Japan Tobacco. has filed a patent for a tamper-resistant cartridge for a vapor generating system. The cartridge includes a housing, a closure, a liquid transport element, and a heating element. The heating element is attached to the closure in a way that removing the closure causes displacement of the heating element, resulting in damage to either the liquid transport element or the heating element. This design ensures that the cartridge becomes unusable if tampered with. GlobalData’s report on Japan Tobacco gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Japan Tobacco, Behavioral biometrics was a key innovation area identified from patents. Japan Tobacco's grant share as of September 2023 was 37%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Tamper-resistant cartridge for a vapor generating system
A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230309613A1) describes a cartridge for a vapor generating system. The cartridge includes a housing, a closure, a liquid transport element, and a heating element. The heating element is attached to the closure in a way that removing the closure from the housing causes displacement of the heating element. Additionally, the heating element engages the liquid transport element, resulting in damage to either the liquid transport element or the heating element when the heating element is displaced.
In one embodiment, the heating element passes through the liquid transport element. In another embodiment, the heating element wraps around the liquid transport element. The heating element comprises two electrical terminals, and the closure includes two electrodes. The terminals of the heating element are attached to the electrodes of the closure, with the possibility of laser welding the terminals to the electrodes.
The housing of the cartridge consists of a reservoir welded to a reservoir cover. The closure of the cartridge is secured to the reservoir cover. The cartridge can be releasably coupled to a vapor generating device in a vapor generating system.
The patent also describes a method of manufacturing the cartridge. The method involves engaging a heating element with a liquid transport element, securing the liquid transport element inside a housing, and locating the heating element inside the housing in a way that displacement of the heating element would cause damage to either the liquid transport element or the heating element. The closure is then secured to the housing, and the heating element is attached to the closure, resulting in displacement of the heating element upon removal of the closure.
In the manufacturing method, the heating element comprises two electrical terminals, and the closure includes two electrodes. The terminals of the heating element are attached to the electrodes by passing the terminals through at least one aperture in the closure and attaching them to the electrodes. Laser welding can be used for attaching the terminals to the electrodes. The closure can be formed through insert molding, where at least a part of the closure is molded around the two electrodes.
The housing of the cartridge consists of a reservoir and a reservoir cover. The heating element is located inside the reservoir, and the reservoir cover is ultrasonically welded to the reservoir to secure the heating element in place.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
