CN116963628A

CN116963628A - Aerosol supply system

Info

Publication number: CN116963628A
Application number: CN202280020378.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 戴维·拉什福斯; 查兰吉特·南德拉
Original assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Current assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Priority date: 2021-03-11
Filing date: 2022-02-18
Publication date: 2023-10-27
Also published as: JP2024510123A; KR20230144071A; BR112023018389A2; CA3209536A1; EP4304402A1; GB202103376D0; US20240138490A1; WO2022189766A1

Abstract

An aerosol provision system is provided that includes a chamber for receiving at least a portion of a consumable through an aperture of the chamber. A visual indicator is disposed around the aperture for providing user feedback.

Description

Aerosol supply system

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to aerosol provision systems.

Background

The aerosol supply/delivery system generally comprises an aerosol-generating material, such as a portion of a solid, liquid or gel, or a reservoir of a source liquid, and/or the aerosol-generating material may comprise an active substance and/or a flavouring agent, for example, aerosol or vapour is generated from the aerosol-generating material by thermal evaporation for inhalation by a user. Thus, an aerosol provision system/e-cigarette system will typically comprise a heating chamber or aerosol-generating chamber comprising an aerosol generator (e.g. a heating element) arranged to vaporise or aerosolize a portion of the aerosolizable material (e.g. solid material such as tobacco) to generate a vapour or aerosol in the aerosol-generating chamber. When a user draws on the device and supplies power to the heating element, air is drawn into the device through the inlet aperture and travels along an air inlet channel connected to an aerosol-generating chamber where it mixes with the vaporized precursor material to form a condensed aerosol. The air outlet channel connects from the aerosol-generating chamber to an outlet in the mouthpiece and air drawn into the aerosol-generating chamber when a user inhales on the mouthpiece continues along an outlet flow path to the mouthpiece outlet, which carries aerosol for inhalation by the user. Some aerosol supply systems may also include a flavoring element in the airflow path through the device to impart additional flavor. Such devices may sometimes be referred to as mixing devices, and the flavouring element may for example comprise a portion of solid aerosol-generating and/or flavouring material (such as tobacco) arranged in the airflow path between the aerosol-generating chamber and the mouthpiece such that aerosol/condensed aerosol drawn through the device passes through the portion of solid material before exiting the mouthpiece for inhalation by a user. In some aerosol-supply systems, the aerosol-generating material comprises a source liquid contained in a cartridge or capsule that also contains the heating element and the aerosol-generating chamber, and the cartridge is mechanically and electrically coupled to the control unit for use. The control unit comprises a battery and a control circuit that together supply power to the heating element via the cartridge.

Some aerosol supply/delivery systems include one or more visual indicators to provide visual feedback to a user regarding one or more aspects of device operation or status. Such feedback may include information regarding, for example, whether the system is on or off, the selected mode of operation, how much power/charge remains in the aerosol-supply system or aerosol-generating material, the temperature of the heating element, or the intensity of the user's suction on the device. Such information may be displayed before, during and/or after the user draws on the aerosol provision device. The visual indicator for displaying such information may comprise a display panel comprising an array of pixels. Alternatively or additionally, one or more lighting elements, such as Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), may be provided to provide visual feedback. The visual indicator (also referred to herein as a visual feedback indicator) will typically be configured to provide visual feedback on an exterior portion of the housing of the aerosol supply system. Such a housing may include one or more openings and/or one or more transparent or translucent portions to allow visual feedback from a visual indicator disposed within the housing to be seen by a user.

The inventors have appreciated that it may be advantageous to provide visual feedback to the user while the user is drawing on the aerosol provision system, and/or before or after the user draws on the aerosol provision system. In such a scenario, the inventors have recognized that conventional devices that provide visual feedback on an aerosol supply device may not provide an easy to see or intuitive way to display feedback to a user with respect to placement on an aerosol supply system. Various approaches are described herein that seek to help solve or mitigate at least some of the problems discussed above.

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an aerosol provision system comprising: a chamber for receiving at least a portion of the consumable through an aperture of the chamber; and a visual indicator for providing user feedback and disposed about the aperture.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a consumable is provided that is configured for insertion into a bore of an aerosol supply system, wherein an outer portion of the consumable is configured to modify an appearance of visual feedback provided by a visual indicator disposed around the bore.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of providing a visual indicator for an aerosol provision system, the method comprising the steps of: providing an aerosol supply system having a chamber for receiving a consumable through an aperture of the chamber; and providing a visual indicator for providing user feedback, wherein the visual indicator is disposed about the aperture.

It is to be understood that the features and aspects of the present disclosure described herein with respect to the first and other aspects of the present disclosure are equally applicable to, and may be appropriately combined with, the embodiments of the present disclosure in accordance with the other aspects of the present disclosure, not just in the specific combinations described above.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

In the figure:

fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol provision device according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a visual indicator according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a mouthpiece end portion of an aerosol delivery device, showing a visual indicator according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a mouthpiece end portion of an aerosol delivery device, showing a visual indicator according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of a mouthpiece end portion of an aerosol delivery device, showing a visual indicator according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a mouthpiece end portion of an aerosol delivery device, showing a visual indicator according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view of a longitudinal section through a mouthpiece end portion of an aerosol supply device, showing a visual indicator according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view of a longitudinal section taken through a mouthpiece end portion of an aerosol supply device, showing a visual indicator according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 9 is a schematic view of a longitudinal section taken through a mouthpiece end portion of an aerosol provision device, showing a visual indicator and a consumable comprising a visual feedback modification tool according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

Detailed Description

Aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments are discussed/described herein. Some aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments may be conventionally implemented and are not discussed/described in detail for the sake of brevity. Thus, it should be understood that aspects and features of the apparatus and methods discussed herein that are not described in detail may be implemented in accordance with any conventional technique for implementing such aspects and features.

The present disclosure relates to aerosol supply/delivery systems (which may also be referred to as vapor delivery systems). Throughout the following description, the terms "e-cigarette system", "heating but not burning" system or "tobacco heating product" may be used at times, but it is understood that these terms may be used interchangeably with aerosol supply/delivery system/device and e-aerosol supply/delivery system/device. Furthermore, and as is common in the art, the terms "aerosol" and "vapor" and related terms, such as "evaporation," "volatilization," and "aerosolization," may be used interchangeably in general.

Aerosol supply systems typically (although not always) include a modular assembly that includes both a reusable "device" portion and a replaceable "consumable" portion. Typically the replaceable consumable part will include aerosol-generating material that is heated to generate an aerosol, while the reusable part will include a power source (e.g. a rechargeable power source), control circuitry and a heater configured to heat the aerosol-generating material in the consumable part when it is coupled to the reusable part. In such embodiments, heat is typically transferred from a heater in the reusable device portion into a portion of the consumable portion to aerosolize/evaporate aerosol-generating material in the heated portion of the consumable portion, or power or a magnetic field is transmitted into the consumable portion to cause an aerosol generator in the consumable portion to generate an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material. Thus, in some cases, the consumable portion includes an element associated with heating the aerosol-generating material in the consumable portion. For example, the consumable portion may comprise a susceptor that may be inductively heated by a magnetic field generator/drive coil arrangement in the reusable device portion in order to aerosolize the aerosol-generating material in the consumable portion; and/or the consumable portion may include a heating element that receives power from the reusable device portion via an electrical interface between the reusable device portion and the consumable portion when the consumable portion and the reusable device portion are coupled together for use. The consumable part may be configured for partial or complete insertion into the reusable device part for use, for example by inserting it into a chamber/receiving recess of the reusable device part, which may comprise an aerosol generating chamber or heating chamber located within a housing of the reusable device part. Such a chamber may be accessed via a hole/opening provided in the housing of the reusable device portion. When the aerosol-generating material in a given consumable portion is exhausted, or a user wishes to switch to a different consumable portion having a different aerosol-generating material, the consumable portion may be removed from the reusable device portion by withdrawing the consumable portion from the chamber via the aperture, and the replaceable consumable portion can be coupled to the reusable device portion in its place. Devices conforming to this type of two-part modular construction may generally be referred to as "two-part" devices.

The aerosol provision systems/devices (including their reusable device portion and consumable portion) typically have a generally elongate shape. To provide a specific example, certain embodiments of the present disclosure described herein will be considered to include such a generally elongated two-part device employing a reusable device portion including a heater and a consumable including an aerosol-generating material. However, it should be understood that the basic principles described herein may equally be applied to different aerosol supply system configurations, such as single-part devices or modular devices comprising more than two parts, refillable devices and disposable devices as well as devices conforming to other general shapes, such as based on so-called "box-mod" high performance devices, which typically have a more square shape, and so-called "pod-mod" devices, which typically comprise cartridges, including heaters and supplies of aerosol-generating material (typically in liquid form); when the cartridge is received in the chamber, the cartridge is partially inserted into the chamber in the reusable device portion via docking of electrical contacts on the cartridge with electrical contacts disposed in the chamber of the reusable device portion to establish an electrical connection between the cartridge and the control circuitry of the reusable device portion. More generally, it should be understood that certain embodiments of the present disclosure are based on an aerosol supply system that is operatively configured to provide functionality in accordance with the principles described herein, while the constructional aspects of an aerosol supply system configured to provide functionality in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure are not of major significance.

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken through an exemplary aerosol provision system/heating but non-combustion device 1 according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The aerosol supply system 1 comprises two main components, a reusable device portion 2 and a replaceable consumable/cartridge/cartomizer portion 4.

In normal use, the reusable part 2 and the consumable part 4 are releasably coupled/attached together by inserting the consumable part 4 partially or fully into a chamber 50 of the reusable device part 2, the chamber comprising a heater chamber/heating zone 53. In case the consumable part 4 is configured to be heated by the reusable device part 2 and to be at least partly received in the chamber, the chamber 50 may be considered as a heating chamber/heater chamber in case the consumable part 4 is heated by, for example, a heater comprised in the reusable part 2 or the reusable part 2 supplies energy (i.e. electrical energy) to the consumable part 4 such that the heater comprised in the consumable part 4 heats. Fig. 1 schematically shows a reusable device portion 2 with a consumable portion 4 partially received in a chamber 50. The chamber 50 comprises a cylindrical tube extending from the outer housing surface of the reusable device portion into the reusable device portion 2. In this example, when the user holds the reusable device portion in his hand for use, the chamber extends into the device from the outer surface of the mouthpiece end of the reusable device portion 2 (defined as the uppermost part of the reusable device portion), the chamber 50 extending parallel to the long axis of the reusable device portion 2. The aperture 51 communicates between the chamber 50 and the exterior of the device.

