DESC:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure generally relates to an aerosol generating device. In particular, the present disclosure relates to the monolithic body design of an aerosol generating device.

BACKGROUND
Various aerosol-generating articles for use in electronic heating devices are known. They comprise a plurality of segments, including an aerosol-forming substrate and a mouthpiece. Further segments may be aerosol treating segments, for example, for altering aerosol characteristics. Heater pin is one of the fundamental components of core heating type aerosol generating HnB (heat-not-burn) device.

Generally, handheld consumer electronic goods/devices are manufactured in mass scale production by joining two mating parts in the enclosure and, if needed, a closing part. This makes production easier. As, during act of usage, it is possible that the device may fall down, it may lead to dismantling in the joints at mating parts and/or breakage of the enclosure body which is beyond repairable.

Also, many of the competitive aerosol generating devices have body structure having a removable cap for cleaning requirement of heating element. After removing the cap from these devices, exposure of heater to user increases. In such case, it is highly possible that a user may touch the heating element accidentally which will lead to or result in severe burn to the user.

Thus, there is a need to have an aerosol generating device with minimum possible joint edges in the enclosure and simultaneously having the minimum possibility of exposure of heating element to the user without compromising with the need of effective cleaning of heating element.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a design for the aerosol generating device for making it more rigid and highly reliable with minimum possible joints so that it could solve the problem of dismantling of the device on accidental drops by the user.

An object of the invention is to ensure safety of the user by providing a design for the aerosol generating device which minimizes the exposure of the heating element to the user.

SUMMARY
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified format that is further described in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts.

In accordance with the purposes of the invention, the present invention as embodied and broadly described herein provides an aerosol generating device with monolithic design. The unique design of aerosol generating device with enclosure body made as a single part without any joints makes the device rigid and highly reliable. Simultaneously, unlike the competitive products, the possibility of accidental exposure of heating element to the user has been minimized by ensuring that the entire heating element remains inside the monolith enclosure body even after removing the extractor cap to clean the heating element. This ensures safety of the user at maximum extent.

In one implementation, the present disclosure provides a single tube body structure closed at one end, wherein said single tube body structure encloses the heating element and averts the exposure of said heating element to the outside environment.

In one implementation, the present disclosure provides a single tube body structure, which is open at the other end for facilitating the cleaning of the said heating element inside the said single tube body structure.

The inventiveness of the invention lies in providing a more rigid and highly reliable design that obviates the problems associated with accidental dismantling of the joints. It also minimizes the exposure of heating element to user, even after removing extractor cap, to ensure safety of user by minimizing the chances of causing accidental burn to user.

The airflow which enters the eHNB device of the present invention is through co-flow direction.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
It is appreciated that the drawings provided in the present disclosure only illustrate application examples of the present disclosure and are therefore not to be construed as limiting its scope. The foregoing disclosure provides additional information with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings, which are listed below for quick reference.

Figure 1: Shows the front view of the aerosol generating device with single tube structure, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 2: Shows the side view of the aerosol generating device with single tube structure with its open end showing the heating element, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 2a: illustrates a core / pin heater is made up of layers selected from a green ceramic substrate and pre-fired ceramic substrate, coated with a high glass content

Figure 2b: illustrates a pin shaped heater having atleast two segments to heat the aerosol generating substrate wherein said heater segments and their temperature are independently controllable.

Figure 3: Extractor Cap Design – exploded view

Figure 4: Exploded view of custom shaped magnets in chassis which attract the extractor cap sub assembly.

It may be noted that the one or more elements may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of the ordinary skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
It should be understood at the outset that although illustrative implementations of the present disclosure are illustrated below, the present invention may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or in existence. The present disclosure should be in no way limited to illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques, illustrated below, including the exemplary design and implementation illustrated and described herein, but may be modified within the scope of equivalents.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms and especially technical and/or scientific terms, used herein, may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having an ordinarily skilled in the art.

