The present disclosure generally relates to the field of aerosol-generating devices and systems.

Aerosol-generating systems usually comprise an aerosol-generating device for generating an aerosol and sometimes also a companion device for storing and charging the aerosolgenerating device. Typically, aerosol-generating devices are designed as handheld devices that can be used by a user for consuming aerosol generated by an aerosol-generating article. Usually, aerosol-generating articles comprise an aerosol-forming substrate, such as a tobacco containing substrate. For generating the aerosol during use, heat is transferred from a heating element in the aerosol-generating device or in the aerosol-generating article to heat at least a portion of the aerosol-forming substrate. Exemplary aerosol-generating articles can take the form of a stick configured in shape and size to be inserted at least partially into the aerosol-generating device. The aerosol-generating device may comprise, arranged longitudinally in order from top to bottom, an article-receiving portion, a control unit, and a power supply. The heating element may be arranged within the article-receiving portion to heat the aeroso I -forming substrate in the article. The aerosol-generating device comprises a pathway for the flow of air into the device and through the article. The size, shape, and position of the flow path can be configured to control or guide the airflow, for example the direction and amount of airflow.

Controlling airflow in a desired manner may require the aerosol-generating device to be designed and manufactured with a particular size, shape, and position of the flow path, which can complicate the mechanical structure of the aerosol-generating device. The design and manufacturing processes may need to be repeated in order to produce a range of devices having different profiles, or to vary the airflow for different geographical regions, resulting in more costly and time-consuming processes. Moreover, in some aerosol-generating devices, the air is guided through the article-receiving portion along the sides of the article. It is known that, in some such systems, the diameter of the article tends to decrease during use, which affects the airflow surrounding the article, thereby negatively impacting the consistency of airflow.

Aerosol-generating devices may also have an undesirably large size, occupying the bulk of the user’s pocket space, being unwieldy, or otherwise degrading the user experience.

There is therefore a need for improved aerosol-generating devices or systems having simplified airflow control and/or more compact form factors. These needs are met by the subjectmatter of the independent claims. Optional features are provided by the dependent claims and by the following description.

According to a first aspect, there is provided an aerosol-generating device. The device comprises a housing comprising a sidewall defining a through-hole which extends from a mouth end of the device to an opposite distal end of the device so as to form an airflow path through the device. The through-hole defines at the mouth end a receptacle for receiving an aerosolgenerating article and at the distal end an air inlet for enabling ambient air to be drawn into the receptacle and thereby through the aerosol-generating article. The device further comprises one or more electric or electronic components arranged laterally adjacent to the sidewall and at least partly surrounding the sidewall. The aerosol-generating device may be configured or designed as a hand-held device usable by the user or authorized user to consume an aerosol-generating article during one or more usage sessions (also referred to as “experiences” or “experience sessions”). For instance, an aerosol-generating article usable with the aerosol-generating device can comprise an aerosol-forming substrate, such as a tobacco containing substrate, which may be assembled, optionally with other elements or components, in the form of a stick at least partially insertable into the aerosol-generating device. Additionally or alternatively, an aerosol-generating article usable with the aerosol-generating device can comprise at least one cartridge containing a liquid that can be vaporized during aerosol consumption by the user. Such cartridge can be a refillable cartridge fixedly mounted at the aerosol-generating device or the cartridge can be at least partially inserted into the aerosol-generating device.

The aerosol-generating device exhibits particular arrangements of internal device components to facilitate the provision of a compact form factor.

For example, arranging components laterally adjacent to the sidewall and thereby laterally adjacent to the through-hole allows the length of the device to be minimized or at least reduced. In other words, at least some of the components, more preferably all of them, are disposed entirely between longitudinal limits defined respectively by the two ends of the through-hole, so as not to protrude beyond either end of the through-hole. Stated differently, there is an absence of electric or electronic components, or portions thereof, disposed longitudinally adjacent to the through-hole or extending beyond the longitudinal limits defined respectively by the two ends of the through-hole. Stated yet another way, the airflow path may extend through the entirety of the longitudinal length of the device, e.g. with the through-hole formed along the entirety of a longitudinal axis of the device. This preference for arranging components laterally rather than longitudinally adjacent to the through-hole thus facilitates length reduction.

