HK40034985A - Heat-not-burn device and method - Google Patents

Description

Heating non-combustion device and method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to devices for use as replacements for conventional smoking products (e.g. e-cigarettes, vaping systems), and in particular to heating non-burning devices.

Background

A heated non-burning (HNB) device heats tobacco at a temperature below that which causes combustion to produce an inhalable aerosol containing nicotine and other tobacco components which is then provided for use by a user of the device. Unlike conventional cigarettes, the goal is not to burn the tobacco, but to heat the tobacco sufficiently to release nicotine and other ingredients by generating an aerosol. Ignition and burning of the cigarette produces undesirable toxins that can be avoided using HNB devices. However, it is difficult to grasp between providing sufficient heat to effectively release the tobacco components in aerosol form and not burning or igniting the tobacco. Current HNB devices have not found this balance, either heating the tobacco at temperatures that produce an inappropriate amount of aerosol, or overheating the tobacco and producing an unpleasant or "burnt" flavor profile. In addition, current methods foul internal components of conventional HNB devices with tobacco byproducts of combustion and byproducts of accidental combustion.

For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an aerosol generating device that provides its user with the ability to control the power of the device, which will affect the temperature at which tobacco is heated via an induction process, thereby reducing the risk of combustion even at temperatures otherwise sufficient for ignition, while increasing efficiency and flavor profile of the generated aerosol.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention relates to a system and method by which a consumable tobacco component is rapidly and incrementally heated by induction so that the aerosol it produces contains some of its constituents but does not have the byproducts (e.g., smoke, ash, tar and some other potentially harmful chemicals) most commonly associated with combustion. The present invention relates to positioning and incrementally advancing heat along a consumable tobacco component by using an induction heating element that provides an alternating electromagnetic field around the component.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus in which an induction heating source is provided for heating a consumable tobacco component.

Another object of the invention is a consumable tobacco part consisting of several sealed, independent, airtight, coated envelopes containing consumable tobacco products, and an induction heating source. The envelope may be an aluminum shell having a predetermined opening. The envelope may be coated with a gel to seal the opening until the induction heating process melts the gel to unseal the opening. In some embodiments, the gel may include a flavoring agent that may add flavor to or enhance the flavor of the tobacco aerosol.

In some embodiments, a plurality of envelopes are stacked within the paper tube with spacing between the envelopes formed by excess aluminum wrap at the bottom end of each envelope, and channels on either side to allow for the aerosol produced. When the induction heating source is activated, the pre-set opening is unsealed and the flavor and aerosol combination travels through the tube and is available to the user of the device.

By using these methods and apparatus, the device requires less mass to heat, can be warmed up immediately, cools down quickly, and saves power, thereby allowing more use between recharging sessions. This is in contrast to known current commercial heated non-fired devices.

Another object of the invention is a tobacco containing consumable part consisting of several sealed, independent, airtight, coated envelopes and an induction heating source. These envelopes are then coated with a gel to seal them until the induction heating process can melt the gel to unseal the opening. In some embodiments, the gel may include a flavoring agent that may add flavor to or enhance the flavor of the consumable tobacco component.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a consumable containing package that is easy to replace and minimizes the dirt inside the housing during use to reduce the cleaning effort of the housing.

It is another object of the invention to move the heating element relative to the susceptor or consumable to heat the consumable section independently of the other sections.

It is another object of the present invention to maximize the efficiency of energy utilization in an aerosol generating device.

It is another object of the present invention to control the heating of the heating element to maximize the life of the device.

Another object is to create the ability to vary the airflow through the device to vary the flavor or dosage of the consumable.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a side view of the interior of an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2A shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention with portions removed to show the interior of the embodiment.

FIG. 2B illustrates a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 2A with portions cut away and/or removed to expose internal components.

Figure 2C illustrates a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of figure 2A taken along line 2C-2C.

Fig. 2D shows an exploded view of the embodiment shown in fig. 2A.

Fig. 2E shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention with portions cut away and/or removed to expose the internal components.

Fig. 3A shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3B shows a partially exploded view of the embodiment shown in fig. 3A.

FIG. 3C illustrates a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A with portions cut away and/or removed to expose internal components.

Fig. 3D shows a close-up perspective view of the consumable housing unit shown in fig. 3A.

Fig. 4A and 4B show exploded views of an embodiment of a consumable containing unit.

Fig. 5A shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5B shows a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 5A taken along line 5B-5B.

Fig. 5C shows a perspective view of the consumable containing package of the embodiment shown in fig. 5A.

Fig. 6A shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6B shows an exploded view of the embodiment shown in fig. 6A.

Fig. 7A and 7B show perspective views of other embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 8A shows a side view of an embodiment of a heating element.

Fig. 8B shows a front view of the heating element shown in fig. 7A.

Fig. 7C shows another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7D shows an exploded view of the embodiment in fig. 7C.

Figure 9A illustrates a side view of an embodiment of an aerosol-generating device.

Figure 9B shows a top view of the aerosol-generating device shown in figure 8A.

Fig. 9C shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the controller of the present invention and its connections to other components.

Fig. 10A to 10B show schematic diagrams of an embodiment of the controller of the present invention and its connection with other components.

Fig. 11 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a movable heating element.

Fig. 12A to 12D show an exploded view, a sectional view, and a perspective view of alignment using a magnet according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12E illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of an alignment mechanism.

Figures 13A-13B show perspective views of a multi-prong susceptor.

Figures 13C-13D show side cross-sectional views of the embodiment of figures 13A and 13B, respectively, taken along the longitudinal axis, showing the multi-pin susceptor removed and inserted into the consumable containing package.

Fig. 14A-14C show end views of embodiments of the consumable containing package with the heating element rotated about the consumable containing package.

Figures 15A to 15C show end views of an embodiment of a consumable containing package having another three-prong susceptor in which a heating element is rotated about the consumable containing package.

Figures 16A to 16D show end views of embodiments of consumable containing packages having four-pin susceptors with a heating element rotated about the consumable containing package.

Fig. 17A-17B show perspective views of an embodiment of a mechanism for rotating a heating element around a consumable containing package along an eccentric path.

Fig. 18A-18B illustrate end views of the embodiment of the mechanism of fig. 17A-17B that rotates the heating element about the consumable containing package along an eccentric path.

Fig. 19 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a mechanism for rotating the heating element along an eccentric path and translating the heating element along the consumable containing package.

Fig. 20 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a mechanism for moving a heating element relative to a consumable containing package.

Fig. 21 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the controller of the present invention and its connections to other components.

Fig. 22 shows an embodiment of a heat sink attached to a heating element with a portion of the heat sink removed to show the heating element.

Fig. 23 shows a cross-sectional view of an airflow controller attached to a consumable containing package.

Fig. 24A shows an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 24B shows an end view of the embodiment in fig. 24A.

FIG. 24C illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line 24C-24C shown in FIG. 24B.

Fig. 25A and 25B show in perspective view a partial cross-sectional view of a consumable containing package with the susceptor removed to show the internal configuration of the consumable containing package using a hollow foot susceptor.

Fig. 25C and 25D show partial cross-sectional views of the embodiment of fig. 25A and 25B, respectively, with the hollow susceptor embedded in the consumable containing package.

Fig. 25E illustrates a cross-sectional view of the embodiment illustrated in fig. 25A-25D taken along its longitudinal axis to illustrate air flow during use.

Figure 26A shows a perspective view of another embodiment of a consumable containing package prior to insertion of the susceptor.

Figures 26B and 26C show partial cross-sectional views of the embodiment of figure 26A to illustrate the relationship of the internal components prior to insertion of the susceptor.

Fig. 26D shows a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the consumable containing package of fig. 26A-26C taken along its longitudinal axis.

Figure 26E shows a partial cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in figure 26A after insertion of the susceptor.

Fig. 26F shows a partial cross-sectional view of fig. 26E with the heating element wrapped around the consumable containing package.

Fig. 26G shows a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the consumable containing package shown in fig. 26F, taken along its longitudinal axis.

Detailed Description

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention.

The inventive content of the present application is a device for generating an aerosol for inhalation with a consumable containing product in a manner that utilizes relatively high heat and minimizes combustion of the consumable containing product. For the purposes of this application, the term "consumable" is to be broadly construed to encompass any type of pharmaceutical agent, drug, chemical compound, active agent, ingredient, etc., regardless of whether the consumable is used to treat a condition or disease, is used for nutrition, is a supplement, or is used for recreation. By way of example only, consumables may include pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, over-the-counter drugs, tobacco, cannabidiol, and the like.

Referring to fig. 1, the device 100 includes a consumable containing package 102 and an aerosol generating device 200. The device 100 generates an aerosol by a heat non-combustion process, wherein the consumable housing unit 104 is heated to the following temperatures: the consumable housing unit 104 is not burned but the consumable is released from the consumable housing unit in the form of an aerosol product that can be inhaled. Thus, the consumable holding unit 104 is any product that holds a consumable that can be released in aerosol form when heated to an appropriate temperature. The present application discusses the application of the present invention to provide specific examples on tobacco products. However, the present invention is not limited to use with tobacco products.

Consumable product housing package

Referring to fig. 2A-6B, the consumable containing package 102 is a component that is heated to release the consumable in aerosol form. Consumable containing package 102 includes a consumable containing unit 104, a metal (also referred to as a susceptor) 106 for heating consumable containing unit 104 by an induction heating system, and an envelope 108 for containing consumable containing unit 104 and susceptor 106. How well the consumable containing package 102 is heated depends on product consistency. Product consistency takes into account various factors such as the location, shape, orientation, composition, and other characteristics of the consumable holding unit 104. Other characteristics of consumable housing unit 104 can include the amount of oxygen contained within the unit. The objective is to maximize product consistency by maintaining consistency for each of all these factors during the manufacturing process.