In summary, the reusable device portion 2 is configured to generate an aerosol to be inhaled by a user, typically by directly heating one or more aerosol-generating materials in the consumable portion 4 via one or more heating elements associated with the heating region 53 of the chamber 50 or by transmitting electrical energy or a magnetic field into the consumable portion 4 to energize an aerosol generator (such as a heating element in or on the consumable portion 4). In use, a user inserts the consumable part 4 into the chamber 50 of the reusable device part via the aperture 51 and then activates the reusable device part 2, for example using the button 14, to cause the reusable device part 2 to supply power from the power source/battery 26 to the aerosol generating element, thereby aerosolizing the aerosol generating material(s) included in the consumable part 4 for inhalation by the user. The user then draws on the mouthpiece 41 of the consumable part 4 extending from the aperture 51 at the mouthpiece end of the reusable device part 2 to inhale the aerosol generated by the reusable device part 2. As the user draws on the mouthpiece 41 of the consumable portion 4, air is drawn into the air inlet 24 provided on the outer surface of the reusable portion 2, downstream along the air inlet channel 25, and into the heating region 53 of the chamber 50, wherein the air enters at least one air inlet 42 of the consumable portion 4 entraining the vapour/aerosol generated by aerosolizing/heating the portion of the aerosol-generating material 43 included in the consumable portion 4. For the sake of a specific example, fig. 1 schematically shows a heating element 48 arranged around a heating zone 53 of a chamber 50 as further described herein, which heating element transfers heat into the portion of the consumable part 4 containing the aerosol-generating material 43. The entrained vapor/aerosol travels through the consumable portion 4 toward the mouthpiece end of the reusable device portion 2 from which the mouthpiece 41 of the consumable portion 4 extends, wherein aerosol droplets condense or further condense from the vapor/aerosol, forming a condensed aerosol that exits the mouthpiece 41 of the consumable portion 4 for inhalation by the user.

The reusable portion 2 comprises an outer housing having an opening defining an air inlet 24, a power source 26 (e.g., a battery) for providing operating power to the aerosol supply system, control circuitry 22 for controlling and monitoring operation of the electronic cigarette, optional user input buttons 14, optional display 16, and visual display/indicator 28. The outer housing of the reusable device portion 2 may be made of, for example, a plastic or metal material or any other material known to those skilled in the art. To provide a specific example, in some embodiments, the reusable device portion 2 may have a length of around 80mm and the consumable portion 4 extends from about 10 to 30mm from the mouthpiece end of the reusable device portion when inserted into the chamber 50, so that when the consumable portion and the reusable device portion are coupled together, the overall length of the aerosol supply system 1 is around 90 to 110 mm. The consumable part 4 may have a diameter of about 80 mm. However, and as already noted, it should be understood that the overall shape and size of an aerosol supply system implementing embodiments of the present disclosure is not critical to the principles described herein.

The power supply 26 in this example is rechargeable and may be of a conventional type, for example of a kind commonly used in aerosol-supply systems such as heating but non-combustion devices, tobacco heating devices, electronic cigarettes and other applications requiring relatively high current (e.g. lithium ion batteries) to be provided for a relatively short period of time. The power supply 26 may be recharged through a charging connector in the reusable part housing, including, for example, a micro USB or USB-C connector, which may also provide an interface for data transfer between the controller 22 and an external processing device, such as a smart phone or personal computer.

User input buttons 14 may optionally be provided, which in this example are conventional mechanical buttons, including for example spring-mounted components that can be pressed by a user to establish electrical contact. In this regard, the input buttons 14 may be considered as input devices for detecting user input, and the particular manner in which the buttons are implemented is not important (e.g., they may include capacitive touch sensors and/or touch-sensitive display elements). A plurality of such buttons may be provided, wherein one or more buttons are assigned functions such as turning on and off the aerosol provision system 1 and adjusting user settings (such as power to be supplied from the power supply 26 to the aerosol generator 48) and/or selecting one or more device modes. However, the inclusion of user input buttons is optional, and in some embodiments, such buttons may not be included.

In some examples, the optional display unit 16 may be provided on an outer surface of the housing of the reusable device portion 2. The display unit 16, where included, may include a pixelated or non-pixelated display unit (e.g., including a single LED, an LED array, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display, an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display, an Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED) display, an electroluminescent display (ELD), a Plasma Display Panel (PDP), an electronic ink display) connected to the controller 22. Such displays may be implemented by those skilled in the art according to any method known in the art. Such a display may be used to display usage information to a user regarding the use of the aerosol provision system 1. Exemplary forms of usage information that may be displayed to a user via the optional display unit 16 are further described herein.

At least one visual indicator/visual feedback indicator 28 is provided having a display area visible on an outer surface of the housing of the reusable device portion 2, the visual indicator 28 being configured to provide visual feedback to a user regarding one or more aspects of the operation or status of the device. Such visual feedback may include information regarding, for example, whether the system is on or off, the selected mode of operation, how much power or aerosol-generating material is remaining in the system, the temperature of the heating element, or the intensity of the user's suction on the device (e.g., from an airflow sensor as further described herein). Such information may be displayed before, during and/or after a puff or session on the aerosol provision device. The visual indicator for displaying such information may include a display panel (comprising a plurality of pixels) including, for example, LCD, LED, OLED, AMOLED, ELD, PDP, electronic ink display, or any other form of pixelated display panel known to those skilled in the art. Additionally or alternatively, the visual indicator 28 may include one or more non-pixelated display elements, such as one or more LEDs. Where visual indicator 28 includes one or more LEDs, the color of each LED may be selected from a set of LED colors known to those skilled in the art, and/or LEDs configured to display more than one color may be used (e.g., one or more RGB LEDs may be used). As further set forth herein, the at least one visual indicator 28 may also include one or more light guiding elements, such as one or more light pipes, optical fibers, or other transparent or translucent light transmitting elements, configured to direct visual feedback signals from one or more light emitting visual feedback elements located within the housing of the reusable device portion 2 onto, into, or through one or more display areas visible in the housing surface of the reusable device portion 2.

The controller 22 is suitably configured/programmed to control operation of the aerosol supply system to provide functionality according to embodiments of the present disclosure as further described herein, as well as for providing conventional operational functionality of the aerosol supply system according to established techniques for controlling such devices. The controller (processor circuit) 22 may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units/circuit elements associated with different aspects of the operation of the aerosol provision system 1. In this example, the controller 22 includes power control circuitry for controlling the supply of power from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48 in response to user input, user programming circuitry for establishing configuration settings (e.g., user-defined power settings) in response to user input, and functions associated with other functional units/circuitry in accordance with the principles described herein and conventional operational aspects of the aerosol supply system, such as display drive circuitry and user input detection circuitry. It should be appreciated that the functionality of the controller 22 may be provided in a variety of different ways, for example using one or more suitably programmed programmable computers and/or one or more suitably configured application specific integrated circuits/chips/chipsets configured to provide the desired functionality. The controller 22 may include a wireless transceiver and associated control circuitry that enables data to be transferred between the reusable device portion 2 and an external computing device such as a smart phone or personal computer (not shown) via a wireless transmission protocol such as bluetooth, near Field Communication (NFC) or wireless personal area network. The controller 22 also includes one or more data storage elements (e.g., memory elements such as ROM or RAM elements) that may be used to store data associated with the use of the aerosol supply system in accordance with established techniques for data storage and transmission.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the reusable device portion 2 may include an airflow sensor 30, such as a pressure sensor or a flow rate sensor (e.g., a hot wire anemometer), that is electrically connected to the controller 22 and in fluid communication with a portion of the airflow path between the air inlet 24 and the mouthpiece 41. The airflow sensor 30 may be disposed, for example, in a wall of the air inlet channel 25 or chamber 50 and/or extend at least partially into or through a portion of the airflow path defined by the air inlet channel 25 or chamber 50. In some embodiments, a combined airflow and temperature sensor is used that allows the temperature of the airflow in a portion of the airflow path in the device to be determined. In some embodiments, the airflow sensor includes a so-called "puff sensor" in that the controller 22 uses the signal from the airflow sensor 30 to detect when a user puffs on the device. In some embodiments, detection of user puff (e.g., by the controller 22 detecting a signal from the airflow sensor 30 indicative of pressure and/or flow rate in the airflow path between the air inlet 24 and the mouthpiece 41 and determining whether it is above or below a pre-defined threshold) is used by the controller 22 to control the supply of power to the aerosol generator/heater 48. Accordingly, the controller 22 may distribute power from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48 depending on at least the signal received by the controller 22 from the airflow sensor 30. The particular manner in which the controller 22 uses the signal output from the airflow sensor 30 (which may include a measurement of the capacitance, resistance, or other characteristic of the airflow sensor produced by the controller 22) to control the supply of power from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48 may be accomplished according to any method known to those skilled in the art, for example, by providing an amount of power to the aerosol generator 48 that is proportional to a characteristic (e.g., pressure, flow rate, and/or velocity) of the airflow through the aerosol supply system that is determined based on the signal output by the airflow sensor 30. In some examples, the controller 22 uses the signal received from the pressure sensor to turn on and/or off the power supply to the aerosol generator 48 (i.e., the aerosol generator 48 is "suction activated") (e.g., power is supplied when the airflow parameter value determined based on the signal received from the airflow sensor 30 is on one side of the pre-defined threshold, and power is not supplied when the airflow parameter value is on the other side of the pre-defined threshold). In other embodiments, the supply of power to the aerosol generator 48 is controlled via other means (e.g., by the button 14), wherein the delivery of power is modified based on signals received by the controller 22 from the airflow sensor (e.g., modulated in proportion to airflow parameters determined based on signals received from the airflow sensor 30). However, it should be understood that the inclusion of an airflow sensor is optional and, in some embodiments, does not include an airflow sensor. In such embodiments, the power supply to the aerosol generator 48 may be turned on and off by the push button 14, or the power supply to the aerosol generator may be turned on by the push button 14, wherein the power supply to the aerosol generator 48 is turned off by the controller 22 after a predetermined period of time has elapsed. For example, when the controller 22 detects a predetermined input signal (e.g., supplied via the button 14, or including detecting via a suitable sensor that the user has inserted the consumable portion 4 into the chamber 50), the controller may begin to supply power from the battery 26 to the aerosol generator 48 and start a timer. When the elapsed time/activation duration on the timer reaches a predetermined threshold (e.g., 210 seconds), the controller 22 may stop the power to the aerosol generator 48. The duration of activation of the aerosol generator 48 at a given power level may be set based on the time it takes for the aerosol generator 48 to aerosolize/volatilize a predetermined amount of the aerosol-generating material 48 in the consumable part 4. For a given consumable portion 4, experimentation or modeling may be used to determine the appropriate activation duration (i.e., the time from the activation of the aerosol generator 48 after which the controller 22 automatically turns off the power supply to the aerosol generator 48).

