TW202423320A - Inhalation device - Google Patents

Abstract

An inhalation device (46) has: a body (48) with a recess (52) for receiving a consumable, a displaceable cover having an opening (26), a slidable spring carrier (14) for covering the recess (52) and carrying a spring (16), and a base (10) provided on the body (48) and having a track (34) accommodating a first arm portion (28) of the spring (16), the track (34) having a locking portion (40) adapted to lock the spring (16) in a position, in which the spring carrier (14) covers the recess (52), the cover, when being displaced, being adapted to move the spring carrier (14), when in the position covering the recess (52), so as to disengage the spring (16) from the locking portion (40) and being adapted to move the spring carrier (14), when in the position exposing the recess (52), so as to engage the spring (16) with the locking portion (40).

Description

Inhalation device

The present invention relates to an inhalation device, such as a device for heating a consumable product such as a tobacco stick.

Many types of inhalation devices or aerosol generating devices are known and are increasingly replacing traditional cigarettes. Such devices typically have a body with a recess for receiving a consumable, such as a stick with an aerosol generating mass, which may include tobacco. Before and after use, it is typically desirable to cover the recess.

In this context, for example, KR 102355185 B1 relates to a device as described above, which has a slidable cover for covering a recess, which is adapted to receive consumables. Further, somewhat similar devices are known from EP 2 727 619 B1 and EP 2 531 053 B1.

The object of the present invention is to provide an inhalation device of the above-mentioned type which has a particularly user-friendly mechanism for opening and closing the recess.

This is achieved by the inhalation device described in claim 1 and claim 15.

Correspondingly, the device has a body and a slidable spring carrier, the body having a recess for receiving consumables, the slidable spring carrier for covering the recess and carrying the spring. In addition, a displaceable cover with an opening is provided, and a base is provided on the body of the cover, the base having a track for accommodating the first arm of the above-mentioned spring. The track further has a locking portion adapted to lock the spring in a position where the spring carrier covers the recess, and when displaced, the cover is adapted to move the spring carrier when in the position covering the recess so as to disengage the spring from the locking portion, and further adapted to move the spring carrier when in the position exposing the recess so as to engage the spring with the locking portion.

This essentially allows the cover to move in the same direction when closing the recess and opening the recess, similar to the operation of clicking a pen, i.e. the actuator moves in the same direction to alternately expose and retract the pen tip. For the inhalation device described herein, this allows for easy operation by the user, since repeated movement of the cover in the same direction alternately opens and closes the recess, as described above. This is essentially achieved by starting from a position where the spring carrier covers the recess and its spring is locked in the locking portion of the track, disengaging the spring from the locking portion, thereby moving the spring carrier to a position that exposes the recess.

In addition, the cover is then moved to a position where its opening is aligned with the recess to allow the insertion of consumables, such as a heatable stick. After the consumables are sucked in and removed, the displacement of the cover in the same direction in which it was moved to expose the recess will cause the spring provided on the spring carrier to engage with the locking portion so that the spring carrier will cover the recess. As will be described in detail below, a novel mechanism can be effectively provided so that the user experience is also good in terms of cost.

Preferred implementations are described in separate request items.

The spring carrier is preferably biased to a position exposing the recess, and when in a position covering the recess, the spring carrier preferably interacts with a cover member that moves the spring carrier so as to disengage the spring from the locking portion. Since the spring carrier is biased, the spring carrier will then automatically move to a position exposing the recess.

In particular, the appearance of the device may be improved and a seamless device may advantageously be provided if the cover is biased into a position in which it is at least partially flush with the body, when in use.

In order to guide the cover during the above-mentioned movement of the cover, it is beneficial to provide the cover with a covering part and a frame part. The covering part will typically cover the recess, and the frame part will be used to guide the movement.

In particular, it has proven to be advantageous to guide the cover, in particular the frame part of the cover, via the base.

Since the spring is in any case provided with a first arm portion housed in the track, the spring can effectively be provided with a second arm portion biasing the spring carrier.