If the consumable containing unit 104 is in direct physical contact with the susceptor 106 and has the largest contact area between each other, it can be concluded that the thermal energy sensed in the susceptor 106 is mainly transferred to the consumable containing unit 104. As such, the shape and arrangement of the consumable holding unit 104 relative to the susceptor 106 is an important factor. In some embodiments, the consumable housing unit 104 is generally cylindrical in shape. As such, the consumable housing unit 104 may have a circular or oval cross-section.

In addition, another objective with respect to the design of the consumable housing unit 104 is to minimize the amount of air to which the consumable housing unit 104 is exposed. This eliminates or reduces the risk of oxidation or combustion during storage or during the heating process. Thus, in certain settings, consumable housing unit 104 may be heated to a temperature that will cause combustion when used with prior art devices that allow for more air exposure.

As such, in a preferred embodiment, the consumable containing unit 104 is made of a consumable in powdered form that is compressed into pellets or rods. The compression of the consumable reduces oxygen trapped within the consumable containing unit 104. In some embodiments, the consumable housing unit 104 can further include additives such as humectants, flavoring agents, fillers for replacing oxygen, or vapor generating substances, among others. The additives may further assist in absorbing and transferring thermal energy and eliminating oxygen from the consumable containing unit 104. In alternative embodiments, the consumable may be mixed with a substance that does not interfere with the function of the device, but displaces air within the interstitial space of the consumable and/or surrounds the consumable to isolate it from air. In yet another alternative embodiment, the consumable may be formed as a tiny pellet or other form that may be packaged to further reduce the air available to the consumable.

As shown in fig. 2A-2D, in a preferred embodiment, the consumable housing unit 104 can be one elongated unit defining a longitudinal axis L. For example, the consumable housing unit 104 may be an elongated cylinder or tube having a circular cross-section or an oval cross-section. As such, the consumable housing unit 104 can be defined by opposing ends 105, 107 and a sidewall 109 therebetween that extends from the first end 105 to the second end 107, defining a length of the consumable housing unit 104.

The susceptor 106 may similarly be elongated and embedded in the consumable containing unit 104, preferably extending substantially the length and width (i.e., diameter) of the consumable containing unit 104 along the longitudinal axis L. In the consumable housing unit 104 having an oval cross-section, the diameter refers to the major diameter defining the major axis of the oval.

The susceptor 106 may be pressed by a machine. Once squeezed, the consumable containing unit 104 may be compressed around the susceptor 106 along the length of the susceptor 106. Alternatively, the susceptor 106 may be stamped from flat metal stock or any other suitable manufacturing method prior to assembly of the consumable containing unit 104 around the susceptor 106. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2E, the susceptor 106 may be made of a steel wool material. For example, susceptor 106 may be constructed of steel wool filaments bundled together in the form of a mat. Thus, the wire fleece pad comprises a number of thin edges. In some embodiments, the steel wool pad may be impregnated, or completely filled with additives, such as humectants, flavoring agents, vapor generating substances, substances that inhibit oxidation (rusting) of the steel wool, and/or fillers for eliminating air between the steel wool filaments, and the like. As shown in fig. 2E, there may be a cut along the steel wool pad to divide the consumable housing unit 104 into discrete sections for individual heating, as described below. Alternatively, separate steel wool pads may be used, the pads being spaced apart by space and/or consumables so that each pad can be heated separately during use.

From an environmental point of view, the advantages of steel wool include, but are not limited to, ease of handling, since it starts to oxidize shortly after heating; thereby becoming brittle and susceptible to degradation without risking sharp edges. It is composed of iron and carbon and is relatively non-toxic.

The susceptor 106 may be made of any metallic material that generates heat when exposed to a changing magnetic field in the case of inductive heating. Preferably, the metal comprises a ferrous metal. In order to maximize the effective heating of the consumable containing unit 104, the susceptor 106 generally matches the shape of the largest cross-sectional area of the consumable containing unit 104 to maximize the surface area of the consumable containing unit 104 in contact with the susceptor 106, although other configurations may be used. In embodiments where consumable housing unit 104 is an elongated cylinder, the maximum cross-sectional area is defined by dividing the elongated cylinder down its major diameter along longitudinal axis L to create a rectangular cross-sectional area. Thus, the susceptor 106 is also rectangular in shape, with dimensions substantially similar to those of the cross-sectional area of the elongated cylinder.

In some embodiments, the susceptor 106 may be a metal plate. In some embodiments, the susceptor 106 may be a metal plate, such as a mesh screen, having a plurality of openings 110. Induction heating appears to be most effective and efficient at the edges of the susceptor 106. The mesh screen creates more edges in the susceptor 106, which can contact the consumable containing unit 104 because the edges define the opening 110.

Preferably, the susceptor 106 may be in a belt pattern with an array of small openings 110 to increase the number of edges that can be utilized in an effective induction heating process, followed by larger voids 112 that allow a length of the susceptor 106 to be not inductively heated, or at least reduce induction heating and/or reduce conduction from the heated section. This configuration allows the consumable containing package 102 to be heated in discrete sections. The elongated susceptor 106 may be an elongated metal plate having a longitudinal direction comprising a plurality of sets of openings 110a, 110b and a plurality of sets of voids 112a, 112b, wherein the plurality of sets of openings 110a, 110b alternate with the plurality of sets of voids 112a, 112b in series along the longitudinal direction of the elongated metal plate such that each set of openings 110a, 110b is adjacent to one of the voids 112a, 112 b. Thus, moving from one end of the susceptor 106 to the opposite end, there is a first set of openings 110a, then a first gap 112a, then a second set of openings 110b, then a second gap 112b, and so on. In the region of the void 112, there is little metallic material; thus, heat transfer is minimal. In this way, even if consumable housing unit 104 is a single unit, it can still be heated in discrete sections. The consumable containing unit 104 and the susceptor 106 are then wrapped in an envelope 108.

In a preferred embodiment, the enclosure 108 may be made of aluminum with pre-perforated openings 120. The consumable holding unit 104 is placed inside the enclosure 108 to hold heat generated by the susceptor 106. An opening 120 in the enclosure 108 allows the consumable aerosol to escape when heated. Since the opening 120 forms a passageway through which air may pass to enter the enclosure 108 exposed to the consumable containing unit 104, the opening 120 may be temporarily sealed using a coating. The coating is preferably made of a composition that melts at a temperature that produces an aerosol of the consumable. Thus, as the susceptor 106 is heated, the consumable holding unit 104 can warm to a very high temperature without burning because there is no air inside the enclosure 108. When the susceptor 106 reaches a high temperature, the consumable aerosol that begins to form cannot escape. The consumable aerosol can escape the envelope 108 to be inhaled when the coating melts and exposes the opening 120. In a preferred embodiment, the coating may be a propylene glycol alginate ("PGA") gel. The coating may also include a flavoring. Thus, as the coating melts and releases the consumable aerosol, the flavoring is also released along with the consumable aerosol. In some embodiments, the flavoring may be mixed with the additive.

In some embodiments, the opening 120 may be a plurality of holes or slits. The openings 120 may be formed along the length of the sidewall 122 of the enclosure 108, arranged radially around the sidewall 122, arranged randomly or uniformly throughout the sidewall 122, and so forth. In some embodiments, the openings 120 may be a plurality of holes along opposite ends 124, 126 of the enclosure 108. In some embodiments of the elongated consumable holding unit 104, the enclosure 108 may also be elongated with the opening 120 in the form of one or more elongated slits traversing the length of the enclosure parallel to the longitudinal axis L, forming seams. The seam may fold or curl, but still leave a void through which the consumable aerosol may travel along the entire length of the void or in discrete regions. Like the openings 120 described above, the seams may be sealed with a coating.

The consumable containing package 102 may further include a filter tube 140 to enclose the consumable containing unit 104, the susceptor 106, and the enclosure 108. The filter tube 140 may be made of a filter material to capture any unwanted debris while allowing the consumable aerosol released by heating the enclosure to traverse the filter. The filter tube 140 may surround the enclosure 108 and further cover the coated opening 120. The filter tube 140 may thus be made of a filter material, so that the consumable aerosol can travel through the filter tube 140. For example only, the filter tubes may be made of cellulose or cellulose acetate, but any suitable filter material may be used.

Consumable containment package 102 can further include a housing 150 to enclose filter tube 140. The housing 150 may be a paper tube. The housing 150 is less likely to allow the consumable aerosol to pass through. As such, the housing 150 wrapped around the filter tube 140 forms a longitudinal passage through the filter tube 140 through which the consumable aerosol travels rather than radially escaping the filter tube 140. This allows the consumable aerosol to follow the inhalation path towards the user's mouth. One end 152 of the housing 150 may be capped with an end cap 154. The end cap 154 may be constructed of a filter material type. A mouthpiece 158 is located at the opposite end 156 of the housing 150, which mouthpiece 158 is sucked by the user to draw the heated consumable aerosol from the enclosure 108 along the filter tube 140, towards the mouthpiece 158 and into the user's mouth. Thus, the suction nozzle 158 may also be a filter, similar to the end cap 154. In the case where the consumable containing package 102 includes a channel through which the consumable aerosol travels and which leads directly to the mouthpiece 158, which is also part of the consumable containing package 102, and which is isolated from the housing 202, the housing 202 remains free of any residue or by-product formed during operation of the device. In this configuration, the housing 202 remains clean and the user is not required to clean the housing 202 on a regular basis.

In some embodiments, the cladding 108 may be made from a two-piece unit having a first cladding section 108a and a second cladding section 108 b. The consumable containment unit 104 may be inserted into the first casing section 108a, and the second casing section 108b may be placed on top of the first casing section 108a to cover the consumable containment unit 104. The preset opening 120 may be formed in the enclosure 108 before the consumable containing unit 104 is packaged.

