KR20240128049A - Sleep state for electronic vapor providing system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic vapor provision system (EVPS) comprises a sensor configured to generate a signal indicating an interaction with the EVPS, a timer, and an interaction detection processor, wherein the EVPS is configured to operate in at least a first mode and a second mode, the first mode consuming less power than the second mode, and the EVPS is configured to wake from the first mode to the second mode when the interaction detection processor detects a signal indicating an interaction from the sensor; and the EVPS is configured to modify one or more operating parameters of the EVPS in the second mode depending on a duration of time that the EVPS has been in the first mode.

Description

Sleep state for electronic vapor providing system and method

The present invention relates to an electronic vapor providing system and method.

The "background" discussion provided herein is intended to generally present the content of the present disclosure. The work of the presently named inventors—to the extent described in this Background section—as well as aspects of the disclosure that may not otherwise be recognized as prior art at the time of filing are not expressly or implicitly admitted to be prior art to the present disclosure.

Aerosol delivery systems (or, equivalently, electronic vapor delivery systems) are popular with users because they can deliver active ingredients (such as nicotine) to the user in a convenient and on-demand manner.

As an example of an electronic aerosol delivery system, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) generally have a reservoir of source liquid, typically containing a formulation comprising nicotine, from which an aerosol is generated, for example, via thermal vaporization. Thus, an aerosol source for an aerosol delivery system may include a heater having a heating element arranged to receive source liquid from the reservoir, for example, via wicking/capillary action. Other source materials may similarly be heated to generate an aerosol, such as a botanical material, or a gel comprising an active ingredient and/or a flavoring. Thus, more generally, an e-cigarette may be thought of as containing or receptive to a payload for thermal vaporization.

While a user inhales from the device, power is supplied to the heating element to vaporize an aerosol source (a portion of the payload) near the heating element, thereby generating an aerosol for inhalation by the user. Such devices are typically provided with one or more air inlet holes located distal to a mouthpiece end of the system. When the user sucks on a mouthpiece connected to the mouthpiece end of the system, air is drawn through the inlet holes past the aerosol source. There is a flow path connecting the aerosol source and the opening of the mouthpiece, such that the air drawn past the aerosol source continues along the flow path into the mouthpiece opening, carrying with it a portion of the aerosol from the aerosol source. The aerosol-carrying air exits the aerosol delivery system through the mouthpiece opening for inhalation by the user.

Typically, current is supplied to the heater when the user is inhaling/puffing from the device. Typically, current is supplied to the heater, e.g., a resistive heating element, in response to activation of an airflow sensor along the flow path or in response to activation of a button by the user as the user inhales/inhales/puffs. The heat generated by the heating element is used to vaporize the formulation. The emitted vapor mixes with air inhaled through the device by the puffing consumer, forming an aerosol. Alternatively or additionally, the heating element is used to heat, but typically not burn, a plant, such as tobacco, to release its active ingredients as a vapor/aerosol.

As a commonly used electronic device that draws sufficient current from a battery when in use to heat a portion of its payload to the point of generating vapor, it would be advantageous for the device to be activated in a manner that is convenient for use and a user of the device, and also preferably so activated in a manner that is beneficial to the battery and/or other operations of the device.

The present invention seeks to alleviate or resolve this need.

Various aspects and features of the present invention are defined within the text of the appended claims and the accompanying description.

In a first aspect, an electronic vapor providing system 'EVPS' according to claim 1 is provided.

In another aspect, a method for providing electronic vapor according to claim 12 is provided.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description of the invention and the following detailed description are exemplary and not limiting of the invention.

A more complete understanding of the present disclosure and many of its attendant advantages will be readily obtained as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vapor/aerosol providing system according to embodiments of the present description.
- FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the main body (20) of the system of FIG. 1 according to embodiments of the present description.
- FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a cartomiser (30) of the system of FIG. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a connector of the system of FIG. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 5a is a schematic diagram of functional components of the system of FIG. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 5b is a schematic diagram of functional components of the system of FIG. 1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a transmission ecosystem according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of functional components of a mobile communication device according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a method for providing electronic vapor according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

An electronic vapor providing system and method are disclosed. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these specific details need not be utilized to practice the present invention. On the contrary, certain details known to those skilled in the art are omitted where appropriate for the purpose of clarity.

Aerosol delivery systems (or, equivalently, electronic vapor delivery systems) are similar terms for delivery devices to the user.

The terms 'delivery device' and more broadly 'aerosol delivery system' or 'electronic vapor delivery system' may encompass systems that deliver at least one substance to a user, and may include non-combustible aerosol delivery systems that release compounds from an aerosol generating material without combusting the aerosol generating material, such as electronic cigarettes, tobacco heating products, and hybrid systems that generate an aerosol using a combination of aerosol generating materials, wherein the at least one substance may or may not include nicotine.

The substance to be delivered may be an aerosol generating material, suitably comprising one or more active ingredients, one or more flavours, one or more aerosol forming materials, and/or one or more other functional materials.

Currently, the most common examples of such delivery devices are aerosol delivery systems (e.g., non-combustible aerosol delivery systems) or electronic vapor delivery systems (EVPS), such as e-cigarettes. Throughout the following description, the term "e-cigarette" is sometimes used, but this term is used interchangeably with the above terms, except where otherwise specified or the context indicates otherwise. Similarly, the terms 'vapor' and 'aerosol' are referred to equivalently herein.

In general, the electronic vapor/aerosol providing system may be an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device or an electronic nicotine delivery device (END), although it should be noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol generating (e.g., aerosol capable) material is not required. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol providing system is a tobacco heating system, also known as a heat-not-burn system. An example of such a system is a tobacco heating system. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol providing system is a hybrid system that generates the aerosol using a combination of one or more heatable aerosol generating materials. Each of the aerosol generating materials may be in the form of, for example, a solid, liquid, or gel, and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel aerosol generating material and a solid aerosol generating material. The solid aerosol generating material may comprise, for example, a tobacco or non-tobacco product. Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol providing system generates a vapor/aerosol from one or more such aerosol generating materials.

Typically, a non-combustible aerosol provision system may include a non-combustible aerosol provision device and articles (otherwise referred to as consumables) for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision system. However, it is contemplated that articles that themselves include a means for supplying power to an aerosol generating component (e.g., an aerosol generator, such as a heater, a vibrating mesh, etc.) may themselves form a non-combustible aerosol provision system. In one embodiment, the non-combustible aerosol provision device may include a power source and a controller. The power source may be an electric power source or an exothermic power source. In one embodiment, the exothermic power source comprises a carbon substrate that can be energized to distribute power in the form of heat to an aerosol-capable material or heat transfer material in proximity to the exothermic power source. In one embodiment, a power source, such as an exothermic power source, is provided to the article to form a non-combustible aerosol provision. In one embodiment, an article for use with a non-flammable aerosol providing device may include an aerosol capable material.

