Patent Publication Number: US-9896243-B2

Title: Liquid stopper and electronic cigarette using same

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to electronic cigarettes, and particularly to a liquid stopper used in an electronic cigarette and an electronic cigarette using same. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Electronic cigarettes are similar to conventional cigarettes in appearance and taste, but less harmful to human&#39;s health, so that electronic cigarettes are widely used for helping people to quit smoke. Electronic cigarettes usually have a tobacco liquid filled therein, and liquid stoppers are widely used for preventing the tobacco liquid from leaking out. 
     In a typical electronic cigarette, a heating assembly is arranged at a middle position of a liquid reservoir, and a liquid stopper is arranged under the liquid reservoir. Conductive wires of the heating assembly have to extend through the liquid reservoir to be electrically connected to electrodes or batteries. However, the conductive wires may make the liquid stopper difficult to sit on another component in the electronic cigarette, thus the entire arrangement is hard to be compact. 
     What is needed, therefore, is a liquid stopper and an electronic cigarette which can overcome the above shortcomings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the present liquid stopper and electronic cigarette can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present liquid stopper and electronic cigarette. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic isometric view of a liquid stopper in accordance with a first embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic isometric view of a liquid stopper in accordance with an alternative embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  shows conductive wires extend through the liquid stopper of  FIG. 2  and lie in the wire grooves of the liquid stopper. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic cross sectional view of an electronic cigarette in accordance with a second embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic isometric view of an upper liquid stopper used in the electronic cigarette of  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments of the present liquid stopper and electronic cigarette will now be described in detail below and with references to the drawings. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a liquid stopper  1  used in an electronic cigarette, is provided. The liquid stopper  1  is a stopper for stopping a tobacco liquid from leaking out of an atomizing device of the electronic cigarette. In particular, the electronic cigarette has a liquid reservoir defined in the atomizing device, and a heating assembly configured for heating and atomizing the tobacco liquid. The heating assembly includes a heating coil having two ends connected to electrodes by conductive wires (labeled as “ 2 ” in  FIG. 3 ). The liquid stopper  1  may be arranged near the liquid reservoir and under the heating assembly. The detail configuration of the liquid stopper  1  is described as following. 
     The liquid stopper  1  has a main body  19 , and the main body  19  mainly includes a bottom surface  11 , an opposite top surface  11   a , and two wire holes  12  formed through the bottom surface  11  and the top surface  11   a . In the present disclosure, two wire grooves  13  are further formed in the bottom surface  11  and are in communication with the respective wire holes  12 . Each of the wire holes  12  is configured for receiving a conductive wire  2  of the electronic cigarette, and each of the wire grooves  13  is configured for receiving and guiding the corresponding conductive wire  2  to a sidewall of the liquid stopper  1 . Due to the wire grooves  13 , the conductive wires  2  would not interfere the bottom surface  11 , and the bottom surface  11  can be directly disposed on an adjacent components, or the bottom surface  11  of the liquid stopper  1  can closely contact another components, such that the arrangement can be compact. 
     The liquid stopper  1  further has a column  14  formed on the top surface  11   a  of the main body, and a central through hole  15  formed through the column  14  and the main body  19 . The column  14  is configured for being engaged with a component of the atomizing device. 
     In the present disclosure, a first air channel  16  is formed in the bottom surface  11  and in communication with the central through hole  15 . The first air channel  16  extends to an outside of the liquid stopper  1 . 
     In detail, the main body  19  may be cylindrical shaped, the bottom surface  11  may be a flat round surface, the first air channel  16  is arranged along a diameter, and the two wire grooves  13  are symmetrically arranged about the diameter of the bottom surface  11 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , in an alternative embodiment, a second air channel  17  and a third air channel  18  are formed in the bottom surface  11  of the liquid stopper  1 ′. The second air channel  17  and the third air channel  18  are in communicated with the central through hole  15 , and are in communication with the respective wire grooves  13 . In the present embodiment, the second air channel  17  interconnects the corresponding wire groove  13 , the third air channel  18  interconnects the corresponding wire groove  13 , and the bottom surface  11  are divided into a pair of first regions  111  symmetrically about the first air channel  16 , and a second region  112  extending along a radius of the bottom surface  11 . The configuration of the liquid stopper  1 ′ increases air entering the central through hole  15 , and thus avoiding short of breath in sucking the electronic cigarette. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , conductive wires  2  of a heating coil of a heating assembly extend through the respective wire holes  12  and extend out from the respective wire grooves  13 , thus the bottom surface  11  can directly sit on another component without interference of the conductive wires  2 . The flat bottom surface  11  makes the liquid stopper  1 ′ can closely contact with a flat adjacent component, thereby the entire arrangement can be compact. 
