Aerosol-Generating Device

Abstract

An aerosol-generating device includes a casing housing a pod compartment extending in a longitudinal direction and an opening to provide access to the pod compartment, a heater arranged at a bottom end of the pod compartment, and a lever configured to apply a longitudinal constraint on a pod received inside the pod compartment.

1 . An aerosol-generating device comprising:
 a casing housing a pod compartment extending in a longitudinal direction between a top end and a bottom end, the pod compartment being arranged for accommodating a pod to be heated during an operation of the aerosol-generating device,   an opening for insertion and removal of the pod in the pod compartment,   a heater arranged at the bottom end of the pod compartment, and   a lever pivotably mounted on the casing between an opened configuration in which the lever exposes the pod compartment through the opening and a closed configuration in which the lever closes the opening, wherein the lever is configured to apply a longitudinal constraint on the pod in the closed configuration and release the longitudinal constraint in the opened configuration.   
     
     
         2 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the lever has a curved sliding surface for sliding cooperation with the pod received in the pod compartment and a substantially planar blocking surface configured to be arranged orthogonally to the longitudinal direction in the closed configuration of the lever to apply the longitudinal constraint. 
     
     
         3 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein a resulting pressing force between the pod and the heater in the closed configuration of the lever is between 10 and 20 N. 
     
     
         4 . The device according to  claim 1 , so configured that a rotation of the lever from the opened configuration towards the closed configuration induces a translation of the pod towards the heater. 
     
     
         5 . The device according to  claim 1 , further comprising at least one heater biasing element urging the heater towards the top end of the pod compartment. 
     
     
         6 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the lever is pivotably mounted on the casing around a rotation axis orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         7 . The device according to  claim 6 , wherein the lever is an eccentric lever having a grasping portion and a cam-shaped base portion intersecting the rotation axis. 
     
     
         8 . The device according to  claim 7 , wherein a distance, measured longitudinally between the rotation axis and a bottom surface of the cam-shaped base portion is smaller in the opened configuration than in the closed configuration of the lever. 
     
     
         9 . The device according to  claim 8 , wherein the eccentric lever is configured so that a distance, measured longitudinally between the rotation axis and the bottom surface of the cam-shaped base portion, is higher in an intermediate configuration of the lever between the opened and closed configurations than in the closed configuration. 
     
     
         10 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the lever comprises an integrated airpath configured to communicate with an airpath of a pod received in the pod compartment. 
     
     
         11 . The device according to  claim 7 , wherein the lever comprises an integrated airpath configured to communicate with an airpath of a pod received in the pod compartment, and wherein the integrated airpath is formed in the cam-shaped base portion. 
     
     
         12 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the opening for insertion and removal of the pod in the pod compartment is a lateral opening. 
     
     
         13 . The device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a heater protector, the heater protector comprising a screen movable between a protection position in which the heater is shielded by the screen and a retracted position in which the heater is functional with respect to the pod for operation of the device, with the heater protector comprising at least one protector biasing member configured to urge the screen towards the protection position. 
     
     
         14 . A system for generating an aerosol, comprising:
 the device according to  claim 1 , and   a pod configured to be inserted in the pod compartment of the device.   
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 14 , wherein the pod comprises an airpath opened at a top end and a heating interface at a bottom end configured to cooperate with the heater. 
     
     
         16 . The device according to  claim 7 , wherein a distance, measured longitudinally between the rotation axis and a bottom surface of the cam-shaped base portion is at least 20% smaller in the opened configuration than in the closed configuration of the lever. 
     
     
         17 . The device according to  claim 13 , wherein the heater protector is provided with an opening forming a passage for at least a contact zone of the heater. 
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 15 , wherein the lever comprises an integrated airpath aligned and communicating with the airpath of the pod in the closed configuration of the lever.