In some embodiments, the aerosol generating component is a heater capable of interacting with the aerosol-capable material to release one or more volatiles from the aerosol-capable material to form an aerosol. In one embodiment, the aerosol generating component can generate an aerosol from the aerosol-capable material without heating. For example, the aerosol generating component can generate an aerosol from the aerosol-capable material without applying heat, such as via one or more of vibrational, mechanical, pressurized, or electrostatic means.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-capable material can include an active material, an aerosol-forming material and optionally one or more functional materials. The active material can include nicotine (optionally retained in tobacco or a tobacco derivative) or one or more other non-olfactory physiologically active materials. A non-olfactory physiologically active material is a material included in the aerosol-capable material to effect a physiological response other than an olfactory perception. The aerosol forming material may include one or more of glycerin, glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate. The one or more functional ingredients may include one or more of flavors, carriers, pH adjusters, stabilizers, and/or antioxidants.

In some embodiments, an article for use with a non-flammable aerosol providing device can include an aerosol-capable material or an area for receiving an aerosol-capable material. In one embodiment, the article for use with a non-flammable aerosol providing device can include a mouthpiece. The area for receiving the aerosol-capable material can be a storage area for storing the aerosol-capable material. For example, the storage area can be a reservoir. In one embodiment, the area for receiving the aerosol-capable material can be separate from the aerosol generating area, or can be combined with the aerosol generating area.

The aerosol delivery system need not provide the aerosol directly to the user, but may provide the aerosol to an intermediate device or conveyor that introduces/enables the introduction of the active ingredient into the user's body in a manner that allows the active ingredient to take effect.

Thus, an example may include a device that dispenses an aerosol into a receptacle, after which the user may remove the receptacle from the device and inhale or drink the aerosol. Thus, the delivery device need not necessarily be directly used by the user at the point of consumption.

Referring now to the drawings, where like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several drawings, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vapor/aerosol delivery system, such as an e-cigarette (10) (not to scale), providing a non-limiting example of a delivery device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

The e-cigarette has a generally cylindrical shape extending along a longitudinal axis (LA), indicated by a dashed line, and comprises two main components, namely a body (20) and a cartomizer (30). The cartomizer comprises, for example, a mouthpiece (35), a vaporizer (e.g., a heater), and an internal chamber holding a reservoir of a payload, such as a liquid comprising nicotine. References hereafter to 'nicotine' will be understood to be merely exemplary, and may be replaced by any suitable active ingredient. References hereafter to 'liquid' as a payload will be understood to be merely exemplary, and may be replaced by any suitable payload, such as a plant material (e.g., tobacco that is to be heated rather than burned), or a gel comprising the active ingredient and/or flavoring. The reservoir may be a foam matrix or any other structure for holding the liquid until it needs to be delivered to the vaporizer. For liquid/fluid payloads, the evaporator is for evaporating the liquid, and the atomizer (30) may further include a wick or similar facility for transferring a small amount of liquid from a reservoir to an evaporation location on or adjacent to the evaporator. Below, a heater is used as a specific example of an evaporator. However, it will be appreciated that other types of evaporators (e.g., evaporators utilizing ultrasonic waves) may also be used, and that the type of evaporator used may also vary depending on the type of payload to be vaporized.

The body (20) includes a rechargeable cell or battery for powering the e-cigarette (10) and a circuit board for generally controlling the e-cigarette. When the heater receives power from the battery controlled by the circuit board, the heater vaporizes a liquid, which is then inhaled by the user through the mouthpiece (35). In some specific embodiments, the body is additionally provided with a manual activation device (265) located external to the body, such as a button, switch or touch sensor.

The body (20) and the atomizer (30) may be detachably coupled to each other by separating in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis (LA), as illustrated in FIG. 1, but are joined together by connections, schematically indicated as 25A and 25B in FIG. 1, when the device (10) is in use, to provide mechanical and electrical connection between the body (20) and the atomizer (30). An electrical connector (25B) on the body (20) used to connect to the atomizer (30) also functions as a socket for connecting a charging device (not shown) when the body (20) is detached from the atomizer (30). The other end of the charging device can be plugged into a USB socket to recharge the battery within the body (20) of the e-cigarette (10). In other implementations, a cable may be provided for direct connection between the electrical connector (25B) on the body (20) and the USB socket.

The e-cigarette (10) is provided with one or more holes (not shown in FIG. 1) for air inlets. These holes are connected to an air passage through the e-cigarette (10) to the mouthpiece (35). When a user inhales through the mouthpiece (35), air is drawn into this air passage through one or more air inlet holes suitably positioned on the exterior of the e-cigarette. When the heater is activated to vaporize nicotine from the cartridge, the airflow passes through the generated vapor, combines with the generated vapor, and this combination of airflow and generated vapor then exits the mouthpiece (35) and is inhaled by the user. Except for disposable devices, the atomizer (30) may be detached from the body (20) and disposed of (and, if desired, replaced with another atomizer) when the supply of liquid is exhausted.

The e-cigarette (10) illustrated in FIG. 1 is provided as an example, and it will be appreciated that various other implementations may be employed. For example, in some embodiments, the atomizer (30) is provided as two separable components, namely a cartridge comprising a liquid reservoir and a mouthpiece (which may be replaced when the liquid from the reservoir is depleted), and a vaporizer comprising a heater (which is typically maintained). As another example, the charging facility may be connected to an additional or alternative power source, such as a car cigarette lighter.

FIG. 2 is a schematic (simplified) drawing of the body (20) of the e-cigarette (10) of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 may be generally considered as a cross-section in a plane through the longitudinal axis (LA) of the e-cigarette (10). Note that various components and details of the body, such as wiring and more complex shaping, have been omitted in FIG. 2 for clarity.

The body (20) includes a battery or cell (210) for powering the e-cigarette (10) in response to user activation of the device. Additionally, the body (20) includes a control unit (not shown in FIG. 2) for controlling the e-cigarette (10), for example, a chip such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a microcontroller. The microcontroller or ASIC includes a CPU or a microprocessor. The operations of the CPU and other electronic components are typically controlled at least in part by software programs running on the CPU (or other components). Such software programs may be stored in non-volatile memory, such as ROM, which may be integrated into the microcontroller itself or provided as a separate component. The CPU may access the ROM to load and execute individual software programs as needed. The microcontroller also has appropriate communications interfaces (and control software) to properly communicate with other devices within the body (10).

The body (20) further includes a cap (225) for sealing and protecting a distal end of the e-cigarette (10). Typically, there is an air inlet hole provided within or adjacent to the cap (225) to allow air to enter the body (20) when a user inhales over the mouthpiece (35). The control unit or ASIC may be positioned adjacent to the battery (210) or at one end of the battery (210). In some embodiments, the ASIC is attached to a sensor unit (215) for detecting inhalation over the mouthpiece (35) (or alternatively, the sensor unit (215) may be provided on the ASIC itself). The sensor unit (215), with or without the ASIC, may be understood as an example of a sensor platform. An air path is provided from the air inlet through the e-cigarette, past the airflow sensor (215) and the heater (within the vaporizer or atomizer (30)) to the mouthpiece (35). Thus, when the user inhales through the mouthpiece of the e-cigarette, the CPU detects such inhalation based on information from the airflow sensor (215).

