Patent Grant
11696604
The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices such as smoking articles, and more particularly to an aerosol delivery device and related methods and computer program products for controlling an aerosol delivery device based at least in part on input characteristics. The smoking articles may be configured to heat a material, which may be made or derived from tobacco or otherwise incorporate tobacco, to form an inhalable substance for human consumption.
Many smoking devices have been proposed through the years as improvements upon, or alternatives to, smoking products that require combusting tobacco for use. Many of those devices purportedly have been designed to provide the sensations associated with cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking, but without delivering considerable quantities of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products that result from the burning of tobacco. To this end, there have been proposed numerous smoking products, flavor generators, and medicinal inhalers that utilize electrical energy to vaporize or heat a volatile material, or attempt to provide the sensations of cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking without burning tobacco to a significant degree. See, for example, the various alternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices and heat generating sources set forth in the background art described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al., U.S. Pat. U.S. App. Pub. No. 2013/0255702 to Griffith, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0000638 to Sebastian et al., U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0060554 to Collett et al., and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/647,000, filed Oct. 8, 2012, which are incorporated herein by reference.
Ongoing developments in the field of aerosol delivery devices have resulted in increasingly sophisticated aerosol delivery devices. However, due to factors such as form factor, many aerosol delivery devices have relatively limited user interface mechanisms via which control inputs may be provided by a user. As such, the provision of control inputs to control various device functions and settings continues to be problematic.
The present disclosure relates to an aerosol delivery device and related methods and computer program products for controlling an aerosol delivery device based at least in part on input characteristics. For example, in one aspect, a method for controlling an aerosol delivery device based at least in part on user input characteristics is provided. The method may include the aerosol delivery device determining a characteristic of a user input to the aerosol delivery device. The method may further include the aerosol delivery device determining a control function having a defined association with the characteristic. The method may additionally include the aerosol delivery device performing the control function in response to the user input.
In another aspect, an aerosol delivery device is provided, which may include processing circuitry. The processing circuitry may be configured to cause the aerosol delivery device to at least determine a characteristic of a user input to the aerosol delivery device; determine a control function having a defined association with the characteristic; and perform the control function in response to the user input.
In a further aspect, a computer program product is provided, which may include at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon. The stored program instructions may include program code for determining a characteristic of a user input to the aerosol delivery device. The stored program instructions may further include program instructions for determining a control function having a defined association with the characteristic. The stored program instructions may additionally include program instructions for performing the control function in response to the user input.
In an additional aspect, a method for controlling an aerosol delivery device based at least in part on characteristics of a puff input is provided. The method may include the aerosol delivery device determining a characteristic of a puff input to the aerosol delivery device. The method may further include the aerosol delivery device determining a control function having a defined association with the characteristic. The method may additionally include the aerosol delivery device performing the control function in response to the puff input.
In still a further aspect, an aerosol delivery device, which may include a puff sensor and processing circuitry coupled with the puff sensor, is provided. The puff sensor may be configured to detect a puff input to the aerosol delivery device. The processing circuitry may be configured to cause the aerosol delivery device to at least determine a characteristic of the puff input; determine a control function having a defined association with the characteristic; and perform the control function in response to the puff input.
In another aspect, a computer program product is provided, which may include at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon. The stored program instructions may include program code for determining a characteristic of a puff input to the aerosol delivery device. The stored program instructions may further include program instructions for determining a control function having a defined association with the characteristic. The stored program instructions may additionally include program instructions for performing the control function in response to the puff input.
This Summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example embodiments so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above described example embodiments are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the disclosure in any way. Other embodiments, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of some described embodiments.
Having thus described the disclosure in the foregoing general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof. These exemplary embodiments are described so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Indeed, the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. As used in the specification, and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, “the”, include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Some example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an aerosol delivery device and related methods and computer program products for controlling an aerosol delivery device based at least in part on input characteristics. Aerosol delivery devices (e.g., smoking articles) that may be used with various example embodiments may, by way of non-limiting example, include so-called “e-cigarettes.” It should be understood that the mechanisms, components, features, and methods associated with such aerosol delivery devices may be embodied in many different forms and associated with a variety of articles.
In this regard, the present disclosure provides descriptions of aerosol delivery devices that use electrical energy to heat a material (preferably without combusting the material to any significant degree) to form an inhalable substance; such articles most preferably being sufficiently compact to be considered “hand-held” devices. An aerosol delivery device may provide some or all of the sensations (e.g., inhalation and exhalation rituals, types of tastes or flavors, organoleptic effects, physical feel, use rituals, visual cues such as those provided by visible aerosol, and the like) of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, without any substantial degree of combustion of any component of that article or device. The aerosol delivery device may not produce smoke in the sense of the aerosol resulting from by-products of combustion or pyrolysis of tobacco, but rather, that the article or device may yield vapors (including vapors within aerosols that can be considered to be visible aerosols that might be considered to be described as smoke-like) resulting from volatilization or vaporization of certain components of the article or device. In highly preferred embodiments, aerosol delivery devices may incorporate tobacco and/or components derived from tobacco.
Aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure also can be characterized as being vapor-producing articles, smoking articles, or medicament delivery articles. Thus, such articles or devices can be adapted so as to provide one or more substances (e.g., flavors and/or pharmaceutical active ingredients) in an inhalable form or state. For example, inhalable substances can be substantially in the form of a vapor (i.e., a substance that is in the gas phase at a temperature lower than its critical point). Alternatively, inhalable substances can be in the form of an aerosol (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas). For purposes of simplicity, the term “aerosol” as used herein is meant to include vapors, gases and aerosols of a form or type suitable for human inhalation, whether or not visible, and whether or not of a form that might be considered to be smoke-like.
In use, aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure may be subjected to many of the physical actions employed by an individual in using a traditional type of smoking article (e.g., a cigarette, cigar or pipe that is employed by lighting and inhaling tobacco). For example, the user of an aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure can hold that article much like a traditional type of smoking article, draw on one end of that article for inhalation of aerosol produced by that article, take puffs at selected intervals of time, etc.
Aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure generally include a number of components provided within an outer body or shell. The overall design of the outer body or shell can vary, and the format or configuration of the outer body that can define the overall size and shape of the aerosol delivery device can vary. Typically, an elongated body resembling the shape of a cigarette or cigar can be a formed from a single, unitary shell; or the elongated body can be formed of two or more separable pieces. For example, an aerosol delivery device can comprise an elongated shell or body that can be substantially tubular in shape and, as such, resemble the shape of a conventional cigarette or cigar. In one embodiment, all of the components of the aerosol delivery device are contained within one outer body or shell. Alternatively, an aerosol delivery device can comprise two or more shells that are joined and are separable. For example, an aerosol delivery device can possess at one end a control body comprising an outer body or shell containing one or more reusable components (e.g., a rechargeable battery and various electronics for controlling the operation of that article), and at the other end and removably attached thereto an outer body or shell containing a disposable portion (e.g., a disposable flavor-containing cartridge). More specific formats, configurations and arrangements of components within the single shell type of unit or within a multi-piece separable shell type of unit will be evident in light of the further disclosure provided herein. Additionally, various aerosol delivery device designs and component arrangements can be appreciated upon consideration of the commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices, such as those representative products listed in the background art section of the present disclosure.
Aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure most preferably comprise some combination of a power source (e.g., an electrical power source), at least one control component (e.g., means for actuating, controlling, regulating and ceasing power for heat generation, such as by controlling electrical current flow the power source to other components of the article—e.g., a microcontroller), a heater or heat generation component (e.g., an electrical resistance heating element or component commonly referred to as an “atomizer”), an aerosol precursor composition (e.g., commonly a liquid capable of yielding an aerosol upon application of sufficient heat, such as ingredients commonly referred to as “smoke juice,” “e-liquid” and “e-juice”), and a mouthend region or tip for allowing draw upon the aerosol delivery device for aerosol inhalation (e.g., a defined air flow path through the article such that aerosol generated can be withdrawn therefrom upon draw). Exemplary formulations for aerosol precursor materials that may be used according to the present disclosure are described in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2013/0008457 to Zheng et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Alignment of the components within the aerosol delivery device can vary. In specific embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition can be located near an end of the article (e.g., within a cartridge, which in certain circumstances can be replaceable and disposable), which may be proximal to the mouth of a user so as to maximize aerosol delivery to the user. Other configurations, however, are not excluded. Generally, the heating element can be positioned sufficiently near the aerosol precursor composition so that heat from the heating element can volatilize the aerosol precursor (as well as one or more flavorants, medicaments, or the like that may likewise be provided for delivery to a user) and form an aerosol for delivery to the user. When the heating element heats the aerosol precursor composition, an aerosol is formed, released, or generated in a physical form suitable for inhalation by a consumer. It should be noted that the foregoing terms are meant to be interchangeable such that reference to release, releasing, releases, or released includes form or generate, forming or generating, forms or generates, and formed or generated. Specifically, an inhalable substance is released in the form of a vapor or aerosol or mixture thereof. Additionally, the selection of various aerosol delivery device components can be appreciated upon consideration of the commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices, such as those representative products listed in the background art section of the present disclosure.
An aerosol delivery device incorporates a battery or other electrical power source to provide current flow sufficient to provide various functionalities to the article, such as resistive heating, powering of control systems, powering of indicators, and the like. The power source can take on various embodiments. Preferably, the power source is able to deliver sufficient power to rapidly heat the heating member to provide for aerosol formation and power the article through use for the desired duration of time. The power source preferably is sized to fit conveniently within the aerosol delivery device so that the aerosol delivery device can be easily handled; and additionally, a preferred power source is of a sufficiently light weight to not detract from a desirable smoking experience.
