Aerosol generator

An aerosol generator device has an elongate body with an interior passageway extending longitudinally to its mouth end. The device receives an interchangeable, pressurized canister charged with a nicotine containing liquid that is discharged in a metered dose on manual actuation of a button member that causes a valve in the canister to open and discharge through a discharge tube. A sleeve releasably couples the canister to the body. The button member is slidably mounted on the body for reciprocal movement along a trigger axis Y-Y′ extending transversely of the longitudinal axis X-X′ of the device, and has a manually depressible surface portion and a camming surface portion that drives a slidable nozzle member to press the discharge tube inwardly of the canister to open its valve and release liquid into the nozzle member. Nozzle forms an aerosol from the liquid, which is delivered to the consumer through outlets in the mouth end of the device.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an aerosol generator which may be portable and handheld, to deliver aerosol to the mouth of a consumer, for example aerosol containing nicotine.

BACKGROUND

A nicotine dispensing aerosol device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,929, which simulates a smoking article such as a cigarette, without having to burn tobacco.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides an improved aerosol generator device that can be operated manually by a consumer to deliver aerosol, for example to their mouth.

An embodiment of the invention provides an aerosol generator device that includes an elongate body having a proximal mouth end, a distal end and an interior passageway extending longitudinally to the mouth end. A coupling to the body is configured for releasably coupling a fluid containing pressurised canister having an axial discharge tube depressible inwardly to open a valve therein to release the fluid through the discharge tube, with the canister and the passageway having a common longitudinal axis. A trigger is mounted on the body to reciprocate along a trigger axis extending transversely of the longitudinal axis, the trigger having a manually depressible surface portion facing outwardly of the body, and a camming surface portion operable on depression of the manually depressible surface portion inwardly of the body along the trigger axis, to press the discharge tube inwardly of the canister and operate the valve so as to release fluid from the canister through the discharge tube and through the body to the mouth end.

A tubular nozzle member may be slidably mounted in the body, the nozzle member having an end to abut the tube of the canister and a trigger engaging end that engages the camming surface portion of the trigger so that said inward depression of the trigger drives the nozzle member towards the distal end of the body member to drive the discharge tube inwardly of the canister to operate the valve and release the fluid through the tube and the nozzle.

The body may have a generally tubular sidewall, the interior passageway extending from the distal end to the mouth end, and a trigger chamber extending outwardly from the interior passageway into the sidewall, the trigger being slidably mounted in the trigger chamber for reciprocal movement along the trigger axis, with the depressible surface portion of the trigger being disposed adjacent the exterior surface of the body member.

The coupling may include a sleeve adapted to grip the canister at one end and releasably attached to the distal end of the body at the other end.

The trigger may comprise a manually depressible button, and the body can comprise a generally cylindrical button housing and a generally cylindrical mouth end attached thereto, the button being mounted in the button housing to reciprocate along the trigger axis.

The manually depressible surface portion of the trigger may comprise a cylindrical surface generally coaxial with the button housing. The mouth end may include a filter plug.

The nozzle may include one or more radially extending lugs and the trigger may include one or more depending flanges with an inclined edge that engages a respective lug to provide the camming surface portion.

The canister may be generally cylindrical, with a valve configured to release a metered dose of fluid.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, embodiments thereof will now be described by way of illustrative example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the aerosol generator device comprises an elongate, generally tubular body1, with a longitudinal axis X-X′, which receives an interchangeable, vessel comprising a generally cylindrical, coaxial, pressurised canister2that contains a liquid propellant such as HFA 134a and a substance to be provided as a aerosol to the consumer. A coupling sleeve3allows the canister2to be attached and replaced by another on the body1when the contents of the canister have been consumed by the user.

The contents of the canister2may comprise a nicotine-containing liquid with or without additional flavourants, so as to simulate a smoking article such as a cigarette although it will be appreciated that other compositions may be provided within the canister2.

The body1has a proximal, mouth end4and a distal end5to which the canister2is attached by the sleeve3. The body1comprises a button housing6that receives a trigger in the form of a manually depressible button7for actuating the device, and a generally cylindrical, coaxial mouth end housing8that delivers an aerosol formed from liquid from the canister2, to the mouth of the consumer through circumferential outlet slots9.

