Patent Application
20230001128
The present disclosure relates to vaporization and/or aerosolization of plant matter, pharmaceuticals, or other materials.
Vaporization, the conversion of a substance from the liquid or solid phase into a gaseous or vapor phase, has seen growing adoption as a way to inhale physiologically and/or psychologically active compounds without inhaling byproducts of combustion. Even biologically inactive substances may be vaporized for the flavor or experience. For example, tobacco leaves heated to 140-200° C. will aerosolize certain of the organic compounds in the tobacco leaves, allowing inhalation without also inhaling combustion byproducts. It is not unusual to heat plant matter to, or even slightly past, the boiling point of biological materials, such as nicotine, Cannabidiol (“CBD”), or Tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”), yet some of the material does not vaporize even at that boiling point. This may be due to a variety of factors, such as the material being embedded within plant matter in a way that traps the substance. Uneven heating is another problem with vaporizers, in that a device set to 220 degrees may have hot spots at 240 degrees or higher and cool spots too low to fully boil off desirable materials. A common complaint among users of plant matter vaporizers is that they find materials that have been partially vaporized in this way still contain valuable molecules that have not been vaporized. An additional problem with this mechanism is that uneven heating may result in combustion, with the risk of combustion increasing with increased air flow.
Vaporizers are also used to release scents from plants, flavors and scents from spices, and for other purposes. One growing use of vaporizers is for the consumption of medical cannabis. Certain studies, such as a 2007 study by University of California, San Francisco and published in the Journal of the American Academy of Neurology, have found substantial safety benefits from the use of a vaporizer when compared to combustion. As that study states, “there was virtually no exposure to harmful combustion products using the vaporizing device.”
However, there are several problems with vaporizing. A primary problem is that plant matter heats unevenly in a vaporizer. Unlike a combustion device, a vaporizer may leave the structure of the plant matter intact (whereas combustion turns it to ash). As a result, it is important to grind the plant matter into small pieces in order to minimize the amount of organic matter trapped inside of plant structure and to allow more even heating. However, there is a maximum amount of grinding that is possible before the matter becomes small enough to pass through any filters or grates. Put another way, vaporizing will always leave some amount of organic matter non-aerosolized. Looking at the problem in different terms, surface area is a crucial factor in changing vaporizer efficacy. Using cannabis as an example, one may put cannabis into a coffee grinder and reduce it to a fine powder, maximizing surface area. However, the increase in surface area increases the likelihood of combustion in the event of uneven heating while at the same time increases the amount of plant matter that is aerosolized as a simple function of a small size (a small enough size, in many cases, to pass through filtering mechanisms). As a practical matter, loss of source material may occur with greater frequency as the particle size reduces, making the material more susceptible to being lost to simple air flow.
Another problem with vaporizers is that the heat source is frequently inconsistent. For example, some vaporizers use resistance heating, creating hot spots near the wires. Others use passive-convection, with differing amounts of heat passing through differing parts of the apparatus. One of the side effects of vaporizing is that liquid present in the plant matter evaporates, changing the susceptibility of the remaining plant matter to combustion. It is thus desirable to change vaporizing temperature as the matter dries out in order to avoid combustion of the matter—but at the same time, matter already dried out by heat is unlikely to efficiently boil off additional psychoactive material as the material subject to boiling at temperature X is likely to largely have already boiled off before being subjected to temperature (X minus Y). Regardless, it is common for vaporizing at higher temperatures to result in some amount of combustion. Further, while combustion is a rapid means of oxidation, it should be appreciated that certain organic compounds combine with oxygen at lower temperatures.
Approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, no admission is made, nor should it be assumed, that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion.
Combustion cannot take place when the oxygen content of the gas is below the limiting oxygen concentration (“LOC”). The LOC for paper, for example, in a Nitrogen/air mixture at average sea level air pressure (1013.25 mbar), is approximately 14.1%. However, it is important to understand that combustion is in essence a self-sustaining exothermic process. Heat is initially applied to material to initiate combustion, after which the combustion itself becomes the heat source to continue combustion so long as the oxygen remains above the LOC and fuel remains to burn. Simply avoiding combustion does not avoid all oxidation. Fire is the rapid oxidation of fuel in the exothermic combustion process. However, slower reduction-oxidation (or simply oxidation) is possible even below the LOC. A common example is rust. Any vaporizer device not utilizing the inventions described herein will release some amount of oxidation byproducts. Indeed, some oxidation may happen even at room temperature. It is desirable to avoid oxidation entirely in any situation where a living being breathes gas that includes oxidation byproducts. Byproducts of oxidation may include, for example, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Using reaction gases other than oxygen may produce some reduction or other chemical interaction.
Embodiments of the invention utilize an atmosphere below the LOC to allow for the safe vaporization of a variety of materials. Embodiments further provide for a mechanism by which oils with a low smoke point may be utilized at high temperatures.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, but not restrictive, of the invention. A more complete understanding of the improved vaporizer and the methods disclosed herein will be afforded to those skilled in the art.
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, in the following detailed description of the present invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present invention. These conventions are intended to make this document more easily understood by those practicing or improving on the inventions, and it should be appreciated that the level of detail provided should not be interpreted as an indication as to whether such instances, methods, procedures or components are known in the art, novel, or obvious.