At an opposite end of the body (20) from the cap (225), there is a connector (25B) for coupling the body (20) to the atomizer (30). The connector (25B) provides a mechanical and electrical connection between the body (20) and the atomizer (30). The connector (25B) includes a body connector (240) made of metal (in some embodiments, silver plated) to function as one terminal for electrical connection (positive or negative) to the atomizer (30). The connector (25B) further includes an electrical contact (250) providing a second terminal for electrical connection to the atomizer (30) of the opposite polarity to the first terminal, i.e., the body connector (240). The electrical contact (250) is mounted on a coil spring (255). When the body (20) is attached to the atomizer (30), the connector (25A) on the atomizer (30) is pressed against the electrical contact (250) in such a way that the coil spring is compressed axially, i.e., in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis (LA) (in a direction aligned with the longitudinal axis (LA)). Considering the elastic properties of the spring (255), this compression biases the spring (255) to expand, which has the effect of positively pressing the electrical contact (250) against the connector (25A) of the atomizer (30), thereby helping to ensure a good electrical connection between the body (20) and the atomizer (30). The body connector (240) and the electrical contact (250) are separated by a trestle (260) made of a non-conductor (e.g., plastic) to provide good insulation between the two electrical terminals. The bracket (260) is shaped to assist in the mutual mechanical coupling of the connectors (25A and 25B).

As noted above, the button (265) representing the form of the manual activation device (265) may be located on the outer housing of the body (20). The button (265) may be implemented using any suitable mechanism operable to be manually activated by a user—for example, a mechanical button or switch, a capacitive or resistive touch sensor, etc. It will also be appreciated that the manual activation device (265) may be located on the outer housing of the atomizer (30), rather than on the outer housing of the body (20), in which case the manual activation device (265) may be attached to the ASIC via the connectors (25A, 25B). The button (265) may also be located at an end of the body (20) instead of (or in addition to) the cap (225).

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an atomizer (30) of the e-cigarette (10) of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 may be generally considered a cross-section in a plane through the longitudinal axis (LA) of the e-cigarette (10). Note that various components and details of the atomizer (30), such as wiring and more complex shaping, have been omitted in FIG. 3 for clarity.

The atomizer (30) includes an air passage (355) extending from the mouthpiece (35) along the central axis (longitudinal axis) of the atomizer (30) to a connector (25A) for coupling the atomizer (30) to the body (20). A liquid reservoir (360) is provided around the air passage (335). This reservoir (360) may be implemented by providing, for example, cotton or foam soaked in liquid. The atomizer (30) also includes a heater (365) for heating the liquid from the reservoir (360) to generate vapor that flows through the air passage (355) and out through the mouthpiece (35) in response to a user inhaling the e-cigarette (10). The heater (365) is supplied with power via lines (366 and 367) (which are therefore connected to opposite polarities (positive and negative, or vice versa negative and positive) of the battery (210) of the main body (20) via the connector (25A)) (details of the wiring between the power lines (366 and 367) and the connector (25A) are omitted in FIG. 3).

The connector (25A) includes an internal electrode (375) which may be silver plated or made of some other suitable metal or conductive material. When the atomizer (30) is connected to the body (20), the internal electrode (375) contacts the electrical contact (250) of the body (20) to provide a first electrical path between the atomizer (30) and the body (20). In particular, when the connectors (25A and 25B) are mated, the internal electrode (375) is pressed against the electrical contact (250) to compress the coil spring (255), thereby helping to ensure good electrical contact between the internal electrode (375) and the electrical contact (250).

The inner electrode (375) is surrounded by an insulating ring (372), which may be made of plastic, rubber, silicone or any other suitable material. The insulating ring is surrounded by an atomizer connector (370), which may be silver plated or made of some other suitable metal or conductive material. When the atomizer (30) is connected to the body (20), the atomizer connector (370) contacts the body connector (240) of the body (20) to provide a second electrical path between the atomizer (30) and the body (20). In other words, the inner electrode (375) and the atomizer connector (370) suitably function as positive and negative terminals (or conversely, negative and positive terminals) for supplying power from the battery (210) within the body (20) to the heater (365) within the atomizer (30) via the supply lines (366 and 367).

The atomizer connector (370) is provided with two lugs or tabs (380A, 380B) extending in opposite directions away from the longitudinal axis of the e-cigarette (10). These tabs are used to provide a bayonet fitting together with the body connector (240) for connecting the atomizer (30) to the body (20). This bayonet fitting provides a secure and strong connection between the atomizer (30) and the body (20), so that the atomizer and the body are held in a fixed position relative to each other with minimal wobble or bending, and the possibility of any accidental separation is greatly reduced. At the same time, the bayonet fitting provides simple and quick connection and disconnection by rotation after insertion for connection, and rotation (in the opposite direction) after removal for disconnection. It will be appreciated that other embodiments may utilize different forms of connection between the body (20) and the atomizer (30), such as a snap fit or a screw connection.

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of certain details of a connector (25B) at an end of a body (20), according to some embodiments of the present disclosure (but omitting most of the internal structures of the connector as illustrated in FIG. 2 , such as the bracket (260)). In particular, FIG. 4 illustrates an outer housing (201) of the body (20) having a generally cylindrical tube shape. The outer housing (201) may include, for example, an inner tube of metal having an outer covering of paper or the like. The outer housing (201) may also include a manual activation device (265) (not illustrated in FIG. 4 ) to allow a user easy access to the manual activation device (265).

A body connector (240) extends from this outer housing (201) of the body (20). As illustrated in FIG. 4, the body connector (240) includes two main portions: a shaft portion (241) of a hollow cylindrical tube shape sized to fit snugly within the outer housing (201) of the body (20), and a lip portion (242) oriented radially outwardly away from the main longitudinal axis (LA) of the e-cigarette. The shaft portion (241) of the body connector (240) is surrounded by a collar or sleeve (290) which is also of a cylindrical tube shape where the shaft portion does not overlap the outer housing (201). The collar (290) is held between the lip portion (242) of the body connector (240) and the outer housing (201) of the body, which together prevents movement of the collar (290) in the axial direction (i.e., parallel to the axis (LA)). However, the collar (290) is free to rotate around the shaft portion (241) (and thus also around the axis (LA)).

As mentioned above, the cap (225) is provided with an air inlet hole that allows air to flow when a user inhales over the mouthpiece (35). However, in some embodiments, most of the air that enters the device when a user inhales flows through the collar (290) and the body connector (240), as indicated by the two arrows in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of the major functional components of the e-cigarette (10) of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 5A primarily relates to electrical connectivity and functionality, and is not intended to depict details of the physical sizing of the different components, or their physical placement within the control unit (20) or the atomizer (30). Additionally, it will be appreciated that at least some of the components depicted in FIG. 5A positioned within the control unit (20) may be mounted on the circuit board (28). Alternatively, one or more of such components may instead be housed in the control unit to operate in conjunction with the circuit board (28), but not physically mounted on the circuit board itself. For example, these components may be positioned on one or more additional circuit boards, or the components (e.g., the battery (54)) may be positioned separately.