Moreover, arranging components at least partly surrounding the sidewall, that is at least partly wrapping the through-hole, allows the width or diameter of the device to be minimized or at least reduced. The wrapping may be partial wrapping or a full wrapping of the through-hole in terms of the circumference of the through-hole. In the latter case, at least one of the components surrounds the sidewall around its full circumference. Wrapping may also be partial or full in terms of the length of the through-hole. Components may be mounted to an outwardly- facing surface of the sidewall of the housing. To facilitate the wrapping, the components may comprise a controller implemented using a flexible, thin-film, or curved circuit board, and/or a flexible, thin-film, or curved power supply. In one example, the power supply comprises multiple portions which connect together to at least partly surround the sidewall, for example in an annular or tubular configuration. At least one of the components may at least partly surround at least one other component. In one example, it is the battery which surrounds at least one other component, such as the controller. This preference for components surrounding the through- hole and/or each other thus facilitates width/diameter reduction.

By forming the through-hole so that it extends from the mouth end to the distal end while defining both the receptacle and the air inlet, the aerosol-generating device, and in particular the airflow path, may readily be configured in such a way that the control of airflow is performed primarily or entirely by the aerosol-generating article. In this way, the profile of the device may readily be adapted, or the device may readily be adapted for use with a variety of articles, for example those intended for use in different geographical regions, without any major modifications to the airflow control performed by the device being necessary.

To facilitate the control of airflow mainly or solely by the article, the airflow path of the device may be configured for free or unrestricted airflow. By “free and unrestricted” may be meant that the airflow path (taken alone, i.e. in the absence of the article) restricts the amount of airflow to a lesser extent than the article does. By “amount” is meant the volume or mass of air per unit of time that flows through the device. For example, the airflow path, and in particular the air inlet, may have a resistance to draw (RTD) in the absence of the article which is lower than that of the aerosol-generating article when the article is outside of the device. Stated differently, the device is so configured that inserting the article into the device increases the RTD of the airflow path. As used herein, RTD may be expressed in the unit of mm WG (mm of water gauge), measured according to ISO 6565:2002. In case the aerosol-generating device is configured for use with at least one particular standardized form of aerosol -generating article, such as rod-shaped aerosol-generating articles, e.g. “heat-not-burn” aerosol-generating articles, the airflow path may have a resistance to draw which is lower than that of aerosol-generating articles having the said standardized form.. To implement free or unrestricted airflow, the airflow path may comprise an absence of elements which constrict or expand the airflow; which protrude laterally into the airflow; which obstruct at least part of the airflow; or which cause movement of at least part of the airflow in a lateral direction. Where the device does include such elements (such, as for example, a junction between the inlet and the receptacle), their number, size, or shape may be such that the airflow is restricted to a lesser extent than in the article.

Notwithstanding the above, alternative arrangements may be provided in which the airflow path, and in particular the air inlet, has an RTD in the absence of the article which is higher than that of the aerosol-generating article when the article is outside of the device. In this way, inserting the article into the device does not change the RTD of the airflow path through the aerosol-generating system, such that it is the device that performs control of airflow.

By “free and unrestricted” may also be meant that the airflow path redirects the airflow to a lesser than the article does, or not at all. For example, the airflow path may be configured to provide direct airflow through the device. By “direct through the device” is meant that the airflow path may be configured to provide only unidirectional airflow, or at least to avoid reversal of a direction of the airflow. To avoid the need for reversed or looped back airflow, the inlet and the receptacle may be laterally non-overlapping. That is, the inlet and the receptable are adjacent one another along the longitudinal axis and/or the inlet and the receptable are not adjacent one another along the lateral axis. The airflow path may be configured to guide or route the airflow in a straight line from the distal end to the mouth end, i.e. with the predominant flow direction being along the longitudinal axis of the device. The airflow path may configured to avoid bifurcation or merging of airflows in the airflow path, such that there is only a single airflow path within the device.

By “free and unrestricted” may also be meant that the airflow path is substantially uniform, comprising the minimum number of separate passages or channels, inlets or outlets. For example, the airflow path may comprise no passage or channel other than the inlet and the receptacle. In this way, the air inlet may be configured to enable ambient air to be drawn directly into the receptacle, i.e. such that air flows from the inlet directly into the receptacle. By “directly” is meant that there are no intermediate passages or channels between the inlet and the receptacle, i.e. that the proximal end of the inlet (the end of the inlet closest to the mouth end of the device) abuts or joins the distal end of the receptacle.

