comprise a membrane or a one-way valve or the like for inhibiting the movement of liquid aerosol-generating material out of the opening 345a and back into the first region of the reservoir 344.

As can be seen in Figure 18, the pre-heat heaters 309 are provided adjacent the subreservoirs 345 (specifically, one of the pair of heaters 309 is provided on a lower part of the boundary wall of the sub-reservoir 345). The pre-heat heaters 309 are therefore provided in this implementation to predominately heat the liquid aerosol-generating in the second region of the reservoir 344 (sub-reservoirs 345). In this regard, the volume of liquid aerosolgenerating material that is to be heated is relatively smaller than the entirety of the liquid aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 344 and thus the overall efficiency (e.g., from a power usage perspective) of the aerosol provision system 301 may be improved. In the example of Figure 18, the boundary walls of the sub-reservoirs 345 (and any valve or membrane provided in the opening 345a) may hinder circulation of the heater liquid aerosolgenerating material throughout the reservoir 344, thereby meaning that the liquid aerosolgenerating material in the sub-reservoirs 345 is capable of being heated more efficiently and quickly.

It should be appreciated that the second region of the reservoir 344 is not limited to the configuration as shown in Figure 18. For example, in other implementations, the reservoir 344 may comprise a narrow tubular portion defining the second region that fluidly communicates with the ends of the wick 346, whereby the narrow tubular portion extends out of or away from the first region of the reservoir 344. In such implementations, the pre-heat heaters 309 are provided on the outer surface of the narrow tubular portion but are provided outside of the first portion of the reservoir 344.

In summary, however, the pre-heat mechanism 309 is provided to cause heating of a smaller volume of liquid aerosol-generating material, such that the energy generated by the pre-heat mechanism 309 can be directed more precisely to the second region of the reservoir 344, thereby provide greater heating efficiency and greater energy efficiency.

Figure 19 schematically represents a cartridge 304 for use with the aerosol provision device 302 of Figure 17 according to a third implementation. That is to say, the cartridge 304 of Figure 19 may be used in place of the cartridge of Figure 17 with the aerosol provision device 302 of Figure 17. Figure 19 will be understood from Figure 17. Like components are indicated with the same reference signs as used previously, and thus a description thereof is omitted for conciseness. Only the differences or modifications are described.

In Figure 19, the cartridge 304 is adapted for use with a microfluidic heater assembly 360 (shown schematically in Figure 19 but described in more detail in Figure 20). The microfluidic heater assembly 360 is an example of an aerosol generator 348. More particularly, the microfluidic heater assembly 360 is an example of a combined wick 346 and aerosol generator 348.

The reservoir 344 is adapted to include a tubular passageway 344’ that extends across the air tube 352 and provides a fluid pathway between opposite sides of the reservoir 344. In effect, the tubular passageway 344’ provides a similar fluid pathway between opposite sides of the reservoir 344 as in Figures 17 and 18.

Air entering the air tube 352 from the direction of the interface 306 (e.g., as when the user inhales on the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 304) enters the air tube 352 and bifurcates as it passes around the outside of the tubular passageway 344’ before converging further along the air tube 352 and exiting the cartridge 304 via opening 350.

Figure 20 schematically illustrates a microfluidic heater assembly 360 in more detail.

The microfluidic heater assembly 360 comprises a substrate 362 and an electrically resistive layer 364 disposed on a surface of the substrate 362.

In this implementation, the substrate 362 is formed from a non-conductive material, such as quartz (silicon dioxide); however, it should be appreciated that other suitable non-conductive materials may be used, such as ceramics, for example. In the described implementation, the substrate 362 may be considered impermeable or substantially impermeable (where substantially in this context means that the substrate 362 may have some degree of absorption of fluid, e.g., e-liquid; for example, the substrate 362 may be capable of absorbing up to 2 % or up to 1 % of the total volume of the substrate 362 of a volume of fluid). That is, the material forming the substrate 362 may be a suitable material that is impermeable to liquid aerosol-generating material. However, in other implementations, the substrate 362 may be formed from a porous material. The porous substrate 362 may be formed from naturally porous materials, such as sponges, porous stones or ceramics etc., or via materials that are engineered to be porous, such as sintered metals or other materials. These materials, either formed naturally or engineered, have pores or hollow regions which are interconnected and define passages that follow a random or substantially random pathway through the material (where substantially in this context means that, considering the bulk material of the substrate 362 as a whole, there may be some general trend in the direction that the pathways extend, e.g., left to right, but from the perspective of liquid I fluid passing through the substrate 362, the pathway is a series of random selections of e.g., pores or hollow regions). The way in which the substrate 362 is formed and the materials it is made therefrom is not of primary significance to the principles of the present disclosure.

The electrically resistive layer 364 is formed from any suitable electrically conductive material, for example a metal or a metal alloy such as titanium or nickel chromium. The electrically resistive layer 364 may be formed on a first surface 362a of the substrate 362 in any suitable way. For example, the electrically resistive layer 364 may be provided as a film that is adhered or otherwise bonded to the first surface 362a of the substrate 362. Alternatively, the electrically resistive layer 364 may be formed though a deposition technique, such as chemical or vapour deposition. The way in which the electrically resistive layer 364 is formed and the materials it is made therefrom is not of primary significance to the principles of the present disclosure.

The heater assembly 360 is planar and in the form of a rectangular cuboidal block, elongate in the direction of a longitudinal axis L2. The heater assembly 360 has the shape of a strip and has parallel sides. The planar heater assembly 360 has parallel upper and lower major (planar) surfaces, herein denoted as the first surface 362a and second surface 362b of the substrate 362, and parallel side surfaces and parallel end surfaces. In the shown implementation of Figure 20, the length of the heater assembly 360 is 10 mm, its width is 1 mm, and its thickness is 0.12 mm (where the thickness of the substrate 362 is approximately 0.10 mm, and the thickness of the electrically resistive layer 364 is approximately 0.02 mm). The small size of the heater assembly 360 may enable the overall size of a cartridge 304 to be reduced and the overall mass of the components to be reduced. However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the heater assembly 360 may have different dimensions depending upon the application at hand.

Along the longitudinal axis L2, the heater assembly 360 has a central portion 367 and first and second end portions 368, 369. In Figure 20, the length of the central portion 367 (relative to the lengths of the end portions 368, 369) has been exaggerated for reasons of visual clarity. The end portions 368, 369 represent regions where an electrical connection may be made between a power source (such as power source 326), so that electrical power may be supplied to the electrically resistive layer 364 to cause heating of the electrically resistive layer 364. With reference to Figure 19, electrical wires are schematically shown extending from the interface 306 to the heater assembly 360. These electrical wires may contact the end portions 368, 369 to allow an electrical current to pass through the electrically resistive layer 364 (in a broadly similar manner to the heater 348 of Figures 17 and 18).

