Portable handheld vaporising device

Abstract

A portable handheld vaporising device ( 1 ) comprises a housing ( 2 ) within which a vaporising chamber ( 7 ) is formed, wherein a liquid in a container ( 11 ) is vaporised to form an aerosol. A heatable element ( 21 ) having a dished abutment surface ( 22 ) is located in the vaporising chamber ( 7 ), and is heated by a gas powered heater ( 20 ) located in a main chamber ( 8 ) of the housing ( 2 ). A wick ( 18 ) extending through a port ( 17 ) of the container ( 11 ) is located spaced apart from the heatable element ( 21 ) when the container ( 11 ) is in a first state illustrated in FIG. 3. The container ( 11 ) is depressable into the housing ( 2 ) into a second state for engaging the wick ( 18 ) with the abutment surface ( 22 ) of the heatable element ( 21 ) for evaporating liquid which is wicked through the wick ( 18 ) from the container ( 11 ). A draw pipe ( 27 ) terminating in a mouthpiece ( 29 ) draws an aerosol of the vapour evaporated from the liquid for inhaling thereof. Inlet ports ( 28 ) accommodate air into the vaporising chamber ( 7 ) for forming the aerosol during drawing on the draw pipe ( 27 ).

1 - 62 . (canceled) 
     
     
         63 . A portable handheld vaporising device comprising a housing defining a vaporising device comprising a vaporising chamber, a heatable element located in the vaporising chamber, a container defining a hollow interior region for a liquid, an applicator means for applying liquid from the container to the heatable element for evaporation thereof, one of the applicator means and the heatable element being adapted for selectively applying liquid from the container to the heatable element, an outlet port from the vaporising chamber for accommodating one of a vapour and an aerosol of the vapour from the vaporising chamber, and a heating means for heating the heatable element. 
     
     
         64 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 63  in which the one of the applicator means and the heatable element is moveable relative to the other of the applicator means and the heatable element for applying liquid from the container to the heatable element. 
     
     
         65 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 63  in which the applicator means comprises a wick extending outwardly from the container and communicating with the hollow interior region of the container. 
     
     
         66 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 65  in which the one of the wick and the heatable element is moveable between a first state with the wick and the heatable element spaced apart from each other, and a second state with the wick and the heatable element in engagement with each other for applying liquid from the container to the heatable element, and preferably, the wick is moveable relative to the heatable element between the first state and the second state, and advantageously, the container is mounted in the housing, and is moveable with the wick between the first state and the second state. 
     
     
         67 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 66  in which the container is slideably mounted in the main housing, and is slideable between the first state and the second state, and preferably, the container is slideable into the vaporising chamber from the first state to the second state, and advantageously, the container is manually slideable from the first state to the second state, and preferably, a portion of the container extends outwardly through the housing, and terminates in a finger accommodating button for engagement by a thumb or a finger of a person for manual urging the container from the first state to the second state. 
     
     
         68 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 66  in which an urging means is provided for urging the container in a direction from the second state to the first state, and preferably, the urging means comprises a resilient element, and advantageously, the resilient element is located to act between the container and the housing, and preferably, the urging means comprises a spring. 
     
     
         69 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 65  in which the wick extends outwardly from the container in a direction towards the heatable element, and preferably, a portion of the wick extending from the container terminates in a distal end, and the distal end of the wick is engageable with the heatable element when the moveable one of the wick and the heatable element is in the second state, and advantageously, the wick is of a heat resistant material, and preferably, the heat resistant material of the wick is heat resistant at least up to a temperature corresponding to the temperature of vaporisation of the liquid in the container, and advantageously, the wick is of an absorbent material, and preferably, the wick extends into the hollow interior region of the container. 
     
     
         70 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 63  in which the container is refillable, and preferably, the container comprises a filling opening located in the container externally of the housing, and advantageously, a closure cap engageable with the container closes the filling opening, and preferably, the finger accommodating button is formed on the closure cap. 
     
     
         71 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 63  in which an inlet port is provided to the vaporising chamber for accommodating air into the vaporising chamber to produce an aerosol of the vapour therein, and preferably, the outlet port from the vaporising chamber is adapted to receive a draw pipe, and preferably, the vaporising device comprises the draw pipe, and the draw pipe terminates at a distal end thereof in a mouthpiece, and advantageously, the heatable element defines an abutment surface for receiving liquid from the applicator means. 
     
     
         72 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 71  in which the abutment surface is of slightly dished shape. 
     
     
         73 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 63  in which the heatable element is of a heat conductive material, and preferably, the heating means is in heat transfer relationship with the heatable element, and advantageously, the heating means is adapted to produce a heat output which is matched to the thermal mass of the heatable element so that the heatable element and the heating means are thermally balanced, and the temperature of the heatable element is maintained at a temperature suitable for evaporating liquid from the container. 
     
     
         74 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 63  in which the housing defines a heater accommodating chamber for accommodating the heating means, and preferably, the heater accommodating chamber is sealably isolated from the vaporising chamber. 
     
     
         75 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 63  in which the heating means comprises a gas powered heating means, and preferably, the heating means comprises a body member defining a combustion chamber, and preferably, a gas catalytic combustion element is located in the combustion chamber for converting fuel gas to heat, and advantageously, the body member is of heat conducting material, and preferably, an ignition means is provided for igniting the fuel gas to initially burn with a flame for raising the temperature of the gas catalytic combustion element to its ignition temperature, and advantageously, the gas catalytic combustion element is located so that on the gas catalytic combustion element being raised to its ignition temperature, the flame of the initial flame combustion is starved of fuel gas and is extinguished. 
     
     
         76 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 75  in which a thermostatic control means is provided for controlling the temperature of the heatable element, and preferably, the thermostatic control means is adapted for controlling the temperature of the heatable element by controlling flow of fuel gas to the combustion chamber, and advantageously, a thermal mass is located in heat conducting engagement with the gas catalytic combustion element for maintaining a portion of the gas catalytic combustion element adjacent the thermal mass at a temperature at or above the ignition temperature of the gas catalytic combustion element during short time periods during which the gas catalytic combustion element is isolated from the fuel gas by the thermostatic control means. 
     
     
         77 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 75  in which the body member of the heating means is in heat conducting engagement with the heatable element, and preferably, a fuel gas reservoir is provided for storing fuel gas, the fuel gas reservoir being coupled to the heating means, and preferably, the fuel gas reservoir is refillable, and advantageously, a reservoir chamber is located in the housing for accommodating the fuel gas reservoir. 
     
     
         78 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 63  in which the heating means comprises an electrically powered heating means. 
     
     
         79 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 78  in which the electrically powered heating means comprises one of the following:
 an electrically powered heating element, 
 a resistive heating element, 
 a positive temperature coefficient device, 
 a ceramic device, and 
 a carbon element. 
 
     
     
         80 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 78  in which the electrically powered heating means is battery powered. 
     
     
         81 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 63  in which the heatable element is of a specific thermal mass, and preferably, the heatable element is connected to the heating means by a heat transfer means for controlling heat transfer from the heating means to the heatable element. 
     
     
         82 . A vaporising device as claimed in  claim 63  in which the housing is formed by a pair of shells, which when joined together form the vaporising chamber, and preferably, the shells when joined together define the heater accommodating chamber, and advantageously, the pair of shells when joined together to form the housing define the reservoir accommodating chamber, and preferably, a partition wall extending between the shells when joined together to form the housing isolates the vaporising chamber from the heater accommodating chamber, and advantageously, the housing is of a plastics material, and preferably, the housing is of a heat resistant plastics material.