Granted Patent B2

US 12,232,530 · App. 17/736,707 · Granted Feb 25, 2025

Inventors: William W. Alston (Lincoln, CA); Adam Bowen (San Mateo, CA); Jacob R. Davis (San Francisco, CA); Ian Garcia-Doty (Oakland, CA); Bradley J. Ingebrethsen (Saugerties, NY); Joshua A. Kurzman (San Francisco, CA); James Monsees (San Francisco, CA); Andrew J. Pappas (San Francisco, CA); Paul R. Vieira (Oakland, CA); Timothy J. Watson (San Francisco, CA); Joseph S. Wilinski, Jr. (San Francisco, CA)

Assignee: JUUL Labs, Inc.

A24F40/46A24F40/10A24F40/42A24F40/30

Abstract

Claims (37)

1. A vaporizer device comprising:

a housing including an air inlet;

a heating element within the housing and arranged to receive airflow from the air inlet, the heating element including a nonlinear positive temperature coefficient of resistance material; and

a heat exchanger thermally coupled to the heating element and configured to transfer heat between the heating element and the airflow to heat air in the airflow, the vaporizer device capable of providing the heated air to a vaporizable material for vaporization of the vaporizable material.

2. The vaporizer device of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger includes a first heat exchanger thermally coupled to a first side of the heating element, the heat exchanger including a second heat exchanger thermally coupled to a second side of the heating element.

3. The vaporizer device of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger includes a plurality of fin features.

4. The vaporizer device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a flow diverter located in a path of the airflow and configured to divert a portion of the airflow through the heat exchanger.

5. The vaporizer device of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a cover containing the heat exchanger.

6. The vaporizer device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a cartridge located downstream of the heating element and oriented to receive the heated air, wherein downstream is with respect to the airflow.

7. The vaporizer device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a cartridge configured to contain the vaporizable material, wherein the housing includes a connector configured to couple the housing to the cartridge.

8. The vaporizer device of claim 7 , wherein the cartridge includes a solid vaporizable material.

9. The vaporizer device of claim 7 , wherein the cartridge includes a reservoir, liquid vaporizable material within the reservoir, and a wick in fluidic communication with the liquid vaporizable material, wherein the cartridge is configured to receive the heated air and direct the heated air over the wick.

10. The vaporizer device of claim 9 , wherein the cartridge includes a mouthpiece, and the wick is located in a path of the airflow between the heating element and the mouthpiece.

11. The vaporizer device of claim 7 , wherein the cartridge includes a second air inlet configured to draw a second airflow into the cartridge for mixing with the heated air and within a reservoir located in a path of the airflow downstream from the heat exchanger and the vaporizable material.

12. The vaporizer device of claim 7 , wherein the cartridge includes:

a reservoir;

liquid vaporizable material within the reservoir;

a wick in fluidic communication with the liquid vaporizable material, the wick arranged to receive the heated air from the heat exchanger to produce vaporized vaporizable material in the form of an inhalable aerosol;

a solid vaporizable material arranged to receive the vaporized vaporizable material from the wick; and

a mouthpiece configured to receive the vaporized vaporizable material after the vaporized vaporizable material passes through the solid vaporizable material.

13. The vaporizer device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a first cartridge including a reservoir, liquid vaporizable material within the reservoir, and a wick in fluidic communication with the liquid vaporizable material, the wick arranged to receive the heated air from the heat exchanger to produce vaporized vaporizable material in the form of an inhalable aerosol; and

a second cartridge including a solid vaporizable material and a mouthpiece, the solid vaporizable material arranged to receive the vaporized vaporizable material from the wick, and the mouthpiece configured to receive the vaporized vaporizable material after the vaporized vaporizable material passes through the solid vaporizable material;

wherein the first cartridge is removably coupled to the housing, and wherein the second cartridge is removably coupled to the housing and/or the first cartridge.

14. The vaporizer device of claim 13 , wherein the first cartridge and the second cartridge are disposable cartridges.

15. The vaporizer device of claim 13 , wherein the second cartridge includes a second air inlet for mixing ambient temperature air with the vaporized vaporizable material after the vaporized vaporizable material passes through the solid vaporizable material.

16. The vaporizer device of claim 13 , further comprising a fibrous body arranged to receive and cool the vaporized vaporizable material after the vaporized vaporizable material passes through the solid vaporizable material.

17. The vaporizer device of claim 1 , wherein the nonlinear positive temperature coefficient of resistance material includes an electrical resistivity transition zone characterized by an increase in electrical resistivity over a temperature range such that, when the heating element is heated to a first temperature within the electrical resistivity transition zone, current flow from a power source is reduced to a level that limits further temperature increases of the heating element from current flow.

18. The vaporizer device of claim 1 , wherein the increase in electrical resistivity over a temperature range of an electrical resistivity transition zone includes an increase factor of at least 10, the increase factor characterizing a relative change in electrical resistivity between electrical resistivity at a first temperature associated with a start of the electrical resistivity transition zone and electrical resistivity at a second temperature associated with an end of the electrical resistivity transition zone.

19. The vaporizer device of claim 1 , wherein an electrical resistivity transition zone begins at a first temperature and electrical resistivity of the heating element at temperatures below the first temperature is between 0.2 ohm-cm and 200 ohm-cm.

20. The vaporizer device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a power source configured to provide a voltage between 3 Volts and 50 Volts to the heating element;

a pressure sensor; and

a controller coupled to the pressure sensor and configured to detect inhalation and in response electrically connect the power source to the heating element.

Assignments (9)

Continuity (8)

References Cited (294)