In understanding the instant inventions, it is useful to review CA3009402C, and pending US national phase counterpart US20190174833A1 (“Vaporizer Improvements”). In Vaporizer Improvements, the instant inventors teach, among other things, utilizing a non-oxygenated atmosphere as the gas within which plant matter, including cannabis or tobacco, may be heated to above the temperature at which combustion would normally take place.
Turning to
101: A mouthpiece suitable for breathing through.
102: Hollow tube, which acts as a conduit between the heating chamber and the mouthpiece 101 to carry the vaporized material and the gas from the heating chamber to the consumer.
103: Vaporization chamber.
104: Heating element. If resistance heating, may utilize resistors such as Nichrome or KANTHAL®. It may also utilize a Peltier heating device, in which case cooling elements, such as those described in 106, may (but need not) be the cool side of the Peltier heating device.
105: Hollow tube, through which non-oxygenated gas or a gas mixture is delivered from gas source 114 to the vaporization chamber 103.
106: Connector between Hollow Tube 102 and Vaporization chamber 103. Connector may contain cooling elements or a valve preventing passage of gas exceeding a set temperature (although one or both of those elements may be placed at other points between the vaporization chamber 103 and the mouthpiece 101, or even integral with the mouthpiece).
107: Connector between hollow tube 105 and vaporization chamber 103. In one aspect, the connector (or valve 108 or other element between the gas container 114 and the vaporization chamber 103) may detect oxygen and warn or prevent the flow of gas.
108: Valve. Valve may be mechanical, electro-mechanical, or otherwise. In one aspect, Valve may be actuated by negative air pressure in the tube 105. In one aspect, the valve may be held closed with a spring.
109: Wiring connection (or wireless connection such as inductive charging) for power.
110: Switch (physical switch, digital switch, electro-mechanical or otherwise) to control power. May be controlled by microprocessor, thermistor or other temperature-sensitive switching system. May control amount of current to achieve target temperature in chamber 103 (or chamber 403, see
111: Power source (direct and/or inductive).
112: (optional) pre-packed or packable container for holding plant matter (or other material for vaporization).
113: An airspace within the vaporization chamber 103 for plant matter (or other material for vaporization).
114: A gas source for providing either non-oxygenated gas (or set amount of oxygen, or minimal amount of oxygen), gas below the LOC or a gas mixture. In one aspect, the non-oxygenated gas may be helium. In another aspect, the gas source may be a balloon or a tank.
Element 201 is the mouthpiece.
Element 202 is a first filter to prevent plant matter from entering the lungs.
Element 203 is a mesh filter to prevent plant matter from entering the lungs.
Element 204 is a spring.
Element 205 is a connector to couple the chamber to the filter and mouthpiece assembly. Within this element (or at any point between or including the heating chamber and the mouthpiece), a cooling element (such as water or a Peltier cooling element) and/or a valve that closes if the gas temperature is unsafe or too high, may be present.
Element 206 is the heating or vaporization chamber. In one aspect, it may be ceramic.
Element 207 is a power source.
Element 208 is a non-oxygenated gas source. A valve may be present at the connection of this element to the remainder of the system (or elsewhere between the source and the mouthpiece).
Element 209 is a sealant or sealing matter to prevent entry of atmospheric oxygen.
As Vaporization Improvements teaches, the devices in
The instant inventions teach a variety of novel technologies.
When substituting an anoxic gas for atmospheric air, there are a variety of choices. In many cases, it is desirable to utilize a noble gas atmosphere, such as pure (or a mixture containing) Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, or Xenon to avoid (for pure gases) or minimize (for mixtures) oxidation and reduction. Noble gases with a heavier atomic weight, such as Radon, are subject to radioactive decay in a manner that largely renders them undesirable for inhalation, though they may be used despite the risk. Only a few atoms of Oganesson have ever been synthesized, and with an atomic number of 118, it is quite unstable (unlike the lighter noble gasses) and may be highly reactive (unlike the other zero-valence elements). In other cases, it is desirable to use inert or functionally or substantially inert gas molecules, such as nitrogen (N2) (N2 is referred to herein as “Nitrogen”).
A brief discussion of the use of nitrous oxide (N2O) in the inventions is desirable at this point. N2O is not stable at high temperatures and may result in the release of oxygen. Free oxygen within the heating chamber may result in combustion. Furthermore, while N2O could be added to the gas after heating and aerosolization takes place, we respectfully teach that such a combination should only be attempted under the supervision of, and upon the orders of, a physician. We teach herein that N2O may be utilized in combination with this invention; however, the preferred method of utilizing it is to add it to the stream of post-heated gas in an amount medically approved.