In order to provide an overall good appearance of the device, the spring carrier preferably also has a spring cover which covers in particular the springs during the movement of the various components.

With regard to suitable materials for the various components, it is currently preferred and will provide beneficial properties to the components when the cover (particularly its covering portion) and the spring are made of metal.

In contrast, one or more of the frame portion, the spring cover, the spring carrier, and the base may be effectively made of plastic.

Although different mechanisms are generally possible, advantages with respect to the mechanism enabling the above-mentioned movement of the individual components are provided when the cover member and the spring-loaded member are movable in the same direction.

Although the recess and the cover covering the recess may generally be located anywhere throughout the device, a well-designed device is provided when the body is elongated and the cover is movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body. In other words, the body typically has two surface areas perpendicular to its longitudinal axis that are much smaller than the remaining four surface areas, which are typically parallel to the longitudinal axis, and the cover preferably covers the recess, which is located on one of the smaller surface areas and typically extends substantially along the longitudinal axis.

Regarding the detailed design of the spring, it is currently preferred and allows efficient production of the spring when its first arm portion and second arm portion are located on opposite sides of the coil portion of the spring.

As described above, the inhalation device described herein allows displacement of the cover to move the spring cover when the cover is in a position covering the recess in the same direction as displacement of the cover to move the spring carrier when the cover is in a position exposing the recess. This provides a pleasant user experience.

Finally, when the amount of displacement of the cover member exposed recessed portion and the amount of displacement of the covered recessed portion are the same, the user experience is further improved. In other words, the user will easily get used to the displacement amount that is advantageously the same for both exposed recessed portion and covered recessed portion.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the mechanism of the device for opening and closing its recess (visible in FIGS. 5 , 6 , 11 and 12 ) has a base 10 having an opening 12 which at least substantially coincides with the recess of the device for receiving consumables, as described below. A spring carrier 14 carrying a spring 16 and capable of covering the opening 12 of the base 10 can slide on the base 10 in a substantially horizontal direction of FIG. 2 . In addition, a cover 18 is provided to cover the spring 16.

Further, the cover 20 having a covering portion 22 and a frame portion 24 is also arranged to be slidable relative to the base 10. As can be seen in the accompanying drawings, the cover 20 has an opening 26, which is substantially aligned with the opening 12 of the base 10 when in use. As can also be seen in both Figures 1 and 2, the spring 16 is typically a coil spring having a coil portion 30, a first arm portion 28, and a second arm portion 32. In the embodiment shown, the first arm portion 28 is generally U-shaped and has an end that is bent substantially 90° from the plane of the U shape so as to interact with a track 34 provided on the base 10, as described in detail below. The second arm portion 32 also interacts with appropriate structure on the base 10 to bias the spring carrier to a position that exposes the recess and the opening 12 of the base 10.

The spring carrier 14 has a pin 36 which is received in the center of the coil portion 30 of the spring 16 in the assembled state. Further, the legs 56 of the spring 16, which connect the first arm portion 26 to the coil portion 30 via a U-shape, are received in grooves between blocks formed on the spring carrier 14. The spring cover 18 is generally flat, and the base 10 and the cover including the cover portion 22 of the cover and the frame portion 24 of the cover are generally elliptical in a top view, with rounded ends and generally straight portions between the ends. The frame portion 24 of the cover 20 is reinforced by longitudinal bars 38 which extend generally horizontally and generally parallel to the sides of the cover 20 in the orientation shown in FIG. 2 . The side walls of the frame portion 24 and the reinforcing strip 38 can advantageously cooperate with suitable structures provided on the base, such as the wall 54, to guide the cover 20 during movement to open and close the recess. The spring carrier 14 is also suitably guided by the base 10.

