US 12,471,639 B2
Aerosol delivery device with improved cartridge loading
Jared Aller, Winston-Salem, NC (US); Karen H. Cleckley, Kernersville, NC (US); Thaddeus Jackson, Summerfield, NC (US); Vic Pramono, Campbell, CA (US); Christina Tapp, Walnut Creek, CA (US); Bill Webb, San Francisco, CA (US); and Chris Harsacky, San Francisco, CA (US)
Assigned to R.J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY, Winston-Salem, NC (US)
Filed by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Winston-Salem, NC (US)
Filed on Dec. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/081,239.
Prior Publication US 2024/0196994 A1, Jun. 20, 2024
Int. Cl. A24F 13/04 (2006.01); A24D 1/22 (2020.01); A24F 42/60 (2020.01)
CPC A24F 42/60 (2020.01) [A24D 1/22 (2020.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A holder for use with a removable substrate cartridge, the holder comprising:
a main body defining a proximal end and a distal end, the main body further including a receiving chamber configured to receive at least a portion of a removable substrate cartridge, and an aerosol passageway that extends from the receiving chamber through the main body;
an inner sleeve configured to move relative to the main body, the inner sleeve defining an outer surface and a proximal end and a distal end; and
an actuating element configured to move the inner sleeve to and from a retracted position and a use position;
wherein in the retracted position the outer surface of the inner sleeve is substantially not visible and the distal end of the inner sleeve is substantially aligned with the distal end of the main body, and wherein in the use position, the distal end of the inner sleeve extends outward and beyond the distal end of the main body so that it protects an end of an inserted removable substrate cartridge,
wherein the inner sleeve is spaced from and out of contact with the removable substrate cartridge, and wherein the inner sleeve is configured to slide relative to the main body to and from the retracted position and the use position.