Heating System And Method Of Heating For An Inhaler Device

Abstract

A heating system for an inhaler device, such as an e-cigarette or a personal vaporizer, for generating an aerosol and/or a vapor from a substance to be heated, especially a liquid or gel, the heating system including: a first heating zone configured to receive the substance to be heated from a supply reservoir, wherein at least one first heating element is provided to pre-heat the substance in the first heating zone; and a second heating zone configured to receive the preheated substance from the first heating zone, wherein at least one second heating element is provided to heat the substance in the second heating zone.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A heating system for an electronic cigarette, the heating system comprising:
 a reservoir configured to hold a liquid;   a body comprising a plurality of channels in fluid communication with the reservoir;   heating elements disposed in the plurality of channels; and   a feed mechanism configured to apply a pressure to the liquid to transfer the liquid into the channels.   
     
     
         3 . The heating system according to  claim 2 , wherein the feed mechanism comprises a plunger having a pressure bias. 
     
     
         4 . The heating system according to  claim 3 , wherein the plunger defines a distal surface that forms a first portion of an external boundary of the reservoir, and the body defines a proximal surface that forms a second portion of the external boundary of the reservoir, the second portion being spaced apart from the first portion. 
     
     
         5 . The heating system according to  claim 4 , further comprising a generally cylindrical housing having an inner surface that forms a third portion of an external boundary of the reservoir extending between the first portion and the second portion. 
     
     
         6 . The heating system according to  claim 5 , wherein the plunger is configured to move along a longitudinal axis of the housing according to the pressure bias as a volume of the liquid in the reservoir decreases, from an initial position remote from the body to a final position adjacent to the body. 
     
     
         7 . The heating system according to  claim 6 , wherein the body is disposed within the housing at a fixed location along the longitudinal axis, and the proximal surface of the body faces the distal surface of the plunger. 
     
     
         8 . The heating system according to  claim 3 , wherein the pressure bias is a spring that acts on the plunger, the plunger being a movable piston. 
     
     
         9 . The heating system according to  claim 2 , wherein the body is a plug member having a surface that forms a portion of an external boundary of the reservoir. 
     
     
         10 . The heating system according to  claim 2 , wherein the body is a baffle member having a surface that forms a portion of an external boundary of the reservoir. 
     
     
         11 . A method of heating a liquid in an electronic cigarette, the method comprising:
 storing the liquid in a reservoir;   transferring at least some of the liquid from the reservoir into a plurality of channels of a body, the plurality of channels being in fluid communication with the reservoir, the transferring being aided by a pressure applied to the liquid from a feed mechanism; and   energizing heating elements disposed in the plurality of channels, thereby heating the at least some of the liquid in the plurality of channels.   
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the feed mechanism comprises a plunger having a pressure bias. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the reservoir has an external boundary defined by an inner surface of a generally cylindrical housing, a proximal surface of the body, and a distal surface of the plunger, the body and the plunger being disposed within the housing and spaced apart from one another. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , further comprising moving the plunger along a longitudinal axis of the housing toward the body according to the pressure bias of the plunger, the moving of the plunger decreasing a volume of the liquid that remains in the reservoir. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the body is disposed at a fixed location along the longitudinal axis, and the proximal surface of the body faces the distal surface of the plunger. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the pressure bias is a spring that acts on the plunger, the plunger being a movable piston.