Patents Assigned to ALTRIA CLIENT SERVICES LLC
  • Publication number: 20250042678
    Abstract: A dosing apparatus includes a doser mechanism that discharges an index amount of a granular material based on drawing the granular material from an intake hopper. A drop-down device is coupled between the intake hopper and a supply hopper and enables enable a flow of the granular material from the supply hopper to the intake hopper through a conduit. The drop-down device restricts a flow rate of the flow of granular material through the conduit based on directing the flow around a slat extending into the conduit. The slat has an upper slat surface that is angled downwards at an inclination angle that may correspond to an angle of repose of the granular material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2024
    Publication date: February 6, 2025
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Dwight David WILLIAMS, Dremere Kevon WOODS
  • Publication number: 20250040589
    Abstract: The method including forming a tobacco vaping insert that includes a tobacco element and a filter, the tobacco vaping insert being non-combustible, and inserting the tobacco vaping insert within a first air passage of a first section of an e-vaping device, first side surfaces of the filter directly contacting sidewalls of the first air passage, and a gap existing between at least a portion of second side surfaces of the tobacco element and the sidewalls of the first air passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2024
    Publication date: February 6, 2025
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Ali A. ROSTAMI, San LI, Yezdi B. PITHAWALLA
  • Publication number: 20250040608
    Abstract: A fluid permeable heater assembly for aerosol-generating systems includes an electrically conductive flat filament arrangement and a first contact point and a second contact point for electrically contacting the flat filament arrangement. A longitudinal axis is defined between the first contact point and the second contact point. A center resistance Rc is the electrical resistance between two points situated on the longitudinal axis. One of the two points is situated at a distance from the first contact point equal to about 40 percent and the other one of the two points being situated at a distance from the first contact point equal to about 60 percent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2024
    Publication date: February 6, 2025
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Oleg MIRONOV, Ihar Nikolaevich ZINOVIK
  • Publication number: 20250047379
    Abstract: An embodiment of an electronic vaping device includes: a memory; a light emitting device configured to optically transmit information associated with the electronic vaping device to an external device; and processing circuitry coupled to the memory and the light emitting device. The processing circuitry may be configured to: collect the information associated with the electronic vaping device; store the information in the memory; detect a triggering event; and initiate optical transmission of the information by the light emitting device in response to detecting the triggering event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2024
    Publication date: February 6, 2025
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Terrance Theodore BACHE, Dave SCHIFF, Chris PHELAN
  • Publication number: 20250042116
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a fixed assembly and a reciprocating assembly. The fixed assembly includes a hopper, a first gas manifold, and a dispensing chamber, and the reciprocating assembly includes a channel assembly defining a channel conduit, a shield plate vertically aligned therewith, and a second gas manifold. The reciprocating assembly may move, in relation to the fixed assembly, to a first position to enable the channel conduit to be filled with bulk compressible material from the hopper, a second position to enable compressible material to be pushed from the channel conduit to the dispensing conduit and to be compressed in the dispensing chamber according to a first gas directed through the channel conduit by the first gas manifold, and a third position to enable the compressed material to be pushed out of the dispensing conduit according to a second gas directed through the dispensing conduit by the second gas manifold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2024
    Publication date: February 6, 2025
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Thien NGUYEN, Sean SUNDBERG, Jeremy STRAIGHT, Berina YERKIC-HUSEJNOVIC, Jarrod W. CHALKLEY, James D. EVANS, Christopher R. NEWCOMB, Robert V. POWELL, JR., Gregory L. NELSON
  • Patent number: 12214123
    Abstract: An electrically heated aerosol-generating device is configured for use with a consumable cartridge including a storage portion containing an aerosol-forming substrate and having a fluid permeable internal surface surrounding an open-ended passage extending through the cartridge. The device includes a housing having a cavity for receiving the cartridge and a heater assembly positioned in the cavity. The heater assembly includes an electrically conductive hollow shaft portion connected to the housing and an electric heater positioned along the hollow shaft portion and having at least one heating element for heating the aerosol-forming substrate. The hollow shaft portion defines an airflow passage forming part of an airflow pathway through the device and is arranged to extend into the open-ended passage of the cartridge. The hollow shaft portion comprises a plurality of apertures, and the heating element is one or more narrow regions of the hollow shaft portion between adjacent apertures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Rui Nuno Batista, Laurent Manca