In the central portion 367 of the heater assembly 360, a plurality of capillary tubes 366 are provided. Only the openings of the capillary tubes 366 are shown in Figure 20 (and in an exaggerated way for clarity), but the capillary tubes 366 extend from one side of the heater assembly 360 to the other. More specifically, the capillary tubes 360 extend from a second surface 362b of the substrate 362, through the substrate 362 toward the first surface 362a of the substrate 362 on which the electrically resistive layer 364 is disposed, and then through the electrically resistive layer 364. The plurality of capillary tubes 366 extend substantially linearly through the heater assembly 360 (that is, the capillary tubes 366 follow substantially linear paths). By substantially, it is meant that the capillary tubes 366 follow pathways that are within 5 %, within 2 % or within 1 % of a straight line. This measure may be obtained in any suitable way, e.g., by comparison of the length of the distance from a first point to a second point along the extent of the capillary tube 366 and the corresponding distance that the central axis of the capillary tube 366 extends between the same two points. The capillary tubes 366 are formed in the heater assembly 360 via a manufacturing process. That is to say, the capillary tubes 366 do not naturally exist in the substrate material 362 or electrically resistive layer 364, but rather, the capillary tubes 366 are formed in the substrate material 362 and electrically resistive layer 364 through a suitable process. A suitable process for forming the capillary tubes 366, particularly when forming capillary tubes 366 that substantially follow a linear path, is laser drilling. However, any other suitable technique may be employed in order to generate the capillary tubes 366.

The capillary tubes 366 are configured so as to transport liquid aerosol-generating material from one surface of the heater assembly 360 (i.e., the second surface 362b of the substrate 362) to the electrically resistive layer 364. The capillary tubes 366 may be formed based in part on the liquid aerosol-generating material to be stored in the reservoir 344 of the cartridge 304 and subsequently used with the heater assembly 360. Broadly speaking, in some implementations, the capillary tubes 366 may have a diameter on the order to tens of microns, e.g., between 10 pm to 100 pm. However, it should be appreciated that capillary tubes 366 in other implementations may be configured differently.

With reference back to Figure 19, the heater assembly 360 is suitably arranged in the cartridge 304. In particular, the heater assembly 360 is arranged such that the second surface 362b is provided inside the tubular portion 344’ of the reservoir 344, such that it is capable of receiving liquid aerosol-generating material from the tubular portion 344’, while the electrically resistive layer 364 is orientated so as to face into the air tube 352 (specifically, towards the end of the cartridge comprising the interface 306). Hence, when the liquid aerosol-generating material is vaporised by applying an electrical current to the electrically resistive layer 364, the vaporised liquid passes into the air tube 352 where it is entrained in air passing through the air tube 352 (e.g., from a user’s inhalation).

As can be seen in Figure 19, in a broadly similar way to Figure 18, a pre-heat heater 309 is provided in the reservoir 344. More specifically, the pre-heat heater 309 is provided in the tubular portion 344’ of the reservoir 344 located at a position above the heater assembly 360 (and in particular, above the second surface 362b of the heater assembly 360). During use, therefore, the pre-heat heater 309 may be activated to heat the liquid aerosol-generating material stored within the tubular portion 344’ to thereby change the properties of the liquid aerosol-generating material (e.g., the viscosity).

It should be appreciated that the implementation of Figure 19 is just one example of how the cartridge 304 of Figure 17 and 18 may be modified to accommodate a microfluidic heater assembly 360, and other designs and arrangements may be possible. For example, the cartridge may not comprise a tubular portion 344’, and instead the heater assembly 360 may be located at one end of the reservoir 344, whereby the air tube 352 passes in front of the heater assembly 360 (i.e., in front of the electrically resistive layer 364) approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cartridge 304, before turning 3391° and heading around the side of the reservoir 344 to the mouthpiece 350. Various configurations are contemplated within the present disclosure.

Broadly, however, the cartridges 304 of Figures 17 to 19 are arranged such that the pre-heat mechanism 309 is located between the aerosol generator 348, 360 and the bulk of the aerosol-generating material. In particular, the pre-heat mechanism 309 may be considered to be disposed at a location that corresponds to a fluid pathway between the bulk liquid aerosol-generating material and the aerosol generator 348, 360. In this way, it should be readily appreciated that the aerosol-generating material in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 348, 360 is able to be heated so as to change the properties of the liquid aerosolgenerating material and therefore the rate of liquid aerosol-generating material flow to the aerosol generator 348, 360.

In the implementations of Figures 17 and 18, the pre-heat mechanism 309 is provided with a pair of pre-heat heaters 309, while in the implementation of Figure 19 a single pre-heat heater 309 is provided. In principle, any number of pre-heat heaters 309 may be provided as desired. This may depend on the configuration of the cartridge 304, the respective location(s) of the heater(s) 309 and the efficiency or output of the heater(s) 309.

However, where multiple pre-heat heaters 309 are provided, in some implementations each of the pre-heat heaters 309 may be capable of being independently controlled to generate heat. In such implementations, it may be possible to control the flow of liquid aerosolgenerating material in respect of different parts or different regions of the aerosol generator 348, 360. For example, taking the implementation of Figure 18 as an example, by causing one of either the upper or lower heater 309 (as seen in the plane of Figure 18) to heat to a greater degree than the other of the two heaters 309, the rate of flow of liquid aerosolgenerating material at the end of the wick 346 may be relatively greater than at the other end of the wick 346. This may provide certain advantages in certain implementations. For example, it may be possible to activate one heater 309 when the aerosol generator 348 is operating in a low power mode, or to activate both heaters 309 when the aerosol generator 348 is operating in a high power mode. Alternatively, in some implementations, it may be that the shape of the wick 346 is not uniform (e.g., it may be cone shaped) which may mean that relatively more heating is to be provided at one end of the wick 346 versus the other.

Figure 21 schematically represents a modification to the heater assembly 360 of Figure 20. As compared to Figure 20, Figure 21 shows the heater assembly 360 rotated 180° about the longitudinal axis L2 so as to be able to view the second surface 362b. Note that Figure 21 shows the heater assembly 360 in the orientation it would be in the cartomiser 303 of Figure 19 when assembled. As should be appreciated from the above, the second surface 362b of the substrate 362 is orientated to face towards the reservoir 344 and tubular portion 344’, and therefore receives the liquid aerosol-generating material.