Xenon is known to have sedating properties. In one aspect, it is desirable to utilize a sedating product, such as Indica strains of cannabis (though all cannabis has sedating properties, so this is not limited to any particular strain or brand of cannabis, and may be used with other materials with sedating properties, such as benzodiazepines), in combination with a Xenon or partial Xenon atmosphere. In this way, the user is immediately partially sedated by the Xenon which, in combination with pharmaceuticals heated as described herein and/or plant matter heated as described herein, provides a sedating effect that is quite suitable for those with sleep related issues such as insomnia. In one aspect, Xenon is one of the gases in which the matter is heated. In one implementation, an amount of Xenon is used in the heating chamber and/or added to the output from the heating chamber, and/or in a final combination equal to a designated percentage depending on the desired sedative effect, which may be anywhere in the range of 0.1% to 100% (e.g., 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.7%, 1.2%, 1.3%, 1.9%, 2.0%, 2.1%, 2.4%, 2.5%, 3.3%, 3.6%, 4.5%, 4.6%, 5.0%, 5.9, 6.3%, 7.8%, 8.1%, 8.9%, 9.0%, 9.1%, 10.0%, 10.7%, 12.5%, 14.3%, 17.9%, 20.2%, 25.0%, 33.3%, 40.4%, 40.5%, 48.4%, 51.3%, 62.5%, 71.0%, 72.5%, 73.9%, 75.0%, 83.2%, 86.8%, 89.7%, 91.9%, 95.3%, 95.7%, 95.8%, 98.4%, 99.9%, 100%), or any percentage or range in between.
In one aspect, the system may be utilized to allow the boiling off of cannabinoids or other substances that are normally not made bioavailable because the boiling temperature exceeds the combustion temperature of cannabis. Cannabis has compounds that combust below 233 degrees Celsius (or Fahrenheit 451), a temperature well known as the combustion temperature of paper. THCV boils at 220 degrees C., meaning that much of it will be lost to combustion. CBDA boils between 316 and 531 degrees C.; Pulegone boils at 224 degrees C.; a-terpineol boils at 218 degrees C.; terpineol-4-ol boils at 209 degrees C.; quercetin boils at 250 degrees C.; there are other cannabis compounds that boil at a variety of temperatures, some well above combustion. Just as THCA must be decarboxylated in order to have a full psychoactive effect in humans, so too are there other compounds in cannabis that are believed to be altered at high temperatures to generate a greater psychoactive effect. By heating in a non-oxygenated atmosphere, these compounds can be released and/or altered in order to increase the amount of psychoactive (or other medically active) compounds released from the same amount of plant matter.
For reference, we provide a summary of a subset of cannabis-borne compounds in Table 1:
As can be seen from the chart above, research into bioavailable substances from cannabis tends to end at or about the combustion point, presumably because the substances with higher boiling points are destroyed by combustion prior to becoming bioavailable. With the instant inventions, such substances may be released, synthesized, used and/or studied.
Yet another problem with both combustion and vaporization technology is that the odor of heated plant matter is often quite noticeable. By preventing the plant from oxidizing, the smell generated is quite different than that most people associate with the plant matter burning or being vaporized.
It should be noted that one approach to optimal vaporization/aerosolization is to use a lower initial temperature, optionally clear the heating chamber before the lower temperature reaches an upper limit, and repeat the process. In this way, aerosolized materials are not subjected to higher heat than necessary, reducing anaerobic pyrolysis or heat-related reactions. In another aspect, a vibratory motor or other movement or kinetic energy source may be utilized to move the particles of matter being heated, improving efficiency.
With regard specifically to vaporization of cannabis, it should be understood that Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) is a biosynthetic precursor to the psychoactive THC. THCA has no known psychoactive effects on humans, although there is research showing significant medical impacts of THCA, such as anti-inflammatory and antiemetic properties. Heating THCA causes substantial conversion to THC, whereas ingestion of THCA leads to a highly limited amount of in vivo conversion to THC. A failure to sufficiently heat the THCA may lead to incomplete conversion of the totality of THCA within the plant matter. Further, one of the reasons why cannabis needs to be dried prior to use in prior art systems such as a bong or joint is to further ease the conversion of THCA to THC.
Fire is an exothermic chemical process of combustion leading to rapid oxidation of a material. A popular additive to e-cigarettes is propylene glycol/glycerin. Propylene glycol may degrade in the presence of oxygen. Any combustion process will lead to undesirable chemical byproducts. Indeed, even a hypothetical fully efficient combustion process will result in at least the creation of carbon dioxide, a substance that is undesirable for inhalation. It should be noted that oxidation and combustion refer to largely the same end result—a chemical reaction between a substance and oxygen. While we use the terms oxidation and combustion by themselves herein, unless the context clearly requires, each use of one term should be understood to refer to oxidation, by itself, combustion, by itself, and/or the combination of the two.
Returning to the problem of uneven distribution of heat in vaporization, a workaround that is only partially effective is to break the plant matter into very small pieces. Similarly, with liquid vaporization, thermally conductive materials may be used. However, even a slightly uneven heat distribution may lead to some areas of material being vaporized, others not vaporized, and yet other areas being burned or combusted. In addition, substances prepared for vaporization in a non-naturally occurring form, such as in an oil suspension, are frequently extracted utilizing undesirable chemicals, and may additionally contain substances that are undesirable to inhale. As carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other undesirable and/or harmful combustion byproducts combine atmospheric oxygen with product intended for vaporization, there is an upper temperature limit for vaporization in order to avoid combustion. However, at this upper limit, there is still insufficiently even heating to efficiently vaporize all of the material.