  • Patent number: 12213531
    Abstract: A reservoir assembly that holds a nicotine pre-vapor formulation in a reservoir includes a reservoir assembly connector assembly defining a connector conduit, and which may be configured to detachably couple with a nicotine vaporizer assembly based on a connector element of the nicotine vaporizer assembly engaging with the connector conduit of the connector conduit. The reservoir assembly may include an isolation structure configured to move in relation to both the reservoir and the nicotine vaporizer connector assembly between a first position where the isolation structure exposes the nicotine vaporizer assembly to the reservoir and at least partially obstructs the connector conduit to restrict the connector element from disengaging from the connector conduit, and a second position where the isolation structure isolates the nicotine vaporizer assembly from the reservoir and opens the connector conduit to enable the connector element to disengage from the connector conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Eric Hawes, Raymond W. Lau, Jose Jesus Paolo Montalvan, John Paul Muring
  • Patent number: 12213518
    Abstract: The method including providing a filler material that is water insoluble, the providing provides the filler material with more than 98% alpha-cellulose, 0.01% to less than 2% ash and a remainder hemicellulose, infusing at least one first consumable within the filler material and inserting a matrix within at least one first containing structure to form an insert, the matrix including the filler material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Munmaya K. Mishra, Danielle Crawford, Dwight David Williams, Eric Hawes, Terry Bache, Raymond W. Lau, Shaoyong Yu
  • Patent number: 12219673
    Abstract: An electrically conductive flat filament arrangement for a fluid permeable heater assembly for aerosol-generating systems includes a center portion and two side portions. The two side portions are on opposite sides of the center portion. The center portion defines a heating region of the filament arrangement and the side portions define electrical contact regions of the filament arrangement. The center portion and the two side portions each include a plurality of openings. Each plurality of openings defines an open area of the center portion and an open area of each of the two side portions. A percentage of the total area of the center portion including the open area of the center portion is greater than the percentage of the total area of one of the side portions including the open area of the side portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Oleg Mironov, Ihar Nikolaevich Zinovik
  • Patent number: 12219668
    Abstract: A cartridge for an e-vaping device includes a housing extending along a longitudinal axis of the cartridge, and an outlet-end insert coupled to the outlet end of the housing. The housing at least partially encloses a pre-vapor formulation reservoir and a vapor generator of the cartridge and further channels light via internal reflection through an interior of the housing. The outlet-end insert includes an outlet in flow communication with the vapor generator, directs the vapor generated by the vapor generator out of the cartridge through the outlet, and further emits the light channeled through the interior of the housing. One or more properties of the light are controllable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Christopher S. Tucker, Phillip Diana, Nam Tran, Matthew Caparrelli
  • Publication number: 20250031761
    Abstract: An e-vapor device may include a pre-vapor sector and a heater structure arranged in thermal contact with the pre-vapor sector. The pre-vapor sector is configured to hold and dispense a pre-vapor formulation. The heater structure includes a base wire and a shell layer coating the base wire. The base wire is insulated from the shell layer. The shell layer includes at least one recessed portion between a first unrecessed portion and a second unrecessed portion. The at least one recessed portion is a thinner section of the shell layer that is configured to vaporize the pre-vapor formulation to generate a vapor. As a result of the heater design, the heater structure is stiffer and more robust than other related heaters in the art, thus allowing more options for its implementation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2024
    Publication date: January 30, 2025
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventor: Peter LIPOWICZ
  • Publication number: 20250031757