One example embodiment of an aerosol delivery device 100 that may be used with various embodiments is provided in
In specific embodiments, one or both of the control body 102 and the cartridge 104 may be referred to as being disposable or as being reusable. For example, the control body may have a replaceable battery or a rechargeable battery and thus may be combined with any type of recharging technology, including connection to a typical electrical outlet, connection to a car charger (e.g., cigarette lighter receptacle), and connection to a computer, such as through a universal serial bus (USB) cable. For example, an adaptor including a USB connector at one end and a control body connector at an opposing end is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/840,264, filed Mar. 15, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. It will be appreciated that embodiments including a rechargeable battery may include any type of rechargeable battery, such as by way of non-limiting example, a lithium ion battery (e.g., a rechargeable lithium-manganese dioxide battery), lithium ion polymer battery, nickel-zinc battery, nickel-metal hydride battery, nickel cadmium battery, rechargeable alkaline battery, some combination thereof, and/or other type of rechargeable battery. Further, in some embodiments the cartridge may comprise a single-use cartridge, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0060555 to Chang et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In the exemplified embodiment, the control body 102 includes a control component 106 (e.g., a microcontroller), a flow sensor 108, and a battery 110, which can be variably aligned, and can include a plurality of indicators 112 at a distal end 114 of an outer body 116. The indicators 112 can be provided in varying numbers and can take on different shapes and can even be an opening in the body (such as for release of sound when such indicators are present). In the exemplified embodiment, a haptic feedback component 101 is included with the control component 106. As such, the haptic feedback component may be integrated with one or more components of a smoking article for providing vibration or like tactile indication of use or status to a user. See, for example, the disclosure of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/946,309, filed Jul. 19, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
An air intake 118 may be positioned in the outer body 116 of the control body 102. A coupler 120 also is included at the proximal attachment end 122 of the control body 102 and may extend into a control body projection 124 to allow for ease of electrical connection with an atomizer or a component thereof, such as a resistive heating element (described below) when the cartridge 104 is attached to the control body. Although the air intake 118 is illustrated as being provided in the outer body 116, in another embodiment the air intake may be provided in a coupler as described, for example, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/841,233; Filed Mar. 15, 2013.
The cartridge 104 includes an outer body 126 with a mouth opening 128 at a mouthend 130 thereof to allow passage of air and entrained vapor (i.e., the components of the aerosol precursor composition in an inhalable form) from the cartridge to a consumer during draw on the aerosol delivery device 100. The aerosol delivery device 100 may be substantially rod-like or substantially tubular shaped or substantially cylindrically shaped in some embodiments. In other embodiments, further shapes and dimensions are encompassed—e.g., a rectangular or triangular cross-section, or the like.
The cartridge 104 further includes an atomizer 132 comprising a resistive heating element 134 (e.g., a wire coil) configured to produce heat and a liquid transport element 136 (e.g., a wick) configured to transport a liquid. Various embodiments of materials configured to produce heat when electrical current is applied therethrough may be employed to form the resistive heating element 134. Example materials from which the wire coil may be formed include Kanthal (FeCrAl), Nichrome, Molybdenum disilicide (MoSi2), molybdenum silicide (MoSi), Molybdenum disilicide doped with Aluminum (Mo(Si,Al)2), and ceramic (e.g., a positive temperature coefficient ceramic). Further to the above, representative heating elements and materials for use therein are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,671 to Counts et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,894 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,498 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,460 to Sprinkel Jr., et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,075 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,813 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,936 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,850 to Das; U.S. Pat. No. 5,659,656 to Das; U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,855 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,225 to Hajaligol; U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,262 to Hajaligol; U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,692 to Das et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,368 to Fleischhauer et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Electrically conductive heater terminals 138 (e.g., positive and negative terminals) at the opposing ends of the heating element 134 are configured to direct current flow through the heating element and configured for attachment to the appropriate wiring or circuit (not illustrated) to form an electrical connection of the heating element with the battery 110 when the cartridge 104 is connected to the control body 102. Specifically, a plug 140 may be positioned at a distal attachment end 142 of the cartridge 104. When the cartridge 104 is connected to the control body 102, the plug 140 engages the coupler 120 to form an electrical connection such that current controllably flows from the battery 110, through the coupler and plug, and to the heating element 134. The outer body 126 of the cartridge 104 can continue across the distal attachment end 142 such that this end of the cartridge is substantially closed with the plug 140 protruding therefrom.
A liquid transport element can be combined with a reservoir to transport an aerosol precursor composition to an aerosolization zone. In the embodiment shown in
It is understood that an aerosol delivery device that can be manufactured according to the present disclosure can encompass a variety of combinations of components useful in forming an electronic aerosol delivery device. Reference is made for example to the reservoir and heater system for controllable delivery of multiple aerosolizable materials in an electronic smoking article disclosed in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0000638 to Sebastian et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Further, U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0060554 to Collett et al., discloses an electronic smoking article including a microheater, and which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Reference also is made to U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2013/0213419, which discloses a ribbon of electrically resistive mesh material that may be wound around a wick, and to U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2013/0192619, which discloses a heater coil about a wick wherein the coil windings have substantially uniform spacing between each winding. In certain embodiments according to the present disclosure, a heater may comprise a metal wire, which may be wound with a varying pitch around a liquid transport element, such as a wick. An exemplary variable pitch heater than may be used according to the present disclosure is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/827,994, filed Mar. 14, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Reference also is made to a liquid supply reservoir formed of an elastomeric material and adapted to be manually compressed so as to pump liquid material therefrom, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2013/0213418. In certain embodiments according to the present disclosure, a reservoir may particularly be formed of a fibrous material, such as a fibrous mat or tube that may absorb or adsorb a liquid material.
In another embodiment substantially the entirety of the cartridge may be formed from one or more carbon materials, which may provide advantages in terms of biodegradability and absence of wires. In this regard, the heating element may comprise a carbon foam, the reservoir may comprise carbonized fabric, and graphite may be employed to form an electrical connection with the battery and controller. Such carbon cartridge may be combined with one or more elements as described herein for providing illumination of the cartridge in some embodiments. An example embodiment of a carbon-based cartridge is provided in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2013/0255702 to Griffith, Jr. et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In use, when a user draws on the article 100, the heating element 134 is activated (e.g., such as via a flow sensor), and the components for the aerosol precursor composition are vaporized in the aerosolization zone 146. Drawing upon the mouthend 130 of the article 100 causes ambient air to enter the air intake 118 and pass through the central opening in the coupler 120 and the central opening in the plug 140. In the cartridge 104, the drawn air passes through an air passage 148 in an air passage tube 150 and combines with the formed vapor in the aerosolization zone 146 to form an aerosol. The aerosol is whisked away from the aerosolization zone 146, passes through an air passage 152 in an air passage tube 154, and out the mouth opening 128 in the mouthend 130 of the article 100.