Existing vaporization technology is insufficient to address these issues. One exemplary existing vaporizer is the Bronze Sherlock VG Vaporizer (http://vaporgenie.com/bronze-sherlock-vaporizer). It is described as working as follows: “The VaporGenie pipe has a ceramic filter in the sphere above the bowl. The ceramic filter is designed to thoroughly mix heat from flame with cold, ambient air, producing an air stream with a temperature of about 275-350° F. [135-176.7° C.]. This air stream is hot enough to vaporize plant essences, but not hot enough to burn.” As noted above, this temperature will only vaporize a portion of the desired “plant essences”.
Other vaporizers use internal heating elements; examples may be found at http://www.mrniceguyheadshops.com/blog/2014/12/22/vaping-what-is-it-best-vaporizers.
Additionally, a popular vaporizer is the “Volcano”, which may be found at http://www.volcanovape.net/. It should be noted that U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,524B1 (expired) appears to describe the Volcano.
The Volcano vaporizer utilizes a system that pumps in atmospheric air, which is heated to temperatures needed for vaporization. Hot air passes over aromatic blends or essential oils to create vapor, filling the Volcano balloon by method of forced air. Once the balloon is filled with vapor, it is ready to be detached and used (see also: http://www.vapeworld.com/volcano-vaporizer-blazing).
It should be understood that for clarity, it was necessary to describe previously existing art (such as the Volcano) to illustrate improvements in the existing inventions. As a result, approaches described in this section and in the related art section are approaches that could be pursued but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, no admission is made, nor should it be assumed, that any of the approaches described in this section or the related art section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in either section.
It is desirable to provide a system, method, and apparatus for vaporizing all or substantially all plant matter and/or liquid and/or other material to be vaporized (this grouping of all vaporization targets is referenced herein as “Vaporization Targets” and include each of the foregoing unless the context requires otherwise). It is further desirable that such system, method or apparatus avoid oxidation and/or reduction to the extent possible.
For ease of discussion, the portion of the device between the vaporization chamber and the mouthpiece is sometimes referenced as the “proximal” portion of the device, while the portion of the device between the vaporization chamber and the non-oxygenated gas source is sometimes referenced as the “distal” portion of the device.
The instant inventions utilize one or more of, among other things, a heating element, a heating chamber, a power source, a source of gas other than atmospheric gas or other gas containing any (or more than a threshold amount of) oxygen or O2 (for example, helium, argon, or nitrogen), a cooling mechanism (which may simply be piping, an intermix with atmospheric air, O2, or an O2 mixture, or may be more complex) and a delivery system (whether direct delivery, such as a mouthpiece, or delayed delivery, such as storing the output in a balloon, bag or sealed container).
In one aspect, it should be noted that it is desirable to utilize a gas (or combination of gasses) that is lighter than air, as there is a risk of asphyxiation if one inhales a gas that is significantly heavier than air. There are potential radiation risks to utilizing Radon. Argon, which is heavier than air, is not sufficiently heavier than air to pose such a risk.
Xenon, or Xe, has an atomic number of 54 and is generally non-reactive. Although the precise mechanism of action of Xenon is unclear, Xenon functions as a general anesthetic when used on certain animals, including humans.
In one aspect, Xenon is utilized as all or part of the non-oxygenated (and/or non-reductive) atmosphere pumped into the vaporization chamber. Particularly with regard to certain strains of cannabis (such as certain strains in the Indica group), cannabis may be sedating. For medical use, it may be desirable to utilize Xenon to cause initial sedation while the sedating effects of the cannabis take effect. By the time the Xenon sedation abates, in many cases the patient will be asleep, and the sleep maintained by the sedating effects of the cannabis.
Thus, in certain aspects, an apparatus for inducing sleep may comprise (i) a vaporization chamber for placement of one or more sedating substances capable of becoming at least partially vaporized, the vaporization chamber sealed except for two or more conduits, (ii) a first conduit of the two or more conduits operably coupled to a first source of a first gas that is comprised of Xenon, (iii) a heating element capable of heating the vaporization chamber; and (iv) a second conduit of the two or more conduits, the second conduit configured to transport vaporization gases and vaporized elements of the one or more sedating substances out of the vaporization chamber.
The vaporization chamber may contain an amount of oxygen below a limiting oxygen concentration (LOC) for combustion of materials within the vaporization chamber, and the one or more sedating substances may comprise cannabis or a benzodiazepine.
In another aspect, it may be desirable to cause slight hypoxia. This may be done to make the “high” come on faster, to sedate the user (particularly in the case of sleep issues), or for other reasons. In such a case, it would be desirable that the gas or gas mixture inhaled by the user contains less than a set amount of oxygen. In one aspect, the first several breaths may have less oxygen than subsequent breaths. It should be noted that oxygen may be introduced proximal to the vaporization chamber, such as at position 106.
The medication administered in combination with cannabis need not be Xenon, as there are many other medications. For certain medications, it is possible to include them in the gas that transits the vaporization chamber. Indeed, even solid or liquid medications or other biologically active elements (such as caffeine) may be vaporized along with the plant matter (or alone or in combination with other biologically active elements) in order to provide a more rapid absorption of the biologically active elements. In other situations, it may be desirable to add the medication (which would often be a gas or inhalable powder) in the proximal portion of the apparatus, avoiding the heating process.