Having established the general principles of consumable containing package 102, variations that achieve the same objectives are also contemplated. For example, in some embodiments, the consumable housing unit 104 can include two elongated sections 104a, 104 b. The two elongated sections 104a, 104b of the consumable containing unit 104 may be defined by planes parallel to the longitudinal axis L and diametrically through the longitudinal axis. Thus, the two elongated sections 104a, 104b may be semi-cylindrical sections that when mated together form a complete cylindrical consumable containing unit 104.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3A-3D, the consumable housing unit 104 can be in the form of a pellet or tablet. Rather than the consumable containing unit 104 being an elongated cylinder or tube (where the length of the sidewall 109 is much longer than the diameter), in a tablet embodiment, the tablet can be a short cylinder defining a longitudinal axis L, where the length of the sidewall 109 is closer to the size of the diameter, or shorter than the diameter. The susceptor 106 may have a flat circular shape to match the cross-sectional shape of the tablet when cut transversely to the longitudinal axis L. The consumable containing unit 104 may be compressed around the susceptor 106. To simulate a cigarette, a plurality of consumable containing units 104 may be stacked end-to-end along their longitudinal axis L to form an elongated cylinder. Thus, each consumable containing unit 104 can be heated individually, effectively mimicking a section of consumable containing unit 104 having an elongated tubular body.

Other shapes, such as square or rectangular, may also be used, with the susceptor 106 having a corresponding shape. However, a cylindrical shape is preferred, as such a shape can be readily used to mimic the shape of an actual cigarette.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4A and 4B, the consumable housing unit 104 can be formed from two sections 104A, 104B of the consumable housing unit 104 that are combined together to form a unitary body. The two sections 104a, 104b are defined by splitting the consumable housing unit 104 laterally in half along a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L. The susceptor 106 may be sandwiched between the two sections 104a, 104 b. With the susceptor 106 sandwiched between the two consumable containing sections 104a, 104b, the consumable containing unit 104 may be enclosed by an enclosure 108. This process may be repeated to produce a plurality of individual consumable containing units 104 sandwiching a respective susceptor 106, each consumable containing unit 104 being contained in a respective enclosure 108. The plurality of consumable containment units 104 can be stacked on top of each other to form a consumable containment package 102, wherein each individual consumable containment unit 104 can be heated individually one at a time.

In some embodiments, the enclosure 108 may be aluminum wrapped around the consumable holding unit 104. As shown in fig. 3D, the aluminum may have redundant folds 130, 132 at opposite ends. These redundant folds 130, 132 form a gap between adjacent consumable containing units 104 stacked on top of each other.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4A and 4B, the enclosure 108 may be a two-piece having a first enclosure section 108a and a second enclosure section 108B, the second enclosure section 108B serving as a cover or lid enclosing the consumable containment unit 104 within the first enclosure section 108 a. As previously described, the opening 120 in the enclosure 108 may be along the sidewall 122 or at the ends 124, 126. As previously described, the susceptor 106 may be any type of metal that is subject to induction heating, including steel wool as shown in FIG. 4B. In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of edges are formed in the susceptor 106 by forming a plurality of apertures 110, or using steel wool filaments compressed together. The steel wool may be of fine to medium grade. As mentioned above, the steel wool pad may be impregnated, coated or filled with additives, flavourings, protective agents and/or fillers.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5A-6B, multiple consumable containment units 104 may be contained in a single elongated enclosure 108. The enclosure 108 may be molded with compartments 111 to receive each individual consumable containing unit 104. In some embodiments, the individual compartments 111 may be connected to each other by a bridge 121. In some embodiments, the bridge 121 may define a channel 125 to allow fluid communication from one compartment 111 to another. In some embodiments, the bridge 121 may be crimped to prevent fluid communication between one compartment 111 and another compartment through the bridge 121. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 6A-6B, the elongated envelope 108 may be a two-piece assembly split transversely along the longitudinal axis L. The consumable housing unit 104 may be disposed in a compartment 111 of one of the enclosure sections 108 a. The second casing section 108b may then cooperate with the first casing section 108a to cover the consumable containing unit 104. The split between the first cladding section 108a and the second cladding section 108b may serve as the opening 120. Alternatively, the preset openings 120 may be formed in one or both of the cladding sections 108a, 108 b.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 7A-7D, the envelope 108 may be made of a material that allows the envelope 108 to function as a susceptor. For example, the cladding 108 may be made of steel or otherwise include ferrous metal or any other metal that may be heated using induction heating. In such an embodiment, there is no need to embed the inner susceptor 106 in the consumable containing unit 104. The enclosure 108 may still include a plurality of apertures 120 and be covered with an additive such as PGA and/or a sealant. Such an embodiment may be formed into an elongated tube as shown in fig. 7A or into a tablet or disk as shown in fig. 7B. The cladding 108 may be a two-piece cladding having a first cladding section 108a and a second cladding section 108b as discussed previously.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 7C and 7D, the wrapper 108 may have transverse slits 123 transversely across the wrapper 108, the transverse slits 123 being generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L. The slits 123 segment the enclosure 108 such that each actuation heats only a small section of the consumable containing unit 104. The lateral slit 123 may be a through hole that exposes the consumable containing unit 104 therebelow. In such embodiments, the sections may be filled with a coating or some other plug to permanently seal the hole, or with a substance that melts when heated and allows the aerosol to escape through the slit 123. In some embodiments, the plug may be made of a material that can act as a heat sink and/or a substance that is not easily heated via induction to reduce the heating effect at the transverse slit 123. In some embodiments, the transverse slit 123 may be a recessed portion or recess of the enclosure 108. In other words, the transverse slit 123 may be a thinned portion of the cladding 108. In this way, the transverse slit 123 may define a well. The well may be filled with a plug that may act as a heat sink and/or a substance that is not easily heated via induction to reduce heat transfer along the transverse slots 123.

Induction heating

As shown in fig. 8A-8B, heating of the consumable housing unit 104 is accomplished by an induction heating process that provides non-contact heating of the metal (preferably ferrous metal) by placing the metal in the presence of a varying magnetic field generated by the induction heating element 160. In a preferred embodiment, the induction heating element 160 is a conductor 162 wound into a coil that generates a magnetic field when current flows through the coil. The metal susceptor 106 is placed close enough to the conductor 162 to be within the magnetic field. In a preferred embodiment, the coil is wound in a manner that defines a central cavity 164. This allows the consumable containing package 102 to be inserted into the cavity 164 such that the coil surrounds the susceptor 106 without contacting the susceptor 106. The current flowing through the coil is an alternating current and produces a rapidly alternating magnetic field. The alternating magnetic field may generate eddy currents in the susceptor 106, which may generate heat within the susceptor 106. Thus, the consumable containing package 102 is typically heated from the inside out. In embodiments where the envelope 108 also serves as a susceptor, the consumable containing package 102 is heated from the outside inward.

In a preferred embodiment, the sections of consumable containing package 102 are independently heated. Thus, as shown in FIG. 8A, the conductors 162 may also be provided as independent coil conductor sets 162 a-f. Each of the conductor coils 162a-f may be attached to a controller 166, which controller 166 may control activation of one conductor coil 162a-f at a time. Although six (6) conductor coils 162a-f are shown in fig. 8A, more or fewer coils may be used. In an alternative embodiment, a single conductor coil 162 with a mechanical mechanism that translates the coil along consumable containing package 102 to individually heat each section of consumable containing package 102 may be used.

As described above and shown in fig. 3A-6B, each of the conductor coils 162a-f may mate with a discrete section of the consumable containing package 102. Alternatively, each of the conductor coils 162A-f may correspond to a certain length of the continuous consumable containing package 102 (such as shown in fig. 2A-2D, 7A, and 7D) to heat only that particular length. In preliminary tests of such embodiments, heating along discrete lengths of consumable containing package 102 did not significantly heat adjacent portions of consumable containing package 102, as adjacent unheated consumables appear to act as insulators. Thus, structures for limiting heat transfer may not be necessary, although such structures have been discussed herein and may be useful.

The efficiency of the conversion of electrical power to heat in the susceptor 106 is referred to herein as "conversion efficiency" and is based on a variety of factors, such as the bulk resistivity of the metal, the dielectric properties of the metal, the metal geometry and heat losses, the power supply consistency and efficiency, the coil geometry, and the operating losses and total frequency (to exemplify some of these factors). The apparatus 100 is designed and configured to maximize conversion efficiency.

Aerosol generating device

To accomplish the heating and conversion to a consumable aerosol, the housing 150 containing the filter tube 140 wrapped around the consumable containing unit 104 is placed inside the aerosol-generating device 200, as shown in fig. 9A-9C. The aerosol generating device 200 comprises a housing 202 for housing: a consumable containing package 102, an induction heating element 160 for heating the susceptor 106, and a controller 166 for controlling the induction heating element 160.

The housing 202 is designed for ergonomic use. For ease of distinction, terms such as front, rear, side, top, and bottom are used to describe the housing 202. These terms are not meant to be limiting, but rather are used to describe the position of various components relative to one another. For purposes of describing the present invention, the front portion 210 is the portion of the housing 202 that faces the user when used as described herein. As desired, when the user grasps the housing 202 for use, the user's fingers wrap around the rear portion 212 of the device 100 and the thumb wraps around the front portion 210.

The housing 202 defines a cavity 214 (see fig. 1) in which components of the device 100 are housed. As such, housing 202 is designed to house a significant portion of consumable containing package 102, controller 166, induction heating element 160, and power supply 220. In the preferred embodiment, the top-front of the shell 202 defines an aperture 216. A mouthpiece portion 158 of consumable containing package 102 protrudes from aperture 216 such that a user can access consumable containing package 102. The mouthpiece 158 protrudes from the housing 202 sufficiently to allow a user to place his or her lips around the mouthpiece 158 to inhale the consumable aerosol.