The airflow path may comprise a cross-section which is round, elliptical, or oval.

The controller may control one or more functions of the aerosol-generating device. The control circuitry may comprise one or more processors for data processing. Additionally or alternatively, the aerosol-generating device may comprise data storage and/or memory for storing data, such as for example software instructions, a computer program, and/or other data.

The aerosol-generating device may comprise at least one power supply for storing electrical energy and/or for supplying the aerosol-generating device with power. For example, a charger or other companion device may supply electrical energy to the aerosol-generating device to charge the power supply of the aerosol-generating device. The power supply may comprise for example at least one battery, at least one accumulator, at least one capacitor, any other energy storage, or any combination thereof. The battery may comprise one or more of a lithium-ion battery; a nickel metal hydride battery; a thin film battery. The companion device may be configured to charge the aerosol-generating device wirelessly. Additionally or alternatively, the aerosol-generating device and the companion device may each include at least one electrical connector for electrically coupling the companion device with the aerosol -generating device, when the aerosol-generating device is at least partially received by the companion device.

The aerosol-generating device may include at least one heating element configured to heat the aerosol-generating article to generate the aerosol. The device may comprise at least one resistive (conductive) heating element, at least one inductive heating element, or elements of both kinds. In one example, the one or more heating elements comprise one or more induction coils for heating a susceptor in the aerosol-generating article. One or more heating elements may be arranged in a recess defined by an inwardly-facing surface of the sidewall of the housing. The one or more heating elements may at least partly surround the through-hole. An inwardly-facing surface of the one or more heating elements may partly define the through- hole. Where the device comprises a power supply, the power supply may be arranged relative to one or more sources of heat to facilitate provision of particular, e.g. optimal, temperature conditions at the power supply. For example, in the case that the device comprises one or more heating elements for heating the aerosol-generating article, the power supply may be arranged to receive excess heat from the one or more heating elements during use of the device. Additionally or alternatively, the power supply may be arranged to receive heat from the user’s fingers during use of the device.

The components described and claimed herein may further comprise a user interface component, such as an input element or output element. The components described and claimed herein may further comprise a communications interface. Preferably, such components are implemented in such a way as to conserve device real estate in a small-form-factor aerosolgenerating device.

According to a second aspect, there is provided an aerosol-generating system comprising the aerosol-generating device of any preceding claim and the aerosol-generating article. In particular non-limiting examples, the system may be a tobacco heating system, such as a tobacco induction-heating system. The article may alternatively be referred to as a consumable. The system may further comprise a companion device. The companion device, also describable as a receiving device, may generally refer to a device for supporting, storing, and/or charging the aerosol-generating device. The companion device may be portable.

According to a third aspect, there is provided a method for manufacturing an aerosolgenerating device. The method comprises providing a housing comprising a sidewall defining a through-hole which extends from a mouth end of the device to an opposite distal end of the device so as to form an airflow path through the device. The through-hole defines at the mouth end a receptacle for receiving an aerosol-generating article and at the distal end an air inlet for enabling ambient air to be drawn into the receptacle and thereby through the aerosol-generating article. The method further comprises arranging one or more electric or electronic components laterally adjacent to the sidewall and at least partly surrounding the sidewall. Sub-aspects of the method are elucidated in the following list of non-limiting examples.

It is emphasized that any feature, step, function, element, technical effect and/or advantage described herein with reference to one aspect equally applies to any other aspect of the present disclosure.

Below, there is provided a non-exhaustive list of non-limiting examples. Any one or more of the features of these examples may be combined with any one or more features of another example, embodiment, or aspect described herein.

Ex.1 An aerosol-generating device comprising: a housing comprising a sidewall defining a through-hole which extends from a mouth end of the device to an opposite distal end of the device so as to form an airflow path through the device, the through-hole defining at the mouth end a receptacle for receiving an aerosolgenerating article and at the distal end an air inlet for enabling ambient air to be drawn into the receptacle and thereby through the aerosol-generating article; and one or more electric or electronic components arranged laterally adjacent to the sidewall and at least partly surrounding the sidewall.