In some embodiments, the aperture 51 of the reusable part 2 (via which the consumable part 4 is inserted into the chamber 50) may be opened and closed by a door (not shown) that is movable between a closed position and an open position to allow the consumable part 4 to be inserted into the reusable device part 2 when in the open position. The door may be coplanar with a mouthpiece end surface of the reusable device portion, configured to slide along an axis between an open position and a closed position or to rotate between the open position and the closed position. A spring or magnet may bias the door in an open position and a closed position to hold the door in the open position or the closed position after the user has slid or rotated the door to either position.

The reusable portion 2 generally includes an aerosol generator 48 located adjacent to a heated region 53 of the consumable chamber 50. The aerosol generator is an element or appliance configured to generate an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material in the consumable part 4, for example by heating. Thus, in some embodiments, the aerosol generator 48 comprises a heater configured to subject the aerosol-generating material in the consumable portion 4 to thermal energy in order to release one or more volatiles from the aerosol-generating material to form an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is configured to generate an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator 48 may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material in the consumable portion 4 to one or more of vibration, pressurization, or electrostatic energy to volatilize the aerosol-generating material. It will be appreciated that in a two-part device such as that shown in fig. 1, portions of the aerosol generator 48 may be in the reusable device portion 2 and/or the consumable portion 4. It should also be appreciated that in some examples, the consumable portion 4 may comprise a cartridge containing an electrically powered aerosol generator (e.g., a heater), and that the reusable device portion 2 may include an electrical interface in addition to or in lieu of the aerosol generator 48 in the reusable device portion 2, the electrical interface including electrical contacts disposed in the chamber 50 that electrically connect the aerosol generator in the consumable portion 4 with the power source 26 and the controller 22 in the reusable device portion 4 when the consumable portion 4 is fully or partially received within the chamber 50.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the aerosol generator 48 comprising at least one heating element is formed as a cylindrical tube having a hollow interior heating chamber configured in use to provide thermal energy to a heating region 53 of the chamber/receiving recess 50 into which the consumable portion 4 comprising the aerosol-generating material 43 is inserted for heating. As further set forth herein, the heating element may directly form the portion of the tube that includes chamber 50, or may be disposed about or proximate to a heating region 53 of the tube that includes chamber 50. Different arrangements of the aerosol generator/heater 48 are possible. In some embodiments, heater 48 may comprise a single heating element (e.g., resistive trace, and/or winding), or may be formed from a plurality of heating elements aligned longitudinally or transversely (e.g., radially) with the longitudinal axis of chamber 50. Each of the one or more heating elements included in the heater 48 may be annular or tubular, or at least partially annular or partially tubular about its periphery. The one or more heating elements may include one or more thin film heaters including one or more resistive traces on a heat resistant substrate including, for example, a polyimide film. The one or more heating elements may comprise a ceramic material comprising, for example, aluminum nitride or silicon nitride ceramic, which may be laminated and sintered with one or more heat generating layers according to methods known in the art to form a heater. Other heater arrangements are also possible including, for example, induction heating elements, infrared heater elements that heat by emitting infrared radiation, or resistive heating elements formed from, for example, resistive electrical windings. In the latter case, the resistive windings may be disposed around a ceramic, metal or heat resistant polymer tube, or embedded within a tube that includes or is disposed around the heating region 53 of the chamber 50 to emit heat into a cavity within the heating region 53. The battery 26 is electrically coupled to the heating element to supply power when needed and to heat the aerosolizable material in the consumable 4 under the control of the control circuit 22 (as discussed further herein, to volatilize the aerosolizable material without burning the aerosolizable material).

The rate at which the aerosol-generating material in the consumable portion is evaporated by the aerosol generator/heater 48 will depend on the amount of power supplied to the aerosol generator 48. Thus, power may be applied to the aerosol generator 48 to selectively generate aerosol from the aerosol-generating material in the consumable 4, and furthermore, the rate of aerosol generation may be varied by varying the amount of power supplied to the aerosol generator 48, for example by pulse width and/or frequency modulation techniques, under the control of the controller 22.

In some embodiments, at least one heating element included in the aerosol generator 48 is supported by and surrounds a heat pipe made of, for example, stainless steel, which includes a portion of the wall of the chamber 50 that receives at least a portion of the consumable portion 4. At least the portion of the tube proximate the heating element may be considered to include the heating region 53 of the chamber 50. The inner diameter of the tube comprising the chamber 50 is set with respect to the diameter of the consumable part 4 to be inserted into the tube. The tube may taper slightly (not shown) from a wider diameter at the aperture 51 to a narrower diameter at the base of the chamber away from the aperture 51 so that when the consumable part 4 slides into the chamber 50, the end away from the mouthpiece 41 compresses slightly radially as the consumable part 4 reaches the end of its travel into the chamber 50 so that the consumable part 4 is held gently in the chamber 50. Such an arrangement may prevent the consumable 4 from accidentally slipping out of the reusable device portion 4 if, for example, the reusable device portion 4 is inverted during use. Chamber 50 may also be slightly flared or chamfered at the bore end to allow the consumable portion to be easily guided into chamber 50. Thus, the chamber 50 may serve as an elongate support for supporting the consumable part 4 comprising the aerosol generating material in use. The diameter of the chamber 50 in the heating region 53 will typically be selected to closely match the diameter of the consumable part 4 to ensure contact between the outer surface of the consumable part 4 and a substantial portion of the inner surface of the heating region 53 of the chamber 50, thereby allowing efficient heat transfer from the one or more heating elements included in the aerosol generator 48 into the consumable part 4.

In embodiments where the aerosol generator 48 comprises a heater, the tube comprising the heating region 53 of the chamber 50 comprises a material that transfers heat from the heater 48 to the consumable portion 4, and typically comprises a metal or metal alloy, such as one or more materials selected from the group consisting of aluminum, gold, iron, nickel, cobalt, conductive carbon, graphite, steel, plain carbon steel, mild steel, ferritic stainless steel, molybdenum, copper, and bronze. In other embodiments, the section of the tube that includes the heating region 53 of the chamber 50 may be made of a different material, so long as it is thermally conductive. In other embodiments, other heating elements 48 may be used. For example, the heating element 48 may include a susceptor (e.g., a portion of a tube including the chamber 50) that is heated via induction when exposed to a magnetic field generated by one or more magnetic field generators, such as drive coils (not shown) disposed within the reusable portion 2.

Generally, where the aerosol generator 48 comprises one or more heating elements, the aerosol generator 48 is sized relative to the distribution of aerosol-generating material in the consumable part 4 such that substantially all of the aerosol-generating material in the consumable part may be heated in use when the consumable part 4 is inserted into the reusable device part 2 (e.g. the longitudinal extent of the heating zone 53 down the axis of the chamber 50 may match the longitudinal extent of the distribution of aerosol-generating material 43 in the consumable part 4 when the consumable part 4 is received into the chamber 50 for use). In some embodiments, one or more heating elements included in the aerosol generator 48 may be arranged such that selected regions of the aerosol-generating material in the consumable portion 4 may be heated independently, for example sequentially (over time) or together (simultaneously) as desired (e.g. by distributing independently controllable heating elements along the length of the chamber 50 including the heating region 53).

As further mentioned herein, in some embodiments, the aerosol generator 48 is in the form of a hollow cylindrical tube that includes, is embedded in, or surrounds the heating region 53 of the chamber 50. The chamber formed by the inner portion of the tube including the heated region 53 is typically in fluid communication with the aperture 51 at the mouthpiece end of the reusable device portion 2 via a non-heated region 52 (which may also be referred to as an expansion region/chamber) of the chamber 50. In such embodiments, the non-heating region 52 comprises a tubular body having a first open end adjacent to or including the aperture 51 and a second open end adjacent to the heating chamber region 53 of the chamber 50. In this way, the non-heating region 52 and the heating region 53 may be considered as tubular portions of the chamber 50 arranged end-to-end. Typically, the diameters of the expansion region 52 and the heating region 53 will match at the interface therebetween to ensure that the non-mouthpiece end of the consumable part 4 is smooth through the non-heating region 52 and into the heating region 53. The non-heated/expanded region 52 and heated region 53 of the tube, including chamber 50, may be formed separately and connected via a mechanical bonding process or integrally formed. In some embodiments, the non-heated region 52 includes a flared section (not shown) that flares as it expands onto the aperture 51 and a section of substantially constant inner diameter near the interface with the heated region 53.

In some embodiments, when the consumable part 4 is inserted into the reusable device part 2, the consumable part 4 is in the form of a cylindrical rod of aerosol-generating material 43 at the end remote from the mouthpiece 41 with or contained in a section of the consumable part 4 within the heating region 53 of the chamber 50. To provide a specific example, in one embodiment, consumable portion 4 has a diameter of around 8mm and a length of around 84 mm. The depth of the chamber 50 of the reusable device portion is set relative to the length of the consumable portion 4 such that when the consumable portion 4 is inserted into the chamber 50 for use, the mouthpiece end 41 of the consumable portion 4 typically extends from the aperture (e.g., 10mm, 20mm, 30mm, or more than 30 mm). Thus, the mouthpiece end of the consumable portion 4 typically extends out of the aperture 51 from the reusable device portion 2. The consumable part 4 may comprise a filter/cooling element 44 for filtering/cooling the aerosol, which is arranged between the mouthpiece 41 and the region of aerosol-generating material 43. The consumable part 4 is typically circumferentially wrapped in a wrapper/outer layer (not shown) which may comprise a paper material and/or a metal foil and/or a polymer film, such as Natureflex (TM). The outer layer of the consumable portion 4 may be permeable to allow some of the heated volatile components from the aerosol-generating material 43 to escape the consumable portion 2 before reaching the mouthpiece 41. In some embodiments, the wrapper may comprise a metallic material located in proximity to the aerosol-generating material 43, configured to act as a susceptor that is heated via induction by one or more magnetic field generators/drive coils (not shown) in the reusable device portion 2 in order to heat the aerosol-generating material 43 via induction heating. For example, in such embodiments, the aerosol generator 48 may comprise: one or more magnetic field generators/drive coils configured to sense induction heating of the metal wrap of consumable 4; and/or one or more susceptor elements embedded within the aerosol-generating material 43 within the consumable portion 4 to cause heating of the aerosol-generating material 43 in the consumable portion 4. It will be appreciated that the construction of the consumable part 4 set forth above is illustrative and that the person skilled in the art can modify the overall structure of the consumable part according to methods known in the art.