As illustrated in FIG. 5A, the atomizer has a heater (310) that receives power via a connector (31B). The control unit (20) includes an electrical socket or connector (21A) for connection to a corresponding connector (31B) of the atomizer (30) (or potentially to a USB charging device). This in turn provides an electrical connection between the control unit (20) and the atomizer (30).

The control unit (20) further comprises a sensor unit (61) positioned within or adjacent the air path from the air inlet(s) to the air outlet (via connector (21A) to the atomizer (30)) via the control unit (20). The sensor unit comprises a pressure sensor (62) and a temperature sensor (63) (also within or adjacent the air path). The control unit further comprises a capacitor (220), a processor (50), a field effect transistor (FET) switch (210), a battery (54), an input device (59) (or equivalently 265 in FIG. 1) and an output device (58).

The operations of the processor (50) and other electronic components, such as the pressure sensor (62), are typically controlled at least in part by software programs running on the processor (or other components). Such software programs may be stored in non-volatile memory, such as ROM, which may be incorporated into the processor (50) itself or provided as a separate component. The processor (50) can access the ROM to load and execute individual software programs as and when needed. The processor (50) also has appropriate communication facilities, such as pins or pads (plus corresponding control software), for appropriately communicating with other devices within the control unit (20), such as the pressure sensor (62).

The output device(s) (58) may provide visual, audio and/or haptic output. For example, the output device(s) may include a speaker (58), a vibrator and/or one or more lights. The lights are typically provided in the form of one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs), which may be of the same or different colors (or multi-colored). In the case of multi-colored LEDs, the different colors are obtained by selectively switching on the red, green or blue LEDs at different relative brightnesses to provide corresponding relative color variations. When the red, green and blue LEDs are provided together, a full range of colors is possible, whereas when only two of the three red, green and blue LEDs are provided, only individual sub-ranges of colors are obtained.

The output from the output device may be used to signal various conditions or states within the e-cigarette to the user, such as a low battery warning. Different output signals may be used to signal different conditions or states. For example, if the output device (58) is an audio speaker, the different conditions or states may be represented by tones or beeps of different pitches and/or durations and/or by providing multiple such beeps or tones. Alternatively, if the output device (58) includes one or more lights, the different conditions or states may be represented using different colors, pulses of light or continuous illumination, different pulse durations, etc. For example, one indicator light may be utilized to indicate a low battery warning, while another indicator light may be utilized to indicate that the liquid reservoir (58) is nearly empty. It will be appreciated that a given e-cigarette may include output devices to support multiple different output modes (audio, visual, etc.).

The input device(s) (59) may be provided in a variety of forms. For example, the input device (or devices) may be implemented as buttons on the exterior of the e-cigarette, for example as mechanical, electrical or capacitor (touch) sensors. Some devices may support blowing into the e-cigarette as an input mechanism (such blowing may be detected by a pressure sensor (62) which would then also act as an input device (59)), and/or connecting/disconnecting the atomizer (30) and the control unit (20) as other forms of input mechanisms. Again, it will be appreciated that a given e-cigarette may include input devices (59) to support a number of different input modes.

As mentioned above, the e-cigarette (10) provides an air path from the air inlet through the e-cigarette, past the pressure sensor (62) and the heater (310) within the atomizer (30) to the mouthpiece (35). Thus, when a user inhales the mouthpiece of the e-cigarette, the processor (50) detects such inhalation based on information from the pressure sensor (62). In response to such detection, the CPU supplies power from the battery (54) to the heater, thereby heating and vaporizing nicotine from the liquid reservoir (38) for inhalation by the user. Alternatively, for example, in the case of a button-activated device, a different air path may be used (e.g., without entering the battery section).

In a particular non-limiting implementation illustrated in FIG. 5A, a FET (210) is connected between a battery (54) and a connector (21A). The FET (210) acts as a switch. The processor (50) is connected to the gate of the FET to actuate the switch, thereby enabling the processor to switch on and off the flow of power from the battery (54) to the heater (310) depending on the state of the airflow detected. It will be appreciated that since the heater current can be relatively large, for example in the range of 1 to 5 amps, the FET (210) should be implemented to support such current control (as well as any other form of switch that could be used in place of the FET (210).

To provide finer-grained control of the amount of power flowing from the battery (54) to the heater (310), a pulse-width modulation (PWM) scheme may be employed. The PWM scheme may be based on a repetition period of, say, 1 ms. Within each such period, the switch (210) is turned on for a portion of the period and off for the remainder of the period. This is parameterized by the duty cycle, whereby a duty cycle of 0 indicates that the switch is off (i.e., effectively permanently off) for all of the respective periods, a duty cycle of 0.33 indicates that the switch is on for 1/3 of each period, a duty cycle of 0.66 indicates that the switch is on for 2/3 of each period, and a duty cycle of 1 indicates that the FET is on (i.e., effectively permanently on) for all of the respective periods. It will be appreciated that these are provided only as exemplary settings for the duty cycles and that intermediate values may be used as appropriate.

The use of PWM provides the heater with effective power given by the nominal available power (based on the battery output voltage and heater resistance) multiplied by the duty cycle. The processor (50) may utilize a duty cycle of 1 (i.e., maximum power) at the start of the intake, for example, to bring the heater (310) to the desired operating temperature as quickly as possible. Once this desired operating temperature is achieved, the processor (50) may reduce the duty cycle to some appropriate value to maintain the heater (310) at the desired operating temperature.

As illustrated in FIG. 5a, the processor (50) includes a communication interface (55) for supporting wireless communications, particularly BLE (Bluetooth®Low Energy) communications.

Optionally, the heater (310) may be utilized as an antenna used by the communications interface (55) to transmit and receive wireless communications. One motivation for this is that the control unit (20) may have a metal housing (202), while the atomizer portion (30) may have a plastic housing (302) (reflecting the fact that the atomizer (30) is disposable, while the control unit (20) is maintained and therefore needs to be more durable). The metal housing acts as a screen or barrier that makes it difficult to position the antenna within the control unit (20) itself. However, utilizing the heater (310) as an antenna for wireless communications avoids such metal screening without adding additional components or complexity (or cost) to the atomizer, due to the plastic housing of the atomizer. Alternatively, a separate antenna may be provided (not shown), or part of the metal housing may be utilized.

As illustrated in FIG. 5A, when the heater is used as an antenna, the processor (50), and more specifically the communications interface (55), may be coupled to the power line from the battery (54) to the heater (310) (via connector (31B)) by the capacitor (220). This capacitive coupling occurs downstream of the switch (210) so that the wireless communications can operate when the heater is not powered for heating (as discussed in more detail below). It will be appreciated that the capacitor (220) prevents power from being diverted from the battery (54) to the heater (310) back to the processor (50).