In Figure 21, instead of the pre-heat heater 309 provided on the tubular portion 344’ as shown in Figure 19, the second surface 362b of the substrate 362 is provided with, in this example, two integrated pre-heat heaters 391. The integrated pre-heat heaters 391 are provided integrally with the heater assembly 360. That is to say, the heater assembly 360 and integrated pre-heat heaters 391 form a single component. This may aid installation of the heater assembly 360 and manufacture of the cartridge 304. The integrated pre-heat heaters 391 may be formed in any suitable way. For example, any of the techniques used to apply the electrically resistive layer 364 to the substrate 362 may be used to apply the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 to the second surface 362b of the heater assembly 391. Additionally, the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 may be electrically coupled to a power source (such as power source 326) using any suitable wiring or the like. In use, the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 function in a similar manner to pre-heat heaters 3039 described above. That is, when supplied with electrical power, the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 cause heating of the liquid aerosol-generating material in the vicinity of the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 and hence also of the openings to the capillary tubes 366 in surface 362b of the heater assembly 360. Hence, the properties, including the viscosity, of the liquid aerosol-generating material change, thereby altering the flow of liquid aerosolgenerating material along the capillary tubes 366 and to the electrically resistive layer 364 (where the liquid aerosol-generating material may be vaporised).

As can be seen in Figure 21, two integrated pre-heat heaters 391 are provided on the second surface 362b of the substrate 362, and in particular, the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 are provided at ends of the central portion 367 of the heater assembly 360. As described above, the two integrated pre-heat heaters 391 may be heated simultaneously and to the same extent or they may be heated individually as may be desired for a particular implementation, e.g., to control or vary the flow of liquid aerosol-generating material to certain regions of the electrically resistive layer 364.

In the present example, the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 do not extend across the entire second surface 362b of the substrate 362. This may be because, during use of the electrically resistive layer 364, the heat generated may not be uniform. For example, it may be found that certain “hot spots” are formed in regions of the electrically resistive layer 364. Where the temperature of these “hot spots” on the electrically resistive layer 364 is greater than the remaining regions of the electrically resistive layer 364, it may be found that the second surface 362b displays similar “hot spots” due to the transmission of thermal energy through the substrate 362 (i.e. , from the first surface 362a to the second surface 362b). Hence, the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 may be provided in regions of the second surface 362b that may be relatively cooler than other regions of the second surface 362b owing to the transmission of thermal energy through the substrate 362. Thus, the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 may be provided in some implementations to cause uniform heating of the liquid aerosol-generating material adjacent the second surface 362b such that the flow of liquid aerosol generating material through the capillary tubes 366 is substantially uniform (that is, the flow rate through the capillary tubes 366 varies by less than 5%).

However, it should be appreciated generally that the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 may be provided for different purposes depending on the implementation at hand. For example, the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 may be provided to achieve uniform heating of the liquid aerosol-generating material in which case the arrangement of Figure 21 may be utilised or an arrangement where the integrated pre-heat heater 391 extends across the entire second surface 362b of the substrate 362. In other implementations, the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 are provided for the purposes of varying the liquid aerosol-generating material flow rate in different regions of the heating assembly 360. The precise way in which the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 are implemented may depend on the particular application at hand.

It should also be appreciated that although Figure 21 shows the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 in the context of the heater assembly 360, in other implementations, the integrated preheat heaters 391 may be integrally provided with the wick 346 (e.g., such as ends of the wick 346 in Figures 17 and 18).

In the example of Figure 21 , the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 are configured to facilitate the transport of liquid aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 344 or tubular portion 344’ to the heater assembly 360. More specifically, it can be seen that the capillary tubes 366 extend through the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 (or, alternatively, the integrated preheat heaters 391 may be provided surrounding the opening to the capillary tubes 366). Hence, in this implementation, the liquid aerosol-generating material is able to pass through the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 to the capillary tubes 366 of the heater assembly 360.

In some implementations, the integrated pre-heat heaters 391 may be formed from a sintered material, for example sintered steel fibres. The sintering process creates a structure which is porous and, if an electrically conductive material is used as the starting material (such as stainless steel fibres), the sintered integrated pre-heat heaters 391 may also be resistively heated. In this way, the sintered structure enables the flow of liquid therethrough, i.e., to the capillary tubes 366, while also acting as a pre-heat heater 309 as described above.

It should be appreciated that while a pre-heat heating mechanism 309, 391 allowing for liquid aerosol-generating material to pass therethrough is described in the context of an integrated pre-heat heaters 391, it should be appreciated that a pre-heat heater allowing for liquid aerosol-generating material to pass therethrough is not limited to an integrated preheat heaters 391. For example, in some implementations, a stainless steel fibre sintered sheet may be placed between the second surface 362b of the substrate 362 and the parts of the reservoir 344.

Hence, according to the implementations described above in respect of Figures 17 to 21 , the pre-heat mechanism 309 is embodied as one or more pre-heat heaters 309. However, the pre-heat mechanism 309 is not limited to such a configuration.

Figure 22 schematically represents a cartridge 304 for use with the aerosol provision device 302 of Figure 17 having a pre-heat mechanism 390 comprising an aerosol flow path in accordance with a fourth implementation. As above, the cartridge 304 of Figure 22 may be used in place of the cartridge of Figure 17 with the aerosol provision device 302 of Figure 17. Figure 22 will be understood from Figure 17. Like components are indicated with the same reference signs as used previously, and thus a description thereof is omitted for conciseness. Only the differences or modifications are described.

In the implementation of Figure 22, instead of one of more pre-heat heaters 309, the preheat mechanism 390 comprises a pre-heating aerosol pathway 392. More specifically, as seen from Figure 22, two pre-heating aerosol pathways 392 are provided, with one preheating aerosol pathway 392 provided in the vicinity of each end of the wick 346. The preheating aerosol pathways 392 include an inlet opening 392a and an outlet opening 392b coupled together via a passage. The pre-heating aerosol pathways 392 are provided separate from the reservoir 344 but extending into the reservoir 344. That is to say, liquid aerosol-generating material is unable to pass directly from the reservoir 344 to the preheating aerosol pathways 392.

In use, when a user inhales on the mouthpiece end of the aerosol provision system 301 , air is drawn into the air tube 352 at the end of the cartridge facing the interface 306 and is subsequently brought past I over I around the aerosol generator 348 and middle portion of the wick 346. When the aerosol generator 348 (e.g., heater 348) is activated, liquid aerosolgenerating material held in the wick 346 is vaporised, and subsequently this vaporised liquid aerosol-generating material is relatively warm. The warm vapour condenses (at least partially) to form an aerosol. The inlet openings 392a, which are provided downstream of the aerosol generator 348 (in the direction of airflow), receive some of the “hot” aerosol as it passes along the air tube 352 towards the mouthpiece opening 350. Accordingly, the “hot” aerosol that is received in the inlet opening 392a passes through the pre-heating aerosol pathway 392 and back into the air tube 352 via the outlet opening 392b.

