Cartomiser

Abstract

A cartomizer for an aerosol-generating device, wherein the cartomizer has a top end and a bottom end which are spaced apart along a longitudinal axis of the cartomizer, a vaporizer has a combined wicking and heating function, the vaporizer is elongate along a longitudinal axis and has a central portion and first and second end portions, and the vaporizer is positioned below a reservoir of the cartomizer and the end portions of the vaporizer sit flat on top of a lower support unit such that the longitudinal axis of the vaporizer is positioned transverse to the longitudinal axis of the cartomizer.

1 . A cartomizer for an aerosol-generating device, wherein:
 the cartomizer has a top end and a bottom end which are spaced apart along a longitudinal axis of the cartomizer;   a vaporizer has a combined wicking and heating function;   the vaporizer is elongate along a longitudinal axis and has a central portion and first and second end portions; and   the vaporizer is positioned below a reservoir of the cartomizer and the end portions of the vaporizer sit flat on top of a lower support unit such that the longitudinal axis of the vaporizer is positioned transverse to the longitudinal axis of the cartomizer.   
     
     
         2 . A cartomizer according to  claim 1 , wherein the central portion of the vaporizer is planar with the end portions of the vaporizer and extends across an air passage of the lower support unit. 
     
     
         3 . A cartomizer according to  claim 2 , wherein the plane of the vaporizer is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cartomizer. 
     
     
         4 . A cartomizer according to  claim 3 , wherein the planar vaporizer has the shape of a strip with parallel or concave sides. 
     
     
         5 . A cartomizer according to  claim 1 , wherein the central portion of the vaporizer is non-planar with the end portions of the vaporizer and extends across an air passage of the lower support unit. 
     
     
         6 . A cartomizer according to  claim 5 , wherein the central portion of the vaporizer is corrugated or lies in a plane which is rotated about the longitudinal axis of the vaporizer relative to a plane of the end portions of the vaporizer. 
     
     
         7 . A cartomizer according to  claim 1 , wherein the lower support unit has a top surface which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cartomizer and on which the end portions of the vaporizer are seated. 
     
     
         8 . A cartomizer according to  claim 1 , wherein the end portions of the vaporizer are exposed to wells at the bottom of the reservoir. 
     
     
         9 . A cartomizer according to  claim 1 , wherein the cartomizer includes an upper clamping unit which sits on top of the lower support unit with the vaporizer sandwiched between the lower support unit and the upper clamping unit. 
     
     
         10 . A cartomizer according to  claim 9 , wherein the central portion of the vaporizer extends across a bottom end of an air passage of the upper clamping unit. 
     
     
         11 . A cartomizer according to  claim 9 , wherein a top surface of the lower support unit or a bottom surface of the upper clamping unit has a recess in which the end portions of the vaporizer are seated. 
     
     
         12 . A cartomizer according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the cartomizer includes an outer housing and at the top end of the cartomizer the outer housing includes a mouthpiece;   the vaporizer is positioned inside the outer housing at the bottom end of the cartomizer; and   the reservoir is positioned inside the outer housing between the mouthpiece and the vaporizer.   
     
     
         13 . A cartomizer according to  claim 9 , wherein the lower support unit and the upper clamping unit form a plug which closes a bottom end of the outer housing and a bottom end of the reservoir. 
     
     
         14 . A cartomizer according to  claim 12 , wherein the upper clamping unit includes an upwardly extending air tube which extends towards the mouthpiece. 
     
     
         15 . A cartomizer according to  claim 1 , wherein the lower support unit has first and second through holes each leading from a bottom surface of the lower support unit to a respective one of the end portions of the vaporizer. 
     
     
         16 . A cartomizer according to  claim 15 , wherein each through hole is tapered from having a wider width at the bottom surface of the lower support unit to having a narrower width at the top surface of the lower support unit. 
     
     
         17 . A cartomizer according to  claim 1 , wherein the lower support unit includes first and second co-molded contact pads each for providing electrical contact between a power-supply pin and a respective one of the end portions of the vaporizer. 
     
     
         18 . A cartomizer according to  claim 8 , wherein the lower support unit has first and second through holes each leading from a bottom surface of the lower support unit to a respective one of the end portions of the vaporizer and, wherein, relative to the longitudinal axis of the cartomizer, the wells are inboard of the first and second through holes of the lower support unit or the first and second co-molded contact pads of the lower support unit. 
     
     
         19 . A cartomizer according to  claim 2 , wherein the planar vaporizer has a length of 10 mm or less and the central portion is in the form of a central neck with a width of 1 mm or less. 
     
     
         20 . A cartomizer according to  claim 2 , wherein the central portion is in the form of a narrow central part for generating aerosol from wicked reservoir liquid and the first and second end portions are in the form of first and second wider ends which are in fluid communication with the reservoir. 
     
     
         21 . A cartomizer according to  claim 1 , wherein the vaporizer is formed from sintered fibers having a mean diameter of 12 microns or less. 
     
     
         22 . A cartomizer according to  claim 12 , wherein the lower support unit engages a bottom end of a side wall of the outer housing thereby locking the lower support unit in position relative to the outer housing. 
     
     
         23 . A cartomizer according to  claim 1 , wherein a bottom surface of the lower support unit provides a bottom surface of the cartomizer. 
     
     
         24 . An acrosol-generating device comprising a cartomizer according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         25 . A vaping device comprising:
 a main housing which contains a power source and control electronics; and   a cartomizer according to  claim 1 .