It is noted that the capacitive coupling may be implemented using a more complex LC (inductor-capacitor) network, which may also provide impedance matching with the output of the communication interface (55). (As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, such impedance matching facilitates proper transmission of such signals between the heater (310) acting as an antenna and the communication interface (55), rather than having the signals reflected back along the connection.)

In some implementations, the processor (50) and communications interface are implemented using a Dialog DA14580 chip from Dialog Semiconductor PLC, of Reading, England. Additional information (and a data sheet) for this chip is available at http://www.dialog-semiconductor.com/products/bluetooth-smart/smartbond-da14580.

FIG. 5b provides a high-level simplified overview of the chip (50), including a communications interface (55) for supporting Bluetooth® low energy. The interface includes, among other things, a wireless transceiver (520) for performing signal modulation and demodulation, link layer hardware (512), and advanced encryption facilities (128 bits) (511). The output from the wireless transceiver (520) is coupled to an antenna (e.g., to a heater (310) acting as an antenna via a capacitive coupling (220) and connectors (21A and 31B).

The remainder of the processor (50) includes a general processing core (530), a RAM (531), a ROM (532), a one-time programming (OTP) unit (533), a general purpose I/O system (560) (for communicating with other components on the PCB (28)), a power management unit (540), and a bridge (570) for connecting the two buses. Software instructions stored in the ROM (532) and/or the OTP unit (533) may be loaded into the RAM (531) (and/or into memory provided as part of the core (530)) for execution by one or more processing units within the core (530). These software instructions cause the processor (50) to implement various functionalities described herein, such as interfacing with the sensor unit (61) and controlling the heater accordingly. It is noted that while the device depicted in FIG. 5b serves both as a communications interface (55) and also as a general controller for the electronic vapor provision system (10), in other embodiments these two functions may be split between two or more different devices (chips) (e.g., one chip may function as a communications interface (55) and another chip may function as a general controller for the electronic vapor provision system (10)).

In some implementations, the processor (50) may be configured to prevent wireless communications when the heater is being used to evaporate liquid from the reservoir (38). For example, when the switch (210) is switched on, the wireless communications may be interrupted, terminated, or prevented from starting. Conversely, if wireless communications are ongoing, activation of the heater may be prevented, for example, by discarding detection of airflow from the sensor unit (61) and/or by not operating the switch (210) to turn on power to the heater (310) while wireless communications are ongoing.

One reason for preventing simultaneous operation of the heater (310) for both heating and wireless communications is to prevent potential interference from the PWM control of the heater. This PWM control has its own frequency (based on the repetition frequency of the pulses), although much lower than the frequency of the wireless communications, and the two could potentially interfere with each other. In some situations, such interference may not actually cause any problems, and simultaneous operation of the heater (310) for both heating and wireless communications may be permitted (if so desired). This may be made possible by techniques such as appropriate selection of signal strengths and/or PWM frequency, provision of suitable filtering, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the e-cigarette (10) (or more generally any delivery device described elsewhere herein) may operate within a broader delivery ecosystem (1).

Within the broader communication ecosystem, multiple devices may communicate with each other directly (e.g., via BlueTooth®) or indirectly (e.g., via the Internet (500)). Examples include, but are not limited to, a mobile phone (400) and a remote server (1000).

For Bluetooth®, the transmitter (10) may communicate with the mobile communication device using Bluetooth® or Bluetooth® low energy communications (or similar schemes) to functionally link an application (app) running on a smartphone (400) or other suitable mobile communication device (tablet, laptop, smartwatch, etc.) with the transmitter (10). These communications may be used for a wide range of purposes, such as, for example, upgrading firmware on the e-cigarette (10), retrieving usage and/or diagnostic data from the e-cigarette (10), resetting or unlocking the e-cigarette (10), controlling settings for the e-cigarette, etc., or sharing processing operations.

Typically, when the e-cigarette (10) is switched on, for example by using an input device (59) (or equivalently, 265) or possibly by coupling an atomizer (30) to the control unit (20), the e-cigarette (10) begins to advertise a Bluetooth® low energy communication. When the smartphone (400) receives this outgoing communication, the smartphone (400) requests a connection to the e-cigarette (10). The e-cigarette may notify the user of this request via the output device (58) and wait for the user to accept or reject the request via the input device (59). Assuming the request is accepted, the e-cigarette (10) may communicate further with the smartphone (400). It is noted that the e-cigarette may remember the identity of the smartphone (400) and may automatically accept future connection requests from that smartphone. Once a connection is established, the smartphone (400) and the e-cigarette (10) operate in client-server mode, with the smartphone operating as a client initiating and transmitting requests to the e-cigarette, and the e-cigarette operating as a server accordingly (and responding appropriately to the requests).

A Bluetooth® low energy link (also known as Bluetooth Smart®) implements the IEEE 802.15.1 standard and operates at a frequency of 2.4-2.5 GHz, corresponding to a wavelength of about 12 cm, at data rates of up to 1 Mbit/s. The setup time for a connection is less than 6 ms, and the average power consumption can be very low, on the order of 1 mW or less. A Bluetooth low energy link can extend up to about 50 m. However, for the situation illustrated in FIG. 4, the e-cigarette (10) and the smartphone (400) would typically be much closer to each other (e.g., 1 m), since they belong to the same person. Additional information about Bluetooth low energy can be found at http://www.bluetooth.com/Pages/Bluetooth-Smart.aspx.

It will be appreciated that the e-cigarette (10) may support other communication protocols for communicating with the smartphone (400) (or any other suitable device). Such other communication protocols may replace or be in addition to Bluetooth low energy. Examples of such other communication protocols include Bluetooth® (not a variant of Bluetooth® low energy) (see, e.g., www.bluetooth.com), near field communications (NFC) according to ISO 13157, and WiFi®. NFC communications operate at much lower wavelengths than Bluetooth (13.56 MHz) and typically have a much shorter range (say, <0.2 m). However, this shorter range is still compatible with many usage scenarios where the user holds or carries both devices. Alternatively, low power WiFi® communications such as IEEE802.11ah, IEEE802.11v, etc. may be utilized between the e-cigarette (10) and a remote device, e.g., via a wireless access point. In each case, a suitable communications chipset may be included on the PCB (28) either as part of the processor (50) or as a separate component. Those skilled in the art will recognize other wireless communications protocols that may be utilized in the e-cigarette (10).

Referring now to FIG. 7, a typical mobile communication device (400), such as a smart phone, includes a central processing unit (CPU) (410). The CPU may communicate with components of the smart phone via direct connections or via an applicable I/O bridge (414) and/or bus (430).

In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the CPU communicates directly with memory (412), which may include persistent memory, such as Flash® memory for storing an operating system and applications (apps), and volatile memory, such as RAM for holding data currently being used by the CPU. Typically, the persistent memory and the volatile memory are formed by physically separate units (not shown). Additionally, the memory may separately include plug-in memory, such as a microSD card, and also subscriber information data for a subscriber information module (SIM) (not shown).