The various components of an aerosol delivery device according to the present disclosure can be chosen from components described in the art and commercially available. Examples of batteries that can be used according to the disclosure are described in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2010/0028766, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
An exemplary mechanism that can provide puff-actuation capability includes a Model 163PC01D36 silicon sensor, manufactured by the MicroSwitch division of Honeywell, Inc., Freeport, Ill. Further examples of demand-operated electrical switches that may be employed in a heating circuit according to the present disclosure are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Further description of current regulating circuits and other control components, including microcontrollers that can be useful in the present aerosol delivery device, are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,922,901, 4,947,874, and 4,947,875, all to Brooks et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Reference also is made to International Publications WO 2013/098396, WO 2013/098397, and WO 2013/098398, which describe controllers configured to control power supplied to a heater element from a power source as a means to monitor a status of the device, such as heater temperature, air flow past a heater, and presence of an aerosol forming material near a heater. In particular embodiments, the present disclosure provides a variety of control systems adapted to monitor status indicators, such as through communication of a microcontroller in a control body and a microcontroller or other electronic component in a cartridge component.
The aerosol precursor, which may also be referred to as an aerosol precursor composition or a vapor precursor composition, can comprise one or more different components. For example, the aerosol precursor can include a polyhydric alcohol (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol, or a mixture thereof). Representative types of further aerosol precursor compositions are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,365 to Sensabaugh, Jr. et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,839 to Jakob et al.; PCT WO 98/57556 to Biggs et al.; and Chemical and Biological Studies on New Cigarette Prototypes that Heat Instead of Burn Tobacco, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Monograph (1988); the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Still further components can be utilized in the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al. discloses indicators that may be used with smoking articles; U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,424 to Sprinkel, Jr. discloses piezoelectric sensors that can be associated with the mouth-end of a device to detect user lip activity associated with taking a draw and then trigger heating; U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al. discloses a puff sensor for controlling energy flow into a heating load array in response to pressure drop through a mouthpiece; U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al. discloses receptacles in a smoking device that include an identifier that detects a non-uniformity in infrared transmissivity of an inserted component and a controller that executes a detection routine as the component is inserted into the receptacle; U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al. describes a defined executable power cycle with multiple differential phases; U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,289 to Watkins et al. discloses photonic-optronic components; U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al. discloses means for altering draw resistance through a smoking device; U.S. Pat. No. 6,803,545 to Blake et al. discloses specific battery configurations for use in smoking devices; U.S. Pat. No. 7,293,565 to Griffen et al. discloses various charging systems for use with smoking devices; U.S. Pat. No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al. discloses computer interfacing means for smoking devices to facilitate charging and allow computer control of the device; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2010/0163063 by Fernando et al. discloses identification systems for smoking devices; and WO 2010/003480 by Flick discloses a fluid flow sensing system indicative of a puff in an aerosol generating system; all of the foregoing disclosures being incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Further examples of components related to electronic aerosol delivery articles and disclosing materials or components that may be used in the present article include U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,574 to Ingebrethsen; U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,977 to Higgins et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,176 to Adams et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,287 to White; U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,218 to Voges; U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,883 to Felter et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,461 to Nichols; U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,410 to Hon; U.S. Pat. No. 7,513,253 to Kobayashi; U.S. Pat. No. 7,896,006 to Hamano; U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,756 to Shayan; U.S. Pat. No. 8,156,944 to Hon; U.S. Pat. No. 8,365,742 to Hon; U.S. Pat. No. 8,375,957 to Hon; U.S. Pat. No. 8,393,331 to Hon; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2006/0196518 and 2009/0188490 to Hon; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2009/0272379 to Thorens et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2009/0260641 and 2009/0260642 to Monsees et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2008/0149118 and 2010/0024834 to Oglesby et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2010/0307518 to Wang; WO 2010/091593 to Hon; WO 2013/089551 to Foo; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/841,233, filed Mar. 15, 2013; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/170,838, filed Feb. 3, 2014, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. A variety of the materials disclosed by the foregoing documents may be incorporated into the present devices in various embodiments, and all of the foregoing disclosures are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
The foregoing description of use of the article can be applied to the various embodiments described herein through minor modifications, which can be apparent to the person of skill in the art in light of the further disclosure provided herein. The above description of use, however, is not intended to limit the use of the article but is provided to comply with all necessary requirements of disclosure of the present disclosure.
A further exemplary embodiment of a smoking article 200 (e.g., an aerosol delivery device) including a reservoir housing 244 that may be used with various embodiments according to the present disclosure is shown in
In some embodiments, an electronic smoking article can comprise a hollow shell that is adapted to enclose one or more further elements of the device. The hollow shell may be a single unitary piece that includes all elements of the electronic smoking article. In two piece embodiments, such as described above, the hollow shell may relate to a cartridge shell or a control body shell.