     In other embodiments, the bottom surface  11  can be in different shapes as long as the bottom surface  11  can large area surface contact an adjacent component in the electronic cigarette. 
     In addition, in some embodiments, the wire holes  12  and the wire grooves  13  can be changed to one wire hole and one wire groove, as long as the conductive wires  2  are insulatedly spaced in the wire hole and in the wire groove. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , an electronic cigarette  100  in accordance with a second embodiment is provided. The electronic cigarette  100  includes a shell  10 , and an atomizing device  20 , a power device  30  and a lower liquid stopper  40  received in the shell  10 . The lower liquid stopper  40  is located between the atomizing device  20  and the power device  30 . 
     The power device  30  has a battery. The atomizing device  20  has a heating assembly  70 , and the heating assembly  70  is electrically connected to the battery through two conductive wires  200 . The lower liquid stopper  40  is the same as one of the liquid stoppers described above. The conductive wires  200  of the heating assembly  70  extend through the wire holes (not labeled) and lie in the wire grooves  41  of the lower liquid stopper  40  to allow the bottom surface of the liquid stopper  40  closely contact the battery. In this way, a larger inner space can be given to a liquid reservoir of the atomizing device  20  or the battery of the power device  30 , such that a greater aerosol can be sucked in sucking this electronic cigarette at one time. 
     Referring also to  FIG. 5 , the atomizing device  20  further includes an upper liquid stopper  50 , the liquid reservoir is defined between the upper liquid stopper  50  and the lower liquid stopper  40 , and the liquid reservoir has a liquid reserving cotton  60  filled therein. The upper liquid stopper  50  includes a main body  52 , a column  51  extending downwards from the main body  52 , and a central through hole  55  formed through the main body  52  and the column  51 . The main body  52  includes a tapering reflow portion  53 , and a number of supports  54  formed on the reflow portion  53  and opposite to the column  51 . 
     The liquid reserving cotton  60  surrounds an air pipe  80 , the column  42  of the lower liquid stopper  40  and the column  51  of the upper liquid stopper  50  engage in two ends of the air pipe  80 , and the main body of the lower liquid stopper  40  and the main body  52  of the upper liquid stopper  50  engage in the shell  10 . The heating assembly  70  is arranged at a middle portion of the air pipe  80 , and the conductive wires  200  of the heating assembly  70  extend through the lower liquid stopper  40  and lie in the wire grooves  41  of the lower liquid stopper  40  to be electrically connected to the battery. Air enters the lower liquid stopper  40  from the air channels (not labeled) and the central wire hole  43  of the lower liquid stopper  40 , and reaches the air pipe  80  and the heating assembly  70  to form aerosol when the heating assembly  70  heats and atomizes the tobacco liquid, and the aerosol is sucked out from the central through hole  55  of the upper liquid stopper  50 . The reflow portion  53  allows condensed tobacco liquid in the aerosol to reflow along an inner wall of the central through hole  55  and an inner wall of the air pipe  80  to reach the heating assembly  70 . 
     In addition, the electronic cigarette  100  further includes a filter  90  arranged at an end of the shell  10 , and abutting on the support  54  of the upper liquid stopper  50 . The filter  90  can be made of cotton, acetate fiber, polyester fiber, porous foam or other similar material. The filter  90  can filter out greater particles in the aerosol, thereby purifying the aerosol. 
     Furthermore, the filter  90  makes the electronic cigarette appears more similar to a conventional cigarette, thus the electronic cigarette is more popular by users. 
     It is understood that the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate rather than limit the disclosure. Variations may be made to the embodiments and methods without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the disclosure.