Ex.2 The aerosol-generating device of Ex.1 , wherein the air inlet is configured to enable ambient air to be drawn directly into the receptacle.

Ex.3. The aerosol-generating device of Ex.1 or Ex.2, wherein the airflow path is configured for free or unrestricted airflow.

Ex.4. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1-Ex.3, wherein the airflow path has a resistance to draw which is lower than that of the aerosol-generating article.

Ex.5. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.4, being configured for use with at least one particular standardized form of aerosol-generating article, wherein the airflow path has a resistance to draw which is lower than that of aerosol-generating articles having the said standardized form.

Ex.6. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1 -Ex.5, being configured for use with rod-shaped aerosol-generating articles.

Ex.7. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1 -Ex.6, connected or connectable to a heater for heating an aerosol-generating substrate in the aerosol-generating article.

Ex.8. The aerosol-generating device of Ex.7, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate comprises: a solid material and/or a liquid.

Ex.9. The aerosol-generating device of Ex.8, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate comprises solid tobacco and/or a nicotine containing solution. Ex.10. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.9, wherein the airflow path is configured to provide direct airflow through the device.

Ex.11. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.10, wherein the airflow path is configured to provide only unidirectional airflow.

Ex.12. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.11 , wherein the airflow path is configured to avoid reversal of a direction of the airflow.

Ex.13. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.12, wherein the inlet and the receptacle are laterally non-overlapping.

Ex.14. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.13, wherein the airflow path extends through the entirety of a longitudinal length of the device.

Ex.15. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.14, wherein the through-hole is formed along the entirety of a longitudinal axis of the device.

Ex.16. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.15, wherein the airflow path comprises a cross-section which is round .elliptical, or oval.

Ex.17. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.16, wherein the one or more electric or electronic components are disposed entirely between longitudinal limits defined respectively by the two ends of the through-hole.

Ex.18. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.17, wherein there is an absence of electric or electronic components, or portions thereof, disposed longitudinally adjacent to the through-hole or extending beyond longitudinal limits defined respectively by the two ends of the through-hole.

Ex.19. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.18, wherein the one or more electric or electronic components comprise a controller implemented using a flexible, thin-film, or curved circuit board.

Ex.20. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.19, wherein the one or more electric or electronic components comprise a flexible, thin-film, or curved power supply.

Ex.21. The aerosol-generating device of Ex.20, wherein the power supply comprises multiple portions which connect together to at least partly surround the sidewall.

Ex.22. The aerosol-generating device of Ex.20 or Ex.21 , wherein the power supply comprises multiple portions which connect together in an annular or tubular configuration.

Ex.23. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.20- Ex.22, wherein the power supply comprises one or more of a lithium-ion battery; a nickel metal hydride battery; a thin film battery.

Ex.24. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.23, wherein at least one of the electric or electronic components at least partly surrounds at least one other electric or electronic component. Ex.25. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.24, wherein at least one of the one or more electric or electronic components surrounds the sidewall around its full circumference.

Ex.26. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.25, wherein at least one of the one or more electric or electronic components is mounted to an outwardly-facing surface of the sidewall of the housing.

Ex.27. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.26, wherein an inwardly-facing surface of the sidewall of the housing defines a recess in which one or more heating elements are arranged.

Ex.28. The aerosol-generating device of Ex.27, wherein the one or more heating elements at least partly surround the through-hole.

Ex.29. The aerosol-generating device of Ex.27 or Ex.28, wherein an inwardly-facing surface of the one or more heating elements partly defines the through-hole.

Ex.30. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.27- Ex.29, wherein the one or more heating elements comprise one or more induction coils for heating a susceptor in the aerosolgenerating article.

Ex.31. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.30, further comprising one or more heating elements for heating the aeroso I -gene rati ng article, wherein the one or more electric or electronic components comprise a power supply, and wherein the power supply is arranged to receive excess heat from the one or more heating elements during use of the device.

Ex.32. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.31 , wherein the one or more electric or electronic components comprise a power supply, and wherein the power supply is arranged to receive heat from the user’s fingers during use of the device.

Ex.33. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.32, having a length of 30mm to 46mm or 36mm to 71mm.

Ex.34. The aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.33, having a diameter of 18mm to 27mm.