However, while the “hot” aerosol is passing through the pre-heating aerosol pathways 392, some of the thermal energy of the “hot” aerosol passes to the walls of the pre-heating aerosol pathways 392 and subsequently is conducted into the liquid aerosol-generating material held in the reservoir 344 adjacent the walls of the pre-heating aerosol pathways 392. Hence, it can be seen that by using the “hot” aerosol generated by the heater 348, preheating of at least some of the liquid in the vicinity of the ends of the wick 346 is able to be achieved.

Hence, more broadly, in the implementation of Figure 22, the pre-heating mechanism 309 includes at least one pre-heating aerosol pathway 392. The pre-heating aerosol pathway 392 extends from an aerosol generating region (such as the immediate environment surrounding the aerosol generator 348 I heater 348). The pre-heating aerosol pathway 392 is arranged to pass-by at least a portion of the reservoir 344 to transfer heat from aerosol passing through the pre-heating aerosol pathway 392 to at least some of the liquid aerosolgenerating material stored in the reservoir 344.

It should be appreciated that the pre-heating aerosol pathway(s) 392 is different from the air tube 352 I air path 352 defined in the cartridge 304 for provision of aerosol to a user. That is to say, the aerosol provision system 301 comprises an aerosol pathway (i.e., air tube 352) extending from the aerosol generating region to a mouthpiece opening 350 of the aerosol provision system 301. The pre-heating aerosol pathway(s) 392 is arranged to extend from the aerosol pathway (i.e. air tube 352). In other terms, the pre-heating aerosol pathway(s) 392 may branch off the aerosol pathway (i.e. air tube 352).

By setting the size of the pre-heating aerosol pathway(s) 392, e.g., cross-sectional area and/or length, as well as choosing suitable materials (such as by using thermally conductive or insulating materials), the amount of aerosol and/or the amount of pre-heating can be set accordingly.

It should be appreciated that the pre-heating aerosol pathway(s) 392 shown in Figure 23 represent an example configuration of such pre-heating aerosol pathway(s) 392. In other implementations, the precise form of the aerosol pathway(s) 392 may be different from that shown. For example, with reference to Figure 19, the pre-heating aerosol pathway(s) 392 may be in the form of a spiral, spiralling around or on the inside of the tubular portion 344’. Any suitable configuration of the pre-heating aerosol pathway(s) 392 may be implemented in accordance with the present disclosure.

It should also be appreciated that in implementations using aerosol pathway(s) 392, no preheating is achieved until at least the first inhalation is performed. While this may come with the risk of the wick 348 drying out during the first inhalation, in implementations where this is potentially a risk, the damage caused to the wick 348 may be minimised noting that for subsequent inhalations of the session, the liquid aerosol-generating material in the vicinity of the wick 348 is pre-heated to some extent.

Figure 23 schematically represents a modification of the cartridge 304 having a pre-heat mechanism 390 comprising an aerosol flow path in Figure 22. Figure 23 will be understood from Figure 22. Like components are indicated with the same reference signs as used previously, and thus a description thereof is omitted for conciseness. Only the differences or modifications are described.

In the modification of Figure 23, one of the pre-heating aerosol pathways 392 is provided with a condensation region 392c. The condensation region 392c is provided along the preheating aerosol pathway 392 at a location towards the outlet opening 392b of the preheating aerosol pathway 392. The condensation region 392c is a region in which aerosol passing along the pre-heating aerosol pathway 392 is able to condense and form a liquid. In the example of Figure 23, the condensation region 392c represents an expansion chamber (or in other words, a section of the pre-heating aerosol pathway 392 having a greater cross- sectional area than the remaining parts of the pre-heating aerosol pathway 392.

As should be appreciated from the above, as the “hot” aerosol passes along the pre-heating aerosol pathways 392, some of the thermal energy is dissipated to the walls of the preheating aerosol pathways 392, thereby providing the pre-heating of the liquid aerosolgenerating material in the reservoir 344 but also cooling the “hot” aerosol. As the “hot” aerosol cools, it starts to condense. When exiting the pre-heating aerosol pathways 392, i.e. , at the outlet opening 392b, in some implementations, the now-cooler aerosol may have a negative impact on the taste or user experience should this now-cooler aerosol be delivered to the user (i.e., by subsequently passing along the air tube 352 to the opening 350).

Accordingly, the condensation region 392c may be provided in the pre-heating aerosol pathway(s) 392 to allow for the cooler aerosol to condense down to form a liquid, thereby in effect not passing to the air I aerosol flow through the air tube 352 and to the user. The condensation region 392c in effect acts to prevent or reduce cooler aerosol that has been used to pre-heat the liquid aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 344 being inhaled by the user and negatively impacting the user’s experience.

It should be appreciated that the condensation region 392c is shown schematically in Figure 23 and in other implementations the condensation region 392c may take other forms or have a greater size.

Additionally, in some implementations, a liquid return path may be provided between the condensation region 392c and the liquid reservoir 344. In this regard, the liquid return path is configured to return any condensed liquid back to the liquid aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 344, such that the condensed liquid may be re-used in the process of forming an aerosol via the aerosol generator 348. In the example of Figure 23, a sponge 392d or similar porous media is provided in fluid communication with the condensation region 392c. More specifically, the sponge 392d is provided at the base of the condensation region 392c (relative to the cartridge 304 being held in an orientation where the mouthpiece end points upwards). In this way, condensed liquid held in the condensation region 392c may be absorbed into the sponge 392d with the aid of gravity. In addition, the sponge 392d is shown as extending beyond the walls of the condensation region 392c and into the reservoir 344. The sponge 392d may be configured accordingly to facilitate the transfer of liquid from the condensation region 392c to the reservoir 344 and not vice versa (e.g., by having a gradient of capillary or pore sizes or the like). Therefore, it should be appreciated that the return path (e.g., sponge 392d) is configured to permit condensed aerosol-generating material to be returned to the reservoir 344 for re-use.

While the return path is shown as a sponge 392d or similar porous media, it should be understood that in other implementations, the return path may take different forms. For example, the return path may include a capillary tube designed to allow condensed liquid to pass along the capillary tube into the reservoir 344.

The above implementations have focused on providing a pre-heating mechanism 309, 390 for changing the rate of flow of a liquid aerosol-generating material to an aerosol generator 348, 360. However, it should be appreciated that the techniques described above, may find particular application in aerosol provision systems that are adapted to generate aerosol from two, or more, aerosol-generating materials.

