ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE

摘要

An electronic cigarette has a vaporizer to produce vapor to be delivered to its mouth end. The vaporizer includes a tube having inlet and outlet ends. A porous matrix containing a vaporizable liquid, extends around the tube. Wicking fibers extend through side openings in the tube and are configured to wick the vaporizable liquid from the porous matrix into the tube, and electrical heater coil is powered by a battery to vaporize liquid on the wicking fibers in the tube, so that vapor is supplied along the tube end when the user draws on mouth end. The wicking fibers are wrapped around outer surface of the tube so as to contact and receive the vaporizable liquid by capillary action from the matrix. The wrapping of the wicking fibers may be in a spiral pattern in the same or opposite directions along the tube.

主权项

1. An electronic cigarette comprising a generally cylindrical housing with a proximal mouth end and a distal end, and within the housing:
a vaporizer to produce vapor to be delivered to the mouth end; a battery; and sensor circuitry to detect a user drawing on the mouth end and connect the battery to power the vaporizer to produce vapor, the vaporizer comprising:
a tube having inlet and outlet ends and extending longitudinally of the housing,supports at opposite ends of the tube for directing airflow into and out of the tube from the inlet to the outlet,a porous matrix containing a vaporizable liquid extending around the tube,wicking fibers extending through side openings in the tube and configured to wick the vaporizable liquid from the porous matrix into the tube, andan electrical heater coil in the tube configured to be powered by the battery to vaporize liquid on the wicking fibers in the tube, so that vapor is supplied along the tube to the outlet end when the user draws thereon, wherein the wicking fibers are wrapped around the outer surface of the tube so as to contact and receive the vaporizable liquid by capillary action from the matrix.