In another aspect, we teach what we call Cold Vaporization.
801 is a vaporization chamber.
802 is an optional breathing or output tube.
803 is a port operably connected via 804 to a vacuum device (pump) 807 capable of reducing the pressure within the chamber 801. In some aspects 802 and 803 are substantially similar in shape.
804 is a conduit through which gasses may be evacuated from the vaporization chamber 801.
805 is an optional access port through which materials may be added to the vaporization chamber 801.
806 is an optional set of mechanical or digital gauges or data providers; in one aspect it measures one or both of temperature or pressure.
807 is a vacuum device (pump).
Not shown in
A vaporization chamber 801 is utilized. The atmospheric pressure in that chamber is reduced by evacuating gas from the chamber 801 via a port 803 connected to an optional conduit 804, which is connected to a vacuum provider (pump) 807. By reducing the atmospheric pressure, boiling points of various substances are also reduced. With some substances, mere reduction in pressure may be enough to initiate boiling off without the addition of non-ambient heat. In other cases, a combination of heat and lower pressure may be utilized.
Varying the combination of one or more of pressure, gas and temperature may be utilized to alter the vaporization process. For example, it may be desirable to increase the boiling temperature for certain compounds so that changes that occur at higher temperatures may take place prior to boiling off. It may also be desirable to vaporize materials using atmospheric air without risking combustion by lowering the air pressure within the chamber, thereby reducing the amount of oxygen within the chamber to below the pressure-altered LOC.
When altering pressure within the chamber (and/or in conjunction with the various inventions described herein), it may be desirable to confirm that the concentration of particulates that have been vaporized meets or exceeds a target. In one respect, this solves the problem of having to repeatedly alter the pressure within a chamber, heat up the contents, restore ambient pressure (after reducing the temperature to below combustion for that pressure and oxygen concentration), inhale or otherwise dispose of the vaporized material, and then repeat the process while plant matter remains incompletely vaporized. By measuring the particulate matter in the atmosphere within the chamber (such as by measuring the dimming of a laser, measuring opacity, etc.), the vaporization process may continue until a desired concentration has been reached.
Thus, an apparatus for vaporizing vaporization targets, including but not limited to plant matter may comprise (i) a vaporization chamber, (ii) a pump for removal of an amount of gas from the chamber, wherein the apparatus is calibrated to remove enough gas to lower the boiling point of one or more substances within the chamber to a temperature at or below a set temperature and wherein the apparatus, upon actuation, lowers a pressure to match the temperature that the vaporization chamber is at or will be heated to, the apparatus equalizing the pressure after boiling to substantially match ambient atmospheric pressure; and (iii) a gas-bearing connector capable of connecting to the vaporization chamber and allowing the gas to be inhaled.
The apparatus may further comprise a heating element capable of raising the temperature within the vaporization chamber. The apparatus may also comprise a computer programmed to calculate an optimum combination of temperature and pressure for vaporization of a given substance, and to actuate pressure reduction and/or heating elements.
In some aspects, the gas remaining in the chamber may be non-oxygenated, while in other aspects, the gas remaining in the chamber is below a LOC for the pressure within the chamber.
We turn now to
101, 102, 105-111 and 114 are as described for
403 is a dual heating chamber having a secondary vaporization chamber 413 and a primary vaporization chamber 414. Note that while both temperature areas are shown within 403, they may also be built separately and connected via a gas conduit.
405, 406, 407 and 408 are optional backflow prevention valves.
413 and 414 are, respectively, secondary and primary vaporization chambers.
415 and 416 are heating elements, one in each heating chamber.
418 is a wall separating the two zones of the heating chamber.
Although what follows is not a comprehensive list, the list of medications following this paragraph may be inserted into the process, either proximally, distally, or otherwise. For compounds that are created by heat, it may be desirable to have a secondary heating chamber and/or to include the components that must be combined for such creation. For medications subject to anaerobic pyrolysis at a level that would impair efficacy and/or create undesired byproducts, it is likely preferable to insert them into the air stream proximal to the vaporization chamber 403. In one aspect, there may be a secondary, lower-temperature vaporization chamber 413 that may vaporize the medication without passing the medication through the higher temperature chamber. In another aspect, the matter materially susceptible to pyrolysis may be largely vaporized in the primary vaporization chamber 414 at a lower temperature, and after a sufficient time period to permit the desired amount of vaporization of medication, the temperature may be increased to vaporize plant matter or pharmaceuticals (if such matter is present). The medications (including the classes of medications that the medications listed are members of) that this may be used for including, without limitation:
Streptococcus Pyogenes; Streptococcus Thermophilus; Streptococcus Viridans;
It should be understood that certain of the listed materials may be used for topical application of vapor (for example, capsasin should not be used for inhalation but may provide a benefit if applied topically as a vapor). Some of the listed materials may be appropriate for topical, inhalation, and/or one or more additional modes of application.