Figure 24 schematically represents an implementation in which two sources of liquid aerosol-generating material are provided. Figure 24 will broadly be understood from Figure 17. Like components are indicated with the same reference signs as used previously, and thus a description thereof is omitted for conciseness.

Figure 24 schematically shows an aerosol provision system 301 which is broadly the same as the aerosol provision system 301 in Figure 17. However, there are two notable differences. Firstly, the reservoir 344 is divided into a first reservoir 344a and a second reservoir 344b. For example, the annular reservoir 344 of Figure 17 may comprise a partitioning wall 344c that runs from one end of the reservoir 344 to the other end of the reservoir 344 to divide the reservoir 344 into two arc-shaped hollow tubes. Figure 24a schematically shows a view looking along the longitudinal axis of the aerosol provision system 301 (as indicated by the lines A-A in Figure 24). Figure 24a shows the two halves of the reservoir 344a, 344b divided by the partitioning wall 344c.

By virtue of the partitioning wall 344c, the first reservoir 344a and the second reservoir 344b are separate from one another. Thus, with the exception of the wick 346, the two liquid aerosol-generating materials stored in each of the first reservoir 344a and second reservoir 344b are not capable of mixing while stored in the respective reservoirs 344a, 344b. As seen in Figures 24 and 24a, the wick 346 is arranged such that one end of the wick 346 extends into the first reservoir 344a and the other end of the wick 346 extends into the second reservoir 344b. Therefore, it is to be understood that the wick 346 is fed with aerosolgenerating material from the first reservoir 344a at one end and is fed with aerosolgenerating material from the second reservoir 344b at the other end. In the following example, it will be assumed that the aerosol-generating material stored in the first reservoir 344a (herein the first aerosol-generating material) is different from the aerosol-generating material stored in the second reservoir 344b (herein the second aerosol-generating material). For example, the first aerosol-generating material may be or comprise a different flavour to the second aerosol-generating material.

In addition, it can be seen that the implementation of Figure 24 and 24a includes two preheat heaters 309a, 309b. The first pre-heat heater 309a is provided in fluid communication with the first reservoir 344a, and is provided at a location proximate the end of the wick 346 extending into the first reservoir 344a. The second pre-heat heater 309b is provided in fluid communication with the second reservoir 344b, and is provided at a location proximate the end of the wick 346 extending into the second reservoir 344b. The pre-heat heaters 309a, 309b are broadly similar to the pre-heat heaters 309 of Figure 17.

However, in the implementation of Figure 24, it should be appreciated that the pre-heat heaters 309a, 309b are capable of being independently controlled, i.e., independently heated, to independently control the rate of flow of the first liquid aerosol-generating material into the first end of the wick 346 and the rate of flow of the second liquid aerosol-generating material into the second end of the wick 346. That is to say, the pre-heat heaters 309a, 309b are capable of independently controlling the flow rates for the respective liquid aerosolgenerating materials to the wick 346 (and thus also to the aerosol generator 348).

The way in which the flow rates are controlled will depend on the implementation at hand. In some instances, it may be desirable to provide the same flow rates along the wick 346 for each of the aerosol-generating materials. In other implementations, it may be desirable to provide different flow rates along the wick 346 for each of the aerosol-generating materials. Precisely how the pre-heat heaters 309a, 309b are controlled (i.e., the amount of energy provided) may depend on several factors. For example, the viscosities of the liquid aerosolgenerating materials at ambient temperature may be the same or different, and the change of the viscosity of the liquid aerosol-generating material with an amount of heat energy may be different. Accordingly, the settings of the pre-heat heaters 309a, 309b may be highly dependent on the desired goal and the properties of the liquid aerosol-generating material.

However, in some implementations, controlling the flow rates of the different liquid aerosolgenerating materials along the wick can be used to control the characteristics and proportions of constituent components of the aerosol delivered to the user. For example, if the rate at which the first aerosol-generating material is transported along the wick 346 is different to the rate at which the second aerosol-generating material is transported along the wick 346, this results in different amounts of the first and second aerosol generating material being stored in the wick 346. Subsequently, when the aerosol generator 348 vaporises the liquid aerosol-generating material held in the wick to generate an aerosol, the proportion of the aerosol that is formed form the first aerosol-generating material is different to the proportion of the aerosol that is formed from the second aerosol-generating material. For example, it may be that 80% of the capacity of the wick 346 comprises the second aerosolgenerating material while only 20% of the capacity of the wick 346 comprises the first aerosol-generating material. Accordingly, a subsequent activation of the aerosol generator 348 which vaporises at least some of the material held within the wick 346 may result in a generated aerosol having approximately 80% formed form the second aerosol-generating material and approximately 20% formed from the first aerosol-generating material.

In this way, it can be seen that an aerosol provision system 301 is configured to vary the rate at which the first and second aerosol-generating materials are provided to the aerosol generator 348 by controlling the level of pre-heating of each liquid aerosol-generating material, and subsequently control the relative proportions of the aerosol formed by the first and second aerosol-generating materials.

It should be appreciated that although Figures 24 and 24a show the aerosol provision system 301 comprising two reservoirs 344a, 344b, the principles described may be extended to multiple reservoirs 344, noting that a suitable wick 346 or other aerosol-generating material transport element may be required in such a case.

Figure 25 depicts an example method of pre-heating aerosol-generating material prior to aerosolising the aerosol-generating material using an aerosol generator 348, 360 in an aerosol provision system 301, such as the aerosol provision system of Figure 17.

At step S301, the method includes providing an aerosol provision system 301. As described above, the aerosol provision system 301 comprises an aerosol-generating material storage portion 344 (or reservoir 344) for storing an aerosol-generating material, an aerosol generator 348 (which may include heater assembly 360) provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion 344 and configured to receive aerosolgenerating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion 344; and a pre-heat mechanism 309, 390 configured to cause pre-heating of at least a part of the aerosolgenerating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion,

At step S302, the method includes pre-heating of at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion 344. As noted above, the pre-heat mechanism 309, 390 may include one or more pre-heat heaters 309, 309a, 309b, which may be electronically controlled to generate heat during, after or in advance of a user’s inhalation, or one or more pre-heat aerosol pathways 392 which may be utilised to heat the liquid aerosol-generating material during an inhalation. Regardless, by pre-heating part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion 344, this causes the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material to be adjusted. As described above, this may subsequently lead to changes in the rate of flow of the aerosol-generating material to the aerosol generator 348, 360.