The housing 202 is intended to be user friendly and easy to carry. In a preferred embodiment, the dimensions of the housing 202 may be approximately 85mm high (measured from the top 222 to the bottom 224) by 44mm deep (measured from the front 210 to the back 212) by 22mm wide (measured from the side 226 to the side 228). Can be manufactured by prototype molding to achieve higher quality/stronger plastic parts.

In some embodiments, consumable containment package 102 may be housed in a retractor that allows consumable containment package 102 to be retracted within housing 202 for storage and travel. Due to the configuration of the consumable containing package 102, the housing 202 does not require through-holes to be cleaned as with other devices in which some combustion is still prevalent, resulting in byproduct residues from the combustion. In embodiments where consumable containing package 102 includes user mouthpiece 158 and filter tube 140, if any by-products are generated during operation, they will remain in disposable consumable containing package 102 and be replaced when a user inserts a new consumable containing package 102 and filter tube 140 (if needed) into housing 202. Thus, the interior of the housing 202 remains clean during operation.

In a preferred embodiment, the top 222 of the housing 202 includes a user interface 230. Placing the user interface 230 at the top 222 of the housing 202 allows a user to easily check the status of the device 100 prior to use. The user can potentially view the user interface 230 even while inhaling. The user interface 230 may be a multi-color led (rgb) display for indicating the status of the device during use. Light pipes may be used to provide wide-angle visibility of the display. For example only, the user interface 230 has a 0.96 inch (diagonal) OLED display, has a 128x32 format, and an I2C (or SPI) interface. The user interface 230 is capable of both tactile feedback 234 (vibration) and audio feedback 250 (piezoelectric transducer). In some embodiments, a transparent plastic (PC or ABS) cover may be placed over the OLED glass to protect it from damage/scratches.

The rear portion 212 of the housing includes a trigger 232, the trigger 232 being a finger activated (squeeze) button to turn the device on/initiate "inhalation". Preferably, the trigger 232 is adjacent the top 212. In this configuration, the user can hold the housing 202 with his or her index finger on or near the trigger 232 as desired for ease of actuation. In some embodiments, a locking mechanism may be provided on the trigger 232, either mechanically or through an electrical interlock that requires the housing 202 to be opened before the trigger 232 is electrically actuated. In some embodiments, the haptic feedback motor 234 may be mechanically coupled to the trigger 232 to improve user recognition of haptic feedback during operation. The activation trigger 232 energizes the induction heating element 160 to heat the susceptor 106.

The device 100 is powered by a battery 220. Preferably, battery 220 is a two cell lithium ion battery pack (series connected) with a 4A continuous draw capability and rated 650-. The dual cell unit group may include a protection circuit. The battery 220 may be charged using a USB type "C" connector 236. The USB type "C" connector 236 may also be used for communication. The controller 166 may also provide battery voltage monitoring 238 to display the charge/discharge status of the battery.

The trigger 232 is operatively connected to the induction coil driver 240 via the controller 166. The induction coil driver 240 activates the induction heating element 160 to heat the susceptor 106. The present invention eliminates the prior art motor drive coil design. The induction coil driver 240 may provide drive/multiplexing for multiple coils. For example, the induction coil driver 240 may provide drive/multiplexing for 6 or more coils. Each coil is wound on a section of consumable containing package 102 and may be actuated at least one or more times. Thus, for example, a section of consumable containing package 102 can be heated twice. In a device 100 with six coils, the user may obtain 12 "inhalations" from the device 100.

The induction coil drive circuitry in the preferred embodiment may be controlled directly by the microprocessor controller 166. A special peripheral (numerically controlled oscillator) in this processor allows the generation of the frequency drive waveform with minimal CPU processing cost. The induction coil circuit may have one or more capacitors connected in parallel, making it a parallel resonant circuit.

The drive circuit may include current monitoring with a "peak detector" that feeds back to an analog input on the processor. The function of the peak detector is to capture the maximum current value for any voltage cycle of the drive circuit, thereby providing a stable output voltage for conversion by an analog-to-digital converter (part of the microprocessor chip) and then for the induction coil drive algorithm.

The induction coil drive algorithm is implemented in firmware running on a microprocessor. The resonant frequency of the induction coil and the capacitor will be known with reasonable accuracy by the following design:

resonance frequency (in hertz) 1/(2 pi SQRT { L } C)

Wherein: 3.1415.,

SQRT indicates the square root of the content in brackets,

l is the measured inductance of the induction coil, and

c is the known capacitance of a parallel connected capacitor.

There are manufacturing tolerances (from above) on the values of L and C that will cause some variation in the actual resonant frequency from that calculated using the above formula. In addition, the inductance of the induction coil varies based on the inductance inside the coil. In particular, the presence of ferrous metal within (or in close proximity to) the coil produces a certain amount of inductance change, resulting in a small change in the resonant frequency of the L-C circuit.

The firmware algorithm for driving the induction coil will sweep the operating frequency over the maximum expected frequency range while monitoring the current to find the frequency at which the current draw is minimal. This minimum occurs at the resonant frequency. Once this "center frequency" is found, the algorithm will continue to sweep the frequency a small amount on either side of the center frequency and adjust the value of the center frequency as needed to maintain the minimum current value.

The electronics are connected to a controller 166. The controller 166 allows for processor-based control of the frequency to optimize heating of the susceptor 106. The relationship between frequency and temperature is rarely directly related, primarily because temperature is a result of frequency, duration, and the manner in which consumable containment package 102 is configured. The controller 166 may also provide current monitoring to determine power delivery and peak voltage monitoring across the induction coil to establish resonance. For example only, the controller may provide a frequency of about 400kHz to about 500kHz, preferably 440kHz, with a three second preheat cycle to bring the susceptor 106 to a temperature of 400 degrees celsius or more in one second. In some embodiments, the temperature of the susceptor 106 may rise to 550 degrees celsius or more in one second. In some embodiments, the temperature may be raised up to 800 degrees celsius. Therefore, the invention has an effective range of 400-800 ℃. In prior art devices, such temperatures would burn the consumables, making prior art devices inefficient at these temperatures. In the present invention, such high temperatures can still be used to increase the efficiency of aerosol generation and allow for faster heating times.

The apparatus 100 may also include a communication system 242. In a preferred embodiment, bluetooth low energy radio may be used to communicate with peripheral devices. For example, the communication system 242 may interface serially with the host processor to communicate information with a telephone. It is also possible to use off-the-shelf RF modules (pre-certified: FCC, IC, CE, MIC). One example utilizes the Laird BL652 module because SmartBasic support allows for fast application development. The communication system 242 allows a user to program the device 100 to suit personal preferences regarding aerosol density, amount of flavor released, etc. by controlling the frequency and 3-phase duty cycle (specifically, pre-heating phase, and cooling phase) of the inductive heating element 160. The communication system 242 may have one or more USB ports 236.

In some embodiments, the usage information may be monitored using an RTC (real time clock/calendar) with battery backup. The RTC may measure and store relevant user data for use in connection with external applications downloaded to a peripheral device, such as a smartphone.

In some embodiments, a micro-USB connector (or USB type C connector or other suitable connector) may be located on the bottom of the housing 202. A support connector with plastic may be provided on all sides to reduce stress on the connector due to cable forces.

For example only, the apparatus 100 may be used as follows. The power to the device can be turned on from the momentary actuation of the trigger 232. For example, a short press of the trigger (<1.5 seconds) may turn on the device 100, but not initiate a heating cycle. A second short press of the trigger 232(<1 second) during this time will keep the device 100 on for a longer period of time and initiate a bluetooth advertisement if there is currently no active (bound) bluetooth connection with the phone. A long press of trigger 232(>1.5 seconds) initiates the heating cycle. After each heating cycle (e.g., 5 seconds), the power to device 100 may remain on for a short period of time to display the updated cell state on OLED user interface 230 before powering down. In some embodiments, device 100 may be powered on when consumable containment package 102 is deployed from housing 202. In some embodiments, a separate power switch 246 may be used to turn the device on and off.

When an active connection with the smartphone is found and the custom application is running on the smartphone, then the device 100 will remain powered on for up to 2 minutes before powering off. When the battery level is too low to operate, the user interface display 230 blinks several times (showing the battery icon as "0%" level) before turning off the unit.

In some embodiments, user interface 230 may display segmented cigarettes, showing the remaining segments (filled in solid) and the segments already in use (dashed outline) as an indication of how much consumable product to release is still contained by consumable containing package 102. The user interface 230 may also display a battery icon updated with the current battery status, a charging icon (lightning) when the device is plugged in, and a bluetooth icon when there is an active connection with the smartphone. When there is no connection but the device 100 is advertising, the user interface 230 may show that the bluetooth icon slowly blinks.

The device may also have an indicator 248 to inform the user of the power on status. Indicator 248 may be an RGB LED. For example only, the RGB LEDs may display a green LED when the device is first powered on, a red LED flashing during preheat time, a red LED (steady) during "suck" time, and a blue LED flashing during charge. The flashing duty cycle represents the relative state of charge of the battery (20% -100%) in 20% increments (a steady blue indicates full charge). A fast blinking of the blue LED may be presented when an active bluetooth connection is detected (the handset has been linked to the device and a custom application on the handset is running).

The tactile feedback may provide other information to the user during use. For example, 2 short pulses may be emitted immediately (by finger activation of a button) when the power is turned on. An extended pulse signal may be issued at the end of the preheat cycle to indicate that the device is ready to inhale (HNB "inhale" cycle start). When the USB power supply is connected or disconnected for the first time, a short pulse signal is sent out. A short burst signal may be sent when an active bluetooth connection is established with an active phone application running on the smart phone.