Reference is made herein to some “embodiments”. It should be understood that an embodiment is an example of a possible implementation of any features and/or elements presented in the foregoing claims. Some embodiments have been described for the purpose of illuminating one or more potential ways in which the specific features and/or elements of the foregoing claims fulfill the requirements of uniqueness, utility, and non-obviousness.

The present invention discloses an aerosol generating device with monolithic design. The unique design of aerosol generating device with enclosure body made as a single part, i.e. without any joints makes the device rigid and highly reliable. Simultaneously, unlike the existing products, the possibility of accidental exposure of heating element (102) to the user has been minimized by ensuring that the entire heating element (102) remains inside the monolith enclosure body even after removing the extractor cap (101) to clean the heating element. This ensures safety of the user at maximum extent.

The monolith design of the aerosol generating device with enclosure of the body made as a single part without any joints (which makes the device rigid and highly reliable) and ensuring that the entire heating element (102) remains inside the monolith enclosure body ,even after removing the extractor cap (101) to clean the heating element (which ensures safety of the user at maximum extent by minimizing possible exposure of heating element to the user) makes the invention unique.

The present disclosure discloses an aerosol generating device (100) with minimum possible joint edges in the enclosure and simultaneously having the minimum possibility of exposure of heating element (102) to the user without compromising with the need of effective cleaning of heating element.

In one implementation, the present disclosure provides the single tube body structure (100) covered by an extraction cap when cleaning of the heating element (102) is not needed, refer to figure- 1 of the present disclosure.

In one implementation, the present disclosure provides a single tube body structure (100) closed at one end, wherein said single tube body structure encloses the heating element (102) and averts the exposure of said heating element to the outside environment, refer to figure- 2 of the present disclosure.

In one implementation, the present disclosure provides a single tube body structure (100), which is open at the other end for facilitating the cleaning of the said heating element (102) inside the said single tube body structure.

In one implementation, the heating element (102) can be a core heater, peripheral heater and/or a combination thereof. The said core and periphery heaters can be made of ferromagnetic materials. Further the said core and peripheral heaters have conductive tracks printed on the surface of the said heaters with suitable printing pastes.

For the consumer to comfortably hold the device while enjoying the experience, insulations such as vacuum tubes around the heater, preferably in the case of peripheral type and/or combination type heaters are used. The invention also concerns a multi stage vacuum insulation, by the use of concentric tubes, evacuated to vacuum levels, not less than 0.1mPa. The said insulation helps in efficient heat dissipation when peripheral alone or core with peripheral heaters are used.

The heating element, also referred to has heater (102) of the present invention is preferably a core heater, more preferably a pin shaped heater having at least two heater segments to heat the aerosol generating substrate wherein said heater segments and their temperature are independently controllable.

Further, said heating element is made up of layers selected from a green ceramic substrate and pre-fired ceramic substrate, coated with a high glass content which is about 10-12 micron thickness, heating tracks on the surface of the heater can be made from resistive metal foil, laminating between the layers of polyimide film, low thermal conductive materials such as Zirconia Toughened Alumina (ZTA), Yittria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) and/or Zirconia. The heat conduction tracks may be printed directly on the low thermal conductive, pre-fired ceramic material and/or non-fired ceramic tape and wrapped on a pre-fired ceramic pin. In one embodiment, the green ceramic tape and pre-fired ceramic substrate are laminated with the help of higher glass containing laminating agent.

Use of low thermal conductive materials as green ceramic tape, pre-fired tape and ceramic rod in turn reduces the conduction of heat from heating to non-heating zone on the ceramic substrate. The ceramic substrate is dielectric in nature and has thermal conductivity less than 30 W/m-K, preferably a thermal conductivity of less than 10 W/m-K.

For example, as illustrated in figure 2a, the heater is used with with Zirconia Toughened Alumina (ZTA) which has thermal conductivity around 10 Watt/m-K and Yittria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) or Zirconia which have thermal conductivity as low as 2 Watt/m-K.