While there are a variety of pharmaceutical uses, examples may be helpful. In one application, following a cardiac event or stroke, it is desirable to have aspirin while awaiting medical care. However, an aspirin ingested by oral route may take 20 or 30 minutes before reaching a desirable point of efficacy. In an urgent situation where blood thinning is critical, the risks of inhaling vaporized aspirin may be outweighed by the benefits of more rapid uptake. In such a case, aspirin may be vaporized using one or more of the inventions herein. Similarly, erectile dysfunction drugs are commonly slow to reach efficacy. The most rapidly efficacious of the popular drugs within this class of drugs is thought to be Sildenafil, or Viagra®. With an onset time of approximately 20 minutes, for many “the mood” will have passed before the medication becomes effective. By vaporizing and inhaling such medication, efficacy should be reached an order of magnitude more quickly. In one implementation, the device may be operably connected to a communication modality, such as a wide area network or a phone, and send a request for help upon actuation of the device.
Referring to
201-205, 207 and 209 are as described in
706 is a self-contained heating or vaporization chamber, comprising a non-oxygenated gas source contained within the chamber.
711 is a gas inlet for replacement gas, to allow the replacement gas to flow into the vaporizer to avoid creating a vacuum as the vaporized elements are inhaled through mouth piece 201. In one aspect, the replacement gas may be a non-oxygenated replacement gas.
In an embodiment, an apparatus for rapidly administering a drug comprises a chamber containing non-oxygenated gas and an amount of the drug, the chamber operably coupled to a heat source, wherein heat is applied from the heat source upon actuation of the apparatus until a boiling temperature of the drug is reached or exceeded, and wherein when the apparatus provides an indication that sufficient drug has been vaporized, the apparatus ceases heating, and a tube or other conduit to allow inhalation of the gas and vaporized drug from the apparatus.
In some aspects, the drug is a blood thinner, salicylic acid, or an erectile dysfunction drug. In other aspects, the drug may be naloxone or a benzodiazepine.
The apparatus may also be operably connected to a communication modality and upon actuation of the apparatus, the apparatus actuates the communication modality and requests assistance. In addition, flavor and smell sources may be added. For example, a person on a diet may desire a chocolate flavor. Various flavors, such as chocolate/cocoa bean, vanilla, coffee, and others may be incorporated into the mixture before vaporizing. Flavor and smell sources may be utilized independently as well. In addition, caffeine may be vaporized.
The boiling point of caffeine is around 178 degrees C.
Turning to
301 is a cartridge.
302 is an optional element to hold the material to be vaporized 303 in place.
303 is the material to be vaporized.
304 is a resistance or other heating element.
305 is a connector (terminal) to allow power to be provided to the heating element.
306 is a second connector (terminal) to allow power to be provided to the heating element.
In another aspect, the material to be vaporized may be pre-packaged in a disposable or reusable container that can be inserted into the vaporization chamber (a “cartridge”) 301. A cartridge may be labelled with the ingredients and/or labelled with vaporization efficacy. In one aspect, the data is incorporated into a memory contained within the cartridge. The memory may be electronic or may take the form of something that may be read by a machine, such as a bar code or QR code. In one aspect, the vaporizer may be programmed to measure the flow of gas over the material to be vaporized and the temperature at which the gas is flowing in order to calculate the likely contents of the vapor. For example, if 250 mg of cannabis contains 50 mg of THC, at a flow rate of X, with the temperature moving linearly from A to B, and stopping after Y seconds, the device may reference tables (which may be contained in the device, downloaded, be present in the cartridge, or otherwise) to determine how much THC has been delivered. In addition, or in the alternative, chromatography may be utilized in conjunction with flow rate to determine the amount of THC that has been delivered. In another aspect, the full cartridge may be vaporized into a container, such as a balloon or bag. The device would indicate how much THC is estimated to be present in the container. The user could then “ballpark” how much of the container to consume to reach the desired level of THC. Alternatively, the container may be connected to a metering device, or discharged in part into a smaller container of a known volume. In one simple implementation, the measured percentage of THC (and THCA) by weight may be added to the estimated percentage by weight of compounds that will boil off at the temperature being used. The percentage by weight of compounds expected to boil off may then be multiplied by the weight of the plant matter prior to heating. Vaporization would be considered complete, and in one aspect the heating or other elements deactivated or modified, as the weight of the remaining plant matter nears and/or reaches the expected weight post-boil-off. As the device would have calculated the volume of gas in the container, it would be possible to determine how much THC is delivered by each metered dose. For example, if 10 cubic centimeters of gas is present in the container, each cubic centimeter of gas delivered by the metered device would be 10% of the total THC content in the container. It is important to note that while we discuss this in the context of cartridges, it may also be utilized in cartridge-free configurations.
In one aspect, the cartridges may be accompanied by an amount of a known gas. For example, if it is known that the cannabis in cartridge A will require 25 cubic centimeters of gas to vaporize the THC, cartridge A may have a chamber filled with 25 (or more) cubic centimeters of compressed gas. Alternatively, the compressed gas may be separate (either as a multi-use tank of gas or a small, single-use tank). The label on the cartridge would indicate how much gas was required to complete the vaporization, and the device would deliver that much gas. In one aspect, a device capable of puncturing the cartridge is actuated. In another aspect, the puncturing device is actuated in combination with, or in preparation for, inhalation of the contents of the chamber. A second puncture may be made so that the gas can flow out of the cartridge. A regulator may be used to change the outflow pressure from a cartridge where the pressure within the cartridge is different than the ambient pressure.
