Granted Patent B2

US 12,256,787 · App. 17/768,546 · Granted Mar 25, 2025

Inventor: Ivan Prestia (Calderara di Reno, IT)

Assignee: Philip Morris Products S.A.

A24F40/95A24F40/40

Abstract

Claims (39)

1. A charger for charging an aerosol-generating device, the charger comprising:

a housing defining a cavity configured to receive the aerosol-generating device to be charged, the cavity having an opening;

at least one electrical contact being disposed in the cavity; and

a cover rotationally slidable relative to the opening between an open position and a closed position, an inner surface of the cover facing the cavity when the cover is in the closed position,

wherein at least a portion of the inner surface of the cover defines a profiled engagement member having a leading edge and a trailing edge, the profiled engagement member sloping into, or towards, the cavity when the cover is in the closed position, a slope increasing in a direction from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the profiled engagement member.

2. The charger according to claim 1 , wherein the profiled engagement member is configured to urge the aerosol-generating device received in the cavity into engagement with the at least one electrical contact when the cover is in the closed position.

3. The charger according to claim 1 , wherein the profiled engagement member protrudes into, or towards, the cavity when the cover is in the closed position, a protrusion of the profiled engagement member increasing in the direction from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the profiled engagement member.

4. The charger according to claim 1 , further comprising an aerosol-generating device release mechanism configured to urge the aerosol-generating device received in the cavity in a direction of the cavity opening when the cover is in the open position.

5. The charger according to claim 1 , wherein the profiled engagement member is a cam surface and a top surface of the aerosol-generating device received in the cavity is a cam rider.

6. The charger according to claim 1 ,

wherein the housing comprises a face over which the cover is rotationally slidable, and

wherein, when sliding the cover from the open position to the closed position, the inner surface of the cover does not slide beyond the face of the housing.

7. The charger according to claim 1 , further comprising an actuation member and a means to slide the cover from the closed position to the open position in response to manipulation of the actuation member by a user of the charger.

8. The charger according to claim 7 , wherein the actuation member is a rotatable disc and the means to slide the cover is a mechanical linkage between the rotatable disc and the cover.

9. The charger according to claim 8 ,

wherein the actuation member is a button or switch and the means to slide the cover comprises an actuator and a mechanical linkage between the actuator and the cover, and

wherein the actuation member is configured to send an electrical signal to the actuator in response to manipulation of the actuation member by a user of the charger.

10. The charger according to claim 1 , wherein the cover comprises a cover opening alignable with the cavity when the cover is in the open position.

11. The charger according to claim 1 , wherein the profiled engagement member is a curved rib.

12. The charger according to claim 11 , wherein the housing is cylindrical.

13. The charger according to claim 1 , wherein the cover is biased towards the closed position.

14. An aerosol generating system, comprising:

a charger; and

an aerosol-generating device,

the charger comprising:

a housing defining a cavity configured to receive the aerosol-generating device to be charged, the cavity having an opening,

at least one electrical contact being disposed in the cavity, and

a cover rotationally slidable relative to the opening between an open position and a closed position, an inner surface of the cover facing the cavity when the cover is in the closed position,

wherein at least a portion of the inner surface of the cover defines a profiled engagement member having a leading edge and a trailing edge, the profiled engagement member sloping into, or towards, the cavity when the cover is in the closed position, a slope increasing in a direction from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the profiled engagement member.

15. A method of operating an aerosol-generating system comprising a charger and an aerosol-generating device,

the charger comprising:

a housing defining a cavity configured to receive the aerosol-generating device to be charged, the cavity having an opening,

at least one electrical contact being disposed in the cavity, and

a cover rotationally slidable relative to the opening between an open position and a closed position, an inner surface of the cover facing the cavity when the cover is in the closed position,

wherein at least a portion of the inner surface of the cover defines a profiled engagement member having a leading edge and a trailing edge, the profiled engagement member sloping into, or towards, the cavity when the cover is in the closed position, a slope increasing in a direction from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the profiled engagement member; and

the method comprising:

inserting the aerosol-generating device into the cavity of the charger when the cover is in the open position; and

sliding the cover from the open position to the closed position,

wherein, in the closed position, the profiled engagement member urges the aerosol-generating device into engagement with the at least one electrical contact.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (54)

Cited By (1)

US 12,690,619