Ex.35. A system comprising the aerosol-generating device of any of Ex.1- Ex.34 and the aerosol-generating article.

Ex.36. A method for manufacturing an aerosol-generating device, the method comprising: providing a housing comprising a sidewall defining a through-hole which extends from a mouth end of the device to an opposite distal end of the device so as to form an airflow path through the device, the through-hole defining at the mouth end a receptacle for receiving an aerosol-generating article and at the distal end an air inlet for enabling ambient air to be drawn into the receptacle and thereby through the aerosol-generating article; and arranging one or more electric or electronic components laterally adjacent to the sidewall and at least partly surrounding the sidewall.

Ex.37. The method of Ex.36, further comprising configuring the air inlet to enable ambient air to be drawn directly into the receptacle.

Ex.38. The method of Ex.36 or Ex.37, further comprising configuring the airflow path for free or unrestricted airflow.

Ex.39. The method of any of Ex.36-Ex.38, further comprising configuring the airflow path to have a resistance to draw which is lower than that of the aerosol -generating article.

Ex.40. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.39, further comprising configuring the aerosolgenerating device for use with at least one particular standardized form of aerosol -generating article, and configuring the airflow path to have a resistance to draw which is lower than that of aerosol-generating articles having the said standardized form.

Ex.41. The method of Ex.40, further comprising configuring the aerosol-generating device for use with rod-shaped aerosol-generating articles.

Ex.42. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.41 , further comprising configuring the airflow path to provide direct airflow through the device.

Ex.43. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.42, further comprising configuring the airflow path to provide only unidirectional airflow.

Ex.44. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.43, further comprising configuring the airflow path to avoid reversal of a direction of the airflow.

Ex.45. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.44, further comprising arranging the inlet and the receptacle to be laterally non-overlapping.

Ex.46. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.45, further comprising arranging the airflow path to extend through the entirety of a longitudinal length of the device.

Ex.47. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.46, further comprising forming the through-hole along the entirety of a longitudinal axis of the device.

Ex.48. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.47, further comprising providing the airflow path with a cross-section which is round .elliptical, or oval.

Ex.49. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.48, further comprising disposing the one or more electric or electronic components entirely between longitudinal limits defined respectively by the two ends of the through-hole.

Ex.50. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.49, further comprising disposing no electric or electronic components, or portions thereof, longitudinally adjacent to the through-hole or extending beyond longitudinal limits defined respectively by the two ends of the through -hole. Ex.51. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.50, further comprising providing, as one of the electric or electronic components, a controller implemented using a flexible, thin-film, or curved circuit board.

Ex.52. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.51 , further comprising providing, as one of the electric or electronic components, a flexible, thin-film, or curved power supply.

Ex.53. The method of Ex.52, further comprising connecting together multiple portions of the power supply to at least partly surround the sidewall.

Ex.54. The method of Ex.52 or Ex.53, further comprising connecting together the multiple portions of the power supply in an annular or tubular configuration.

Ex.55. The method of any of Ex.52- Ex.54, further comprising providing, as the power supply, one or more of a lithium-ion battery; a nickel metal hydride battery; a thin film battery.

Ex.56. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.55, further comprising at least partly surrounding at least one of the electric or electronic components with at least one other electrical or electronic component.

Ex.57. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.56, further comprising surrounding the sidewall around its full circumference with at least one of the one or more electric or electronic components.

Ex.58. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.57, further comprising mounting at least one of the one or more electric or electronic components to an outwardly-facing surface of the sidewall of the housing.

Ex.59. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.58, further comprising arranging one or more heating elements in a recess defined by an inwardly-facing surface of the sidewall of the housing.

Ex.60. The method of Ex.59, further comprising at least partly surrounding the through- hole with the one or more heating elements.

Ex.61. The method of Ex.59 or Ex.60, further comprising partly defining the through-hole using an inwardly-facing surface of the one or more heating elements.

Ex.62. The method of any of Ex.59- Ex.61 , further comprising providing, as one or more of the heating elements, one or more induction coils for heating a susceptor in the aerosolgenerating article.

Ex.63. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.62, further comprising: providing one or more heating elements for heating the aerosol-generating article; providing, as one of the electric or electronic components, a power supply; and arranging the power supply to receive excess heat from the one or more heating elements during use of the device. Ex.64. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.63, further comprising providing, as one of the electric or electronic components, a power supply, and arranging the power supply to receive heat from the user’s fingers during use of the device.