The device may be dimensioned to be of a similar size to a conventional smoking article such as a cigarette, so that the mouth end4can be received between the lips of the consumer. The mouth end housing8may resemble the filter tip of a conventional cigarette visually. The device can be held between the fingers of the consumer's hand and the button7operated to dispense a metered dose of aerosol of fluid from the canister2into the consumer's mouth.

As illustrated in the exploded view ofFIG. 3, the button housing6is generally tubular with a trigger opening10through which the button7protrudes. The button7is retained in the button housing by means of a button retainer strip11that is welded, glued or otherwise attached to the underside of the button7within the housing6to engage the perimeter of the trigger opening10on the inside and so limit the travel of the button outwardly, as illustrated inFIGS. 5 and 6.

The button7engages a tubular discharge nozzle12slidably mounted within the button housing to drive it towards the canister2to discharge a metered dose of fluid from the canister, as will be explained in more detail hereinafter.

A filter plug13absorbs any excess liquid that may accumulate with multiple actuations of the device. The filter plug13may be formed for example of cellulose acetate material and can be arranged coaxially within the mouth end housing8to capture larger size droplets in the aerosol emanating from the discharge nozzle, which tend to be discharged at angles closer to the axis of the device than smaller size droplets. It is desirable to supply smaller size droplets to the mouth of the consumer for ease of adsorption and the circumferential disposition of the slots9along with the provision the axially disposed filter plug contributes to this outcome. As illustrated inFIG. 4, the filter plug13is retained in an inner cylindrical mounting14from which extend first and second semi-circular section baffle plates15(only one shown inFIG. 4) which tend to direct larger size aerosol droplets towards the filter plug13and allow smaller size droplets to pass through the circumferential gap between the cylindrical body of the mouth end housing8and the baffle plates15to the outlet slots9at the mouth end. For further details, reference is directed to the published pamphlet WO 2009/135729 incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

Referring toFIG. 3, the canister2comprises a generally cylindrical canister body16that contains a valve with a valve stem in the form of a discharge tube17configured so that when pressed axially inwardly of the canister, a metered dose of the pressurised fluid within the canister is discharged through the tube17into the nozzle12.

The interior structure of the canister2is shown in the sectional views ofFIGS. 4 and 7, mounted for operation on the body1. The canister is mounted with its longitudinal axis aligned with the longitudinal axis X-X′ of the device, for dispensing aerosol from the discharge tube17into the nozzle12towards the mouth end4. Referring to FIGS.7aand7b, valve18in the canister2delivers a metered dose of the pressurised contents of the canister through aperture19into the discharge tube17when it is slid axially inwardly of the canister against the force of spring20, which urges the tube outwardly to keep the valve18normally closed with the aperture disconnected from the interior contents of the canister. A supply pipe21feeds the pressurised contents of the canister2to the inlet of valve18and has a curved end21a.

When fitting a canister2, it is desirable to arrange its supply pipe21so that its curved end21ais directed generally downwardly in use to ensure that substantially all of the liquid contents can be consumed and coupling between the canister and the body is configured for this purpose, as will now be explained. The valve18is held in the canister body16by a circumferentially crimped ferrule22. The crimping is arranged in circular grooves23aand23bshown inFIG. 3. Referring toFIG. 8, the coupling sleeve3has interior circular lip24with radial teeth25that is push-fitted onto the canister so that the lip24engages in the groove23band the teeth24engage the crimping to prevent rotation of the canister in the coupling sleeve3. Referring toFIG. 7a, the sleeve3has a thread26on its proximal end that engages with a corresponding thread27on the distal end of the button body6. Referring toFIG. 8, stop28is formed on the thread26of the coupling sleeve, so that when threadingly engaged fully on the button body, the coupling sleeve3and button body6adopt a fixed rotational position to one another. By providing a mark on the canister2referencing the interior disposition of the inlet supply pipe21and a reference mark on the coupling sleeve3, the canister2can be fitted to the sleeve with the marks aligned, so that when the sleeve3is screwed onto the body6, the inlet supply tube extends downwardly when the longitudinal axis X-X′ is disposed generally horizontally and button7is disposed upwardly.