It has generally been described above that the pre-heat mechanism 309, 390 is provided for the purposes of heating a (liquid) aerosol-generating material to change the viscosity or other properties thereof. However, it should be appreciated that in some examples, the preheat mechanism 309 may be provided for the purposes of changing the state of the aerosolgenerating material. For example, the aerosol-generating material may be provided as a solid or a gel in the reservoir 344. In such cases, in order to permit the aerosol-generating material to flow to the aerosol generator 348 (i.e. , along wick 346), the pre-heat mechanism 309 is configured to provide sufficient energy to enable at least a part of the aerosolgenerating material to change phase, e.g., to a liquid or a gel capable of flowing. It should be appreciated that not all aerosol-generating materials exhibit a phase change such as the above when heated, and thus the principles of the present disclosure apply to suitable materials that are capable of such a phase change.

In addition, it has been described above that the cartridge 304 of the aerosol provision system 301 comprises the pre-heat mechanism. However, in other implementations, at least a part or all of the pre-heat mechanism 309, 390 may instead be located in the aerosol provision device 302. For example, in some implementations, the aerosol provision device may comprise the pre-heat heaters 309. With reference to Figure 17, and by way of example only, the pre-heat heaters 309 may be provided in the aerosol provision device close to the interface 306 such that the pre-heat heaters are adjacent the base of the liquid reservoir 344 when the cartridge is coupled to the aerosol provision device 302. In some implementations, the aerosol provision device may also include the aerosol generator 348, 360.

In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, there is also provided aerosol provision means, which includes the aerosol provision system 301, for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision means including aerosolgenerating material storage means, which includes the aerosol-generating material storage portion 344, for storing an aerosol-generating material, aerosol generator means, which includes the aerosol generator 348, 360, provided in fluid communication with the aerosolgenerating material storage means and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage means; and pre-heat means, which includes pre-heat mechanism 309, configured to cause pre-heating of at least a part of the aerosolgenerating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage means. The preheating means is configured to pre-heat the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage means to adjust the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material.

Thus, there has been described an aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision system including an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material, an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion, and a pre-heat mechanism configured to cause pre-heating of at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion. The pre-heating mechanism is configured to pre-heat the at least a part of the aerosolgenerating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion to adjust the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material. Also described is a consumable for use with an aerosol provision system, an aerosol provision device a method of pre-heating aerosol-generating material and aerosol provision means.

While the above described embodiments have in some respects focussed on some specific example aerosol provision systems, it will be appreciated the same principles can be applied for aerosol provision systems using other technologies. That is to say, the specific manner in which various aspects of the aerosol provision system function are not directly relevant to the principles underlying the examples described herein.

In order to address various issues and advance the art, this disclosure shows by way of illustration various embodiments in which the claimed invention(s) may be practiced. The advantages and features of the disclosure are of a representative sample of embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. They are presented only to assist in understanding and to teach the claimed invention(s). It is to be understood that advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and/or other aspects of the disclosure are not to be considered limitations on the disclosure 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 claims. Various embodiments may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, various combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc. other than those specifically described herein, and it will thus be appreciated that features of the dependent claims may be combined with features of the independent claims in combinations other than those explicitly set out in the claims. The disclosure may include other inventions not presently claimed, but which may be claimed in future.

Claims

1. An aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision system comprising: an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material; an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion; and an air opening provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion for allowing air to enter and/or exit the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the aerosol provision system is configured to vary the rate at which aerosolgenerating material is provided to the aerosol generator by varying the rate of air that is permitted to flow into or out of the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the air opening.

2. The aerosol provision system of claim 1, wherein the air opening is configured to be in a first state in which the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the aerosol-generating material storage portion is at a first level and a second state in which the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the aerosol-generating material storage portion is at a second level, the first level being different from the second level.

3. The aerosol provision system of claim 2, wherein the air opening defines an opening having a cross-sectional area, wherein the air opening is configured such that the size of the cross-sectional area is variable to provide the first state and the second state.

4. The aerosol provision system of claim 2 or 3, wherein the first level and the second level are non-zero.

5. The aerosol provision system of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the air opening comprises a valve or an iris capable of being controlled so as vary the open area of the valve or iris.

6. The aerosol provision system of claim 1 , wherein the aerosol provision system comprises a plurality of aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathways, and wherein the air opening comprises a plurality of air openings each coupled to one of the plurality of aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathways, wherein the aerosol provision system is configured so as to selectively fluidly couple one of the plurality of aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathways to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and an external environment, and wherein the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the aerosol-generating material storage portion is able to be varied by selectively coupling different aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathways.

7. The aerosol provision system of claim 6, wherein the aerosol-generating material storage portion is removable from a housing of the aerosol provision system, and wherein one of the plurality of aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathways is selectively fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and the external environment based on the orientation of the aerosol-generating material storage portion when coupled to the housing.

8. The aerosol provision system of claim 7, wherein the aerosol-generating material storage portion is capable of being coupled to the housing of the aerosol provision system in a first orientation such that a first aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathway is fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and in a second orientation such that a second aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathway is fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein when the first aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathway is fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the air inlet is different to the rate of air that is permitted to flow into the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the air inlet when the second aerosolgenerating material storage portion air pathway is fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion.

9. The aerosol provision system of claim 7 to 8, wherein the aerosol-generating material storage portion comprises a septum, and wherein coupling an aerosol-generating material storage portion air pathways includes piercing the septum using a piercing element to fluidly couple the respective air opening to the aerosol-generating material storage portion.

10. The aerosol provision system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the aerosolgenerating material is an aerosol-generating material that is capable of flowing.

11. The aerosol provision system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the air opening is configured such that aerosol-generating material within the aerosol-generating material storage portion is unable to exit the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the air opening.

12. The aerosol provision system of any of the preceding claims, further comprising a second aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing aerosol-generating material and a second air opening provided in fluid communication with the second aerosolgenerating material storage portion for supplying air to the second aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the second aerosol-generating material storage portion is fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generator, and wherein the aerosol provision system is further configured to vary the rate at which the aerosol-generating material from the second aerosolgenerating material storage portion is provided to the aerosol generator by varying the amount of air that is permitted to flow into the second aerosol-generating material storage portion via the second air opening.

13. The aerosol provision system of claim 12, wherein the aerosol provision system is configured to independently vary the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator from the aerosol-generating material storage portion and the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator from the second aerosol-generating material storage portion.