Having described several example embodiments of aerosol delivery devices that may be used with various example embodiments, several embodiments of an aerosol delivery device and related methods and computer program products for controlling an aerosol delivery device based at least in part on input characteristics will now be described. Some such example embodiments disclosed herein benefit aerosol device users by enabling users to provide a wider variety of control inputs for performance of various control functions to an aerosol delivery device. In this regard, the aerosol delivery device of some example embodiments may be configured to determine a control function to be performed in response to a user input based at least in part on a characteristic of the user input. Thus, for example, an input mechanism of a user interface of an aerosol delivery device may be used to provide multiple distinct control inputs and/or may be repurposed to cause performance of a control function other than a default function associated with the user interface mechanism depending on a characteristic of a user input to the input mechanism. For example, in some embodiments, a puff input to an aerosol delivery device may be leveraged to perform one or more control functions beyond triggering the heating of aerosol precursor composition to form an inhalable substance depending on a characteristic of the puff input.
Some example embodiments may accordingly be used to increase the number of control inputs that may be provided to an aerosol delivery device, thus providing users with a finer level of control over device functionality without adding additional input mechanisms to an aerosol delivery device. This diversification of control inputs that may be provided by a given input mechanism may thus provide a user with additional control over an aerosol delivery device without necessitating the addition of further input mechanisms to the aerosol delivery device, which may be cost prohibitive and/or result in an undesirable device form factor.
In some example embodiments, the apparatus 300 may include processing circuitry 310 that is configurable to perform and/or control performance of functions of an aerosol delivery device in accordance with one or more example embodiments disclosed herein. Thus, the processing circuitry 310 may be configured to perform data processing, application execution and/or other processing and management services that may be implemented to perform functionality of the aerosol delivery device according to one or more example embodiments.
In some embodiments, the apparatus 300 or a portion(s) or component(s) thereof, such as the processing circuitry 310, may include one or more chipsets, which may each include one or more chips. The processing circuitry 310 and/or one or more further components of the apparatus 300 may therefore, in some instances, be configured to implement an embodiment on a chipset, which may be implemented on an aerosol delivery device.
The processing circuitry 310 may, for example, comprise an embodiment of control component 106, control component 206, and/or electronic components 250. In some example embodiments, the processing circuitry 310 may include a processor 312 and, in some embodiments, such as that illustrated in
The processor 312 may be embodied in a variety of forms. For example, the processor 312 may be embodied as various hardware-based processing means such as a microprocessor, a coprocessor, a controller or various other computing or processing devices including integrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), some combination thereof, or the like. Although illustrated as a single processor, it will be appreciated that the processor 312 may comprise a plurality of processors. The plurality of processors may be in operative communication with each other and may be collectively configured to perform one or more functionalities of an aerosol delivery device on which the apparatus 300 may be implemented. In some example embodiments, the processor 312 may be configured to execute instructions that may be stored in the memory 314 and/or that may be otherwise accessible to the processor 312. As such, whether configured by hardware or by a combination of hardware and software, the processor 312 may be capable of performing operations according to various embodiments while configured accordingly.
In some example embodiments, the memory 314 may include one or more memory devices. Memory 314 may include fixed and/or removable memory devices. In some embodiments, the memory 314 may provide a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that may store computer program instructions that may be executed by the processor 312. In this regard, the memory 314 may be configured to store information, data, applications, instructions and/or the like for enabling the apparatus 300 to carry out various functions of a control body in accordance with one or more example embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, memory 314 may be configured to store control software, configuration settings, and/or other data, programs, and/or the like that may be used to control operation of an aerosol delivery device. In some embodiments, the memory 314 may be in communication with one or more of the processor 312, user interface 316, sensor(s) 318, or control module 320 via a bus (or buses) for passing information among components of the apparatus 300.
In some example embodiments, the apparatus 300 may further include the user interface 316. The user interface 316 may be in communication with the processing circuitry 310 to receive an indication of a user input and/or to provide an audible, visual, mechanical, or other output to a user. For example, the user interface 316 may include one or more buttons, keys, and/or other input mechanisms to enable a user to control operation of an aerosol delivery device. For example, the user interface 316 may provide an input mechanism(s) to enable a user to power an aerosol delivery device on/off, to activate a heating element to generate a vapor or aerosol for inhalation, and/or to otherwise actuate and/or control functionality of an aerosol delivery device. In some example embodiments, the user interface 316 may include an input mechanism, such as a mouth opening 128, mouthend 130, and/or associated puff sensing components, which may enable a user to provide a puff input to an aerosol delivery device. As a further example, the user interface 316 may provide one or more indicators (e.g., indicators 112), such one or more LEDs (e.g., LED 212), a display, a speaker, and/or other output mechanism that may be used to indicate an operating status of an aerosol delivery device, a charge level of a battery, an amount of aerosol precursor composition remaining in a cartridge that may be engaged with the control body, and/or to provide other status information that may be related to operation of an aerosol delivery device to a user. In some example embodiments, the user interface 316 may include a vibrator and/or other haptic feedback device (e.g., haptic feedback component 101), which may impart a vibration and/or other motion on the aerosol delivery device, such as to provide feedback in response to a user input, provide a status notification (e.g., a status related to a remaining battery charge level, a status related to a level of aerosol precursor composition in a cartridge, and/or other status notification that may be provided), and/or to provide other feedback or notification to a user.