In some embodiments, the aerosol generator 48 comprises: at least one heating element configured to transfer heat into the consumable portion 4 (according to the method for heating further set forth herein); and at least one magnetic field generator/drive coil configured to inductively heat at least one susceptor element comprised in the consumable part 4 (according to the method further set forth herein). In such embodiments, the aerosol-generating material 43 may comprise a plurality of aerosol-generating materials, wherein at least a first aerosol-generating material is heated by heat transferred from the aerosol generator 48 into the consumable part 4, and wherein at least a second aerosol-generating material is heated by one or more susceptors comprised in or on the consumable part 4.

Where the aerosol generator 48 is configured to heat the consumable portion 4, the temperature of the portion of the aerosol generator 48 and/or the temperature of the heating region 53 of the chamber 50 or the temperature of any portion of the consumable portion 4 or reusable device portion 2 may be detected by the controller 22 using one or more temperature sensors. For example, the heating element included in the aerosol generator 48 may comprise a material having a temperature coefficient of resistance properties such that its resistance varies with temperature. The controller 22 may determine the resistance of the heating element via known methods and compare the result to a look-up table derived via experimentation or modeling relating heating element resistance to temperature to estimate the temperature of the aerosol generator 48 based on the measured resistance. Alternatively or additionally, one or more temperature sensing elements, such as a thermistor, may be positioned near the heating region 53 (e.g., attached to or embedded in a tube comprising the heating region 53 of the chamber 50), the thermistor being connected to the controller 22 to enable the controller to monitor the temperature of the consumable part 4 and/or the temperature of the heating region 53. The temperature of the air in the air intake passage 25 may also be monitored in a similar manner by one or more temperature sensors (e.g., a temperature and pressure combination sensor or thermistor).

Typically, the primary flow path for the heated volatile components generated by heating the aerosol-generating material 43 by the heater 48 passes axially through the consumable portion 4, through the filter/cooling element 44 (if included), and through the open end of the mouthpiece 41 into the mouth of the user. However, some of the volatile components may escape from the consumable portion 4 through their permeable outer wrapper and enter the space in the non-heated chamber region 52 surrounding the consumable portion 4 (e.g., the space formed by the optional gap (not shown) between the outer surface of the consumable 4 and the inner surface of the chamber 50 in the flared portion of the non-heated/expanded chamber region 53).

As used herein, the term "aerosol-generating material" 43 generally includes materials that provide a volatile component (typically in vapor or aerosol form) upon heating. The "aerosol-generating material" may be a tobacco-free material or a tobacco-containing material. For example, an "aerosol-generating material" may include one or more of tobacco itself, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, tobacco extracts, homogenized tobacco, or tobacco substitutes. The aerosol-generating material may be in the form of ground tobacco, shredded tobacco, extruded tobacco, reconstituted aerosol-generating material, liquid, gel, amorphous solid, gelled sheet, powder or agglomerate, or the like. "aerosol-generating material" may also include other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine, depending on the product. The "aerosol-generating material" may comprise one or more humectants, such as glycerol, propylene glycol, glyceryl triacetate, or diethylene glycol.

As described above, the aerosol-generating material 43 may comprise an "amorphous solid", which may alternatively be referred to as a "monolithic solid" (i.e., non-fibrous), or as a "dry gel". An amorphous solid is a solid material that can retain a certain fluid (such as a liquid) therein. In some cases, the aerosol-generating material comprises from about 50wt%, 60wt%, or 70wt% amorphous solids to about 90wt%, 95wt%, or 100wt% amorphous solids. In some cases, the aerosol-generating material consists of an amorphous solid.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is a non-liquid aerosol-generating material, and the reusable device portion is used to heat the non-liquid aerosol-generating material to volatilize at least one component of the aerosol-generating material.

After all or substantially all of the volatizable component of the aerosol-generating material in the consumable portion 4 has been depleted, the user may remove the consumable portion 4 from the reusable device portion 1 and discard the consumable portion 4. The user may then reuse the reusable device portion 2 with another consumable portion 4. However, in other corresponding embodiments, the consumable part 4 and the reusable device part 2 may be discarded together after the volatizable component of the aerosol-generating material has been used up. The consumable portion 4 may be configured with an amount of aerosol-generating material 43 configured to be heated and expelled in a single heating cycle (e.g., an activation duration of 210 seconds), or with an amount of aerosol-generating material 43 configured to be expelled in multiple heating cycles. In the latter case, the consumable part 4 may be considered as a reusable consumable part 4.

In some embodiments, consumable portion 4 may be sold, supplied, or otherwise provided separately from reusable device portion 2, which consumable portion 4 can be used with. However, in some embodiments, one or more of the reusable device portion 2 and the consumable portion 4 may be provided together as a system, such as a kit or assembly, possibly with additional components, such as a cleaning appliance.

As further described herein, there are multiple classes of information regarding the status or use of the aerosol-generating system 1, which the controller 22 may indicate to a user via one or more feedback mechanisms/indicators included in the reusable device 1. Such information may be referred to as "feedback" or "usage information" and may be indicated to a user using one or more of a visual indicator 28 (as further described herein), a display unit 16, an audible feedback mechanism (such as a microphone), or a tactile feedback mechanism (such as an eccentric rotating mass actuator). Feedback/usage information indicated to the user via visual, audible, and/or tactile feedback mechanisms/indicators may include any of a non-exhaustive list of the following categories of information:

Information related to the state of a battery such as battery 26, including, but not limited to, the remaining energy in the battery (e.g., expressed as a percentage of the energy contained when the battery is fully charged), the output voltage of the battery, the number of recharging cycles, the temperature of the battery, whether the battery 26 is below a charging threshold, e.g., less than 75%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10% or 5% of full charge, maximum output power, the number of remaining heating cycles until the battery is depleted, or an indication of an error state of the battery. As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, these parameters may be determined and/or estimated in various ways by the controller 22 connected to the battery 26 in accordance with techniques known in the art.

Information related to the airflow in the aerosol supply system, including but not limited to the puff or session length, or the puff intensity or duration, for example, an indication of a pressure decrease during user inhalation, the air flow rate or air flow rate during user inhalation, the air temperature in the portion of the airflow path between the air inlet 24 and the mouthpiece 41, or the elapsed time or total duration of user inhalation. Such information may be established by controller 22 based on signals received by airflow sensor 30. As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, these parameters may be determined and/or estimated in various ways by controller 22 connected to airflow sensor 30 according to techniques known in the art.

Information related to the operation and status of the aerosol-generating element 48, including but not limited to an indication of the actual power currently being delivered to the aerosol-generating element 48, or the actual power that has been delivered during the last heating cycle; the current power setting (e.g., a power level that is stored in the controller 22 by default or by a user or in any other manner and that will be applied to the aerosol-generating element 48 in the upcoming heating cycle); an indication of an error condition in the aerosol-generating element 48; a binary indication of whether the aerosol-generating element 48 is activated; or an indication of the temperature of the heater including the aerosol-generating element 48. As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, these parameters may be determined and/or estimated in various ways by the controller 22 connected to the aerosol-generating element 48 according to techniques known in the art.

Information related to statistics of the use of the aerosol provision system, including but not limited to an indication of the number of puffs in a predetermined period of time, the number of sessions in a predetermined period of time, the average puff or session length, the average puff intensity or duration.

In general, one or more parameter values comprising feedback/usage information will be converted by the controller 22 into a representation for display to a user on the visual indicator 28. In this regard, it should be understood that a variety of representations can be used to visually represent feedback/usage information. For example, the parameter values including the usage information may be expressed as absolute values, or positions of the values with respect to a predetermined range. For example, the temperature of the heating element included in the aerosol generator 48 (which temperature is measured by the controller 22 according to the methods further set forth herein) may be expressed as an absolute value, such as 200 ℃, as one non-limiting example. Such a value may also be expressed in terms of a position within a predetermined range, such that, for example, 200 ℃ may be expressed as half of a range from 150 ℃ to 250 ℃, or three quarters of a range from 125 ℃ to 225 ℃. Thus, the representation of the former example may include a representation in the form of '1/2' or '50%' or (50/100), while the representation of the latter example may include a representation in the form of '3/4' or '75%' or (75/100). Multiple ranges may also be used to map the absolute value of a parameter into one or more classes. For example, "low" may be defined as a class of heating element temperatures (t), where 50< t.ltoreq.150 ℃; "Medium" may be defined as a class of temperatures where 150< t.ltoreq.250℃; "high" may be defined as a class of temperatures where 250< t.ltoreq.350℃. Thus, in this scenario, the temperature t=200° detected by the controller 22 may be mapped to the "medium" class by the controller 22. In some embodiments, a parameter value that includes usage information may be assigned to one of two classes, depending on whether the parameter value is above or below a pre-defined threshold, giving the value a binary classification (e.g., "1" or "0", or "on" or "off", or "yes" or "no"). While these examples have been described in terms of usage information including parameter values of temperatures associated with the aerosol provision system 1, it should be understood that similar methods may be used to represent any other form of usage information, including but not limited to those usage information further described herein.