14. The aerosol provision system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the aerosol generator comprises a heater assembly comprising: a substrate; a heater layer provided at at least a first surface of the substrate and configured to generate heat when supplied with energy; and one or more capillary tubes extending from another surface of the substrate and through the heater layer, the one or more capillary tubes configured to supply aerosolgenerating material from the another surface of the substrate to the heater layer, wherein, in normal use, aerosol-generating material is provided to the another surface of the substrate to form a layer extending across openings of the one or more capillary tubes.

15. The aerosol provision system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the aerosol provision system comprises a primary air path through the aerosol provision system, the primary air path passing from an inlet to an outlet through which the user inhales generated aerosol, the primary air path passing via the aerosol generator, and wherein the air opening is provided in fluid communication with the primary air path.

16. The aerosol provision system of claim 15, wherein, when a user inhales on the aerosol provision system, the air opening is arranged such that air is configured to leave the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the air opening to relatively reduce the air pressure within the aerosol-generating material storage portion.

17. The aerosol provision system of claim 16, wherein the air opening is configured such that the reduced pressure causes the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator to decrease.

18. A consumable for use with an aerosol provision system, the consumable comprising: an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material; an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion; and an air opening provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion for allowing air to enter and/or exit the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the aerosol-generating article is configured to vary the rate at which aerosolgenerating material is provided to the aerosol generator by varying the amount of air that is permitted to flow into or out of the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the air opening.

19. An aerosol provision device for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material provided in an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing aerosolgenerating material using an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the aerosol provision device comprises: an air opening configured to fluidly communicate with the aerosol-generating material storage portion for allowing air to enter and/or exit the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the aerosol provision device is configured to vary the rate at which aerosolgenerating material is provided to the aerosol generator by varying the amount of air that is permitted to flow into or out of the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the air opening.

20. The aerosol provision device of claim 19, wherein the aerosol provision device further includes the aerosol generator.

21 . A method of configuring an aerosol provision system, the aerosol provision system comprising: an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material; an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion; and an air opening provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion for allowing air to enter and/or exit the aerosol-generating material storage portion, the method comprising: varying the rate at which aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol generator by varying the amount of air that is permitted to flow into or out of the aerosolgenerating material storage portion via the air opening.

22. Aerosol provision means for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision means comprising: aerosol-generating material storage means for storing an aerosol-generating material; aerosol generator means provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage means and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage means; and air opening means provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage means for allowing air to enter and/or exit the aerosol-generating material storage means, wherein the aerosol provision means is configured to vary the rate at which aerosolgenerating material is provided to the aerosol generator means by varying the amount of air that is permitted to flow into or out of the aerosol-generating material storage means via the air opening means.

23. An aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision system comprising: an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material; an aerosol-generating material transport element provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion; an aerosol generator configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the aerosol-generating material transport element and/or the aerosol generator comprises one or more openings configured to receive aerosol-generating material; and a vibration mechanism, wherein the vibration mechanism is configured to apply vibrations to at least one of the aerosol generator and the aerosol-generating material transport element.

24. The aerosol provision system of claim 23, wherein the vibration mechanism is configured to apply vibrations to at least one of: aid in the transfer of aerosol-generating material into or through the aerosol generator and/or aerosol-generating material transport element, and aid in the release of air within the aerosol generator and/or aerosol-generating material transport element.

25. The aerosol provision system of claim 23 or 24, wherein the vibration mechanism includes any one of: a haptic motor and an acoustic wave generator.

26. The aerosol provision system of any of claims 23 to 25, wherein the vibration mechanism comprises a conduit component, the conduit component coupled to the vibration mechanism and at least one of the aerosol generator and the aerosol-generating material transport element and configured to apply vibrations generated by the vibration mechanism to at least one of the aerosol generator and the aerosol-generating material transport element.

27. The aerosol provision system of any of claims 23 to 26, wherein the aerosol generator and/or and the aerosol-generating material transport element is partly surrounded by a damping component, the damping component adapted to permit movement of the aerosol generator and/or and the aerosol-generating material transport element caused by the vibration mechanism and to reduce the transmission of vibrations through the damping component to the rest of the aerosol provision system.

28. The aerosol provision system of any of claims 23 to 27, comprising one or more O- ring damping component(s) receiving the aerosol-generating material transport element therethrough, the O-ring damping component(s) configured to absorb or dampen vibrations applied to the aerosol-generating material transport element.

29. The aerosol provision system of claim 28, comprising an O-ring damping component at each of two openings in an air tube.

30. The aerosol provision system of any of claims 23 to 29, wherein the aerosol provision system is configured to determine when the aerosol generator is or has been activated and wherein the vibration mechanism is controlled to provide vibrations to the aerosol generator at at least one of: during activation of the aerosol generator, and after activation of the aerosol generator.

31 The aerosol provision system of any of claims 23 to 30, further comprising a puff detection mechanism for detecting when a user puffs on the aerosol provision system, wherein determination of whether the aerosol generator is or has been activated is based on the output of the puff detection mechanism.

32. The aerosol provision system of claim 30 or 31, wherein, when the vibrations are applied after activation of the aerosol generator, the vibration mechanism is controlled to apply vibrations for a predetermined duration, the predetermined duration set based on the refill rate of the aerosol generator in which the one or more openings of the aerosol generator are replenished with aerosol generating material.

33. The aerosol provision system of any of claims 23 to 32, wherein the aerosol provision system is configured such that vibrations generated by the vibration mechanism are only applied to the aerosol-generating material transport element and/or the aerosol generator.

34. The aerosol provision system of any of claims 23 to 33, wherein the aerosolgenerating material transport element and/or the aerosol generator comprises one or more capillary tubes defining the one or more openings.

35. The aerosol provision system of claim 34, wherein the aerosol generator comprises a heater assembly, or the aerosol generator and the aerosol-generating material transport element together comprise a heater assembly the heater assembly comprising: a substrate; a heater layer provided at at least a first surface of the substrate and configured to generate heat when supplied with energy; and the one or more capillary tubes, wherein the one or more capillary tubes are provided extending from another surface of the substrate and through the heater layer, and wherein the one or more capillary tubes are configured to supply aerosol-generating material from the another surface of the substrate to the heater layer.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the aerosol-generating material transport element comprises the substrate and the capillary tubes; and the aerosol generator comprises the heater layer.

37. The system of claim 35 or 36, comprising a heater assembly damping component extending around a periphery of the heater assembly, wherein the edges of the heater layer are in contact with the heater assembly damping component.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the side surfaces of the substrate are in contact with the heater assembly damping component.

39. A consumable for use with an aerosol provision system, the consumable comprising: an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material; an aerosol-generating material transport element provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion; an aerosol generator configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the aerosol-generating material transport element and/or the aerosol generator comprises one or more openings configured to receive aerosol-generating material; and a vibration mechanism, wherein the vibration mechanism is configured to apply vibrations to at least one of the aerosol generator and the aerosol-generating material transport element.