The smartphone may also include a graphics processing unit (GPU) (416). The GPU may communicate directly with the CPU or through an I/O bridge, or may be part of the CPU. The GPU may share RAM with the CPU, or may have its own dedicated RAM (not shown), and is connected to a display (418) of the mobile phone. The display is typically a liquid crystal display (LCD) or organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, but may be any suitable display technology, such as e-ink. Optionally, the GPU may also be used to drive one or more loudspeakers (420) of the smartphone.

Alternatively, the speaker may be connected to the CPU via the I/O bridge and bus. Other components of the smart phone may be similarly connected via the bus, including a touch surface (432), such as a capacitive touch surface overlaid on the screen for the purpose of providing touch input to the device, a microphone (434) for receiving speech from a user, one or more cameras (436) for capturing images, a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit (438) for obtaining an estimate of the geographic position of the smart phone, and a means for wireless communication (440).

The wireless communication means (440) may in turn include several separate wireless communication systems complying with different standards and/or protocols, such as the Bluetooth® standard or low energy variants as described above), near field communication and Wi-Fi®, and also phone-based communication, such as 2G, 3G and/or 4G.

The systems are typically powered by batteries (not shown) that may be rechargeable via a power input (not shown), which may eventually be part of a data link such as USB (not shown).

It will be appreciated that different smartphones may include different features (e.g., a compass or buzzer) and may omit some of those listed above (e.g., a touch surface).

Thus more generally, in embodiments of the present invention, a suitable mobile communications device, such as a smart phone (400), would include memory and a CPU for storing and running an app, and a wireless communications means operable to initiate and typically maintain wireless communications with the e-cigarette (10). However, it will be appreciated that the mobile communications device may be any device having such capabilities, such as a tablet, a laptop, a smart TV, and the like.

Such mobile communication devices may also act as a bridge between a remote device, such as a server, and the delivery device (10) by accessing the server over the Internet via WiFi® or mobile data. Alternatively or additionally, the delivery device (10) may itself be capable of Internet access.

In the embodiments of the description, the electronic vapor delivery system 'EVPS' (e.g., a delivery device or aerosol delivery device as described elsewhere herein) comprises:

A sensor configured to generate a signal indicating interaction with the EVPS; any suitable sensor may be considered, such as a capacitive touch sensor or a thermal sensor for detecting when a user touches the device. A particularly useful example of such a sensor is a motion sensor.

The motion sensor may be, for example, one or more accelerometers, typically mounted orthogonally to one another to detect different axes of motion. If only one accelerometer is used, the accelerometer may be mounted at an angle that is not parallel to one or more of the major axes of the transmission device, and thus may detect motion of the transmission device from a resting position parallel to such major axis or each such major axis. This approach may also be used when two or three accelerometers are used.

Alternatively or additionally, other motion sensors may be used, such as camera-based image analysis, where the apparent panning direction of an image over time can be used to infer motion.

Timer; this may be a dedicated timer or a counter set by the processor (50) and/or the processor (410).

An interaction detection processor (e.g., a processor (50) and/or processor (410) operating under appropriate software instructions).

In the embodiments of the description, the EVPS is configured to operate in at least a first mode and a second mode, wherein the first mode consumes less power than the second mode.

The first mode may be, for example, a sleep mode, a power saving mode, a quiet mode, a standby mode, etc. Optionally, this mode does not entail activating the heater to the evaporation temperature, and optionally also does not entail activating the heater to a pre-vaporisation temperature close to the evaporation temperature (for example, by way of non-limiting examples, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 90% or more of the required temperature increase required to reach the evaporation temperature).

The second mode can be, for example, a preparation mode, a preheat mode, or an evaporation mode. Optionally, this mode involves activating the heater to an evaporation temperature, and optionally also involves activating the heater to a pre-evaporation temperature close to the evaporation temperature (e.g., by any non-limiting example, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 90% or more of the required temperature increase required to reach the evaporation temperature).

As discussed later in this specification, the EVPS is configured to wake from the first mode to the second mode when the interaction detection processor detects a signal from a motion sensor indicating an interaction.

As discussed later herein, the EVPS is also configured to modify one or more operational parameters of the EVPS in the second mode depending on the duration of time that the EVPS was in the first mode. This modification may be orchestrated by the processor (50) of the EVPS, for example, in response to commands received from the companion device (400) or the server (1000).

In some embodiments of the description, the EVPS includes an aerosol generator and is configured to modify one or more operating parameters to change the amount of aerosol per unit of inhaled air depending on the duration of time that the EVPS is in the first mode.

This can be achieved, for example, by varying the heat generated by the heater (or more generally the operating parameters of the aerosol generator), or by varying the mix of the payload or the amount or flow rate of the payload.

If the amount of aerosol per unit of inhaled air is changed, it may be increased by a predetermined amount from the default amount if the duration of time that the EVPS has been in the first mode exceeds a predetermined period of time. Alternatively or additionally, it may be increased by an amount that is linearly or non-linearly proportional to the duration of time that the EVPS has been in the first mode.

In this manner, more generally, the longer the aerosol delivery device is in the first mode, the more aerosol is generated for a given inhalation volume. This means that when the user has not used the device for a while, the device will respond by delivering more aerosol to the user and therefore typically also delivering more active ingredient. Of course, a cap or maximum delivery or delivery rate may be applied to this approach.

In some embodiments of the invention, the EVPS comprises at least a first active payload (e.g., nicotine, or a suspension or other botanical, medium, or matrix comprising nicotine), and the EVPS is configured to modify one or more operational parameters to vary the amount of active payload delivered per unit of inhaled air, depending on the duration of time that the EVPS has been in the first mode. This may be done, for example, by varying the effective flow rate or wicking of the payload relative to the heater/aerosol generator, varying the effective surface area of the payload exposed to the effects of the heater/aerosol generator, varying the mix of payloads in a manner that affects the vaporization rate or temperature of the payload, or varying the effective concentration of the active payload or the physiological uptake of the active ingredient. For example, all else being equal, switching between payloads from a payload using a liquid medium comprised of vegetable glycerin to a payload using propylene glycol may increase the uptake of nicotine. The amount of active payload delivered per unit of inhaled air can also be altered by increasing the rate/amount of aerosol generated from the heater/aerosol generator (and thus increasing the fraction of inhaled air containing generated aerosol).

In such embodiments, optionally, the amount of active payload delivered per unit of intake air is increased from the default by a predetermined amount, or an amount linearly or non-linearly proportional to the duration of time that the EVPS has been in the first mode, if the duration of time that the EVPS has been in the first mode exceeds the predetermined period of time. Again, all else being equal, in this manner more generally the longer the device is in the first mode, the more active payload is delivered to the user. Again, a cap or maximum delivery or delivery rate may be applied here.

In some embodiments of the description, the EVPS is configured to enter the first mode when the interaction detection processor detects a motion signal from a motion sensor that meets at least a first predetermined criterion.