After a short press (<1.5 seconds) of the finger grip button turns on the power, a bluetooth connection can be initiated. If there is no "bonded" BLE (bluetooth low energy) connection, after detecting a first short press of the device power on, the device may start to advertise slowly (the "pairing" mode) upon detecting a second short press. After establishing a connection with the smartphone application, the bluetooth icon on the user interface display screen 230 may stop flashing and the blue LED will light up (stable). If the device 100 is powered on and it has a "binding" connection with the smartphone, it may start advertising to attempt to re-establish this connection with the handset until power is lost. If the connection to this smartphone can be re-established, the unit can remain powered on for up to 2 minutes before powering itself down. To delete a binding connection, the user may power up the device by a short press followed by another short press. While the BLE icon blinks, the user may press and hold the immobilizer trigger 232 until the device 100 vibrates and the bluetooth icon disappears.

In this way, by tightly controlling the above-described conversion efficiency factors and product consistency factors, controlled delivery of heat to the consumable containing unit 104 may be provided. Such controlled delivery of heat involves the microprocessor controller 166 monitoring the induction heating system 160 to maintain various levels of electrical power delivery to the susceptor 106 for controlled time intervals. These characteristics enable a user-controlled feature to allow selection of certain consumable flavors determined by the temperature at which the consumable aerosol is generated.

In some embodiments, a microprocessor or configurable logic block may be used to control the frequency and power delivery of the induction heating system. As shown in fig. 10A, the induction heating system 160 may include a wire coil 162 in parallel with one or more capacitors 260 in and out of the self-resonant oscillator. The inductance of the coil 162 in combination with the capacitance of the capacitor(s) 260 defines, to a large extent, the resonant frequency at which the circuit operates. However, in this embodiment, the microprocessor/microcontroller 166 may instead be used to drive the power switch and thus control the oscillation frequency of the circuit. In this way, the peak voltage and current are used as feedback to allow the microprocessor control program to provide closed tuning to find resonance. The benefit of this approach is that it allows for efficient control of power delivered to the susceptor by synchronously turning the oscillations of the circuit on and off under the control of the microprocessor 166 control program, and provides for optimal turning on/off of the power control elements that drive the induction coil system.

Based on these concepts, the inventors have conceived a number of variations. Thus, as discussed above, the invention comprises a consumable holding unit 104, a susceptor 106 embedded within the consumable holding unit 104, a heating element 160 configured to at least partially surround the consumable holding unit 104, a controller 166 configured to control the heating element 160, and a housing 202 housing the consumable holding unit 104, the susceptor 106, the heating element 160, and the controller 166. Preferably, consumable containing unit 104 and susceptor 106 are contained in consumable containing package 102. As such, any description of the relationship between consumable containment package 102 and other components of the present invention may also apply to consumable containment unit 104, as some embodiments may not require packaging of consumable containment unit 104.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 10A, the apparatus includes a self-resonant oscillator for controlling the induction heating element 160. The self-resonant oscillator includes a capacitor 260 operatively connected in parallel to the inductive heating element 160. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 10B, multiple heating elements 160 may be connected in parallel with their respective capacitors 260a, 260B. Preferably, the heating elements are in the form of coiled wires 162a, 162 b.

To allow a single consumable containing package 102 to generate an aerosol multiple times, multiple heating elements 160 and/or movable heating elements 160 may be used. Thus, the heating element 160 includes a plurality of coiled wires 162a, b, wherein each coiled wire may be operatively connected to the controller 166 to be activated independently of the other coiled wires.

In some embodiments, the heating element 160 may be movable. In such embodiments, the consumable containing package 102 can be an elongate member defining a first longitudinal axis L, and the heating element 162 can be configured to move axially along the first longitudinal axis L. For example, as shown in fig. 11, the heating element 160 may be attached to a bracket 270. The carriage 270 may be operably connected to the housing 202 for movement along the length of the consumable containing package 102 while the heating element 160 remains coiled around the consumable containing package 102. The span S of the coil (measured as the linear distance from the first turn 272 of the coil to the last turn 274 of the coil) may be as short as covering only a certain section of the consumable containing package 102. Once the heating element 160 is activated at this section, the carriage 270 is advanced along the consumable containing package 102 along its longitudinal axis L to another section of the consumable containing package 102. The distance of travel of the carriage 270 is the first turn 272 of the coil stopping adjacent to where the last turn 274 of the coil previously was. Thus, a new zone is ready to be heated, which is equal in size to the previous heated zone. This may continue until the carriage 270 moves from the first end 105 to the opposite end 107 of the consumable containing package 102.

In embodiments where consumable containment package 102 contains multiple consumable containment units 104, coil span S may be approximately the same size as the length of consumable containment unit 104. The carriage 270 may be configured to align the coil with the consumable containing unit 104 so that the coil may heat the entire consumable containing unit 104. The carriage 270 may be configured to move the coil from one consumable containing unit 104 to the next, again allowing multiple heating of a single consumable containing package 102, and releasing the aerosol each time.

As shown in fig. 12A-12E, to facilitate proper alignment of the heating element 160 around the consumable containing package 102, the device 200 may include a package aligner. For example, the package aligner may be a magnet 280. Preferably, the magnet 280 is a cylindrical magnet defining a second longitudinal axis M. In embodiments where heating element 160 is a cylindrical coil wound on consumable containing package 102, the cylindrical coil defines a third longitudinal axis C. The cylindrical magnet 280 and the heating element 160 are configured to maintain a collinear alignment of the second longitudinal axis M with the third longitudinal axis C. Preferably, the cylindrical magnet 280 is a circular ring magnet, wherein the center is a path for air to flow. Preferably, any of the magnets 280 is of the rare earth neodymium type. It will be magnetized axially.

In embodiments where magnet 280 is used for alignment, one end 105 of consumable containing package 102 may include a magnetically attractive element 281. Preferably, magnetically attractive element 281 is a stamped ferrous metal plate component that is fabricated into first end 105 of consumable containing package 102. The cylindrical magnet 280 may be part of the aerosol-generating device 200 and the consumable containing package 102 may have a magnetically attractive element 281 or gasket attached to one end 105 thereof such that the consumable containing package 102 is pulled onto the magnet 280 attached to the aerosol-generating device 200. Other combinations of magnets 280 and magnetically attractive elements 281 in various locations may be used to achieve the desired alignment.

In some embodiments, preferably in embodiments using consumable containing package 102 with filter tube 140 and housing 150, the package aligner may be a receiver 151, such as a tightly fitting cylinder that may be used to align consumable containing package 102 (if housing 150 is cylindrical), and coil 162 may be positioned outside receiver 151, as shown in fig. 12E. Preferably, the receiver 151 is made of a non-conductive material to avoid induction heating, such as borosilicate glass, quartz glass, pyrex tempered glass, schottky transparent microcrystalline glass, high temperature plastics, such as Vespel, Torlon, polyimide, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), PEEK (polyetheretherketone), or other suitable materials. Alternatively, the cylinder may be made of an electrically conductive material having a resistivity lower than the susceptor 106 in the consumable containing package 102, which allows some induction heating of the receptacle 151, but not as much as the susceptor 106. Examples of low resistivity materials may include copper, aluminum, and brass, with the susceptor 106 being made of a higher resistance material such as iron, steel, tin, carbon, or tungsten, although other materials may be used. In some embodiments, a receiver 151 having the same or higher resistivity than the susceptor 106 may be used, which heats the exterior of the consumable containing package 102 as the receiver 151 warms up via induction. The receiver 151 may be secured to the device 200 and properly aligned with the coil 162, for example, when the consumable containing package 102 is inserted into the coil 162, the susceptor 106 is properly aligned with the coil 162.

In some embodiments, the housing 150 may serve as a receiver. Thus, the housing 150 may have the above-described characteristics and insertion into the coil 162 may be used as an alignment process, rather than a separate receiver 151, or the housing may be secured to the coil 162 and the filter tube 140 containing the consumable containing unit 104 and susceptor 106 may be inserted into the housing 150.

In some embodiments, multiple activations of a single consumable containing package may be achieved with a susceptor 106 having multiple prongs 290, as shown in fig. 13A-13D. A multi-prong susceptor is a susceptor 106 having two or more prongs 290. In some embodiments, the susceptor may have three prongs 290a, 290b, 290 c. In some embodiments, the susceptor 106 may have four prongs. In some embodiments, the susceptor 106 may have more than four pins. In a preferred embodiment, the multi-prong susceptor 106 has three or four prongs.

As shown in fig. 13C and 13D, the plurality of pins 290a, 290b, 290C of the multi-pin susceptor 106 are generally parallel to each other. The multi-prong susceptor 106 is configured and may be embedded in the consumable containing package 102 in a manner such that each prong 290a, 290b, 290c is parallel to and equally spaced from the longitudinal axis L of the consumable containing package and equally spaced from each other along the circumference of an imaginary circle. As such, when viewed in cross-section, as shown in fig. 14A-14C, susceptor prongs 290a, 290b, 290C are equally spaced from each other around the circular face of consumable containing package 102. This arrangement allows each pin 290a, 290b, 290c to maximize the non-overlapping heated area of each pin when each pin is maximally activated. In other words, when the susceptor prongs 290a, 290b, 290c are heated, it radiates heat radially away from the susceptor prongs 290a, 290b, 290c, creating a circular heated area with the susceptor prongs 290a, 290b, 290c in the center. Each susceptor prong 290a, 290b, 290c heats its own circular area, although some overlap is unavoidable. In summary, the entire cross-sectional area of consumable housing unit 104 can be heated one cross-sectional section at a time.