Ex.65. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.64, further comprising manufacturing the device to have a length of 30mm to 46mm or 36mm to 71mm.

Ex.66. The method of any of Ex.36- Ex.65, further comprising manufacturing the device to have a diameter of 18mm to 27mm.

Examples will now be further described with reference to the drawings in which:-

Figs. 1A and 1 B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, illustrating insertion of an aerosol-generating article into an aerosol-generating device to form an aerosol-generating system;

Figs. 2A and 2B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of the aerosol-generating system of Figs. 1A and 1 B formed after insertion of the aerosol-generating article into the aerosol-generating device;

Fig. 3 illustrates a wrapped power supply of the aerosol-generating system of Figs. 1 A and 1 B;

Fig. 4 illustrates the aerosol-generating system of Figs. 1A and 1 B in use; and

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing the aerosol-generating device of Figs. 1A and 1 B.

The drawings are schematic only and not true to scale.

Referring to Figs. 1A, 1 B, 2A, and 2B, disclosed herein is an aerosol-generating system 100 comprising an aerosol-generating device 1 and an aerosol-generating article 700. The device 1 has a mouth end 2, an opposite distal end 3, and a through-hole 4 that penetrates the two ends of the device 1 . One end of the through-hole 4 serves as a receptacle 5 arranged to receive the article 700, and the other end serves as an inlet 6 that allows air to pass directly into and through the article 700 disposed within the receptacle 5. The entire through-hole 4 extends along the longitudinal axis 7 of the device 1. The device 1 comprises a housing 11 for supporting and/or containing various components. At the mouth end 2, the housing 11 forms a cap which serves as part of the outer housing of the device 1 . The housing 11 further comprises a tubular sidewall 10 whose inwardly-facing surface defines the receptacle 5 and thereby serves as an inner housing. Wrapped around the sidewall 10 are components including a controller 111 and a battery 12. The controller 111 is configured to control the operation of the device 1 . The battery 12 is electrically connected to, and provides power to, the power-consuming components of the device 1. The housing 11 further comprises a bottom plate 15 in which the inlet 6 is formed and which cooperates with the cap to retain the battery 12 in place. Further apertures are formed in the bottom plate 15 to expose pins 152 of the battery 12, so that a companion device (not shown) can charge the battery 12 via pin-terminal connections. Arranged within respective recesses formed in the inwardly-facing surface of the sidewall 10, and positioned close to the bottom plate 15, are a first inductor 13 and a second inductor 14. The inductors 13, 14 are electrically connected to the controller 111. Sensors (not shown) are connected to the controller 111 and arranged close to the inductors 13, 14 to monitor operating conditions, e.g., temperatures. In this non-limiting example, each inductor 13, 14 comprises a shielding 131 , 141 and a coil 132, 142. The shielding 131 , 141 is arranged to cover the outermost side of the coil 132, 142 facing the battery 12 and/or the controller 111 , so as to mitigate the interaction between an electromagnetic field generated by the coils 132, 142 and other electrical components inside or outside of the device 1. Furthermore, the shielding 131 , 141 influences the generated electromagnetic field so as to concentrate it on susceptors in the article 700. It will be understood, however, that the heating arrangement disclosed herein is for the purposes of illustration only and that other inductive or resistive heating arrangements may be used instead.

It will be noted that the wrapping of components around the sidewall 10 and thereby around the through-hole 4 facilitates a compact form factor. To this end, in this non-limiting example, the controller 111 comprises a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) allowing it to be wrapped around the sidewall 10, while the battery 12 comprises curved portions that are connectable together to allow the battery 12 to surround other components. Fig. 3 shows the wrapping by the battery 12 in more detail. The battery 12 comprises two curved battery units 121 connected in series to form a tubular configuration which corresponds to the tubular form of the sidewall 10. By positioning the tubular battery 12 laterally adjacent to and surrounding the sidewall 10, no separate storage space is required for the battery 12, in particular no storage space positioned longitudinally adjacent to the receptacle 5. This leads to a generally tubular design of the device 1 having a compact structure despite the fully functional heating arrangement. Furthermore, the through-hole, particularly when in tubular form, enables the user to clean and observe the cavity conditions easily, from both ends of the device 1. Such a device 1 can be fully compatible with rod-shaped heating articles suitable for heating by induction heating, or resistive heating. The battery 12, which in this non-limiting example is the outermost component, also serves as part of the housing of the device 1. In this way, not only can the battery 12 itself be used to protect other components of the device 1 , but heat from finger contact while the device 1 is in use, as well as heat produced during the heating operation described herein, may also assist in retaining the battery 12 in desirable temperature conditions (particularly when the device is operating in cold environments).