It should be appreciated that the parameter values comprising the usage information may be displayed using one or more visual representations via the visual indicator 28. For example, on a visual indicator that includes a pixelated display region (such as, for example, an LCD display panel), parameter values may be represented by alphanumeric characters (e.g., by displaying temperature as "200 ℃" on a pixel array). The value or class of values may also be assigned to one or more display colors using a predetermined mapping (e.g., using a color mapping that maps a range of colors to values/classes in a predetermined range of values/classes). For example, each of the set of classes described above may be assigned a different color (e.g., green for "low", orange for "medium", and red for "high"). In case there are only two classes, the class into which the displayed parameter value falls may be indicated by a simple binary indication. For example, where visual indicator 28 comprises a display (e.g., a backlit LCD display, or one or more LEDs) having one or more illumination elements, if the parameter value is above the pre-sense threshold, visual indicator 28 may be illuminated by controller 22, and if the parameter value is below the pre-sense threshold, the visual indicator may not be illuminated by controller 22; or if the parameter value is above the pre-defined threshold, the display may be controlled to display a first color, and if the parameter value is below the pre-defined threshold, the display may be controlled to display a second color.

Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the values and/or classes of values may be represented by specific patterns displayed on the visual indicator 28. For example, the value/range of values may be mapped to a particular frequency at which the brightness and/or color of visual feedback displayed on the visual feedback device may be modulated. For example, the "low" class described above may map to a pattern of "on" pulses at a frequency of 3 Hz; the "middle" class described above can map to a pattern of "on" pulses of the same duration at a frequency of 6 Hz; and the "high" class described above may map to a pattern of "on" pulses of the same duration at a frequency of 6 Hz. Each "on" pulse may include controller 22 controlling visual indicator 28 to display a predetermined form of visual feedback on display area 281 for a pulse duration (e.g., displaying a single color indication of 0.1 s), and controlling visual indicator 28 not to display the predetermined form of visual feedback between pulses (e.g., display area 281 of visual indicator 28 may be controlled to emit light during an on pulse and not emit light between "on" pulses). Alternatively, in some embodiments, the pattern associated with the class of values or parameter values includes modulating between a first color during each "on" pulse and a second color between "on" pulses, and/or may include modulating between a first brightness/luminosity during each "on" pulse and a second, lower brightness/luminosity between "on" pulses. The different pulse frequencies may be mapped to different ranges of usage information/feedback parameters to be displayed (e.g., different pulse frequencies may be assigned to each of the plurality of classes described above), or the pulse frequencies may be controlled by the controller 22 according to a function (such as f=x×c) to vary continuously with the change in parameter value, where f is the pulse frequency, x is the value of the parameter to be displayed, and c is a scaling constant. The pulse "on" time may be set to any suitable predetermined value or may be scaled according to parameter x.

It should be appreciated that using color and/or binary indications (such as illuminating or not illuminating the display area of the visual indicator), and/or using temporal illumination patterns to represent parameter values may be particularly useful in allowing the parameter to be indicated via the visual indicator 28 without allowing an alphanumeric display (such as, for example, a non-pixelated display such as a single LED, and/or a light pipe as further described herein). However, it should be understood that colors displaying representative values, and/or binary indications of representative values, and/or temporal display patterns may be used instead of, or in combination with, an alphanumeric representation on a pixelated display that allows for alphanumeric display of parameter values.

The inventors have realized that certain configurations may be particularly advantageous for placement of the visual indicator 28 associated with the aerosol provision system 1. In particular, the inventors have recognized that providing a visual indicator/visual feedback indicator 28 (which has a display/display area 281 disposed around/extending around the aperture 51 in which the consumable part 4 is received) can provide certain advantages in terms of the visibility of the usage information displayed by the visual indicator 28.

Fig. 2 schematically shows a part of the reusable device portion 2, corresponding to the left-hand part of the upper side of the reusable device portion 2 schematically shown in fig. 1. It is evident that fig. 2 schematically shows the portion of the outer housing of the reusable device portion 2 provided with the aperture 51 in which the consumable portion 4 is received. When consumable part 4 is received in chamber 50, the portion of consumable part 4 extending from aperture 51 is schematically indicated using hatched shading. The surface area 29 of the housing of the reusable device portion 2 is shown, which surface area surrounds the aperture 51. It should be appreciated that in various embodiments, the aperture 51 may be provided at any suitable location on the outer housing of the reusable device portion, and the surface area 29 surrounding the aperture 51 may be planar or curved or any other shape. In many embodiments, the surface area 29 of the housing surrounding the aperture will be oriented substantially perpendicular to the long axis direction of the consumable chamber 50, forming what may be considered a mouthpiece "end" portion of the reusable portion; the reusable device portion 2 is visible to the user while the user holds the portion so that the mouthpiece 41 of the consumable portion 4 is uppermost for the user to draw on the device. In fig. 1 and 2, the reusable part 2 comprises an elongated "box" such that the surface area 29 surrounding the aperture 51 comprises a rectangular surface area oriented perpendicular to the long axis of the reusable device part 2; however, it should be understood that this configuration is exemplary, and that the mouth end surface of the reusable device portion including surface area 29 may be circular, oval, polyhedral or any other suitable shape. Typically, the mouthpiece end surface will comprise a surface of a housing of the aerosol supply system oriented substantially perpendicular to a central axis of the chamber in which the consumable portion 4 is configured to be received, and/or the mouthpiece end surface will comprise a surface of a housing of the aerosol supply system oriented substantially perpendicular to an insertion direction of the consumable portion 4. Typically, along a substantial proportion of the length of the reusable device portion, the outer perimeter of the mouthpiece end surface 29 will correspond to the cross-sectional shape of the reusable device portion 2.

Fig. 2 schematically shows a visual indicator 28 arranged around the aperture 51. The visual indicator 28 includes a display area 281 that is visible to a user and, under control of the controller 22, is capable of displaying visual feedback/usage information (e.g., a representation of usage information as further described herein) on or through the display area. The display/display area 281 of the visual indicator 28 (some or all of which may be configured to display visual feedback, such as an illumination signal, to a user) may be continuous with the surface profile of the surrounding surface area 29, or may be recessed into the surrounding surface area, or may extend outwardly therefrom. In some embodiments, the housing of the reusable device portion 2 near the peripheral surface region 29 may be transparent or translucent, allowing the user to see the display region 281 of the visual indicator 28 displayed on visual feedback through the housing of the reusable device portion; and in such embodiments, the translucent or transparent portion of the housing of the reusable device portion 2 may thus be disposed between the visible/display portion 281 of the visual indicator 28 and the outer surface of the reusable device portion 2. In general, the "visible portion" or "display area" of the visual indicator includes an area configured to display a representation of a parameter including usage information to a user, and may include a pixelated display area and/or a surface area configured to emit light. In some examples, the visible portion/display area 281 of the visual indicator 28 (some or all of which may be configured to display usage information) includes all or substantially all of the mouthpiece end surface area 29 surrounding the aperture 51, the display area 281 being generally oriented substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the chamber 50 so that a user can see visual feedback provided on the visual indicator 28 when looking down the mouthpiece end of the reusable device portion 2 along the axis of the chamber 50.

In the example schematically illustrated in fig. 2, the aperture 51 is circular and the display/display area 281 of the visual indicator 28 includes an annular shape that completely surrounds the aperture 51 (i.e., it extends continuously around the aperture). While the display area 281 will typically be continuous around the aperture (in the sense that the visual indicator 28 has a display/display area that forms a closed loop around the aperture 51), this is not the case in all embodiments, as further described herein, and thus the display may extend/surround the aperture partially or fully around the aperture 51. In general, the display area 281 will follow the contour of the surface area 29 surrounding the aperture 29. In some embodiments, the display area 281 of the visual indicator 28 may include all or substantially all of the mouthpiece end surface of the reusable portion. In fig. 2, aperture 51 is circular, but it should be understood that in other examples, aperture 51 may comprise other shapes (e.g., oval, rectangular, or polyhedral), and at least the inner boundary of display area 281 closest to aperture 51 may closely follow the shape of aperture 51, be continuous with the aperture, or be spaced apart from the aperture by an annular housing portion. The inner and outer boundaries of the display region 281 may follow the same contour (e.g., in fig. 2, both the inner and outer boundaries defined with respect to the aperture 51 in the plane of the surface region 29 are circular, thereby forming an annular 2D display region of constant radial thickness in the plane of the surface region 29). In other embodiments, the inner and outer boundaries of the display region 281 may have different shapes. For example, the inner boundary may be circular, shaped to be continuous with the aperture 51; and the outer boundary may be rectangular, including all or substantially all of the extent of the region of the mouthpiece end surface 29 of the reusable device 2 oriented substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the chamber 50.

The visual indicator 28 may be formed in a variety of ways. For example, the visual indicators may include a pixelated display/display area 281, including, for example, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a light emitting diode display (LED), an organic light emitting diode display (OLED), an Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED), an electroluminescent display (ELD), a Plasma Display Panel (PDP), an electronic ink display, or any other form of display known to those skilled in the art. In this regard, the visual indicator may include one or more illumination elements (e.g., it may be a backlit display panel, such as a pixelated LED display panel), or may rely on external illumination for the user to see visual feedback displayed on the display area 281 (as is the case with some electronic ink display panels). The former type of visual indicator may be considered an "active illumination" visual indicator, while the latter type of visual indicator may be considered a "passive" visual indicator.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the display of the feedback mechanism disposed about aperture 51 may be subdivided into a plurality of display areas that may optionally be independently controlled by controller 22. Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a visible portion of an exemplary visual indicator 28 disposed about an aperture 51 when viewed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the chamber 50. In this embodiment, the display of visual indicator 28 takes the form of a ring that is subdivided into four quadrants/display regions 281A, 281B, 281C, and 281D, each of which covers a range of approximately 90 degrees around the circumference of the display. The quadrants may be continuous with each other around the aperture or may be spaced apart. Each of the four quadrants may be separately activated by the controller 22 to display usage information in accordance with the methods further described herein. Based on a mapping between each quadrant/display area and a predetermined range of values including specific parameters of the usage information associated with the aerosol provision system 1, successive quadrants/display areas from 281A to 281D (e.g., in the hatched arrow directions) may be activated and/or illuminated to indicate values of the parameters including the usage information. For example, in the case where the usage information to be displayed by the visual indicator includes the time T elapsed in the heating cycle having a predetermined duration of T seconds, the controller 22 may illuminate only the quarter 281A at t+.ltoreq (T/4); when (T/4) < t.ltoreq.T/2, the controller illuminates the quadrants 281A and 281B; when (T/2) < T < 2T/3, the controller illuminates quadrants 281A, 281B, and 281C; and at (T2/3) < T, the controller illuminates quadrants 281A, 281B, 281C, and 281D. It should be understood that the same principles may also be applied to display any other parameter associated with the use of the device (e.g., temperature, flow, or power level, as further set forth herein). It will be further appreciated that while four quadrants are shown in fig. 3, the visual indicators may in principle be subdivided into any number of discrete display areas to provide finer granularity in the display of parameter values corresponding to a predetermined range of values. In some embodiments, the predetermined value range (e.g., defined as the range between the minimum and maximum values) for a given parameter may be divided into a plurality of consecutive and non-overlapping classes, each class comprising sub-ranges of equal size, wherein the number of classes is equal to the number of discrete individually controllable display areas 281 available on the visual indicator. Each display area may then be assigned to a given class such that classes representing consecutive sub-ranges are mapped to discrete display areas 281 at consecutive locations around the aperture 51. For a given current value of the parameter value to be represented on the visual indicator 28, the controller 22 first determines which class the parameter value falls into, and then activates the discrete display areas corresponding to that class, and may optionally activate all the discrete display areas corresponding to all classes covering a range of values below the given current value. In this context, "activation" of a display area may follow any method for displaying usage information further set forth herein, including binary indications (such as illuminating or not illuminating the display area 281 according to parameter values), displaying a certain color based on a predetermined mapping of different colors to different parameter values, and/or modulating the brightness and/or color of visual feedback provided on the display area 281 at a modulation frequency that is a function of the parameter values.

