Patent 9609894 was granted and assigned to British American Tobacco on April, 2017 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
An apparatus comprising a smokable material heater, configured to heat a first region of smokable material to a volatizing temperature sufficient to volatize a component of smokable material and to concurrently heat a second region of smokable material to a temperature lower than said volatizing temperature but which is sufficient to prevent condensation of volatized components of the smokable material. A method of heating smokable material is also described.