AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES

Abstract

An aerosol-generating device (1) includes a heating element (8); a dosing assembly (2) comprising: a cutting mechanism (4) disposed in a cutting region and configured to cut a portion from an aerosol-generating article (20) received by the aerosol-generating device; and a transfer mechanism (6) configured to transfer a cut portion of the aerosol-generating article from the cutting region to the heating element. The cutting mechanism may include a first blade (41) with a first cutting direction and a second blade (42) with a second cutting direction different from the first cutting direction.

Claims

1. An aerosol-generating device comprising a heating element; a dosing assembly comprising: a cutting mechanism disposed in a cutting region and configured to cut a portion from an aerosol-generating article received by the aerosol-generating device, the cutting mechanism comprising: a punch cutter comprising a hollow core surrounded by a blade; or a first blade with a first cutting direction and a second blade with a second cutting direction; or a blade grid; and a transfer mechanism configured to transfer a cut portion of the aerosol-generating article from the cutting region to the heating element.

2. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1, wherein the cutting mechanism comprises a first blade having a first cutting direction and a second blade having a second cutting direction, wherein the second cutting direction is different from the first cutting direction, optionally wherein the second cutting direction is perpendicular to the first cutting direction.

3. The aerosol-generating device of claim 2, wherein the first blade is movable in the first cutting direction and the second blade is movable in the second cutting direction.

4. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1, wherein the cutting mechanism comprises a blade grid constructed to simultaneously cut the consumable into multiple portions.

5. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1, wherein the cutting mechanism comprises a punch cutter.

6. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1, wherein the transfer mechanism comprises a pushing member that is linearly translatable in a first direction and optionally in a second direction and optionally in a third direction.

7. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1, wherein the dosing assembly comprises a controller comprising one or more processors, the controller configured to: determine which one or more portions of the aerosol-generating article have not been cut or have been cut; or determine which one or more portions of the aerosol-generating article are available for cutting; or both.

8. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1, wherein the dosing assembly comprises a controller comprising one or more processors, the controller configured to: receive an input defining a desired aerosol profile, aerosolization profile or both aerosol profile and aerosolization profile; and determine based on the received input, one or more of: how much of the aerosol-generating article to cut; which portion of the aerosol-generating article to cut.

9. A method of dosing an aerosol-generating article using the aerosol-generating device of claim 1, the method comprising: placing the aerosol-generating article in the cutting region; actuating the cutting assembly to cut a portion of the aerosol-generating article; actuating the transfer mechanism to transfer the portion into a heating region of the aerosol-generating device; and heating the portion with the heating element.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining which one or more portions of the aerosol-generating article have not been cut or have been cut, or which one or more portions of the aerosol-generating article are available for cutting, or both.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising: entering an input into the aerosol-generating device defining a desired aerosol profile, aerosolization profile or both aerosol profile and aerosolization profile; and determining based on the received input, how much of the aerosol-generating article to cut or which portion of the aerosol-generating article to cut.

12. An aerosol-generating system comprising: the aerosol-generating device of claim 1, and an aerosol-generating article receivable by the aerosol-generating device, the aerosol-generating article comprising: a first outer layer and a second outer layer opposite of the first outer layer; and an inner layer disposed between the first and second outer layers, the inner layer comprising an aerosol-forming substrate.

13. The aerosol-generating system of claim 12, wherein the inner layer comprises a gel, the gel optionally comprising nicotine.

14. The aerosol-generating system of claim 12, wherein the inner layer and the outer layers comprise fibrous material, and optionally wherein the fibrous material is derived from cellulose.

15. The aerosol-generating system of claim 12, wherein the first and second outer layers have planar outer surfaces.

Description

[0086] Reference will now be made to the drawings, which depict one or more embodiments described in this disclosure. However, it will be understood that other embodiments not depicted in the drawings fall within the scope and of this disclosure. Like numbers used in the figures refer to like components, steps and the like. However, it will be understood that the use of a number to refer to a component in a given figure is not intended to limit the component in another figure labeled with the same number. In addition, the use of different numbers to refer to components in different figures is not intended to indicate that the different numbered components cannot be the same or similar to other numbered components. The figures are presented for purposes of illustration and not limitation. Schematic drawings presented in the figures are not necessarily to scale.

[0087] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative aerosol-generating device according to an embodiment.

[0088] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an illustrative aerosol-generating article for use in the aerosol-generating device of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment.

[0089] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an illustrative blade for cutting the aerosol-generating article of FIG. 2 according to an embodiment.

[0090] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of illustrative first and second blades for cutting the aerosol-generating article of FIG. 2 according to an embodiment.

