Liquid Cartridge for a Personal Vaporizer Device

Abstract

A cartridge for use in a personal vaporizer device, especially for use in an electronic cigarette, includes a housing which encloses a reservoir for storing a liquid to be vaporized in the personal vaporizer device, the housing having an opening in the top portion, a membrane compartment set into the opening in the top portion of the housing and attached to the inner walls of the housing, and a permeable membrane element held in the membrane compartment, the permeable membrane element being configured to convey liquid from the reservoir to opening in the top portion of the housing by capillary action.

1 . A cartridge for use in a personal vaporizer device, the cartridge comprising:
 a housing which encloses a reservoir for storing a liquid to be vaporized in the personal vaporizer device, the housing having an opening in a top portion;   a membrane compartment set into the opening in the top portion of the housing and attached to the inner walls of the housing; and   a permeable membrane element held in the membrane compartment, the permeable membrane element being configured to convey liquid from the reservoir to the opening in the top portion of the housing by capillary action.   
     
     
         2 . The cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the membrane compartment comprises a compartment wall having a plurality of compartment openings forming a sieve structure. 
     
     
         3 . The cartridge of  claim 2 , wherein the compartment wall of the membrane compartment is one of or a combination of a side wall and a bottom wall. 
     
     
         4 . The cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the permeable membrane element is formed of a wicking material selected from one of or a combination of the group of an open cell polymer foam, a natural fibrous textile, a synthetic textile, porous ceramics, ceramic wools, silica twines, silica braids, a stainless steel mesh, and nanoporous material having an organic or inorganic framework supporting a regular, porous structure. 
     
     
         5 . The cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the permeable membrane element is flush with a top rim of the housing. 
     
     
         6 . The cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the permeable membrane element is sunk within the housing by a setback distance with respect to a top rim of the housing. 
     
     
         7 . The cartridge of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a tear-off film arranged over the top rim of the housing and sealing the permeable membrane element within the cartridge in a liquid-tight manner.   
     
     
         8 . The cartridge of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a tear-off film arranged over the top rim of the housing and sealing the permeable membrane element within the cartridge in a liquid-tight manner; and   a sealing pad attached to a back of the tear-off film, the sealing pad having a thickness corresponding to the setback distance of the upper surface of the permeable membrane element.   
     
     
         9 . The cartridge of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a liquid retention barrier arranged within the reservoir, the liquid retention barrier preventing at least a partial amount of liquid in an upper portion of the reservoir from flowing back into a lower portion of the reservoir.   
     
     
         10 . The cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the housing is substantially tubular in shape, the membrane compartment being set into a circular opening concentric with a circular cross-section of the housing. 
     
     
         11 . The cartridge of  claim 10 , wherein the permeable membrane element is disc-shaped having a diameter between 50% and 90% of a diameter of the substantially tubular housing. 
     
     
         12 . The cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the housing is made from a thermoplastic. 
     
     
         13 . A personal vaporizer device, comprising:
 a vaporizer housing having a hollow chamber formed as a receptacle for a cartridge with a permeable membrane element, configured to convey liquid from a liquid reservoir of the cartridge to an opening in a top portion of the cartridge by capillary action;   an atomizer section having a heating device configured to vaporize liquid conveyed from the liquid reservoir of the cartridge into the personal vaporizer device; and   a mouthpiece connected to the vaporizer housing, the mouthpiece being configured to transfer vaporized liquid from the atomizer section through a mouthpiece opening to a user of the personal vaporizer device.   
     
     
         14 . The personal vaporizer device of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a vaporizer rear part configured to be removably attached to the vaporizer housing, thereby enclosing the receptacle for the cartridge.   
     
     
         15 . The personal vaporizer device of  claim 14 , wherein the vaporizer rear part includes a battery compartment for an electric energy storage. 
     
     
         16 . The personal vaporizer device of  claim 13 , wherein the heating device of the atomizer section is configured to be in direct contact with the permeable membrane element of the cartridge upon placing the cartridge into the receptacle of the vaporizer housing. 
     
     
         17 . The personal vaporizer device of  claim 13 , wherein the atomizer section further includes a wick to which the heating device is connected, the wick having a wick contact surface being configured to be in direct contact with the permeable membrane element of the cartridge upon placing the cartridge into the receptacle of the vaporizer housing. 
     
     
         18 . The personal vaporizer device of  claim 17 , wherein the wick is formed of a wicking material selected from one of or a combination of the group of silica twines, silica braids, cotton, a stainless steel mesh, and nanoporous material having an organic or inorganic framework supporting a regular, porous structure. 
     
     
         19 . The personal vaporizer device of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 an electrical energy storage configured to deliver electric energy to the heating device, the heating device being an electrically resistive metal coil wound around the wick.   
     
     
         20 . The personal vaporizer device of  claim 13 , wherein the atomizer section is arranged between the vaporizer housing and the mouthpiece of the personal vaporizer device. 
     
     
         21 . The personal vaporizer device of  claim 20 , wherein the mouthpiece is connected to the vaporizer housing in such a way that air inlets to the atomizer section are arranged between the vaporizer housing and the mouthpiece of the personal vaporizer device. 
     
     
         22 . The cartridge of  claim 12 , wherein the thermoplastic is polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonate, polystyrene, or polyethylene. 
     
     
         23 . A personal vaporizer system, comprising:
 a cartridge comprising:
 a housing which encloses a reservoir for storing a liquid to be vaporized, the housing having an opening in a top portion; 
 a membrane compartment set into the opening in the top portion of the housing and attached to inner walls of the housing; and 
 a permeable membrane element held in the membrane compartment, the permeable membrane element being configured to convey liquid from the reservoir to the opening in the top portion of the housing by capillary action; and 
   a personal vaporizer device comprising:
 a vaporizer housing having a hollow chamber formed as a receptacle for the cartridge; 
 an atomizer section having a heating device configured to vaporize liquid conveyed from the reservoir of the cartridge into the personal vaporizer device; and 
 a mouthpiece connected to the vaporizer housing, the mouthpiece being configured to transfer vaporized liquid from the atomizer section through a mouthpiece opening to a user of the personal vaporizer device.