When the heating element 160 is a cylindrical coil wound on the susceptor 106, the maximum amount of energy is transferred to the center of the cylindrical coil. Thus, when the susceptor 106 is aligned with the center of the cylindrical coil, the susceptor 106 will receive the maximum amount of energy from the electricity flowing through the coil. In other words, when the susceptor prongs 290a, 290b, 290c are collinear with the cylindrical coil, the susceptor prongs 290a, 290b, 290c receive the maximum amount of energy from the cylindrical coil. Thus, in order to independently heat each susceptor prong 290a, 290b, 290c, the susceptor prongs 290a, 290b, 290c and the center of the coil must be moved relative to each other to align the center of the coil with one of the susceptor prongs 290a, 290b, 290c in turn. This may be achieved by moving the susceptor prongs relative to the coil or by moving the coil relative to the susceptor prongs, or both.

In a preferred embodiment, the heating element 160 moves relative to the susceptor 106. For example, a cylindrical coil may be wound on consumable containing package 102 and configured to rotate along an eccentric path such that pins 290a, 290b, 290c will each align with the center of the coil a different number of times during one rotation of the cylindrical coil, as shown in fig. 14A-16D. The consumable containing package 102 may be an elongated member defining a first longitudinal axis L, wherein the heating element 160 is a coil wrapped around the consumable containing package 102 to form a cylinder defining a second longitudinal axis C, and wherein the heating element 160 is configured to rotate along an eccentric path around the consumable containing package 102 such that at some point during movement of the heating element around the consumable containing package 102, the second longitudinal axis C is aligned co-linearly with each of the pins 290a, 290b, 290C of the multi-pin susceptor. Thus, the multi-prong susceptor 106 is stationary and the coil moves rotationally along an eccentric path such that the coil center is sequentially aligned with the linear axis of each susceptor prong 290a, 290b, 290c by rotation. The electrical slip ring provides energy to an eccentric path rotating coil design.

Rotation of the heating element 160 may be accomplished by a series of gears 300a, 300b operatively connected to a motor 302. For example, as shown in fig. 17A-17B, the heating element 160 may be mounted on the first gear 300a such that the heating element may rotate with the first gear 300 a. The second gear 300b may be operatively connected to the first gear 300a such that rotation of the second gear 300b causes rotation of the first gear 300 a. The second gear 300b may be operably connected to a motor 302 to cause the second gear 300b to rotate. The heating element 160 is mounted to the first gear 300a in a manner such that rotation of the first gear 300a causes the longitudinal axis C of the heating element 160 to move along an eccentric path, rather than causing the heating element to rotate about a fixed, non-moving center. Thus, the centers of the heating elements 160 may be offset to align with different pins 290a, 290b, 290 c.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 19, the heating element 160, gears 300a, 300b, and motor 302 may be mounted on the carriage 270. The carriage 270 allows the heating element, gears 300a, 300b and motor 302 to move axially along the length of the consumable containing package 102. The carriage 270 may be operably connected to a drive 306, the drive 306 being operably connected to the second motor 304. For example, the driver 306 may be threaded. The bracket 270 may have a threaded aperture 276 with the driver 306 inserted through the threaded aperture 276. The second motor 304 is activated to cause the driver 306 to rotate. Rotation of the drive 306 causes the carriage 270 to move along the drive 306 as indicated by the double arrow in FIG. 19.

In some embodiments, heating element 160 may be moved in translation along the X-Y axis when viewed in cross-section, rather than rotating heating element 160 along an eccentric path. Thus, the consumable containing package 102 can be an elongated member defining a longitudinal axis L, and wherein the heating element 160 is configured to move radially relative to the longitudinal axis L when viewed in cross-section such that the center of the cylindrically coiled heating element 160 is in turn aligned with each of the pins 290a, 290b, 290c of the multi-pin susceptor 106. In an X-Y positioning scenario, coil energy may be provided by flexible electrical conductors or by moving electrical contacts.

For example, the heating element 160 may be operably mounted on a pair of translating plates 310, 312, as shown in fig. 20. Specifically, the heating element 160 may be mounted directly on the first translating plate 310, and the first translating plate 310 may be mounted on the second translating plate 312. The first translation plate 310 may be configured to move in the X or Y direction, and the second translation plate 312 may be configured to move in the Y or X direction. In the example shown in fig. 20, the first translation plate 310 is configured to move in the X direction, while the second translation plate 312 is configured to move in the Y direction. This configuration may be switched such that the first translation plate 310 is configured to move in the Y direction and the second translation plate 312 is configured to move in the X direction. The first and second translating plates 310, 312 may be operably connected to their respective motors, e.g., via gears, to cause the translating plates to move in the appropriate direction. The heating element 160 may be moved between the two translating plates 310, 312 such that its longitudinal axis C may be aligned co-linearly with any of the pins 290a, 290b, 290C.

In other arrangements, the coil assembly may be moved along the linear axis of the susceptor, independent of a rotational or non-rotational motion mechanism as discussed above. Thus, a three prong susceptor allows the device to heat the consumable containing package 102 three times in the same linear position by heating three different prongs 290a, 290b, 290c differently, before moving to the next linear position where it can be heated again three times. In a consumable containment package 102 having four linear positions, one consumable containment package should be able to provide 12 different "inhalations," i.e., 3 pins by 4 positions along the length of the consumable containment package 102.

In some embodiments, rather than moving heating element 160 relative to consumable containing package 102, consumable containing package 102 is moved relative to the heating element. Thus, the consumable containing package 102 is configured to rotate along an eccentric path within the heating element 160 such that at some point during rotation of the consumable containing package 102 within the heating element 160, the second longitudinal axis C defined by the coil is aligned co-linearly with each of the pins 290a, 290b, 290C of the multi-pin susceptor. Alternatively, the consumable containing package 102 is configured to move radially within the heating element 160 such that at some point during movement of the consumable containing package 102 within the heating element 160, the second longitudinal axis C is aligned co-linearly with each of the pins of the multi-pin susceptor. In some embodiments, both the consumable containing package 102 and the heating element 160 can be moved. For example, the heating element 160 may be moved linearly along the longitudinal axis of the consumable containing package 102, and the consumable containing package 102 may be moved along an eccentric or radial path to move the susceptor 106 to a position relative to the heating element 106 such that all of the consumables are heated in sequence upon each inhalation by the user. Other movement variants may also be used.

The above-described moving mechanism is merely an example. The mechanism in the X-Y-Z motion scenario may be implemented using various combinations of motors, linear actuators, gears, belts, cams, solenoids, and the like.

Referring to fig. 21, closed loop control of the induction heating system may be based on sensing of the magnetic flux density generated by the induction heating system. Induction heating systems operate by generating a concentrated alternating magnetic field inside an induction coil heating element. This field will produce a heating effect in the metal susceptor by eddy currents and magnetic flux reversals that occur in the susceptor material (assuming a ferrous susceptor material). Induction heating is typically "open loop" in that the temperature of the susceptor inside the induction coil is monitored by limited means while the induction coil is operating. Under controlled conditions, the magnetic field outside of the induction coil and reasonably close to the coil can be used to determine the magnetic flux intensity inside the coil. For example, the small coil 310 may be placed in reasonable proximity to the induction coil-type heating element 160 with its axis approximately parallel to the magnetic flux field lines 312 passing through the small coil 310, thereby providing a means of detecting the magnitude of the magnetic flux of the induction coil-type heating element 160 present by the voltage induced on the small coil 310 due to the changing magnetic flux flowing through the small coil 310. The magnitude of this external flux can then be calibrated to correlate to the magnetic flux density inside the heating element 160 and thus serve as a means of closed loop control of the induction system to ensure consistency as the susceptor 106 heats up. The magnetic flux is symmetric about the axis of the induction coil. Based on the characteristics of the relative magnitude of the magnetic flux at each location (inside the induction coil and inside the parasitic sensing coil), magnetic flux density measurements taken anywhere near the induction coil can be used to infer the magnetic flux density inside the heating element. In practice, there is no need to quantify this, as flux sensing is instead used to infer the rate of heating that will occur in the susceptor 106 in the presence of this magnetic field. Thus, the small coil 310 configured in this manner functions as a magnetic flux sensor.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise a magnetic flux sensor adjacent to the induction heating element 160 and configured to measure the magnetic flux generated by the induction heating element 160. The magnetic flux sensor may be operatively connected to the controller 166 to control activation of the induction heating element 160 based on feedback from the magnetic flux sensor.

In some embodiments, it is desirable to be able to detect whether the consumable containing unit 104, or a portion thereof, has been heated. If consumable housing unit 104 has been heated, heating element 160 may heat the next consumable housing unit 104 or the next section of consumable housing unit 104 to prevent energy from being wasted on used portions of consumable housing unit 104. Thus, in some embodiments, as shown in fig. 11, a method for detecting a used section of consumable containing package 102 is provided in a device to allow the device to autonomously determine the next unused section available for use. For example, the apparatus may include a usage sensor 320 for detecting whether the sensed portion of consumable containing package 102 has been heated above a predetermined temperature. In some embodiments, a visual change in consumable containing package 102 indicative of heating may be detected using sensor 320. In some embodiments, the use of the sensor 320 may detect a thermal change in the consumable containing package 102 indicative of heating. In some embodiments, a change in texture (i.e., a change in texture) indicative of heating in consumable containing package 102 can be detected using sensor 320. In some embodiments, usage sensor 320 may be a controller that tracks where heating element 160 is located along consumable containing package 102 and when it is heated relative to its movement along consumable containing package 102. For example, the controller may include a memory for storing the location of the portion of consumable containing package 102 that has been heated to a predetermined temperature.

In a preferred embodiment, the usage sensor 320 is a light reflection sensor. The light reflective sensor may be configured to detect a change in consumable containing package 102 from its original state as compared to a state in which consumable containing package 102 has been exposed to significant heat (i.e., above the normal temperature of the day). More preferably, consumable containing package 102 can be comprised of a heat sensitive dye that changes color when heated to a predetermined temperature. This color change can be detected by a light reflection sensor.