[0091] FIG. 5A is a schematic perspective view of an illustrative punch cutter for cutting the aerosol-generating article of FIG. 2 according to an embodiment.

[0092] FIG. 5B is a sectional view of the punch cutter of FIG. 5A according to an embodiment.

[0093] FIG. 6A is a schematic perspective view of an illustrative blade grid for cutting the aerosol-generating article of FIG. 2 according to an embodiment.

[0094] FIG. 6B is a schematic perspective view of the blade grid of FIG. 6A for cutting the aerosol-generating article of FIG. 2 according to an embodiment.

[0095] FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a positioning system for positioning the aerosol-generating article of FIG. 2 for cutting according to an embodiment.

[0096] FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of a transfer mechanism for transferring the cut portion of the aerosol-generating article of FIG. 2 according to an embodiment.

[0097] FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of the blade grid and cut aerosol-generating article of FIG. 6B and the transfer mechanism of FIG. 8 according to an embodiment.

[0098] An illustrative aerosol-generating device 1 is shown in FIG. 1. The aerosol-generating device 1 may include a housing 10. Although a particular shape of the housing is shown, many other shapes are possible. The aerosol-generating device 1 is not particularly limited by the shape of the housing. In this illustrative embodiment of FIG. 1, the housing 10 extends form a first end 11 to a second end 12. The first end 11 may be a mouthpiece end. The housing 10 may include, or define, a cavity 13 for receiving an aerosol-generating article 20. The cavity 13 may be sized and shaped accordingly. For example, the cavity 13 of device 1 of FIG. 1 defines a rectangular, or box-like, area for receiving a substantially thin, rectangular aerosol-generating article 20.

[0099] The housing 10 may comprise one or more inlets 14 that extend from outside of the cavity 13 to inside of the cavity for the ingress of air. The housing 10 may comprise one or more outlets 15 that extend from inside of the cavity 13 to outside of the cavity for discharge of air. An air flow path extends from the inlet 14 to the outlet 15, passing through at least a portion of the cavity 13. In this way, a user may inhale from the first end 11 of the aerosol-generating device 10 to draw airflow form the one or more inlets 14 through the cavity 13, and out the outlets 15 to deliver aerosol to the user. For example, the airflow path is designated by the arrows 100 shown in FIG. 1.

[0100] The housing 10 of the aerosol-generating device 1 may further include a door 17 for inserting the aerosol-generating article in the cavity 13. The door 17 may form a wall of the cavity 13.

[0101] The aerosol-generating device 1 housing 10 may house the parts of the aerosol-generating device. For example, the housing 10 may house the dosing assembly 2, the heating element 8, and the controller 16. The dosing assembly 2 may include a cutting mechanism 4 and a transfer mechanism 6. The cutting mechanism 4 may define a cutting region. The heating element 8 may define a heating region. The transfer mechanism 6 may be configured to transfer a cut portion from the cutting region to the heating region to be heated by the heating element 8. The controller 16 may be operatively connected to the dosing assembly 2 and the heating element 8. The aerosol-generating device 1 may further comprise a power supply 18, such as a battery.

[0102] An exemplary embodiment of an aerosol-generating article 20 is shown in FIG. 2. The aerosol-generating article 20 may be any suitable type, shape, or size. In the embodiment shown, the aerosol-generating article 20 is in the shape of a flat sheet. The flat sheet may comprise outer layers 22, 23 defining two opposing major surfaces. The aerosol-generating article 20 may comprise an aerosol-forming substrate 21. The aerosol-forming substrate 21 may be a layer of gel, solid, or semisolid material. The gel, solid, or semisolid material may comprise a tobacco-based material. The gel, solid, or semisolid material may comprise an active ingredient. The active ingredient may be nicotine. The aerosol-forming substrate 21 may form a center layer sandwiched between the outer layers 22, 23.

[0103] The dosing assembly 2 may comprise a cutting mechanism 4 disposed in a cutting region and configured to cut a portion from an aerosol-generating article received by the aerosol-generating device. Referring now to FIG. 3, the cutting mechanism 4 may comprise a blade 40. The blade 40 may be configured to engage the aerosol-generating article 20 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the major surface (outer layer) 22. Alternatively, the blade 40 may be configured to engage the aerosol-generating article in a direction parallel to the plane of the major surface (outer layer) 22. According to an embodiment, the blade 40 is configured to cut a portion 24 of the aerosol-generating article.

[0104] The cutting mechanism 4 may comprise more than one blade. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the cutting mechanism 4 comprises a first blade 41 and a second blade 42. The first blade 41 is movable in a first cutting direction 410 and the second blade 42 is movable in a second cutting direction 420. The blades may be movable along cut lines 411, 421 shown as dashed lines in FIG. 4. The portion 24 of the aerosol-generating article 20 may be cut by cutting larger portion along the first cut line 411, and then cutting the portion 24 from the larger portion along the second cut line 421.