The embodiment schematically shown in fig. 4 is similar to fig. 2 and will be understood from fig. 2 and shows an embodiment similar to the embodiment schematically shown in fig. 3, in which the visual indicator 28 comprises a display comprising a plurality of display areas 281 to 288 arranged around the aperture 51. In the embodiment schematically shown in fig. 4, each display area is distributed along a circular path around the aperture 51 such that a display comprising a plurality of display areas 281 is arranged/extends around the aperture 51. Each of the display areas 281-288 may be continuous with its adjacent display area such that the visual indicator 28 comprises a continuous display extending around the aperture 51, or may be spaced apart around the path along which the display area is located, thereby providing a plurality of spatially separated display areas (e.g., 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, or more than 5mm apart). The display areas 281 to 288 may be continuous with the edge of the aperture 51 or may be radially spaced from the edge of the aperture 51 by a distance (e.g. 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm or more than 5mm apart). In some embodiments, the visual indicator 28 may include a plurality of display areas 281 to 288, each of which includes an LED embedded in or disposed inside the outer housing of the reusable device portion 2, light from the LED being transmitted through an aperture in the outer housing or a light transmissive element (such as a light pipe or fiber optic element) passing through the outer housing to display to a user, the portion of the light transmissive element visible on the outer surface 29 of the reusable device portion 2 being disposed around the aperture 51. Where the display of the visual indicator 28 includes a plurality of independently controllable display areas 281-288, the controller 22 may configure the display of the usage information on the display in accordance with the method set forth for the embodiment schematically set forth in FIG. 3.

In some embodiments, the display of the visual indicator is arranged/extends around the aperture 51 in a discontinuous manner. Fig. 4 shows a visual indicator 28 comprising a plurality of display areas 281 to 288 arranged in a continuous path around the aperture, but whereby a portion of the outer housing of the reusable device portion 2 separates each display area from an adjacent display area such that the display of the visual indicator 28 comprises a plurality of distinct visual/display areas separated by areas of the outer surface 29 of the reusable device portion 2 that are not capable of displaying visual feedback by the controller 22. Fig. 5, which will be appreciated from fig. 2 and 4, also shows a visual indicator 28 of a discontinuity around the aperture 51. However, in this embodiment, the visual indicator 28 includes a single, continuous display area rather than multiple display areas as shown in FIG. 4. In the embodiment shown in fig. 5, the visual display area of the visual indicator 28 includes an annular display portion having a cutout 290 (e.g., a non-display portion of the outer housing of the reusable device portion) extending a range of angles around the periphery of the annular display portion. Generally, the cut-out will occupy an angular range of <50% of the circumference of the annular display portion around the visual indicator 28, but it should be appreciated that any suitable value may be selected. Typically, the display extending around the aperture 51 includes one or more display regions 281 extending around the path around the aperture 51 such that the display including the plurality of display regions extends continuously or discontinuously around an arc of ≡around the angular extent of the aperture.

The visual indicator 28 shown in fig. 2, 3 and 5 includes an annular display having a circular inner boundary and a circular outer boundary. However, in other embodiments, the visual indicators/displays disposed about the aperture 51 may include other geometries. For example, the display of the visual indicator 28 may be disposed in a continuous or partially continuous manner along an imaginary path around the aperture 51 having an elliptical profile, a triangular profile, a square profile, a pentagonal profile, a hexagonal profile, or other polyhedral profile. Alternatively, the display may be arranged in a continuous or partially continuous manner along an imaginary path around the aperture 51 having the freeform profile.

In some embodiments, the visual indicator 28 includes at least two concentrically arranged display areas that are independently controllable by the controller 22, such that the controller 22 can independently control the display of visual feedback/usage information on each display area. Thus, controller 22 may display different instances of usage information (e.g., including different representations of one or more parameter values of the usage information) on each display area simultaneously or in an interlaced manner, although it should be understood that the usage information displayed on two or more concentric display areas may be the same.

Fig. 6, which will be appreciated from fig. 2, schematically illustrates the aperture 51, wherein the visual indicator comprises two concentric display areas 281, 282 arranged/extending around the aperture. The two display areas 281 and 282 may be implemented according to any of the methods further described herein (e.g., each may include a single, continuous display area or multiple display areas, as shown, for example, in fig. 3 and 4; and/or each display area 281 or 282 may be continuous around the aperture 51, as shown in fig. 2, or discontinuous around the aperture 51, as shown in fig. 4 and 5). The first display area 281 is arranged around a first path around the hole 51 (i.e. extends around the hole 51) and the second display area 282 is arranged around a second path around the hole 51 (i.e. extends around the hole 51), wherein the second path is located outside the first path. In the example shown in fig. 6, the first path and the second path are circular, and both the first display area 281 and the second display area 282 have a circular geometry. However, it should be understood that each of the plurality of concentric display regions of the visual indicator 28 may have a different shape, and thus the inner and outer boundaries of the display portions 281 and 282 of the visual indicator 28 may follow differently shaped paths, as further described herein. For example, in some embodiments, the first display area 281 of the visual indicator 28 (i.e., the display area nearest the aperture 51) may comprise a circular ring, and the second display area 282 may comprise a portion or substantially all of the remaining surface area 29 (e.g., comprising a rectangular outer boundary and a circular inner boundary) of the mouthpiece end of the reusable device portion 2. It will be appreciated that the inner boundary of the second display portion 282 may be continuous with the outer boundary of the first display portion 281, or that the first and second display regions may be spaced apart by a non-display region of the housing of the reusable device portion 2 disposed between the inner boundary of the second display portion 282 and the outer boundary of the first display portion 281.

Fig. 7 schematically illustrates a longitudinal cross-section through a reusable device portion 2 of an aerosol supply system 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the aerosol supply system includes a visual indicator 28 having two concentric display regions 281 and 282. In this regard, fig. 7 may be considered to show a section through the arrangement schematically shown in fig. 6. Fig. 7 shows a cross section of reusable device portion 2 taken down the axis of chamber 50, showing visual indicator 28 comprising display areas 281 and 282 extending around aperture 51. In this exemplary embodiment, both display areas 281 and 282 comprise a pixelated display screen (e.g., an LCD screen), wherein the pixelated display surface is disposed outwardly from the exterior of the reusable device portion 2. Both display areas 281 and 282 are electrically connected to controller 22, which independently controls each of the display areas to display usage information in accordance with principles further set forth herein. However, it should be understood that each of the plurality of display regions 281, 282 included in the visual indicator 28 may be implemented in accordance with any of the pixelated or non-pixelated display techniques set forth herein. As shown in fig. 6, both the first display area 281 and the second display area 282 of the visual indicator 28 include annular display areas, but this configuration is exemplary and as further described herein, and the display areas can have a wide variety of shapes. The display area of the visual indicator 28 is arranged to extend around the opening 51 of the chamber 50 in a manner further described herein. In the example shown in fig. 7, the visual indicator 28 is sized such that the diameter of the aperture through the first display area 281 closely matches the outer diameter of the tube 54 (e.g., providing a sliding or clearance fit), where the tube includes a portion of the chamber 50 near the opening 51 (e.g., at the mouthpiece end of the tube 54). The second display area 282 is disposed around both the aperture 51 and the first display area 281 and is sized such that the inner diameter of the second display area 282 closely matches the outer diameter of the first display area 282. Thus, during assembly of the reusable device portion, visual indicator 28 may be sleeved over the mouthpiece end of tube 54 including a portion of chamber 50. The outer housing of the reusable device portion will typically be formed with a channel recessed around aperture 51, or a notch around aperture 51, which channel or notch is shaped to receive visual indicator 28 such that the outer surface of the one or more display areas is coplanar with surface area 29 of the mouthpiece end of reusable device portion 2 when visual indicator 28 is installed in reusable device portion 2. Typically, the outer surfaces of the plurality of display areas included in the visual indicator 28 will also be coplanar with each other. However, in other embodiments, the outer surfaces of the first and second display areas 281, 282 may extend from or be recessed into the surrounding surface 29, so long as they are visible to the user. Typically, the first display area and the second display area are nested display areas (as one is disposed within the other). Concentric display areas 281 and 282 may be discontinuous with each other or may be discontinuous with aperture 51; and in various embodiments, as set forth herein, the display regions 281 and 282 may be spaced apart from the edges of the aperture 51 and from one another by inserting therebetween a non-display region of the outer housing of the reusable device portion 2. While fig. 7 has shown a visual indicator 28 comprising two concentric/nested display areas 281 and 282, it should be appreciated that in other embodiments, any number of display areas may be used.