The apparatus 300 may further include one or more sensors 318. A sensor 318 may be implemented as part of the user interface 316 and/or may assist the user interface 316 to facilitate detection of a user input and/or one or more characteristics thereof. In some embodiments, the sensor(s) 318 may include a puff sensor, which may be configured to detect a puff input to an aerosol delivery device. In embodiments in which the apparatus 300 includes a puff sensor, the puff sensor may be embodied via any of the variety of puff sensors discussed above and/or other suitable sensor for detecting a user puff on an aerosol delivery device. For example, the senor 318 may include a puff sensor that may be configured to detect a pressure change and/or air flow change that may result when a user puffs (e.g., draws) on an aerosol delivery device, such as via mouthend 130 of the aerosol delivery device 100. As a further example, the sensor 318 may include a puff sensor that may include one or more piezoelectric sensors that may be associated with a mouthend of an aerosol delivery device to detect user lip activity associated with a puff input. In some example embodiments, the sensor 318 may be configured to detect a reverse puff, which may be characterized by an air flow change and/or pressure change that is a reverse of that associated with a puff drawing in air to inhale vaporized aerosol precursor composition. A reverse puff may, for example, be triggered by a user blowing into a mouthend of an aerosol delivery device rather than drawing. As another example, a reverse puff may be triggered by a user drawing on an air intake, such as air intake 118, to cause airflow to flow reverse of a direction associated with airflow when a user draws on a mouthend. In some example embodiments, the sensor(s) 318 may additionally or alternatively include one or more motion sensor, which may be configured to motion and/or changes in orientation of an aerosol delivery device that may result from manipulation of the aerosol delivery device. By way of non-limiting example, embodiments including a motion sensor may include an accelerometer, gyroscope, inclinometer, and/or other sensor that may be configured to detect motion of an aerosol delivery device responsive to manipulation thereof and/or characteristics of the motion. For example, a motion sensor in accordance with some example embodiments may be configured to measure and/or otherwise sense an acceleration (and/or change therein), an angular displacement, rotation, orientation, and/or other characteristics of motion that may be associated with a manipulation of an aerosol delivery device.
The apparatus 300 may further include control module 320. The control module 320 may be embodied as various means, such as circuitry, hardware, a computer program product comprising a computer readable medium (for example, the memory 314) storing computer readable program instructions that are executable by a processing device (for example, the processor 312), or some combination thereof. In some embodiments, the processor 312 (or the processing circuitry 310) may include, or otherwise control the control module 320.
The control module 320 may be configured to determine one or more characteristics associated with a user input that may be received via user interface 316. In some example embodiments, the control module 320 may be configured to determine one or more characteristics of a user input based at least in part on information that may be detected and provided by sensor(s) 318.
For example, in some embodiments, a user input may comprise a puff input, which may be comprised of one or more puffs. The control module 320 may be configured to determine a duration of a puff, a total number of puffs in the puff input, an interval between two respective puffs in the puff input, a force of a puff (e.g., as may be measured by an amount of air drawn by the puff, a velocity of air drawn by the puff, and/or the like), and/or other characteristic of a puff input. In some example embodiments, the puff input may comprise a reverse puff input, and the control module 320 may be configured to distinguish the puff input as a reverse puff input from a normal puff input and/or may determine one or more characteristics of the reverse puff input, such as a duration of the reverse puff, a total number of reverse puffs, an interval between reverse puff inputs, a force of the reverse puff, and/or the like. As such, where determination of characteristics of a puff, such as a duration of a puff, a total number of puffs in the puff input, an interval between two respective puffs in the puff input, a force of a puff, and/or the like, are described, it will be appreciated that such puff characteristics can include detection of characteristics of a reverse puff. As a further example, in some embodiments, a user input may comprise manipulation of an aerosol delivery device. The control module 320 may be configured to determine (e.g., based at least in part on data that may be detected and provided by a motion sensor) one or more characteristics of the manipulation, such as an acceleration (and/or change therein), an angular displacement, direction of motion, orientation, a number of repetitively occurring motion patterns that may be performed in a manipulation (e.g., shaking the device back and forth, tapping the device multiple times, etc.), and/or other characteristics of motion that may be associated with a manipulation of an aerosol delivery device. The control module 320 may be further configured to determine a type of the manipulation. For example, a manipulation type may include rotation of the aerosol delivery; shaking the aerosol delivery device; tilting the aerosol delivery device; performing a simulated ashing manipulation, such as by tapping and/or flicking the aerosol delivery device (e.g., as if ashing a regular cigarette); and/or other manipulation of the aerosol delivery device. In this regard, a manipulation type may be considered a characteristic of a manipulation that may be determined based at least in part on one or more further characteristics of the manipulation that may be detected based at least in part on data from a motion sensor. For example, a shaking manipulation may be characterized by a repeated series of accelerations and decelerations in substantially opposing directions on a plane. In some example embodiments, a manipulation input may comprise a series of movements that may include multiple types of manipulations.
As an additional example, in some embodiments, a user input may comprise a series and/or combination of inputs that may utilize multiple input mechanisms that may be provided by the user interface 316. For example, in some embodiments, a user input may comprise a puff input and/or manipulation input in combination with user actuation of a button that may be provided by the user interface 316. As a further example, in some embodiments, a user input may comprise a sequence comprised of some sequential combination of one or more actuations of a button(s), one or more puff inputs, one or more manipulation inputs, and/or one or inputs via some other user input mechanism(s) that may be provided by the user interface 316.