A heat sensitive dye may be printed around the outer surface of consumable containing package 102. As the section of consumable containing package 102 is heated, the band 322 closest to the heated section changes color. For example, the band 322 may change from white to black. The usage sensor 320 mounted with the heating element 160 has optics 324 focused directly above or below the heating element to provide a side view of the consumable containing package 102 over the full range of the moving heating element 160.

In some embodiments, limit switch 326 is also mounted at one end 105 of consumable containing package 102 and is used to detect when consumable containing package 102 is removed or reinserted into the device. When consumable containing package 102 is reinserted, the device activates the motorized heating element assembly and moves it throughout the range of travel to allow the use of sensor 320 to detect whether any segments have been previously heated by detecting dark bands 322 of heat sensitive dye. Accordingly, the device may further include a limit switch 326 to reset the memory when a new consumable containing package 102 is inserted into the housing.

In some embodiments, to manage heat dissipation from the heating element 160, the apparatus may further include a heat sink 330, the heat sink 330 being operatively connected to the induction heating element 160. Induction heating involves the circulation of large currents in the induction coil, resulting in resistive heating in the wires used to form the coil. Heat dissipation utilizes a material with high thermal conductivity that is electrically insulating to form heat sink 330. Preferably, the heat sink 330 may be formed by an injection molding or potting process. Since the preferred embodiment utilizes a cylindrical coil as the heating element 160, the heat sink 330 may also be a cylinder formed around the induction coil, thereby surrounding the coil, as shown in FIG. 22. A cylindrical heat sink 330 surrounding the heating element 160 is located within a vertical cavity inside the housing 202 to form a kind of "chimney" in which air convection takes place. The chimney needs to be ventilated at the top to support the airflow. This approach also eliminates fringing fluxes of electromagnetic fields, allowing a very focused heating approach to each section of consumable containing package 102. Because of this concentration, there is no need to wrap consumable containing unit 104 within consumable containing package 102 with a non-conductive foil or other similar material, paper or similar material is sufficient.

In a preferred embodiment, the heat sink 330 is a finned cylinder that surrounds the induction heating element 160. The finned cylinder is a cylindrical heat sink with fins 332 projecting laterally from its outer surface 334. Preferably, each fin 332 extends substantially the length of the cylinder to provide a significant surface area over which heat from the heating element 160 can be dissipated. The thermally conductive material of heat spreader 330 may be a polymer. The thermally conductive polymer may be a thermosetting, thermoplastic molding or potting compound. The heat spreader 330 may be machined, molded or formed from these materials. The material may be rigid or elastic. Some examples of thermally conductive compounds used in thermally conductive polymers are aluminum nitride, boron nitride, carbon, graphite, and ceramics. In a preferred embodiment, the heating element 160 is an induction coil encased in a finned cylinder made of a thermally conductive polymer that has been molded around the coil with its open center creating ventilation via a chimney-like effect.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 23, the device may further comprise an airflow controller 340 to provide a means to adjust the flavor robustness of the consumable housing 104 by controlling the airflow drawn from the consumable housing package 102. The design of consumable containing package 102 is such that the amount of vapor/flavor introduced into the airflow channel is a function of the duration and intensity of the induction heating and the air pressure differential between the air channel(s) through consumable containing package 102. This pressure differential draws vapor out of consumable containment package 102 and into the airflow. If the airflow into the first end 105 of the consumable containing package 102 can be controlled, this pressure differential can be varied, thereby allowing more (or less) vapor to be introduced into the airflow to effectively change the robustness of the flavor. This ability to change flavor robustness is tightly integrated with the heating of the consumable containing package 102, since it is the temperature rise of the consumable that generates this vapor. By precisely controlling the heating process (time and rate) and the airflow through the first end 105 of the consumable containing package 102, a wide flavor robust experience can be created.

For example, the airflow controller 340 may include an adjustable flow control valve 342, such as a needle valve, a butterfly valve, a ball valve, or an adjustable orifice. The adjustable flow control valve allows the user to control the flow of air even during use. However, the air flow controller 340 may also be a membrane 344 with fixed orifices, such as a porous or fibrous membrane or element. Membrane 344 may also serve as an inlet air particulate filter. Thus, the flow control mechanism may or may not be user adjustable. In an embodiment of the membrane 344, a plurality of membranes 344 having different sized apertures may be provided. Thus, the user may select a desired orifice size and apply the membrane 344 to the first end 105 of the device. If the user prefers to increase or decrease the airflow, the user may select another membrane 344 with a larger or smaller orifice, respectively. In some embodiments, the airflow controller 340 may use both the control valve 342 and the membrane 344. For example, the membrane 344 may be in front of the control valve 342 to control the flow of gas and filter particles before the control valve 342, and then the control valve 342 may further control the flow of gas to provide fine-tuning control of the flow of gas.

In some embodiments, rather than passing the aerosol from the consumable holding unit 104 through the opening 120 of the enclosure 108 into the filter tube 140 and to the mouthpiece 158, air flows into the susceptor 106, drawing active substance from the consumable holding unit 104 to form an aerosol that flows through the susceptor 106 to the mouthpiece 158, as shown in fig. 25A-25E. In such embodiments, the susceptor 106 may have one or more hollow prongs 350 with at least one inlet 352 and at least one outlet 354 along the length of each prong 350. The prong 350 includes a connected end 356 operatively connected to the susceptor base 358 and a free end 360 opposite the susceptor base 358. The hollow prongs 350 are connected to a susceptor base 358 at connection ends 356. The outlet 354 of the hollow prong 350 is directed toward the free end 360. For example, the outlet may be at the tip 362 of the free end 360, or there may be a plurality of outlets 354 angularly spaced around the peripheral surface of the hollow pin 350 at the free end 360.

In some embodiments, the tip 362 of the free end 360 may be pointed or sharpened to facilitate penetration into the consumable containing unit 104. The particle size, density, binder, filler, or any composition used in the consumable containing unit 104 may be designed to allow penetration of the susceptor prongs 290, 350 and/or piercing needles without causing over-compression or density variation of the consumable containing unit 104. Variations in the density of the compressed "packs" of the consumable containing unit 104 may negatively affect the flow of air or vapor through the consumable containing unit 104.

Any consumable particles that may be pushed through the enclosure 108 after penetration of the susceptor 106 will be trapped in the cavity 368 between the consumable containing unit 104 and the nozzle 158. Because the tips 362 of the prongs 290, 350 are sharp, it is less likely that the consumable will be expelled from the enclosure 108.

In some embodiments, the outlet 354 and/or the inlet 352 may be covered with a coating that melts at the heating temperature. In a preferred embodiment, the consumable housing unit 104 is long enough to cover the entire hollow prongs 350 except for the outlets 354.

The susceptor base 358 may include openings 364 corresponding to the hollow prongs 350. In embodiments having multiple hollow pins 350a-d, each hollow pin 350a-d has its own corresponding opening 364.

In some embodiments, there may be a plurality of hollow pins 350 a-d. Hollow prongs 350a-d may be arranged in a circle to make them compatible with either a moving heating element 160 or a moving consumable containing package 102. In some embodiments, there may be a single hollow prong 350, with the hollow prong 350 centered in the susceptor base 358. In some embodiments, there may be a central hollow pin 350 surrounded by a plurality of hollow pins 350 a-d. Other hollow pin 350 arrangements may be used.

Each hollow pin 350 may have at least one inlet 352 and at least one outlet 354. Preferably, the hollow prong 350 includes a plurality of inlets 352 and a plurality of outlets 354. Inlets 352 may be arranged in series along the length of hollow prongs 350. In some embodiments, the inlets 352 may be arranged circularly around the perimeter of the hollow prong 350. The increased number of inlets 352 on hollow prong 350 increases the number of points at which the generated aerosol can escape from consumable containment unit 104 and from consumable containment package 102. Similarly, a plurality of outlets 354 may be arranged circularly around the periphery of the pin 350 on the free end 360 side.

In some embodiments, consumable housing 104 does not extend from one end 105 of consumable housing package 102 to suction nozzle 158. Thus, there is a cavity 368 between the consumable housing unit 104 and the suction nozzle 158. The cavity 368 may be filled with a thermally conductive material, flavoring, or the like.

As shown in the cross-sectional view of fig. 25E, in use, the susceptor 106 is embedded in the consumable containing unit 104. When the susceptor 106 is heated by the heating element 160 via induction heating, the consumable containing unit releases the aerosol. When a user sucks on the mouthpiece 158, the pressure differential inside the consumable containing package 102 causes aerosol to enter the hollow prong 350 through the inlet 352 and exit through the outlet 354 (see arrows showing airflow). The aerosol then enters the cavity 368 of the consumable containing package 102 and is filtered by the mouthpiece 158 for inhalation by the user. In this way, the enclosure 108 need not have any openings 120.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 26A-26G, there may be a single hollow prong 350 centered on the susceptor base 358, and a plurality of prongs 290a-d surrounding the hollow prong 350. In such an embodiment, the hollow pin 350 need not be capable of being heated by induction heating, although it may. In this embodiment, the consumable housing unit 104 may have a central aperture 366, through which the hollow prongs 350 may be inserted to mate.

As shown in fig. 26G, in use, when the susceptor prong 290 is heated, the generated aerosol enters through the inlet 352 of the hollow prong 350 and exits through the outlet 354 and into the mouthpiece 158, as indicated by the airflow arrows.

The aerosol produced by the methods and devices described herein is effective and reduces the amount of toxic by-products present in conventional cigarettes and other heat non-combustible devices.

Examples of the invention

As shown in fig. 24A-24C, consumable containment packages 102 were tested, and these consumable containment packages 102 were prepared by: powdered tobacco mixed with humectant and PGA is compressed to form a consumable containing unit 104 around a susceptor 106, enclosed in a foil cover as a wrapper 108, and inserted into a filter tube 140 in a manner such that there are openings 120 on three sides as air channels, covered in standard cigarette paper as a housing 150, capped at one end with a high flow proximal filter as a mouthpiece 158 and at the other end with a distal filter head end as an end cap 154. The susceptor 106 is in the form of a metal plate twisted into a spiral. The consumable holding unit 104 and the enclosure 108 have a triangular cross-section. The filter tube 140 is a spiral paper tube.