The nozzle member12is illustrated in more detail inFIGS. 9 and 10and comprises a generally tubular body29with an internal axial passageway30that comprises a nozzle bore with a step31towards is distal end, that engages the discharge tube17, so that fluid from the canister2is discharged from the tube17into the passageway30. The passageway30also includes a region of restricted diameter that defines a nozzle32to create an aerosol of the contents discharged from the canister2into the bore30, the aerosol being directed into the body1towards the mouth end4.

As shown inFIGS. 9 and 10, the nozzle member12includes diametrically opposed flats33that are received in corresponding grooves (not shown) in the button housing6to prevent rotation of the nozzle member when it moves back and forth. Also, the nozzle member12includes first and second diametrically opposed lugs34a,34bwhich engage with the button member7for sliding the nozzle member12back and forth axially as described in more detail hereinafter.

As shown inFIGS. 4 and 7, the button housing6and the mouth end housing8of the body1provide an interior passageway35extending from the distal end5to the mouth end4. The trigger opening10extends through the side wall of the button housing and receives the button member7for sliding movement back and forth along a trigger axis Y-Y′ shown inFIGS. 5 and 6orthogonal to the longitudinal axis X-X′.

The button member7comprises a manually depressible upper surface36which is generally part cylindrical and coaxial with the longitudinal axis X-X′, and first and second depending flanges38a,38bdisposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis X-X′. As shown inFIGS. 5 and 6the flange38aof the button member6slidingly engages with the lug34aand34bof the nozzle member12, and the flange38ahas a camming surface portion39athat is inclined to the trigger axis Y-Y′ so that as the button member is depressed manually inwardly along the trigger axis Y-Y′ against the lug34a, the nozzle member12slides towards the canister2in the longitudinal axial direction X-X′ from a rest position shown inFIGS. 5aand6ato discharge position shown inFIGS. 5band6b. The flange38aalso has a non-inclined end surface portion40awhich engages the lug34ain the rest position shown inFIGS. 5aand6a. The arrangement is configured so that the nozzle member12is pressed against the force of the spring20of the canister2, with a force that does not open the valve18of the canister but provides a pre-compression of the spring which facilitates manual operation of the button member and also resiliently drives the button member outwardly to retain it in the rest position shown, when released by the user.

It will be understood that the flange38bis similarly configured with a camming surface portion39band end portion40bthat engage lug34bon the opposite side of the axis X-X′, with the result that axially symmetric forces are applied by the button member7to the nozzle member12.

The device is also shown in the rest position and the discharge position in the sectional views ofFIGS. 4aand7a(rest position) andFIGS. 4band7b(discharge position). It can be seen that when the button member is depressed inwardly, the nozzle member12is slid by the button member axially towards the canister2, so as to depress the discharge tube17inwardly of the canister2so that the valve18releases a metered dose of liquid from the canister2, which is discharged through the tube17into the bore30of the nozzle member12. The liquid passes through nozzle32where it is formed into an aerosol41that passes into the mouth end housing8. Larger diameter aerosol droplets tend to be ejected from the nozzle32closer to the axial centreline X-X′ than smaller diameter droplets and tend to be collected by the filter plug13, whereas the smaller diameter droplets pass to the outlet slots9in the mouth end4, for consumption by the user.

On release of the button member7after the aerosol discharge, it reciprocates along the trigger axis Y-Y′ back to the rest position due to the resilience of the spring20, which drives the discharge tube17and the nozzle member12away from the canister along the axis X-X′, so that the lugs34aand34band the camming surfaces39aand39burge the button member7to slide outwardly along axis Y-Y′.

Many modifications and variations within the scope of the claimed invention will be evident to those skilled in the art. For example different releasable fixings for the canister on the body may be utilised. In particular, the coupling sleeve may be configured to be more closely aligned with the cylindrical shape of the canister and mouthpiece housing. Also, other fixings may be used such as a bayonet coupling.

Also whilst the described examples of generator device are generally cylindrical with a circular cross section, other cross sectional shapes can be used, such as rectangular or triangular.

Furthermore, although the canister is described as an interchangeable element to allow the supply of liquid to be replenished, an integral pressurised supply vessel may be provided in the device, so that the device can be used multiple times and then discarded once the liquid supply has been exhausted from the vessel. In a modification, an inlet valve may be provided to allow the supply to be replenished from an exterior, pressurised source.