The operation of the mechanism for opening and closing the recess of the device will be explained starting from the closed state shown in both Figures 2 and 3. In this state, the first arm portion 28 of the spring engages the locking portion 40 of the track 34 provided on the base 10. 4 will also move the spring carrier 14 slightly to the left near the end of the cover movement, because the inner face of the cover, indicated by 42 in FIGS. 1 and 2, will abut the opposing face 44 of the spring carrier 14, so that the cover 20 will, after said abutment, move the spring carrier 14 (including the spring 16 thereon) sufficiently to the left (as shown in FIG. 4) so that the first arm portion 28 of the spring 16 will disengage from the locking portion 40 (as indicated by arrow A). Typically, as further indicated by arrow C in FIG. 5, the track 34 has an upper portion that is slightly inclined toward the exterior of the device (i.e., toward the upper portion in FIGS. 3 to 8 when viewed from left to right in these figures). As will be described in detail below, the lower portion of the track 34 is inclined in the same manner and leads to the locking portion 40, with the first arm portion 28 in the state shown in Figure 3.

As can be seen in Figures 3 and 4, the second arm portion 32 engages appropriate structure on the base 10 to bias the spring carrier toward the right in Figures 3 to 8. As can be seen in Figure 5, once the first arm portion 28 is unlocked, the pre-tension in the second arm portion 32 pushes the spring carrier 14 to the right, and thus, the spring 16 relaxes. The cover 20 will then preferably also be moved to the position shown in Figure 5 by means of appropriate biasing so as to be substantially flush with the body of the device.

As can be seen in particular in FIG. 6 , in the state of exposing the recess, the inner face 42 of the cover 20 described above and the opposite face 44 of the spring carrier 14 are already in contact in this state. Starting from this position, exposing the recess and moving the cover 20 to the left as shown in FIG. 6 will cause the spring carrier 16 to move to the left again due to the above-mentioned abutment so as to cover the recess and move the first arm portion 28 of the spring, now on the lower part of the track 40 (as indicated by arrow B) according to the attached figure, to the locking portion 40 so as to lock the spring 16 and keep the spring carrier 14 in the position covering the recess (as shown in FIG. 7 ). Finally, as shown in FIG. 8 , the cover 20 can then be moved again to a position corresponding to the position of FIGS. 5 and 3 . In summary, the spring and track lock/unlock facilitates positioning of the spring carrier so as to cover or expose the recess and allow the spring carrier to move between those positions.

The remaining figures show substantially the above-described operation of the entire device 46. It will be particularly appreciated that the body 48 of the device is generally elongated with its longitudinal axis in the vertical direction of the lower portion of Figures 9 to 14. As can be seen from the upper portion of each of the figures showing a top view, the top and bottom surfaces are much smaller than the side surfaces, one of which can be seen in the lower portion of Figures 9 to 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the cover 20 is further designed with an extension 50 extending from the otherwise generally flat bottom of the cover 20 toward the body 48 to provide a stop for movement of the cover 20 to the right according to the figures and to indicate to the user that the cover can only be moved to the left according to the figures.

As can be seen in the lower portion of each of FIGS. 9 to 14 , the cover 20 has a height along the longitudinal axis that is much smaller than the height of the device 46. In particular, on the side opposite to the extension 50 (the right side in the drawings), the cover 20 constitutes about half of the rounded edge at the upper side of the device 46. On the side of the extension 50, the extension constitutes the entire curve at the edge. Generally, the device 46 has a rectangular appearance, with rounded edges to provide a pleasant feel when operating, and according to the lower portion of FIGS. 9 to 14 , with much smaller upper and lower sides. Further, in the embodiment shown, the side facing the viewer in the lower portion of FIGS. 9 to 14 is slightly larger than the right and left sides according to the drawings. In the undisplaced position of the cover 20 as shown in FIGS. 9 , 11 , 12 and 14 , the cover 20 is substantially flush with the entire body 48 of the device to provide a seamless appearance. As can be further seen in FIGS. 10 and 13 , the movement of the cover 20 when opening the recess 52 and closing the recess (particularly shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 ) is in the same direction and the amount of movement of the cover when opening the recess 52 and closing the recess is the same. Finally, in the illustrated embodiment, the recess 52 is eccentrically positioned in the left-right direction of FIGS. 9 to 14 and is approximately centered in the top-down direction of the top portions of the drawings. In this orientation, the recess covers the cover by approximately 30% to 50% and covers the cover by approximately 25% to 35% in the left-right direction of the drawings.