The present invention further discloses the use of ceramic based printed tracks, which are independently controllable, multiple heating zones to ensure maximum consumption of the nicotine based aerosol generating substrate at lower temperature. The periphery heaters are made of metal foils laminating in between two dielectric materials. The periphery heater has heating and sensing tracks on the surface. These tracks are printed on its surface. As illustrated in figure 2(b) the heater can independently control multiple heating zones to ensure maximum consumption of the nicotine based aerosol-generating substrate at lower temperature than the commercially available heaters and thus ensure elimination of the problems faced by the conventional heaters. The heating is through resistive, induction and/or a combination thereof.

The extractor cap (101) is uniquely designed diagonally moving slider, magnetic cap closure with symmetrical cap design.

In an aspect of the present invention there is provided an aerosol generating device comprising an extractor cap (101) for removal of residual tobacco column as well as closure of opening for insertion of HnB stick. In one implementation the extractor cap includes:

1. a tube with a cut-out (number 1 in fig. 3) for easy removal of leftover tobacco which makes the extractor easy to clean and saves consumer from inconvenience;
2. a secondary protection wall (number 2 in fig. 4) for protection from hot surface which ensures that hot heater should not, even accidently, come in contact with outer enclosure to assure safety of product;
3. a diagonally moving slider (number 4 in fig. 3) for the need to have provision of closure of opening for insertion of stick whenever device is not in operation for restriction of external particles inside the opening.

The device also comprises custom shaped magnets (number 1 in fig. 4) provided in chassis which attracts the metal plate placed in the extractor cap (number 4 in fig. 3) design for stronger catch so that cap will be sited properly on the body of the device.

The device comprises unique symmetrical design of the extractor cap (number 4 in fig. 3) that user can place in any orientation.

The present inventors found that the present device makes the aerosol generating device more rigid and highly reliable and prevents breakage even if it is dropped accidentally. It also minimizes the exposure of heating element to user, even after removing extractor cap, to ensure safety of user by minimizing the chances of causing accidental burn to the user. Thus, the present device is advantageous over existing products. This ensures safety of the user at maximum extent.
,CLAIMS:1. An aerosol generating device with a monolithic design comprising:
a single tube body structure (100) closed at one end;
a switch (103) adapted to switch ON/OFF the aerosol generating device,
a heating element (102);
an extractor cap (101);
wherein said single tube body structure (100) encloses the heating element and averts the exposure of said heating element to the outside environment.

2. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heating element is a core or periphery or a combination thereof.

3. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the core and periphery heaters are made of ferromagnetic materials.

4. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the heating element is made up of green/non-fired ceramic tape, pre-fired ceramic substrate and/or a combination thereof.

5. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the heating element is made of directly printing on pre-fired ceramic substrate.

6. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the green ceramic tape and pre-fired ceramic substrate are laminated with the help of higher glass containing laminating agent.

7. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the core heater has tracks printed on the surface of the heater with suitable printing pastes.

8. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the periphery heater is made of printing heating and sensing tracks on the surface.

9. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the periphery heater is made of metal foils laminating in between two dielectric material.

10. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said heating is done through resistive, induction and/or a combination thereof.

11. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the ceramic substrate is dielectric in nature and has thermal conductivity less than 30 W/m-K.

12. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the ceramic substrate has thermal conductivity less than 10 W/m-K.

13. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the non-fired ceramic tape and the pre-fire ceramic substrate is made of low thermal conductive ceramic materials such as Zirconia Toughened Alumina (ZTA), Yittria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) and/or Zirconia.

14. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extractor cap is operated magnetically.

15. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said single tube body structure (100) is open at the other end for facilitating the cleaning of the said heating element (102) inside the said single tube body structure (100).

16. The open end of the single tube body structure (100) as claimed in claim 2 is covered by said extraction cap when cleaning of the heating element (102) is not needed.

17. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said single tube body structure (100) prevents dismantling of the said device on accidental drops.

18. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said single tube structure (100) prevents deposition of dirt and undesirable particles on the surface.

19. The aerosol generating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said single tube structure (100) facilitate faster assembly of the device.