Aerosol-generating device, aerosol-generating article and aerosol-delivery system

Abstract

An aerosol-generating device configured for heating an aerosol-generating article so as to generate an inhalable aerosol from an aerosol-forming substrate of the aerosol-generating article is provided, the aerosol-generating device including: a housing including a cavity configured to receive the aerosol-generating article, the housing being configured to define a cooling air flow path extending from outside of the housing, through an interior of the housing, to an air-permeable portion of a wall of the cavity, the wall being tubular, the air-permeable portion of the wall including at least one annular air-permeable band being configured to radially channel an air flow from the cooling air flow path into the cavity around a periphery of the tubular wall of the cavity. An aerosol-delivery system including the aerosol-generating device and an aerosol-generating article defining a rod is also provided. An aerosol-generating article for an aerosol-generating device is also provided.

1 .- 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . An aerosol-generating device configured for heating an aerosol-generating article so as to generate an inhalable aerosol from an aerosol-forming substrate of the aerosol-generating article, the aerosol-generating device comprising:
 a housing comprising a cavity configured to receive the aerosol-generating article, the housing being configured to define a cooling air flow path extending from outside of the housing, through an interior of the housing, to an air-permeable portion of a wall of the cavity,   wherein the wall of the cavity is tubular, the air-permeable portion of the wall of the cavity comprising at least one annular air-permeable band, the at least one annular air-permeable band being configured to radially channel an air flow from the cooling air flow path into the cavity around a periphery of the tubular wall of the cavity.   
     
     
         17 . The aerosol-generating device according to  claim 16 , the aerosol-generating article being docked in the cavity, and the air-permeable portion of the wall of the cavity being coincident with a corresponding air-permeable portion of an exterior wall of the aerosol-generating article. 
     
     
         18 . The aerosol-generating device according to  claim 16 , wherein the cavity is provided with an open end and a closed end, and the aerosol-generating device is further configured to receive the aerosol-generating article via the open end of the cavity. 
     
     
         19 . The aerosol-generating device according to  claim 16 , wherein the air-permeable portion of the wall of the cavity comprises one or more of:
 a porous material,   a plurality of slits, and   a plurality of holes.   
     
     
         20 . The aerosol-generating device according to  claim 16 , wherein the at least one annular air-permeable band comprises a first annular air-permeable band and a second annular air-permeable band, the first and the second annular air-permeable bands being axially-spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal axis of the cavity and having distinct first and second permeabilities to air flow therethrough. 
     
     
         21 . The aerosol-generating device according to  claim 16 , wherein the aerosol-generating device is further configured to urge a flow of air from outside of the housing along the cooling air flow path towards the air-permeable portion of the wall of the cavity. 
     
     
         22 . An aerosol-delivery system, comprising:
 an aerosol-generating device according to  claim 16 ;   an aerosol-generating article defining a rod, the rod containing an aerosol-forming substrate, and an exterior wall of the rod comprising an air-permeable portion, the air-permeable portion of the exterior wall of the rod being positioned downstream from the aerosol-forming substrate,   wherein the aerosol-generating device and the aerosol-generating article are configured such that when the aerosol-generating article is docked in the cavity, the air-permeable portion of the wall of the cavity is coincident with the air-permeable portion of the exterior wall of the rod.   
     
     
         23 . The aerosol-delivery system according to  claim 22 ,
 wherein the aerosol-generating article further comprises a first air flow path and a second air flow path,   wherein the rod has a mouth end and a distal end, the mouth end being located downstream of the distal end,   wherein the first air flow path extends through the aerosol-forming substrate along an interior of the rod downstream towards the mouth end such that, on application of suction at the mouth end, air is drawn into the aerosol-generating article and passes through the aerosol-forming substrate along the interior of the rod downstream towards the mouth end, and   wherein the second air flow path extends through the air-permeable portion of the exterior wall of the rod to feed cooling air-flow received from the cooling air flow path when the aerosol-generating article is docked in the cavity of the aerosol-generating device to a mixing region inside the rod, the air-permeable portion and the mixing region being located downstream of and immediately adjacent to the aerosol-forming substrate such that air flow along the second air flow path mixes in the mixing region with aerosol flow along the first air flow path to provide a mixed flow.   
     
     
         24 . The aerosol-delivery system according to  claim 22 , wherein the air-permeable portion of the exterior wall of the rod comprises one or more of:
 a porous material,   a plurality of slits, and   a plurality of holes.   
     
     
         25 . An aerosol-generating article for an aerosol-generating device, the aerosol-generating article defining a rod, the rod containing an aerosol-forming substrate and having a distal end and a mouth end, the mouth end being located downstream of the distal end, the aerosol-generating article comprising:
 a first air flow path and a second air flow path,   wherein an exterior wall of the rod comprises an air-permeable portion, the air-permeable portion of the exterior wall of the rod being positioned downstream from the aerosol-forming substrate,   wherein the first air flow path extends through the aerosol-forming substrate along an interior of the rod downstream towards the mouth end such that, on application of suction to the mouth end, air is drawn into the aerosol-generating article and passes through the aerosol-forming substrate along the interior of the rod downstream towards the mouth end,   wherein the second air-flow path extends through the air-permeable portion of the exterior wall of the rod to feed cooling air from outside the rod to a mixing region inside the rod, the air-permeable portion and the mixing region being located downstream of and immediately adjacent to the aerosol-forming substrate such that air flow along the second air flow path mixes in the mixing region with aerosol flow along the first air flow path, and   wherein the air-permeable portion of the exterior wall of the rod comprises at least one annular air-permeable band, the at least one annular air-permeable band comprising a first annular air-permeable band and a second annular air-permeable band, the first and the second bands being axially-spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal axis of the rod and having distinct first and second permeabilities to air flow therethrough.   
     
     
         26 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 25 , wherein the aerosol-forming substrate is located at or closer to the distal end of the rod than to the mouth end of the rod. 
     
     
         27 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 25 , wherein the interior of the rod is free of obstructions from the mixing region to the mouth end such that the mixed flow is unimpeded when flowing from the mixing region to the mouth end. 
     
     
         28 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 25 , wherein the air-permeable portion comprises one or more of:
 a porous material,   a plurality of slits, and   a plurality of holes.   
     
     
         29 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 25 , wherein the air-permeable portion of the exterior wall of the rod has an axial length of between 0.2 mm to 4 mm. 
     
     
         30 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 25 , wherein the air-permeable portion of the exterior wall of the rod has an axial length of between 0.2 mm to 1.5 mm. 
     
     
         31 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 25 , wherein the air-permeable portion of the exterior wall of the rod extends downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate by no more than 4 mm. 
     
     
         32 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 25 , wherein the air-permeable portion of the exterior wall of the rod extends downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate by no more than 0.2 mm.