10: base 12: opening 14: spring bearing member 16: spring 18: cover 20: cover 22: covering portion 24: frame portion 26: opening 28: first arm portion 30: spiral portion 32: second arm portion 34: track 36: pin 38: longitudinal strip 40: locking portion 42: inner surface 44: opposite surface 46: device 48: body 50: extension portion 52: recessed portion 54: wall 56: leg A, C: arrows

The embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [FIG. 1] shows an exploded perspective view of the essential parts of the inhalation device, [FIG. 2] shows a cross-sectional view of the portion shown in FIG. 1, [FIGs. 3 to 8] show the operation of exposing and covering the recess of the device in a top view including details thereof, and [FIGs. 9 to 14] show the overall device during the operation shown in FIGs. 3 to 8 in a top view and a side view.

10: Base

12: Open mouth

14: Spring bearing member

16: Spring

18: Cover

20: Cover

22: Covering part

24: Framework part

26: Open mouth

28: First arm part

30: Spiral part

32: Second arm part

34: Track

36: Sales

38: Longitudinal strips

42: Inside

44: Opposite each other

54: Wall

56: Legs

Claims (15)

An inhalation device (46) comprises: a body (48) having a recess (52) for receiving consumables, a displaceable cover (20) having an opening (26), a slidable spring carrier (14) for covering the recess (52) and carrying a spring (16), and a base (10) disposed on the body (48) and having a track (34) for accommodating a first arm portion (28) of the spring (16), the track (34) having a locking portion (40) adapted to lock the spring (16) in a position where the spring carrier (14) covers the recess (52), When displaced, the cover (20) is adapted to: move the spring carrier (14) when in a position covering the recess (52) so as to disengage the spring (16) from the locking portion (40), and move the spring carrier (14) when in a position exposing the recess (52) so as to engage the spring (16) with the locking portion (40). An inhalation device (46) as described in claim 1, wherein the spring carrier (14) is biased to a position exposing the recess (52). An inhalation device (46) as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the cover (20) is biased to a position at least partially flush with the body (48). An inhalation device (46) as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover (20) comprises a covering portion (22) and a frame portion (24). An inhalation device (46) as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover (20), in particular the frame part (24), is guided by the base (10). An inhalation device (46) as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the spring (16) has a second arm portion (32) biasing the spring carrier (14). An inhalation device (46) as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the spring carrier (14) has a spring cover (18). An inhalation device (46) as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover (20), in particular the covering part (22) of the cover and/or the spring (16) are made of metal. An inhalation device (46) as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the frame portion (24), the spring cover (18), the spring carrier (14), and the base (10) is made of plastic. An inhalation device (46) as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover member (20) and the spring-loaded member (14) are movable in the same direction. An inhalation device (46) as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the body (48) is elongated and the cover (20) is displaceable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body (48). An inhalation device (46) as described in any one of claims 6 to 11, wherein the first arm portion and the second arm portion are on opposite sides of the spiral portion (30) of the spring (16). An inhalation device (46) as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the displacement of the cover (20) that causes the spring-loaded member (14) to move when the cover is in a position covering the recess (52) is in the same direction as the displacement of the cover (20) that causes the spring-loaded member (14) to move when the cover is in a position exposing the recess (52). An inhalation device (46) as described in one of the preceding claims, wherein the amount of displacement of the cover member (20) that causes the spring support member (14) to move when the cover member is in a position covering the recess (52) is the same as the amount of displacement of the cover member (20) that causes the spring support member (14) to move when the cover member is in a position exposing the recess (52). An inhalation device (46), preferably as described in one of the preceding claims, wherein repeated displacement of the outer cover member in the same direction alternately exposes and covers a recess (52) adapted to receive a consumable product by means of an inner cover member, preferably formed by the spring-loaded member (14).