Testing of dallemm, north carolina was done with a prototype device that determined heating of the susceptor to 611C (degrees celsius) by calibrating the electrical power used during the test.

The dallemm test was performed using the SM 45920 port linear analysis smoking machine and was performed by a skilled person familiar with the equipment and all associated accessories. The technician places three consumable containing packages 102 in the smoking machine. Each consumable containing package 102 is then "inhaled" 6 times for a total of 18 inhalations. The resulting aerosol was then collected on a filter pad. The "smoking" regimen was an inhalation every 30 seconds for an inhalation duration of 2 seconds and a bell curve profile was used to collect a volume of 55 mL. Analysis of the collected aerosols determined that 0.570mg of carbon monoxide (CO) was present in the aerosol of each consumable rod, well below the level at which combustion could be assumed to occur, although it is generally believed that combustion occurs at temperatures above 350C.

The second set of tests was performed at riemerean, virginia. The riesky test was done using a similarly configured consumable containing package 102 and prototype apparatus calibrated to heat the susceptor 106 at three separate settings of 275C, 350C and 425C. CO data was generated by Enthalpy Analytical (EA) (Risteman, Va., USA) LLC according to EA method AM-007. The consumable containing package 102 is smoked using an analytical smoking machine following the established canadian heavy smoking program. The gas phase smoke (i.e. aerosol) is collected in a gas sampling bag attached to the smoking machine, the sampling bag being configured according to the required inhalation parameters. Non-dispersive infrared absorption (NDIR) is used to measure the CO concentration in the gas phase as a percentage by volume. The CO percentage is converted to milligrams (mg/cig) per consumable containing package using the number of multiple consumable containing packages 102, inhalation times, inhalation volumes, and ambient conditions.

At the calibrated temperature settings, it was determined that no CO was found in the aerosol produced at each setting, although combustion was generally assumed to occur at temperatures above 350C.

The tests performed are industry standard tests. In a similar industry standard test, a commercially available heat not burn product reports a CO content of 0.436 mg/cig. The standard combustible cigarette reported a CO of 30.2 mg/cig.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims and the equivalents of the claims appended hereto.

Claims (55)

1. A device for generating an aerosol, comprising:

a. a consumable housing unit;

b. a susceptor embedded within the consumable containing unit;

c. a housing enclosing the consumable containing unit and the susceptor, wherein the housing has a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the housing includes an opening; and

d. a coating for blocking the opening.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a filter configured to surround the enclosure in a manner that eliminates a gap between the filter and the enclosure.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the filter covers the blocked opening.

4. The device of claim 3, further comprising a housing for housing the filter.

5. The device of claim 4, further comprising a plurality of enclosures and an induction heating element configured and programmed for selectively heating each enclosure a predetermined number of times at a user-selected predetermined temperature sufficient to melt the coating and release aerosol from the consumable containing unit of the respective enclosure that is heated.

6. The device of claim 5, further comprising an aerosol-generating device configured to house the housing and the inductive heating element, the housing comprising a mouthpiece protruding from the aerosol-generating device, the aerosol-generating device comprising:

a. a switch operatively connected to the induction heating element to activate the induction heating element,

b. a user interface operatively coupled with the switch and the induction heating element to provide status information; and

c. a controller comprising a processor-based control of the frequency delivered to the induction heating element.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the first or second ends of the envelopes includes a fold to space adjacent envelopes apart.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a plurality of openings on the enclosure, wherein the plurality of openings are positioned at a first end and a second end of the enclosure.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the consumable containment unit comprises two powdered consumable pellets.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the susceptor is sandwiched between the two pellets.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the susceptor is a metal plate.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the metal plate comprises a plurality of openings.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the susceptor is an elongated metal plate having a longitudinal direction, the elongated metal plate including a plurality of sets of openings and a plurality of sets of voids, wherein the plurality of sets of openings alternate in series with the plurality of sets of voids along the longitudinal direction of the elongated metal plate such that each set of openings is adjacent to one of the voids.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the coating comprises propylene glycol alginate.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coating comprises a seasoning.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the susceptor comprises a wire fleece material.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the susceptor comprises an additive.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the susceptor is an elongated pad having a longitudinal direction, the elongated pad comprising a plurality of sets of openings and a plurality of sets of voids, wherein the plurality of sets of openings alternate in series with the plurality of sets of voids along the longitudinal direction of the elongated pad such that each set of openings is adjacent to one of the voids.

19. A method of using the apparatus of claim 1, comprising: the consumable is released from the consumable containing unit in aerosol form without generating toxic by-products associated with combustion.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising applying heat to the consumable holding unit by heating the susceptor with an inductive heating element to release the consumable from the consumable holding unit in aerosol form without combusting the consumable holding unit.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the heat melts the coating to release the consumable from the enclosure in aerosol form.

22. A method of manufacturing a device for generating an aerosol comprising

a. Embedding a susceptor in a consumable containing unit;

b. placing the consumable containing unit and the susceptor in an enclosure, wherein the enclosure has a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the enclosure comprises an opening;

c. applying a coating to the opening;

d. placing the capsule in a filter; and is

e. Placing a filter containing the enclosure in a housing.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the consumable containment unit is extruded into pellets to minimize oxygen within the pellets.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein: the consumable containment unit is mixed with additives to minimize oxygen within the pellets.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising placing a stacked plurality of envelopes inside the filter.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the envelopes are separated from each other by folds created in one or more ends of the envelopes.

27. A device for generating an aerosol, comprising:

a. a consumable housing unit;

b. a susceptor embedded within the consumable containing unit;

c. a heating element configured to at least partially surround the consumable containing unit;

d. a controller for controlling the induction heating element; and

e. a housing containing the consumable containing unit, the susceptor, the induction heating element, and the controller.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising a self-resonant oscillator for controlling the heating element.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the self-resonant oscillator comprises a capacitor operatively connected to the heating element.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the heating element comprises a plurality of coiled wires, each coiled wire operatively connected to the controller to activate independently of the other coiled wires.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the heating element is movable.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the consumable housing unit is an elongated member defining a first longitudinal axis, and wherein the induction heating element is configured to move axially along the first longitudinal axis.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the consumable housing unit comprises a cylindrical magnet at one end of the consumable housing unit, the cylindrical magnet defining a second longitudinal axis, wherein the heating element is a cylindrical coil wound on the consumable housing unit, the cylindrical coil defining a third longitudinal axis, wherein the cylindrical magnet and the heating element are configured to maintain collinear alignment of the second longitudinal axis with the third longitudinal axis.

34. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the susceptor is a multi-pin susceptor.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the heating element is configured to rotate about the consumable containing unit.

36. The device of claim 35, wherein the multi-prong susceptor includes a plurality of prongs that are parallel to each other and embedded within the consumable containing unit.

37. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the consumable housing unit is an elongated member defining a first longitudinal axis, wherein the heating element is a coil wound on the consumable housing unit to form a cylinder defining a second longitudinal axis, and wherein the heating element is configured to rotate about the consumable housing unit along an eccentric path such that at some point during rotational movement of the heating element about the consumable housing unit, the second longitudinal axis is aligned co-linearly with each of the pins of the multi-pin susceptor.

38. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the consumable housing unit is an elongated member defining a longitudinal axis, and wherein the induction heating element is configured to move radially relative to the longitudinal axis.

39. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the susceptor is a multi-pin susceptor.

40. The device of claim 39, wherein the multi-prong susceptor comprises a plurality of prongs that are parallel to each other and embedded within the consumable containing unit.

41. The apparatus of claim 40 wherein the consumable housing unit is an elongated member defining a first longitudinal axis, wherein the heating element is a coil wound on the consumable housing unit to form a cylinder defining a second longitudinal axis, and wherein the consumable housing unit is configured to rotate along an eccentric path within the heating element such that at some point during rotation of the consumable housing unit within the heating element, the second longitudinal axis is aligned co-linearly with each of the pins of the multi-pin susceptor.

42. The device of claim 39, wherein the consumable housing unit is an elongated member defining a first longitudinal axis, wherein the heating element is a coil wound on the consumable housing unit to form a cylinder defining a second longitudinal axis, and wherein the consumable housing unit is configured to move radially within the heating element such that at some point during movement of the consumable housing unit within the heating element, the second longitudinal axis is aligned co-linearly with each of the pins of the multi-pin susceptor.

43. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising a magnetic flux sensor adjacent to the heating element and configured to measure a magnetic flux generated by the heating element.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the magnetic flux sensor is operatively connected to the controller to control activation of the induction heating element based on feedback from the magnetic flux sensor.

45. The device of claim 27, further comprising a usage sensor for detecting whether the sensed portion of the consumable containing package has been heated above a predetermined temperature.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the usage sensor is an optical reflectance sensor.

47. The device of claim 46 wherein the consumable housing unit is housed in a consumable housing package and the consumable housing package comprises a heat sensitive dye that changes color when heated to a predetermined temperature, wherein the color change is detectable by the light reflective sensor.

48. The apparatus of claim 47 wherein the controller further comprises a memory for storing the location of the portion of the consumable containing unit that has been heated to the predetermined temperature.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, further comprising a limit switch for resetting the memory when a new consumable containing unit is inserted into the housing.

50. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising a heat sink operatively connected to the heating element.

51. The device of claim 50, wherein the heat sink is a finned cylinder surrounding the heating element.

52. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising an airflow controller.

53. The apparatus of claim 52 wherein the susceptor comprises hollow prongs.

54. The device of claim 53, wherein the hollow prong comprises an inlet and an outlet.

55. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising a consumable containing package aligner.