Sleeve for smoking article
The present disclosure provides temperature regulating sleeves for use with smoking articles. In some embodiments, temperature regulating sleeves may include various components including an outer shell, an inner chamber at least partially defined within the outer shell and configured to receive at least a portion of a smoking article, an opening through the outer shell configured for egress of an aerosol therethrough, a power source positioned within the outer shell, at least one control component positioned within the outer shell, one or more sensors positioned in communication with the inner chamber, and one or more ventilation components positioned in communication with the inner chamber. In some embodiments, temperature regulating sleeves according to the disclosure may be capable of effecting an automatic adjustment of at least a temperature of at least a portion of a smoking article used therewith.
1 . A temperature regulating sleeve for a smoking article, the temperature regulating sleeve comprising:
an outer shell;
an inner chamber at least partially defined within the outer shell and configured to receive at least a portion of a smoking article;
an opening through the outer shell configured for egress of an aerosol therethrough;
a power source positioned within the outer shell;
at least one control component positioned within the outer shell;
one or more temperature sensors and one or more flow sensors positioned in communication with the inner chamber, wherein the one or more temperature sensors and the one or more flow sensors are selectively positioned along an interior wall of the outer shell; and
one or more ventilation components positioned in communication with the inner chamber;
wherein the at least one control component is configured to receive one or more inputs produced by the one or more temperature sensors and the one or more flow sensors, the one or more inputs being related to a temperature within the inner chamber and an airflow in the inner chamber; and
wherein the at least one control component is configured to provide an output to the one or more ventilation components to effect automatic adjustment of at least a temperature of at least a portion of the smoking article.
2 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the outer shell comprises a thermally-insulating material.
3 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 2 , wherein the thermally-insulating material is a ceramic material, a plastic material, a carbonaceous material, or a combination thereof.
4 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the at least one control component, the one or more temperature sensors, the one or more flow sensors, and the one or more ventilation components are in electrical communication.
5 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the one or more ventilation components each comprises an air passage extending through the outer shell and a damper, wherein the damper is configurable between an open position allowing air flow into the inner chamber and a closed position restricting air flow into the inner chamber.
6 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 5 , wherein the position of the damper is configured to be selectively controlled by the at least one control component.
7 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 5 , wherein the damper includes a heat-responsive material.
8 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 7 , wherein the heat responsive material is configured to spontaneously change between a closed position and an at least partially open position at approximately a chosen threshold temperature.
9 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the one or more temperature sensors include one or more heat probes configured to be in a heat-detecting relationship with the at least a portion of the smoking article when received by the inner chamber.
10 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 1 , further comprising one or more heaters in electrical communication with the at least one control component.
11 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 10 , wherein the one or more heaters are configured to be selectively activated by the at least one control component.
12 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 10 , wherein the one or more heaters are configured to be in a heating relationship with one or more areas of the at least a portion of the smoking article when received by the inner chamber.
13 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 10 , wherein the one or more heaters include one or more thermoelectric generators.
14 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 1 , further comprising one or more porous structures positioned within the outer shell and arranged relative to the opening in the outer shell such that the aerosol exiting through the opening passes one or both of through and around the one or more porous structures.
15 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 14 , wherein the one or more porous structures is configured to contain at least one of a non-tobacco flavored liquid, a tobacco extract or distillate, a flavoring agent, and an aerosol precursor composition.
16 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the power source comprises one or both of a battery and a capacitor.
17 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 1 , further comprising an input element positioned on an outer surface of the outer shell.
18 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 17 , wherein the input element is configured to one or both of control the supply of electric power from the power source to one or more components of the temperature regulating sleeve and control activation and deactivation of the temperature regulating sleeve.
19 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 1 , further comprising a feedback element positioned on an outer surface of the outer shell.
20 . The temperature regulating sleeve of claim 19 , wherein the feedback element is configured to provide one or more of feedback related to a number of puffs taken or remaining until expiration, a total puff time, a heat map showing a temperature gradient at various positions along the smoking article, and alerts for overheating and underheating at various positions along the smoking article.