In some embodiments, one or more display areas of the visual indicator/visual feedback indicator 28 are implemented using a light guiding device, wherein the one or more light guiding elements are arranged to guide light from one or more light emitting elements (e.g., one or more LEDs) disposed within the reusable device portion 2 to a display portion/area visible on the exterior of the reusable device portion 2 and arranged around the aperture 51. Fig. 8 will be appreciated from fig. 7 and schematically illustrates a longitudinal section through the reusable device portion 2 of the aerosol provision system 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As in fig. 7, the first display area 281 of the visual indicator 28 is disposed around the aperture 51, as in fig. 7. However, in this embodiment, the visual indicator 28 comprises a first light guide arranged in the form of an annular tube configured to guide the light signal from the illumination element 2811 within the housing of the reusable device portion 2 to the display area 281 visible on the outer surface of the reusable device portion 2. The end face of the light guide comprises a first display area 281 arranged at the mouthpiece end of the reusable device portion 2. In the example shown in fig. 8, the lighting element 2811 (e.g., one or more LEDs) is provided on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 221 that includes a portion of the controller 22. The portion of the visual indicator 28 disposed within the housing of the reusable device portion 2 is shaped to mount to the PCB 221, for example, by providing the visual indicator 28 with a recess in which the lighting element 2811 is received, the recess including a light receiving surface for receiving light from the lighting element and a mating surface surrounding the recess, which may be mechanically fixed or adhesively bonded to the surface of the PCB. Multiple lighting elements 2811 may be provided, such as, for example, LEDs (or one or more RGB LEDs) of different colors, allowing the color of the visual feedback provided by the visual indicator 28 to be modulated by the controller 22. Each of the one or more light transmissive portions/guides of the visual indicator 28 comprises a transparent or translucent material, such as a polymer or glass material; through the transparent or translucent material, light may propagate between the lighting element 2811 and the display area of the visual indicator 28. As schematically shown in fig. 8, portions of the outer wall of each light guide may be angled/chamfered to direct light from the lighting element(s) 2811 to the display area 281. Typically, the surface of the light guide, in addition to the light receiving surface and the display surface, is configured to facilitate reflection of light within the light guide. This may be accomplished, for example, by selecting the refractive index of the light guide relative to air and/or surrounding material of the reusable device portion (e.g., the housing material) to promote total internal reflection of light along the path(s) within the visual indicator 28 between the illumination element 2811 and the display area surrounding the aperture 51. This may be enhanced with a surface treatment of the light guide, such as polishing and/or providing a reflective coating (e.g. a metal coating) on all outer surfaces except the light receiving surface and the display area 281 provided at the mouthpiece end of the reusable device portion 2. Some or all of the light guide of the visual indicator 28 may be translucent to diffuse/scattered light received from the lighting element 2811. The visual indicator 28, including light pipe/light guide, may be mechanically clamped or bonded to the PCB 221 included in the controller 22, and/or may be mechanically attached to a portion of the housing of the reusable device portion 2, and/or may be mechanically attached to a portion of the tube 54 including a portion of the chamber 50. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a wide variety of mechanical fastening, adhesive bonding, thermal welding, and other fastening techniques may be employed to attach one or more visual indicators in place within the reusable device portion 2.

The visual indicator 28 shown in fig. 8 is disposed about a tube 54 that includes a portion of the chamber 50 such that at least a display area 281 of the visual indicator is disposed about the aperture 51. Fig. 8 further shows an optional second light guide included in the visual indicator 28 that is broadly configured in the same manner as the first light guide, but arranged concentrically with the first light guide such that both light guides include concentric display areas 281 and 282 arranged around the aperture 51. In the example schematically shown in fig. 8, both light guides comprise a light-transmitting region comprising a tube with a circular cross-section, the two light guides being dimensioned such that a first light guide (indicated by hatching) fits over the tube 54 comprising a portion of the chamber 50 adjacent to the aperture 51 and a second light guide (indicated by dots) fits over the first visual light guide. In this way, the first light guide and the second light guide comprise nested light guides configured such that one light guide is at least partially housed within the other light guide, thereby providing nested display areas 281 and 282. As further described herein with respect to fig. 2-6, the display areas 281 and 282 may comprise any shape, and in general, the shape of each display area also comprises the cross-sectional shape of the light guide portion of the visual indicator extending into the reusable device portion 2 in the direction of the chamber 50.

As further set forth herein, the display area 281 nearest to and disposed around the aperture 51 may be spaced apart from the aperture 51, or the display area 281 may be continuous with the aperture rim such that the inner edge of the display area 281 actually forms the perimeter of the aperture 51. The plurality of light guides/tubes used to form the plurality of display regions may be integrally formed with one another (e.g., via thermoplastic or resin molding techniques), typically with a layer of reflective material disposed between each of the two or more light guides to prevent light leakage therebetween. Within a single light guide, a layer of reflective and/or opaque material may be incorporated in the light path between the plurality of lighting elements 2821 and the display disposed on the outer surface of the reusable device portion 2. Such layers are provided (e.g., by co-molding them into a light guide during fabrication) to divide the light guide into discrete light transmissive regions, thereby defining separate light paths between each of the plurality of subsets of illumination elements 2821 and each of the plurality of display regions. So in one example, where the light guide comprises a tubular light transmissive region having a circular cross-section, the end face of which comprises a circular display region, the light transmissive region may be divided into segments extending parallel to the tube centre line by providing a reflective/opaque layer radially from the inner circular surface to the outer circular surface of the light transmissive region. Thus, the lateral cross-section of the tubular light-transmitting region of the light guide may be similar to the arrangement schematically shown in fig. 3, wherein a plurality of discrete quadrants/display regions are defined. By providing a separate lighting element (or multiple lighting elements), such as one or more LEDs, in optical communication with each of the discrete light transmissive regions, the controller 22 can independently illuminate each discrete light transmissive region according to the methods described further herein to provide different display modes for displaying usage information on the display region of the visual feedback element 281 (e.g., via mounting the lighting element and the light guide to the PCB 221, or by embedding the one or more lighting elements in the light guide, or receiving the one or more lighting elements in recesses provided on the surface of the light guide).

In some embodiments, consumable portion 4 is configured with an area that modifies visual feedback from visual indicator 28 associated with reusable device portion 2. For example, consumable portion 4 may be provided with a reflective surface coating that reflects visual feedback emitted by the display of visual indicator 28 disposed about aperture 51 in which consumable portion 4 is received for use. Fig. 9 will be appreciated from fig. 8 and schematically shows an arrangement of a single visual indicator 28 comprising a light guide arranged around an aperture 51 of a chamber 50 of the reusable device portion 2 of the aerosol supply system 1. The inner diameter of the light-transmissive tube portion 61 of the visual indicator 28 in this example is sized to closely fit the outer diameter of the tube 54, which includes the mouthpiece end of the chamber 50. Consumable portion 4 is shown as being received within aperture 51, including an external light modifying region 44 disposed at a surface of consumable portion 4 on a mouthpiece end of consumable portion 4, the light modifying region extending from aperture 51 when consumable portion 4 is inserted into chamber 50 for use. For example, as shown in fig. 9, upon insertion of consumable portion 4 into chamber 50 for use, light modifying region 44 may extend from within chamber 50 to mouthpiece 41 of the consumable portion. In this example, light emitted by the light-emitting element 2811 is reflected/transmitted/diffused along one or more paths within the visual feedback element 281. At least some of the light signals are emitted as visual feedback from the display surface/area of the visual feedback element along one or more paths 62 towards the outer surface of the consumable part 4. The incident optical signal along path 62 interacts with light modifying region 44 for reflection/re-emission as modified visual feedback 63.

The light modifying region 44 of the consumable part 4 can be configured in a variety of ways. For example, in some embodiments, the light modifying region includes a reflective surface, such as a metallic surface (e.g., including a metallic foil such as a silver foil or a gold foil). In some embodiments, the light modifying region 44 comprises a holographic wrap/film. In some embodiments, light modifying region 44 includes one or more light directing elements configured to receive light from one or more visual feedback elements, transmit the light through a portion of consumable portion 4, and re-emit the light at a surface of consumable portion 4. For example, one or more fiber optic or light pipe elements may be provided within the mouthpiece end of consumable portion 4, with the light receiving area being provided at a location proximate to the display area of visual indicator 28 when consumable portion 4 is received into reusable device portion 2. The light emitting region of one or more fiber optic elements or light pipe elements may be disposed, for example, around the rim of the mouthpiece 41 of the consumable portion 4 such that light emitted by the visual indicator 28 is received by the one or more fiber optic elements or light pipe elements and re-emitted in the display region around the rim of the mouthpiece 41. In some embodiments, the display area of the visual indicator is disposed within an inner annular surface of tube 54 comprising a portion of chamber 50, configured to optically couple to a receiving area of one or more fiber optic elements or light guiding elements disposed on a surface of consumable portion 4. In such embodiments, the display area of visual indicator 28 may be obscured from view when consumable portion 4 is received in aperture 51 such that the light signal/visual feedback emitted by visual indicator 28 is only visible on the surface area of consumable portion 4 where one or more fiber optic elements or light pipe elements re-emit the signal/feedback as modified visual feedback.

The light modification area 44 of the consumable portion 4 may be configured such that modifications made to the visual feedback emitted by the visual indicator 28 relate to one or more characteristics of the consumable portion 4. For example, the light modifying region 44 may be configured to modify the color of the incident light signal 62 emitted by the visual indicator 28, wherein the modification of the color is used to indicate the type of aerosol-generating material 43 included in the consumable portion 4.

The display area of visual indicator 28 may be configured to optimize the transmission of light signals from visual indicator(s) 281 to light modification area 44 of the consumable portion. For example, where the light modifying region 44 comprises a reflective/holographic surface region of the consumable portion 4, the display region of the visual indicator 28 may be angled such that a vector perpendicular to the surface of the display region at a given point on the surface of the display region points to a portion of the light modifying region 44. For example, in case the display area comprises an annular display area surrounding the aperture 51, the display area may comprise a chamfered display area, wherein an inner perimeter of the display area is recessed into the reusable device portion 2 relative to an outer perimeter of the display area.

It should be appreciated that while fig. 9 illustrates an embodiment in which the visual indicator 28 comprises a light guide, the visual indicator 28 for supplying light signals to the light modifying region 44 of the consumable portion 4 may be implemented in any other manner further set forth herein (e.g., using one or more pixelated display elements or LEDs). More generally, where the present disclosure has referred to an embodiment that provides multiple displays/display regions (e.g., concentric display regions), it should be understood that each of the multiple visual indicators may be implemented using a different display technology selected from the display technologies described herein or otherwise known to those skilled in the art. Thus, while FIG. 8 has schematically illustrated an embodiment in which two concentric display regions 281 and 282 include light pipe elements, it should be understood that one of the light pipe elements may replace a pixel display, or a plurality of LEDs disposed along a path around aperture 51 as schematically set forth in FIG. 4 and the accompanying text, or any other exemplary method for providing a visual indicator around aperture 51 as further set forth herein (e.g., in connection with FIGS. 2-7).