40. An aerosol provision device for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material provided in an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing aerosolgenerating material using an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion via an aerosol-generating material transport element provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the aerosol-generating material transport element and/or the aerosol generator comprises one or more openings configured to receive aerosolgenerating material, wherein the aerosol provision device comprises: a vibration mechanism, wherein the vibration mechanism is configured to apply vibrations to at least one of the aerosol generator and the aerosol-generating material transport element.

41. The aerosol provision device of claim 40, wherein the aerosol provision device further includes the aerosol generator.

42. A method of supplying aerosol-generating material in an aerosol-generating material storage portion to an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosolgenerating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion via an aerosol-generating material transport element provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion,, wherein the aerosol-generating material transport element and/or the aerosol generator comprises one or more openings configured to receive aerosol-generating material, the method comprising: applying vibrations to at least the aerosol generator and the aerosol-generating material transport element using a vibration mechanism.

43. Aerosol provision means for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision means comprising: aerosol-generating material storage means for storing an aerosol-generating material; aerosol-generating material transport means provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage means; aerosol generator means configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage means, wherein the aerosol-generating material transport means and/or the aerosol generator means comprises one or more openings configured to receive aerosol-generating material; and vibration means, wherein the vibration means is configured to apply vibrations to at least the aerosol generator means and the aerosol-generating material transport means.

44. An aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision system comprising: an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material; an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion; and a pre-heat mechanism configured to cause pre-heating of at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the pre-heating mechanism is configured to pre-heat the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion to adjust the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material.

45. The aerosol provision system of claim 44, wherein the pre-heating mechanism is configured so as to cause heating of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material to change the viscosity and/or phase of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material.

46. The aerosol provision system of claim 44 or 45, wherein the aerosol-generating material storage portion comprising a first region and a second region, the second region of a smaller volume than the first region and provided in fluid communication with the first region, wherein the second region is configured to receive the at least a part of the aerosolgenerating material.

47. The aerosol provision system of any of claims 44 to 46, wherein the pre-heating mechanism includes one or more heater elements, the one or more heater elements provided between the aerosol generator and the aerosol-generating material storage portion, and wherein the one or more heater elements are capable of being supplied with electrical power to generate heat.

48. The aerosol provision system of claim 47, wherein the pre-heating mechanism includes at least two heater elements, and wherein the at least two heater elements are capable of being independently controlled to generate heat.

49. The aerosol provision system of claim 47 or 48, wherein the one or more heater elements are integrally formed with the aerosol generator.

50. The aerosol provision system of any of claims 47 to 49, wherein the one or more heater elements are further configured to facilitate the transport of aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion to the aerosol-generator.

51. The aerosol provision system of any of claims 47 to 50, wherein the one or more heater elements comprise a sintered structure formed from an electrically conductive material.

52. The aerosol provision system of any of claims 44 to 51 , wherein the pre-heating mechanism includes a pre-heating aerosol pathway, the pre-heating aerosol pathway extending from an aerosol generating region in which aerosol is generated from the aerosolgenerating material by operation of the aerosol generator, and wherein the pre-heating aerosol pathway is arranged to pass-by at least a portion of the aerosol-generating material storage portion to transfer heat from aerosol passing through the pre-heating aerosol pathway to the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosolgenerating material storage portion.

53. The aerosol provision system of claim 52, wherein the aerosol provision system comprises an aerosol pathway extending from the aerosol generating region to a mouthpiece of the aerosol provision system, and wherein the pre-heating aerosol pathway is arranged to extend from the aerosol pathway, wherein a portion of the aerosol generated in the aerosol generating region is able to pass along the pre-heating aerosol pathway.

54. The aerosol provision system of claim 52 or 53, wherein the aerosol provision system further comprises a condensation region fluidly coupled to the pre-heating aerosol pathway, the condensation region arranged to allow aerosol that has passed along the pre-heating aerosol pathway to condense.

55. The aerosol provision system of claim 54, wherein the aerosol provision system further comprises a return path provided between the condensation region and the aerosolgenerating material storage portion, the return path configured to permit condensed aerosolgenerating material to be returned to the aerosol-generating material storage portion.

56. The aerosol provision system of any of claims 44 to 55, wherein the aerosolgenerating material is a liquid or a gel.

57. The aerosol provision system of any of claims 44 to 56, further comprising a second aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing aerosol-generating material, wherein the second aerosol-generating material storage portion is fluidly coupled to the aerosol generator, and wherein the pre-heating mechanism is configured to pre-heat at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the second aerosol-generating material storage portion.

58. The aerosol provision system of claim 57, wherein the pre-heating mechanism is configured to independently pre-heat the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion to adjust the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material, and to pre-heat the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the second aerosol-generating material storage portion to adjust the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the second aerosol-generating material storage portion.

59. The aerosol provision system of any of claims 44 to 58, wherein the aerosol generator comprises a heater assembly comprising: a substrate; a heater layer provided at at least a first surface of the substrate and configured to generate heat when supplied with energy; and one or more capillary tubes extending from another surface of the substrate and through the heater layer, the one or more capillary tubes configured to supply aerosolgenerating material from the another surface of the substrate to the heater layer.

60. A consumable for use with an aerosol provision system, the consumable comprising: an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material; an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion; and a pre-heat mechanism configured to cause pre-heating of at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the pre-heating mechanism is configured to pre-heat the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion to adjust the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material.

61. An aerosol provision device for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material provided in an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing aerosolgenerating material using an aerosol generator provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the aerosol provision device comprises: a pre-heat mechanism configured to cause pre-heating of at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the pre-heating mechanism is configured to pre-heat the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion to adjust the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material.

62. The aerosol provision device of claim 61, wherein the aerosol provision device further includes the aerosol generator.

63. A method of pre-heating aerosol-generating material prior to aerosolising the aerosolgenerating material using an aerosol generator in an aerosol provision system, wherein the aerosol generator is provided in fluid communication with an aerosol-generating material storage portion, the method comprising: pre-heating of at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosolgenerating material storage portion, wherein pre-heating the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion causes the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material to be adjusted.

64. Aerosol provision means for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision means comprising: aerosol-generating material storage means for storing an aerosol-generating material; aerosol generator means provided in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage means and configured to receive aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage means; and pre-heat means configured to cause pre-heating of at least a part of the aerosolgenerating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage means, wherein the pre-heating means is configured to pre-heat the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage means to adjust the characteristics of the at least a part of the aerosol-generating material.