In another aspect, the cartridges may have a heating element contained internally 304. For example, KANTHAL® or Nickel-Chromium wire may be run (coiled or not) through the center of the cartridge. In such a case, concerns about replacing heating elements are eliminated, as a fresh heating element accompanies each cartridge. In another aspect, reuse of the cartridge may be precluded by sending an electrical charge down the heating element after the vaporization is complete, where the electrical charge is sufficient to render the heating element non-functional. In the resistance heating variant, this may involve a charge sufficient to cause the heating element to break so that it can no longer carry a current through the length of the cartridge.
Generally, an apparatus for vaporizing plant matter, may comprise, (i) a cartridge-receiving fitting, (ii) a cartridge containing plant matter for vaporization, (iii) a heating element internal or external to the cartridge, the cartridge filled with a gas having an amount of oxygen less than a LOC for combustion of the plant materials, and (iv) a gas-bearing connector capable of connecting to the cartridge-receiving fitting, thereby allowing the gas to be inhaled.
The apparatus may further comprise a resistance heating element contained within the cartridge and a power source for the resistance heating element. Additionally, the apparatus may further comprise a penetrating device to puncture one or more surfaces of the cartridge and/or a conduit for transport of contents of the cartridge for inhalation. In some aspects the apparatus may comprise a penetrating device to puncture a portion of the cartridge operably connected to the conduit
It should be understood that a cartridge bearing compressed gas as well as plant matter 303 may be used as the heating chamber itself, whether the heat is internally supplied 304 (such as via a KANTHAL® element) or externally supplied. If externally supplied, one mechanism is to have an effective heat-conductive substance, such as copper, form at least one wall or a portion of a wall of the cartridge. In one aspect, the heat conducting substance may extend into the chamber. If internally supplied, power may be provided through terminals 305, 306 on the cartridge 301.
In another aspect, the vapor may be discharged into a container that is lined with oleophobic material, hydrophobic material, and/or a water-based lubricant in order to impede the speed with which the materials in the vapor precipitate out and affix to the walls of the container.
In another aspect, materials may have different boiling points. For example, Aspirin's boiling point is approximately 140 degrees C., while Codeine's boiling point is approximately 250 degrees C. In such a case, where it is desirable to separate the aspirin from the codeine, it may be appropriate to heat the combination to 240 degrees C., causing the Aspirin to boil off and leave only the Codeine (for Aspirin with Codeine and Caffeine, the 240 degree mark exceeds the 178 degree boiling point of caffeine). Because the temperature does not reach the temperature required to fully break down the structure of a pill, it may be preferable to reduce the compound to very small pieces and/or to leave the compound in the heat for a long period of time. Without limiting the foregoing, one range of particle size may be between 3 and 100 microns. Another range would be from 100 microns to 1 mm. While it is often preferable to heat such material in a non-oxygenated atmosphere, the presence of oxygen may sometimes be acceptable, particularly where the heating chamber is not heated above combustion temperature.
With regard to heating cannabis to vaporize THC, using a non-oxygenated atmosphere with a maximum temperature of between 300 and 400 degrees C. may be desirable. We note that this temperature may be exceeded, and such excess may be desirable in order to break down plant matter trapping THC. It should also be noted that at temperatures nearing 400 degrees C., in many cases the plant matter is fully vaporized, leaving only a carbon shell. This makes it possible to vaporize a tobacco leaf, a cannabis flower, or other materials without drying them and/or without crushing or grinding them.
In another aspect, a weight measurement device may be associated with the contents of the vaporization chamber. The device would cease attempting to extract further materials from the vaporization chamber when the weight of the materials in the chamber stabilizes. That is, once the materials that can be vaporized have been vaporized, the weight should stabilize, and the device may utilize that property to determine when to cease attempting to vaporize materials.
It should be noted that different gases have different temperature conductivity characteristics. For example, nitrogen has a thermal conductivity of 0.026 W/mK at 300 degrees K (i.e., room temperature, approx. 26.8 degrees C.). Under the same conditions, Argon has a thermal conductivity of 0.018; atmospheric air has a thermal conductivity of 0.026, and helium has a thermal conductivity of 0.182. The general rule is that gas thermal conductivity decreases with increases in molecular weight. As a result, it is desirable to utilize light gases in order to better conduct heat from the heat source to the matter the user wishes to vaporize.
In one aspect, a light gas, such as helium, is utilized at the outset in order to spread the heat throughout the material as quickly as possible. Once the desired temperature is reached, the light gas would be replaced with a heavier gas, such as argon (or even nitrogen). With a constant gas flow over the material to be vaporized, such a switch of gases allows the use of less power to reach and maintain the desired temperature. To quickly cool the material, it may further be desirable to switch back to a light gas. While we discuss this in the context of a vaporizer, it should be noted that the same properties may be utilized in other applications.