While the embodiments described herein have typically exemplified an aerosol supply system in which an aerosol generator included in the reusable device portion 2 aerosolizes (e.g., by heating) an aerosol generating material in the consumable portion 4, it should be understood that these embodiments are not limiting and that the aerosol supply system described herein may be implemented as a combustible aerosol supply system, a non-combustible aerosol supply system, or an aerosol-free delivery system. For example, the method described in relation to providing one or more visual indicators around the aperture 51 of the reusable device portion 2 of an aerosol supply system may be applied to an aerosol supply system in which the consumable device portion 4 is a cartridge/cartomizer comprising a supply of heater and aerosol generating material (e.g. a reservoir of liquid), and the chamber 50 of the reusable device portion comprises an electrical interface that forms an electrical path between the reusable device portion 2 and the heater of the cartridge/cartomizer 4 when the cartridge/cartomizer 4 is received into the chamber 50. In such embodiments, the term "consumable" may be used to refer to a cartridge/cartomizer, and does not necessarily mean that the cartridge/cartomizer is not reusable or refillable. For example, in this context, the use of the term "consumable" may be considered to refer to the fact that a supply of aerosol-generating material in the consumable part 4 is aerosolized (e.g. "consumed") irrespective of whether the consumable part 4 may be refilled and reused with a new supply of aerosol-generating material at a later time.

While the accompanying text of fig. 1-9 and the description has set forth a configuration in which the visual indicator 28 is disposed on the mouthpiece end surface of the reusable device portion 2 of the aerosol supply system 1 and disposed about the aperture in which the consumable portion 4 comprising the mouthpiece is configured to be received, it should be understood that the method set forth herein is applicable to aerosol supply systems having modified configurations. For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the aerosol supply system is in use, a separate mouthpiece is attached to the portion of the consumable portion 4 extending from the aperture 51. For example, when the aerosol provision system is in use, a mouthpiece comprising food grade metal and/or plastics material may be press fit over the portion of the consumable portion 4 extending from the aperture 51. Alternatively or additionally, a separate mouthpiece as described above may be connected to the reusable device portion 4. For example, consumable portion 4 may be partially or fully received within chamber 50, and the mouthpiece may be attached to the reusable device portion (e.g., by penetrating or press-fitting into aperture 51 of chamber 50). In some embodiments, the mouthpiece may be attached to the reusable device portion via a sliding or hinged connection to allow access 50 to the chamber for insertion and removal of the consumable portion 4.

Furthermore, while fig. 1-9 schematically illustrate embodiments in which the display area of the visual indicator 28 is arranged substantially perpendicular to the major axis of the consumable portion 4 (e.g., on the mouthpiece end surface of the reusable device portion 2), the visual indicator 28 may be arranged around the aperture 51 in other ways, in which the geometry of the reusable device portion 2 is configured differently. For example, in some embodiments, the reusable device portion may not be disposed on an end face of the reusable device portion 2, but may be disposed around/around a side wall of the reusable device portion 2. In some embodiments, the reusable device portion 2 may be shaped such that there is no apparent mouthpiece end surface oriented substantially perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the consumable portion 4 into the 50 chamber. In such an embodiment, substantially all of the end of the reusable device portion 2 in which the consumable portion 4 is received may include an aperture 51 for receiving the consumable portion 4. In some such embodiments, the mouthpiece portion is configured to be connected to the reusable device portion 2 (e.g., by press-fitting or penetrating into the aperture 51, or by being received on an end of the reusable device portion 2 via a press-fit). In such embodiments, once the mouthpiece is attached, the consumable portion 4 may be hidden from view by the user (the connected reusable portion 4 and mouthpiece effectively form a enclosure containing the consumable portion 4). In the case of a mouthpiece connected to the reusable device portion 2, the reusable device portion 2 and the mouthpiece may interface with each other such that the reusable device portion 2 is free of a mouthpiece end surface oriented perpendicular to the insertion direction of the consumable portion 4 where the visual indicator 28 is disposed (e.g., the interface between the mouthpiece and the reusable device portion may form a smooth contoured transition in the aerosol supply system surface without any significant angular deviation). For example, the reusable device portion 4 and mouthpiece may together form an elongate tubular aerosol delivery system 1, wherein the entire mouthpiece end is configured to be received in the mouth of a user. Even without the use of a separate mouthpiece, the consumable portion 4 and reusable portion 2 may still be configured to be connected together such that there is no significant mouthpiece end surface (e.g., the sidewalls of the reusable device portion 2 may taper/chamfer toward the aperture 51 such that they terminate at an edge surrounding the aperture 51). In such embodiments, the visual indicator 28 may be arranged such that the display is radially outward from the long axis of the reusable device portion 2. The visual indicator may be positioned such that it extends to the end of the reusable device portion 2 in which the consumable portion 4 is received (e.g., with the display portion forming a ring around the aperture 51), or may be spaced from the end of the reusable device portion 2 by a portion of the housing material that is not configured to provide visual feedback. It will be appreciated that such an approach may also be taken in case the consumable part 4 comprises a cartridge or capsule containing a reservoir of aerosol generating material and a heater, and wherein the mouthpiece mentioned above may form an integral part of the consumable part 4.

The various embodiments described herein are presented solely to aid in the understanding and teaching of the claimed features. These embodiments are provided as representative examples of embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. It is to be understood that the advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures and/or other aspects described herein are not to be considered limitations on the scope of the invention as defined by the claims or limitations on equivalents to the claims, and that other embodiments may be used and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. Various embodiments of the invention may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, the appropriate combination of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, and the like, in addition to those specifically described herein. In addition, the present disclosure may include other inventions not presently claimed but which may be claimed in the future.

Claims

1. An aerosol provision system comprising a chamber for receiving at least a portion of a consumable through an aperture of the chamber, wherein the aerosol provision system is configured to generate an aerosol from the consumable received in the chamber, and wherein the aerosol provision system further comprises a visual indicator arranged around the aperture for providing user feedback.

2. The aerosol provision system of claim 1, wherein the visual indicator provides a display extending partially around the aperture.

3. The aerosol provision system of claim 1, wherein the visual indicator provides a display extending continuously around the aperture.

4. An aerosol provision system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the visual indicator provides a display arranged around the perimeter of the aperture.

5. An aerosol provision system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the aperture comprises a receiving recess for a consumable, the receiving recess having a central axis, and wherein the planar display area of the visual indicator is oriented substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the receiving recess.

6. An aerosol provision system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the display area of the visual indicator is provided on a mouthpiece end surface of the aerosol provision system.

7. An aerosol provision system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the visual indicator provides a display comprising a plurality of display areas disposed on a path around the aperture.

8. The aerosol provision system of claim 7, wherein a plurality of the display regions are spaced apart from one another.

9. An aerosol provision system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the visual indicator comprises at least one illumination element.

10. The aerosol provision system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the illumination elements comprises at least one LED.

11. The aerosol provision system of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the visual indicator comprises a display having a plurality of pixels.

12. An aerosol provision system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the visual indicator provides a display comprising two or more concentric display regions, each of which is arranged on a separate path around the aperture.

13. The aerosol provision system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of concentric display regions comprises a set of nested display regions.

14. The aerosol provision system of any one of claims 12 and 13, wherein a plurality of the concentric display regions are coplanar.

15. An aerosol provision system according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the visual indicator comprises at least one light guide configured to guide light from at least one of the illumination elements to a display arranged around the aperture.

16. The aerosol provision system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the light guides comprises a tubular light transmissive portion disposed about the chamber.

17. An aerosol provision system according to any one of claims 9 to 16, wherein at least one of the lighting elements is mounted to a printed circuit board.

18. An aerosol provision system according to any one of claims 7 to 17, wherein a plurality of the display regions comprise independently controllable display regions.

19. The aerosol provision system of any one of claims 7 to 18, wherein each of the plurality of display regions comprises one of an LED display region, a liquid crystal display region, an organic light emitting diode display region, an active matrix organic light emitting diode display region, an electroluminescent display region, a plasma display panel region, and an electronic ink display region.

20. A consumable configured for insertion into a bore of an aerosol supply system, wherein an outer portion of the consumable is configured to modify an appearance of visual feedback provided by a visual indicator disposed about the bore.

21. The consumable of claim 20, wherein the exterior portion of the consumable configured to modify the appearance of the visual feedback comprises a reflective coating disposed on an exterior surface of the consumable.

22. The consumable of any one of claims 20 to 21, wherein the external portion of the consumable configured to modify an appearance of the visual feedback comprises a hologram disposed on an outer surface of the consumable.

23. The consumable of any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the outer portion of the consumable configured to modify an appearance of the visual feedback comprises a light guiding structure configured to receive light emitted by a visual indicator arranged around an aperture of an aerosol delivery system and to direct the light to a display area provided on the outer portion of the consumable.

24. The consumable of any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein the external portion of the consumable configured to modify the appearance of the visual feedback is configured to modify the appearance of the visual feedback in a manner selected based on a characteristic of the consumable.

25. A consumable according to claim 24, wherein the external portion of the consumable configured to modify the appearance of the visual feedback is configured to modify the appearance of the visual feedback in a manner selected according to the type of aerosol-generating material included in the consumable.

26. A consumable as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 25 and including a portion of a solid aerosol-generating material.

27. A consumable as claimed in claim 26 and wherein the solid aerosol-generating material comprises tobacco.

28. A consumable as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 27 and comprising a reservoir of aerosol generating material comprising a liquid or gel.

29. A system comprising an aerosol provision system according to any one of claims 1 to 19 and the consumable according to any one of claims 20 to 28.

30. A method of providing a visual indicator for an aerosol provision system, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an aerosol supply system having a chamber for receiving at least a portion of a consumable through an aperture of the chamber, wherein the aerosol supply system is configured to generate an aerosol from the consumable received in the chamber; and

A visual indicator for providing user feedback is provided, wherein the visual indicator is disposed about the aperture.