Thus, in addition to having a means to switch from the first mode to the second mode, the EVPS can also switch from the second (or optionally one or more other) modes to the first mode.

In these embodiments, optionally, the motion signal satisfies one or more of the following criteria:

First, the absence of motion for a predetermined period of time, indicating static positioning; this indicates that the EVPS has been put down, and the period of time indicates that the EVPS is not likely to be picked up again immediately (e.g., not having paused for a moment while otherwise being toyed with). The predetermined period of time may be, for example, 30 seconds, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 minutes, or any other suitable empirically determined period of time representative of non-use deemed suitable to transition to the first mode.

Second, forward motion indicative of a device positioned within a moving vehicle (e.g., a static device positioned within such a vehicle, such as a table on a train or a pocket within a car). In such cases, there is a clear forward motion in a particular direction, and this forward motion is typically high speed and/or smooth (i.e., in a straight line or curve such that the motion in the primary direction is typically several orders of magnitude larger than the motion in other directions). This indicates that the vehicle is within the vehicle, even if the vehicle occasionally shakes or jerks, or the user moves within the vehicle. In such cases, there is an assumption that the device should enter the first mode, for example, to be quiet, for aviation safety reasons, or because vaping may not be permitted on such a means of transportation.

Third, rhythmic motions having a forward component over a predetermined time period, indicating the user walking, running, or cycling. These activities include a characteristic wobble or cyclic component that can be detected, along with a typical range of speeds. Between them, these can be used to characterize the type of activity. For example, the device may or may not enter the first mode when the user is walking (since the user may often vape while walking), but may enter the first mode when the user is running or cycling.

Meanwhile, in some embodiments of the description, the EVPS is configured to enter the second mode when the interaction detection processor detects a motion signal from the motion sensor that satisfies at least a second predetermined criterion.

In such embodiments, optionally, the motion signal satisfies one or more of the following criteria:

First, cessation of the current criterion for entry into mode 1; in this case, mode 1 is maintained by the existence of a criterion for it (one of those previously listed in this specification), and upon cessation of that criterion, EVPS transitions to mode 2.

Second, an arcuate motion feature of bringing the portable device to the mouth. In such a case, an arcuate motion (i.e., flexing the forearm to bring the hand close to the mouth) typically having a radius in the range of 20 to 40 cm. Optionally, the arcuate motion may start with a predominantly vertical component and end with a predominantly horizontal motion (more specifically, the feature of bringing the portable device to the mouth), to distinguish it from, for example, a device being in a shaking bag.

Thirdly, the reorientation of the device into a typical position for use. For example, the device may naturally lie on a flatter, wider lateral surface, but when in use this surface naturally remains in contact with the palm and/or the underside of the fingers, thereby reorienting the device in a characteristic manner.

Referring again to FIG. 6, in some embodiments of the present description, the role of the interaction detection processor is:

i. Processor (50) of the electronic vapor transmission device;

ii. A processor (410) of a mobile communication device wirelessly linked to an electronic vapor transmission device; and

iii. A remote server (1000) (e.g., one or more unillustrated real or virtual processors of the remote server (1000)).

It will be appreciated that any suitable delivery device, aerosol delivery system, or equivalently electronic vapor delivery system, alone or in combination with one or more partner devices, such as a mobile communication device and/or a server, may implement methods inherent in the operations of the systems described herein.

Therefore, referring now to FIG. 8, in a summary embodiment, a non-therapeutic electron vapor providing method (e.g., a method for modifying operating parameters of an electron vapor providing system) comprises the following steps.

First, a motion detection step (s810) for generating a motion signal, as described elsewhere herein (however, it should be appreciated that more generally, the method may include an interaction detection step for detecting interaction with the transmitting device).

Second, a timing step (s820) for counting the duration of time, as described elsewhere in this specification.

Thirdly, as described elsewhere in this specification, an interaction detection step (s830).

Meanwhile, as described elsewhere herein, the electronic vapor providing method functions in at least a first mode and a second mode, wherein the first mode consumes less power than the second mode.

As described elsewhere in this specification, the method then includes a fourth step (s840) of waking up from the first mode to the second mode if the interaction detection step detects a motion signal indicative of an interaction from the motion detection step.

Finally, as described elsewhere herein, the method includes a fifth step (s850) of modifying one or more operating parameters of the EVPS in the second mode depending on the duration of time that the EVPS was in the first mode.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations of the above method corresponding to the operation of various embodiments of the device described and claimed herein are contemplated within the scope of the present invention, including but not limited to the following:

- As described elsewhere herein, the method comprises an aerosol generating step;

- As described elsewhere herein, the modifying step comprises changing the amount of aerosol per unit of inhaled air depending on the duration of time that the EVPS was in the first mode;

- In this case, optionally, as described elsewhere herein, the amount of aerosol per unit of inhaled air is increased from the default by an amount selected from a list consisting of a predetermined amount, and an amount linearly or non-linearly proportional to the duration of time taken in the first mode, if the duration of time taken in the first mode exceeds the predetermined period of time;

- As described elsewhere herein, the modifying step comprises changing the amount of active payload delivered per unit of intake air depending on the duration of time that the EVPS has been in the first mode;

- In this case, optionally, as described elsewhere herein, the amount of active payload delivered per unit of intake air is increased from the default by an amount selected from a list consisting of a predetermined amount, and an amount linearly or non-linearly proportional to the duration of time spent in the first mode, if the duration of time spent in the first mode exceeds the predetermined amount;

- As described elsewhere herein, the method comprises entering a first mode when the interaction detection step detects a motion signal from the motion detection step that satisfies at least a first predetermined criterion;

- In this case, optionally, the motion signal satisfies one or more criteria selected from the list consisting of a lack of motion for a predetermined period of time indicative of static positioning, forward motion indicative of static device positioning within a moving vehicle, and rhythmic motion having a forward component indicative of at least one of the user walking, running or cycling for a predetermined period of time, as described elsewhere herein;

- As described elsewhere herein, the method comprises a step of entering a second mode when the interaction detection step detects a motion signal from the motion detection step that satisfies at least a second predetermined criterion; and

- In this case, optionally, as described elsewhere herein, the motion signal satisfies one or more criteria selected from the list consisting of: a cessation of the current criteria for entering the first mode; an arching motion characteristic for bringing the portable device up to the mouth; and a reorientation of the device into a position typically for use.

It will be appreciated that the above methods may be performed on conventional hardware (e.g., optionally together with a mobile communication device (400) and/or a server (1000)) suitably adapted by software commands or by inclusion or replacement of dedicated hardware, where applicable.

Accordingly, the adaptations required for existing components of the conventional equivalent device may be implemented in the form of a computer program product including processor implementable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable medium, such as a floppy disk, an optical disk, a hard disk, a solid state disk, a PROM, a RAM, flash memory, or any combination of these or other storage media, or may be realized in hardware as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other configurable circuit suitable for use in adapting the conventional equivalent device. Separately, such a computer program may be transmitted via data signals over a network, such as Ethernet, a wireless network, the Internet, or any combination of these or other networks.