[0105] The cutting mechanism 4 may comprise a punch cutter 43, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. The punch cutter 43 may comprise a hollow tube that may be pushed against the aerosol-generating article 20 to cut out a portion 24 of the aerosol-generating article 20.

[0106] In some embodiments, for example as shown in FIG. 5B, the punch cutter 43 may be configured to retain the cut portion 24 inside the body of the punch cutter 43. The punch cutter 43 may comprise a heating element 438 configured to heat the cut portion 24 of the aerosol-generating article 20. The heating element 438 may be porous to allow passage of the aerosol through the heating element 438. The body of the punch cutter 43 may have a hollow center 434 that may collect the aerosol formed by heating of the cut portion 24. The hollow center 434 may comprises an inlet 432 and outlet 433, connecting the hollow center 434 to the airflow path of the aerosol-generating device 1. The punch cutter 43 may comprise thermal insulation 435. The thermal insulation 435 may surround the hollow center 434 on one or more sides.

[0107] The cutting mechanism 4 may comprise a blade grid 46, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. The blade grid 46 may comprise a plurality of blades 461, 462 that form a grid. The blade grid 46 may be able to cut the aerosol-generating article 20 into multiple cut portions at once. The blade grid 46 may be able to cut the entire aerosol-generating article 20 into cut portions at once. The cutting mechanism 4 may cut the aerosol-generating article 20 against a support surface 464, as shown in FIG. 6B.

[0108] Referring now to FIG. 7, the dosing assembly 2 may include a positioning system 50 for positioning the aerosol-generating article 20 or a portion of the aerosol-generating article 20 for cutting. The positioning system 50 may comprise one or more biasing members 51, 52. For example, the positioning system 50 may comprise a first biasing member 51 configured to push the aerosol-generating article 20 in a first direction. Pushing the aerosol-generating article 20 in the first direction may cause the aerosol-generating article 20 to be pushed to a position where the aerosol-generating article 20 intersects with the cut line 411 of at least one blade. The positioning system 50 may comprise a second biasing member 52 configured to push the aerosol-generating article 20 or a portion of the aerosol-generating article 20 in a second direction. The second direction may be different from the first direction. In some embodiments, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. Pushing the aerosol-generating article 20 or a portion of the aerosol-generating article 20 in the second direction may cause the aerosol-generating article 20 or a portion of the aerosol-generating article 20 to be pushed to a position where the aerosol-generating article 20 or a portion of the aerosol-generating article 20 intersects with the cut line 421 of at least one blade (for example, a second blade). The biasing members 51, 52 may include a pushing member and may be actuated by any suitable mechanism, such as by screws, pins, springs, compressed gas, etc.

[0109] Referring now to FIG. 8, the dosing assembly 2 may include a transfer mechanism 6. The transfer mechanism 6 may include one or more pushing members 61. The one or more pushing members may be linearly translatable in a first direction and optionally in a second direction and optionally in a third direction. The pushing member 61 may be translated by, for example, a biasing member 62 or a screw. The pushing member 61 may be configured to engage the cut portion 24 of the aerosol-generating article 20 and transfer (for example, push) it from the cutting region to adjacent the heating element 8. The pushing member 61 may translate the cut portion 24 in a first direction and a second direction. The pushing member 61 may translate the cut portion 24 in a third direction.

[0110] The transfer mechanism 6 may be combined with any of the cutting mechanisms discussed above. In one example, the transfer mechanism 6 may be combined with a blade grid 46, as shown in FIG. 9. After the aerosol-generating article 20 has been cut by the blade grid 46, a pushing member 61 of the transfer mechanism 6 may be used to push one or more cut portions 24 of the aerosol-generating article 20 onto the heating element 8. The heating element 8 may be any suitable type of heating element, such as a mesh heating element. The blade grid 46 and cut aerosol-generating article 20 may be translatable in a first direction 461 and a second direction 462. The blade grid 46 and cut aerosol-generating article 20 may be moved to position a specific cut portion 24 adjacent a transfer member 61 such that the transfer member 61 may engage the intended cut portion 24. This process may be repeated for one or more additional cut portions 24 to either combine cut portions 24 to create a desired flavor profile. For example, cut portions may be combined to increase the amount of aerosol-forming substrate, or to create a desired flavor mixture.

[0111] Thus, illustrative devices and methods using a dosing assembly are described. Various modifications and variations of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are apparent to those skilled in the electrical arts, computer arts and aerosol-generating device manufacturing or related fields are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.