In use, during an insertion operation, the article 700 is inserted downwardly from the mouth end 2 of the device 1 and into the receptacle 5, as indicated by the arrow A in Fig. 1 A. As shown in Fig. 4, the article 700 comprises a mouthpiece 702, an expansion chamber 704, and a consumable 706 having a stick-shaped susceptor 708 which penetrates into the consumable 706. When the article 700 is fully inserted into the device 1 , the position of the susceptor 708 and of the consumable 706 corresponds to the position of the inductors 13, 14 to allow for heating of the consumable 706. The receptacle 5 thus serves as a heating chamber as well as a cavity for receiving the article 700. The aerosol-generating system 100 is formed after the insertion of the article 700 into the device 1.

During a heating operation, the controller 111 controls the battery 12 to power the coils 132, 142 via a continuously varying current, e.g. an alternating current. The resulting varying electromagnetic field produced by the coils 132, 142 generates one or more eddy currents inside the susceptor 708, causing induction heat to be generated in the susceptor 708, which transfers heat to the consumable 706 to generate aerosol.

During an inhaling action, air flows directly into the consumable 706 via the inlet 6 directly facing the bottom surface of the consumable 706. While passing through the consumable 706, the airflow takes aerosols generated by the heated consumable 706 into the expansion chamber 704 and subsequently into the mouthpiece 702 to be inhaled.

According to the present disclosure, airflow is fully managed by the article 700. The through-hole 4 provides a pathway for airflow which is designed in a way that geometrically and dimensionally enables a significant volume of air flowing through it, to a larger extent then usually needed by any article, namely a larger airflow volume than the range of RTD (Resistance To Draw) of typical articles, meaning that the pathway enables free air flow, with the airflow control thus being performed entirely by the articles, which strongly simplifies the design and complexity of the device 1 and thereby reduces cost. Simplified airflow control further facilitates reductions in device size as well as providing flexibility in terms of geometrical shape and dimensions. The pathway may have a cross-section which is predominantly round, elliptical, or oval, based on demand. An elliptical outer profile of the device 1 can prevent the device 1 from rolling on flat surfaces such as tables.

In particular non-limiting examples, the device 1 may have a length from 30.00 mm to 46.00 mm, or from 36 mm to 71 mm, and a diameter from 18 mm to 27 mm. In one example, the article 700 may have a length from 45.00 mm to 70.00 mm and a diameter from 4.4 mm to 10.00 mm. In another example, the article 700 may have a length from 53 mm to 77 mm and a diameter from 4.5 mm to 9 mm. The battery 12 may have a thickness from 2 mm to 6 mm, or from 3mm to 7 mm and capacity in the range of 100 mAh - 240 mAh, preferably 130 mAh.

The battery 12 may include, for example, a lithium-ion battery, including for example, a lithium-ion manganese oxide battery; a nickel metal hydride battery; a thin film battery, or other battery. The controller 111 may comprise a flexible printed circuit board or a board made of a thin film. The susceptor 708 may be formed of a material selected from the group consisting of: an electrically conductive material, a magnetic material, and a non-magnetic material, e.g., aluminium, gold, iron, nickel, cobalt, conductive carbon, graphite, plain-carbon steel, stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel, copper, and bronze.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing the aerosol-generating device 1. The method comprises, in step 501 , providing the housing 11 comprising the sidewall 10 defining the through-hole 4 which extends from the mouth end 2 of the device 1 to the opposite distal end 3 of the device 1 so as to form an airflow path through the device. In step 502, the method comprises arranging one or more electric or electronic components 11 , 12, laterally adjacent to the sidewall 10 and at least partly surrounding the sidewall 10.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art and practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.

In the claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.