Respective user input characteristics may have defined associations with respective control functions. The control module 320 may accordingly configured to determine a control function having a defined association with a characteristic(s) of a received user input to an aerosol delivery device. For example, some embodiments may utilize a database and/or other data structure, which may store a library of control functions and respective associated user input characteristics. In this regard, given a determined characteristic of a user input, the control module 320 of some example embodiments may be configured to look up the characteristic in the data structure and determine a control function having a defined association with the characteristic.
The control module 320 may be further configured to perform a control function associated with a characteristic(s) of a received user input. It will be appreciated that any control function that may be performed by an aerosol delivery device may be associated with a given characteristic of a user input.
For example, in some embodiments, the control module 320 may be configured to provide a status indication in response to a user input having a particular characteristic(s). The status indication may comprise any status indication that may be related to operation of an aerosol delivery device and/or a consumable component thereof. For example, in some embodiments, an indication of a level of aerosol precursor composition remaining in a cartridge engaged with the aerosol delivery device may be provided in response to a user input having a particular characteristic(s). As a further example, in some embodiments, an indication of a charge level of a battery that may be implemented on the aerosol delivery device may be provided in response to a user input having a particular characteristic(s). Such status indications may, for example, be provided via any output mechanism that may be included on the user interface 316. For example, one or more LEDs and/or other indicator(s) may be configured to display various colors, various brightness levels, a varying number of illuminated indicators, some combination thereof, or the like to indicate a status, such as a level of aerosol precursor composition and/or a remaining battery charge level. As a further example, such status information may be displayed on a display that may be included on an aerosol delivery device in accordance with some embodiments.
In some example embodiments, the control module 320 may be configured to modify a configuration setting(s) of the aerosol delivery device in response to a user input having a particular characteristic(s). The modified configuration setting(s) may include a setting for any adjustable operating parameter that may relate to operation of an aerosol delivery device.
For example, the modifying a configuration setting may comprise modifying a configuration setting for an element of the user interface 316, such as the functionality of an LED and/or other indicator(s) that may be provided by the user interface 316, a vibrator and/or other haptic feedback device, and/or other user interface element. In embodiments in which the user interface 316 includes a vibrator and/or other haptic feedback device, it will be appreciated that any of a variety of haptic feedback configuration settings may be modified. For example, a vibration strength of a haptic feedback device may be increased or decreased based on characteristics of a user input in accordance with some example embodiments. Additionally or alternatively, as another example, haptic feedback (e.g., for various event notifications) can be activated/deactivated based on characteristics of a user input in accordance with some example embodiments.
As a further example, a heating profile configuration setting may be modified. As another example, modification of a configuration setting may comprise modifying an aerosol precursor composition vaporization setting, such as a configuration defining an amount of aerosol precursor composition that is vaporized per puff, and/or other configuration setting that may relate to the vaporization of aerosol precursor composition. As still a further example, modification of a configuration setting may comprise modifying a puff control setting, such as a number of puffs that are allowed within a period of time and/or for a single smoking session, a minimum interval of time that must elapse between puffs, and/or other setting that may govern device behavior with respect to user puffs. In some embodiments, a battery management setting, such as a configuration relating to charging of a battery and/or a configuration that may regulate consumption of the battery, may be modified.
As an additional example, the control module 320 may be configured to activate/deactivate a wireless communication interface that may be implemented on an aerosol delivery device in response to a user input having a particular characteristic(s). For example, an aerosol delivery device in accordance with some example embodiments may implement one or more wireless communication interfaces that may enable the aerosol delivery device to communicate data to and/or receive data from another device. For example, the aerosol delivery device of some embodiments may include a Bluetooth interface, Near Field Communication (NFC) interface, an infrared (IR) interface, a Wi-Fi interface, and/or other wireless communication interface. In such embodiments, a wireless communication interface(s) may be activated/deactivated in response to a user input having a particular characteristic(s).
In some example embodiments, the control function that may be performed in response to a user input (e.g., based on a characteristic of the user input) may be a function other than a default function that may be associated with an input mechanism via which the user input was received. For example, if the user input was a puff input, the control function may be a function other than heating aerosol precursor composition to form an inhalable substance. As another example, if the user input included actuation of a button used for toggling a power state (e.g., on/off) of the aerosol delivery device, the control function may comprise a control function other than toggling the power state. In some such example embodiments, a characteristic of the user input may be used by the control module 320 to determine that a control function other than a default function associated with the input mechanism should be performed. As a non-limiting example, if a puff input is comprised of a sequence of one or more short draws (e.g., puffs having less than a defined duration) is received, the control module 320 may determine that a control function other than and/or in addition to heating aerosol precursor composition to form an inhalable substance should be performed, and may determine and perform the associated control function.
Operation 400 may comprise an aerosol delivery device determining a characteristic(s) of a user input to the aerosol delivery device. The user input may comprise any single input and/or combination of inputs via one or more user interface mechanisms. By way of non-limiting example, the user input may comprise a puff input, manipulation input, and/or other form of input.
Operation 410 may comprise the aerosol delivery device determining a control function having a defined association with the characteristic(s) determined in operation 400. Operation 420 may comprise the aerosol delivery device performing the determined control function in response to the user input.