    Abstract: An aerosol-generating system may include a capsule and a releasably connectable vaporizer or vaporizing unit. The capsule comprises a distal end and defines a reservoir configured to contain an aerosol-generating substrate. The vaporizing unit comprises a housing and a heating element and a transfer element disposed in the housing. The heating element is configured to heat the transfer element to vaporize the aerosol-generating substrate. The housing of the vaporizing unit has a proximal end. A portion of the transfer element extends beyond the proximal end of the housing. The vaporizing unit is configured such that the transfer element is the initial part of the vaporizing unit to penetrate into the reservoir of the capsule as the distal end of the capsule is moved towards the proximal end of the vaporizing unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2024
    Publication date: January 30, 2025
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventor: Eric FORCE
  • Publication number: 20250031758
    Abstract: An e-vaping device having a cartridge including an outer container extending in a longitudinal direction, a conduit within the outer container, a storage portion including pre-vapor formulation ingredients, the storage portion being between the outer container and the conduit and including a plurality of chambers, a plurality of wicks, each of the wicks being in communication with each of the chambers and the conduit and being configured to deliver one or more ingredients in each of the chambers to the conduit, and a coil heater located in the chimney and operatively coupled to each of the wicks. The e-vaping device also includes a power supply source coupled to the cartridge, the power supply source is configured to heat the wicks to vaporize ingredients located in respective chambers and generate a vapor corresponding to each of the vaporized ingredients.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2024
    Publication date: January 30, 2025
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Shaoyong YU, Munmaya K. MISHRA
  • Publication number: 20250032732
    Abstract: A heater assembly for an aerosol-generating system includes a perforated glass substrate and a heater element. The heater element is provided in the glass substrate, on the glass substrate, or both in and on the glass substrate. The heater element includes a plurality of parallel strips between alternating rows of the perforations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2024
    Publication date: January 30, 2025
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Fabien DUC, Alain TABASSO
  • Publication number: 20250031767
    Abstract: An exemplary accessory for an electronic smoking article includes a hollow body having inner and outer surfaces and a sensor in the body. The sensor is configured to detect an emission of the electronic smoking article. A processor is embedded in the body, where the processor is configured to generate smoking topography data based on the emission. A display generates an output based on the smoking topography data provided by the processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2024
    Publication date: January 30, 2025
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventor: Kenneth H. SHAFER
  • Publication number: 20250031756
    Abstract: A cartridge for use with an aerosol-generating system has a housing defining a liquid containing volume. The housing includes a sidewall extending from a mouthpiece end to a power supply end. The housing includes a transparent region forming at least a portion of the sidewall. The housing includes a light source fixed to the sidewall. The light source is configured to transmit light into the liquid containing volume. The light source may be fixed to an inner surface of the sidewall, fixed to an outer surface of the sidewall, or form a portion or the sidewall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2024
    Publication date: January 30, 2025
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Nikolaus Martin Ernest Wilhelm RICKETTS, Philippe SLAMA
  • Publication number: 20250039997
    Abstract: An electrically conductive flat filament arrangement for a fluid permeable heater assembly for aerosol-generating systems includes a center portion and two side portions. The two side portions are on opposite sides of the center portion. The center portion defines a heating region of the filament arrangement and the side portions define electrical contact regions of the filament arrangement. The center portion and the two side portions each include a plurality of openings. Each plurality of openings defines an open area of the center portion and an open area of each of the two side portions. A percentage of the total area of the center portion including the open area of the center portion is greater than the percentage of the total area of one of the side portions including the open area of the side portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2024
    Publication date: January 30, 2025
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Oleg MIRONOV, Ihar Nikolaevich ZINOVIK
  • Patent number: D1059378
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Terry Bache, Ryan McGinley, Nicola Westgarth-Flynn, Eric Hawes, Raymond W. Lau, Zack W. Blackmon
  • Patent number: D1059417
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Terry Bache, Ryan McGinley, Nicola Westgarth-Flynn, Eric Hawes, Raymond W. Lau, Zack W. Blackmon
  • Patent number: D1059677
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2024
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Gregory Griscik, Carl Kite, Thien Nguyen, David Alvarez, Terrance Bache, Zack W. Blackmon, Patrick Good, Raymond W. Lau, Eric Hawes, Cristian Popa