The valve18described herein is configured to deliver a metered dose on actuation but instead, a continuous flow valve could be used such that the consumer can maintain a flow of aerosol by continuously depressing the trigger.

The mouth end can be configured differently from that shown in the Figures. For example the mouth end could be a tapered cylindrical shape with flat piece for easy positioning and orientation cue in the mouth. Also, textured or rough finishes can be applied to the exterior surface of the mouthpiece to stimulate sensation in the lips.

The supply tube of the pressurised canister may be of flexible construction and provided with a weighted end as to always assume the lowest position in the canister orientation and allow for complete consumption of the canister contents.

Also, the mouthpiece may be detachable and this may permit the filter plug to be changed.

Other inventive variations and aspects of the disclosure may include other non-limiting embodiments. For example, in one embodiment, an aerosol generator device may comprise an elongate body having a proximal mouth end, a distal end and an interior passageway extending longitudinally to the mouth end, a coupling for releasably coupling to the body, a fluid containing pressurised canister having an axial discharge tube depressible inwardly to open a valve therein to release the fluid through the discharge tube, with the canister and the passageway having a common longitudinal axis, and a trigger mounted on the body to reciprocate along a trigger axis extending transversely of the longitudinal axis, the trigger having a manually depressible surface portion facing outwardly of the body, and a camming surface portion operable on depression of the manually depressible surface portion inwardly of the body along the trigger axis, to press the discharge tube inwardly of the canister and operate the valve so as to release fluid from the canister through the discharge tube and through the body to the mouth end.

In one implementation, the aerosol generator device may include a tubular nozzle member slidably mounted in the body, the nozzle member having an end to abut the tube of the canister and a trigger engaging end that engages the camming surface portion of the trigger so that said inward depression of the trigger drives the nozzle member towards the distal end of the body member to drive the discharge tube inwardly of the canister to operate the valve and release the fluid through the tube and the nozzle.

In one implementation, the body may include a generally tubular sidewall, the interior passageway extending from the distal end to the mouth end, and a trigger opening that extends from the interior passageway through the sidewall, the trigger being slidably mounted in the trigger opening for reciprocal movement along the trigger axis.

In one implementation, the aerosol generator device may include a coupling that includes a sleeve adapted to grip the canister at one end and releasably attached to the distal end of the body at the other end.

In one implementation, the trigger may comprise a manually depressible button, and the body may comprise a generally cylindrical button housing and a generally cylindrical mouth end attached thereto, wherein the button is mounted in the button housing to reciprocate along the trigger axis. In a further implementation, the manually depressible surface portion of the trigger may comprise a cylindrical surface generally coaxial with the button housing.

In one implementation, the mouth end may include a filter plug therein.

In one implementation, the nozzle may include a radially extending lug and the trigger may include a depending flange with an inclined edge that engages the lug to provide the camming surface portion. In one implementation, the aerosol generator may include a further lug on the nozzle, said lugs being disposed diametrically opposite one another, and the trigger may include a further depending flange, said flanges being disposed on opposite sides of the axis of the body to engage the lugs respectively.

In one implementation, the aerosol generator device may include the canister. In a further implementation the canister may be generally cylindrical and may have a valve therein configured to release a metered dose of fluid.

In one implementation, the aerosol generator may have a detachable mouthpiece at the mouth end.

In another embodiment, the aerosol generator device may comprise an elongate body having a proximal mouth end, a distal end and an interior passageway extending longitudinally to the mouth end, a fluid supply vessel for containing pressurised fluid, having a valve and a discharge tube depressible inwardly to open the valve to release fluid through the discharge tube, with the vessel and the passageway having a common longitudinal axis, and a trigger mounted on the body to reciprocate along a trigger axis extending transversely of the longitudinal axis, the trigger having a manually depressible surface portion facing outwardly of the body, and a camming surface portion operable on depression of the manually depressible surface portion inwardly of the body along the trigger axis, to press the discharge tube inwardly of the canister and operate the valve so as to release fluid from the canister through the discharge tube and through the body to the mouth end.

In one implementation, the vessel may be interchangeable.

In one implementation, said fluid may include nicotine and a propellant.