Operation 500 may include an aerosol delivery device sensing a puff input, such as may comprise one or more puffs and/or one or more reverse puffs, to the aerosol delivery device. For example, a puff sensor that may be provided by sensor(s) 318 may be used to detect the puff input.
Operation 510 may comprise determining one or more characteristics of the puff input. For example, operation 510 may include determining a duration of a puff, a total number of puffs in the puff input, an interval between two respective puffs in the puff input, a force of a puff (e.g., as may be measured by an amount of air drawn by the puff, a velocity of air drawn by the puff, and/or the like), and/or other characteristic of the puff input. In this regard, operation 510 may, for example, correspond to an embodiment of operation 400 in which the user input comprises a puff input.
Operation 520 may comprise the aerosol delivery device determining a control function having a defined association with the characteristic(s) determined in operation 510. Operation 520 may accordingly correspond to an embodiment of operation 410. Operation 530 may comprise the aerosol delivery device performing the determined control function in response to the puff input. Operation 530 may accordingly correspond to an embodiment of operation 420.
Any of a variety of control functions may be performed based on a characteristic of a puff input. In this regard, different puff durations, puff counts (e.g., number of puffs in a puff input), intervals between puffs, puff forces, and/or other puff input characteristics may be associated with different respective control functions such that a puff input may be used to achieve a user desired functionality other than or in addition to heating aerosol precursor composition to form an inhalable substance.
For example, in some embodiments, a puff input comprising three short puffs in sequence (e.g., three sequential puffs having less than a threshold duration) may result in the provision of an indication of the level of aerosol precursor composition remaining in a cartridge. As another example, a puff input comprising two long puffs (e.g., two sequential puffs having greater than a threshold duration) may be used to check the charge level remaining in a battery of the aerosol delivery device.
As a further example, in some embodiments, characteristics such as a puff duration and/or a force of a puff may be used to modify a configuration setting having a range of possible setting values. For example, a puff having a duration and/or force exceeding a threshold may be used to increase an amount of aerosol precursor composition vaporized per puff, while a puff having a duration and/or force that does not exceed the threshold may be used to decrease the amount of aerosol precursor composition vaporized per puff.
As another example, a reverse puff may be used to modify a setting value of a configuration setting in one direction, while a normal puff in a manner that may be used for inhaling vaporized aerosol precursor composition may be used to modify a setting value of the configuration setting in another direction. As a particular example application of modifying a configuration setting based on discrimination between a normal puff and a reverse puff, a normal puff may be used to increase an amount of aerosol precursor composition vaporized per puff, while a reverse puff may be used to decrease the amount of aerosol precursor composition vaporized per puff.
Operation 600 may include an aerosol delivery device sensing a manipulation of the aerosol delivery device. For example, a motion sensor that may be provided by sensor(s) 318 may be used to detect the manipulation.
Operation 610 may comprise determining one or more characteristics of the manipulation. For example, operation 610 may include determining a type of manipulation, a direction of motion of the aerosol delivery device, a change in orientation of the aerosol delivery device resulting from the manipulation, an angular displacement of the aerosol delivery device resulting from the manipulation, an acceleration (and/or change therein) associated with the manipulation, a number of repetitively occurring motion patterns in the manipulation, and/or other characteristics of motion that may be associated with a manipulation of an aerosol delivery device. In this regard, operation 610 may, for example, correspond to an embodiment of operation 400 in which the user input comprises manipulation of the aerosol delivery device.
Operation 620 may comprise the aerosol delivery device determining a control function having a defined association with the characteristic(s) determined in operation 610. Operation 620 may accordingly correspond to an embodiment of operation 410. Operation 630 may comprise the aerosol delivery device performing the determined control function in response to the manipulation. Operation 630 may accordingly correspond to an embodiment of operation 420.
Any of a variety of control functions may be performed based on a characteristic of a manipulation. For example, in some embodiments, shaking the aerosol delivery device may result in the provision of an indication of the charge level remaining in a battery of the aerosol delivery device. As another example, in some embodiments, manipulating the aerosol delivery device as if ashing a real cigarette, such as by flicking or tapping the aerosol delivery device a defined number of times (e.g., three), may be used to check the level of aerosol precursor composition remaining in a cartridge.
As a further example, in some embodiments, characteristics such as a direction of motion and/or angular displacement of a manipulation may be used to modify a configuration setting having a range of possible setting values. For example, manipulation by rotating and/or tilting the aerosol delivery device in a first direction may be used to increase an amount of aerosol precursor composition vaporized per puff, while rotating and/or tilting the aerosol delivery device in a second direction may be used to decrease the amount of aerosol precursor composition vaporized per puff. As another example, manipulation involving an angular displacement exceeding a threshold may be used to increase the amount of precursor composition vaporized per puff, while manipulation involving an angular displacement that does not exceed the threshold may be used to decrease the amount of aerosol precursor composition vaporized per puff.
The aerosol delivery device of some example embodiments may be toggled between different control modes. For example, an aerosol delivery device may be operated in a first control mode in which a user input via an input mechanism may result in performance of a default function associated with the input mechanism, or may be operated in a second control mode in which an alternate control function may be performed based at least in part on a characteristic of the user input, such as in accordance with one or more of the methods of
Operation 700 may comprise an aerosol delivery device receiving a user input to change a control mode to an alternate control mode. Operation 710 may comprise changing the control mode to the alternate control mode in response to the user input.
It will be appreciated that the method of
Many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
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