The foregoing discussion has disclosed and described only exemplary embodiments of the present invention. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Accordingly, the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative, rather than limiting, the scope of the present invention, as well as other claims. The present disclosure, including any readily identifiable variations of the teachings herein, partially defines the scope of the foregoing claim terminology, so as not to dedicate any inventive subject matter to the public.

Claims (23)

As an electronic vapour provision system (EVPS),
A sensor configured to generate a signal indicating interaction with said EVPS;
Timer; and
comprising an interaction detection processor;
The EVPS is configured to operate in at least a first mode and a second mode, wherein the first mode consumes less power than the second mode;
The EVPS is configured to wake from the first mode to the second mode when the interaction detection processor detects a signal indicating an interaction from the sensor; and
The EVPS is configured to modify one or more operating parameters of the EVPS in the second mode depending on the duration of time that the EVPS was in the first mode.
Electronic Vapor Provisioning System (EVPS). In the first paragraph,
comprising an aerosol generator; and
The EVPS is configured to vary the amount of aerosol per unit of inhaled air depending on the duration of time the EVPS is in the first mode.
Electronic Vapor Provisioning System (EVPS). In the second paragraph,
The amount of aerosol per unit of inhaled air is:
i. a predetermined amount if the duration of time that the EVPS has been in the first mode exceeds a predetermined period of time; and
ii. A quantity linearly or non-linearly proportional to the duration of time that the EVPS was in the first mode.
Increased from the default by one amount selected from the list consisting of
Electronic Vapor Provisioning System (EVPS). In any preceding paragraph,
comprising at least a first active payload; and
The EVPS is configured to vary the amount of active payload delivered per unit of intake air depending on the duration of time that the EVPS is in the first mode.
Electronic Vapor Provisioning System (EVPS). In the fourth paragraph,
The amount of active payload delivered per unit of the above intake air is:
i. a predetermined amount if the duration of time that the EVPS has been in the first mode exceeds a predetermined period of time; and
ii. A quantity linearly or non-linearly proportional to the duration of time that the EVPS was in the first mode.
Increased from the default by one amount selected from the list consisting of
Electronic Vapor Provisioning System (EVPS). In any preceding paragraph,
The above sensor is a motion sensor,
Electronic Vapor Provisioning System (EVPS). In Article 6,
The EVPS is configured to enter the first mode when the interaction detection processor detects a motion signal from the motion sensor that satisfies at least a first predetermined criterion.
Electronic Vapor Provisioning System (EVPS). In Article 7,
The above motion signal is,
i. Lack of motion for a predetermined period of time, indicating static positioning;
ii. net directional motion indicating static device positioning within a moving vehicle; and
iii. Rhythmic motion having a forward component for a predetermined time period representing the user walking, running or cycling.
satisfying one or more criteria selected from a list consisting of:
Electronic Vapor Provisioning System (EVPS). In any one of paragraphs 6 to 8,
The EVPS is configured to enter the second mode when the interaction detection processor detects a motion signal from the motion sensor that satisfies at least a second predetermined criterion.
Electronic Vapor Provisioning System (EVPS). In Article 9,
The above motion signal is,
i. Cessation of the current criteria for entry into the above first mode;
ii. Arch motion feature that brings the portable device up to the mouth; and
iii. Reorientation of said device into a position typically intended for use;
satisfying one or more criteria selected from a list consisting of:
Electronic Vapor Provisioning System (EVPS). In any preceding paragraph,
The role of the above interaction detection processor is:
iv. Processor of the electronic vapor transmission device;
v. a processor of a mobile communications device wirelessly linked to said electronic vapor transmission device; and
vi. remote server
provided by one or more selected from a list consisting of:
Electronic Vapor Provisioning System (EVPS). A method for providing non-therapeutic electronic vapor,
An interaction detection step for generating a signal indicating interaction with an electronic vapor provision system (EVPS);
A timing step for counting the duration of time; and
Comprising an interaction detection step;
A method of providing electronic vapor operates in at least a first mode and a second mode, wherein the first mode consumes less power than the second mode;
The method comprises a step of waking up from the first mode to the second mode when the interaction detection step detects a signal indicating interaction with the EVPS from the interaction detection step; and
The method comprises the step of modifying one or more operating parameters of the EVPS in the second mode depending on the duration of time that the EVPS was in the first mode.
A method for providing non-therapeutic electronic vapor. In Article 12,
Comprising an aerosol generation step,
A method for providing non-therapeutic electronic vapor. In Article 13,
The above modifying step comprises changing the operating parameters of the EVPS so that the amount of aerosol per unit of inhaled air during use is changed depending on the duration of time that the EVPS has been in the first mode.
A method for providing non-therapeutic electronic vapor. In Article 14,
The amount of aerosol per unit of inhaled air is:
i. a predetermined amount if the duration of time taken in the first mode exceeds a predetermined period of time; and
ii. A quantity linearly or non-linearly proportional to the duration of time taken in the first mode.
Increases the default by one amount selected from the list consisting of ,
A method for providing non-therapeutic electronic vapor. In clauses 13 to 15,
The modifying step comprises changing the operating parameters of the EVPS such that the amount of active payload delivered per unit of intake air during use is changed depending on the duration of time that the EVPS has been in the first mode.
A method for providing non-therapeutic electronic vapor. In Article 16,
The amount of active payload delivered per unit of the above intake air is:
i. a predetermined amount if the duration of time taken in the first mode exceeds a predetermined period of time; and
ii. A quantity linearly or non-linearly proportional to the duration of time taken in the first mode.
Increases the default by one amount selected from the list consisting of ,
A method for providing non-therapeutic electronic vapor. In Article 12,
The above interaction detection step includes a motion detection step for generating a motion signal.
A method for providing non-therapeutic electronic vapor. In Article 18,
The above interaction detection step comprises a step of entering the first mode when the above motion detection step detects a motion signal satisfying at least a first predetermined criterion from the motion detection step.
A method for providing non-therapeutic electronic vapor. In Article 19,
The above motion signal is,
i. Absence of motion for a predetermined period of time, indicating static positioning;
ii. Forward motion indicating static device positioning within a moving vehicle; and
iii. Rhythmic motion having a forward component for a predetermined time period, representing the user walking, running or cycling.
satisfying one or more of the following from a list of
A method for providing non-therapeutic electronic vapor. In any one of Articles 18 to 20,
The above interaction detection step includes a step of entering the second mode when the above motion detection step detects a motion signal satisfying at least a second predetermined criterion.
A method for providing non-therapeutic electronic vapor. In Article 21,
The above motion signal is,
i. Discontinuation of the current criteria for entry into the above first mode;
ii. Arch motion feature that brings the portable device up to the mouth; and
iii. Reorientation of the device to a position typically intended for use.
satisfying one or more of the following from a list of
A method for providing non-therapeutic electronic vapor. A computer program comprising computer-executable instructions configured to cause a computer system to perform any one of the methods of claims 12 to 22.