In one set of implementations, one or more of atmospheric air, substantially pure oxygen (preferably in the O2 form), or a gas mixture containing oxygen, such as a helium/oxygen mixture, may be introduced into the post-heating vapor. For example, using nitrogen gas as the non-oxygenated gas to heat the target material in, it is desirable to add enough oxygen to prevent or delay hypoxia. In one case, approximately 21 units of oxygen may be added for every 79 units of non-oxygenated gas, resulting in an end result where the gas inhaled by the user has approximately the same level of oxygen as regular atmospheric air. Similarly, atmospheric air may be added. In a preferred mode, atmospheric air is added in at least a 1 to 1 ratio, and as high as a 9 parts air to 1-part non-oxygenated gas ratio. Of course, a ratio lower than 1 to 1 may also be used if the increased risk of hypoxia is deemed acceptable.
In terms of flow rate, using nitrogen, a preferred flow rate is 8 liters per minute using a heating chamber with a capacity of 50 ml to 100 ml. A faster flow rate, such as 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 or 20 liters per minute results in a less dense vapor that is less likely to cause respiratory irritation. A slower flow rate uses the nonoxygenated gas more efficiently and results in a higher density vapor. A flow rate of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 liters per minute may be optimal in such a case. Thus flow rates may range anywhere between 0.1 liters per minute and 20.0 liters per minute. After the heating chamber is cleared of either all, substantially all, or enough oxygen to avoid combustion and/or oxidation, use of a valve system to prevent backflow of oxygenated gas (or simply closing the chamber) permits heating with a very small amount of non-oxygenated gas.
Turning to
501 is a chamber used in the extraction of concentrated previously aerosolized matter.
502 is a gas input. In many use cases, the gas input will be oxygen.
503 is a gas input for gas plus vaporized matter. In many use cases, the gas input will be hydrogen.
504 is an optional catalyst to trigger combination of the gasses, normally oxygen and hydrogen combining to form water. In some cases the catalyst may be platinum.
505 is an optional spark generator.
506 represents previously vaporized matter that has become a concentrate.
In a different modality, the system may also be used to create concentrated versions of the aerosolized particulates. One method for doing this is to utilize a pure or substantially pure hydrogen atmosphere (although a non-pure hydrogen atmosphere may also be utilized, though with the problem of having remaining gas) in the heating chamber. In one aspect, the heating chamber temperature may be required to be less than a set amount and/or the heating elements turned off prior to any intermixing. In another aspect, the heating chamber is separate from (but normally operatively connected to the extraction chamber 501. As the hydrogen gas with aerosolized particles is released from the heating chamber, it is intermixed with oxygen in an approximate ratio of 2 hydrogen atoms for every oxygen atom (although it should be noted that some applications may utilize a different ratio). It should be noted that some additional gas, or an imperfect ratio slightly different than 2 to 1, may be used. To avoid having a vacuum within the chamber, it may be desirable to allow a replacement gas, in one aspect a non-oxygenated replacement gas, to flow into the chamber as the combination of the hydrogen and oxygen will remove those elements as gases (because they are converted to water).
The intermixed gas is then ignited, such as with a spark 505. Alternatively, a chemical reaction combining the hydrogen and oxygen is otherwise catalyzed, such as by utilizing platinum 504. As many of the suspended particles are hydrophobic or otherwise incapable of remaining in a water solution, the suspended particles are easily separated from the water. Such is the case with many cannabinoids. Rather than (or in addition to) separating the particles from the water, the water may also be evaporated, and the particles recovered from the surface the water was evaporated over. In one aspect, a wax paper or other substrate is placed in the oxygen/hydrogen combination chamber (either before the reaction or after) and the particles come out of the resulting water solution on the substrate. In this way, we can make a concentrate (such as a cannabis concentrate) without the use of dangerous solvents. Such a reaction will produce very little water. For example, approximately 620 liters of oxygen (uncompressed at room temperature) combines with approximately 1245 liters of hydrogen (uncompressed at room temperature) to produce 1 liter of water. As one gram of cannabis can be aerosolized in 1.245 liters of hydrogen (obviously this number is used for mathematical simplicity; one gram of cannabis can be aerosolized in less or more hydrogen gas), the water resulting from the reaction would be one milliliter. Indeed, because some moisture is normally expected of concentrates, it may be desirable to use higher amounts of hydrogen (by using a higher flow rate and/or a larger heating chamber) in order to generate additional moisture. Evaporation can be done but may not be necessary for many uses. Because high temperatures can eliminate many of the undesirables tastes and smells of plant matter, a concentrate generated in this manner is suitable not just for re-aerosolizing, but for consumption in food or liquids or by itself as well.
In another aspect, a very small filter may be utilized through which small atoms or molecules may pass (such as He or N2). In this manner, the concentration of vaporized material in the gas (which can be any one of non-oxygenated gases, or gases combinations with oxygen at an insufficient level to support combustion) may be increased. Whether or not such a filter is used, the gas with suspended particles may be bubbled through a solution in which the particles of interest will be captured. For example, if capturing THC particles, an oil or alcohol solution may be utilized.
It should be understood that other substances can react to convert from a gas form to a liquid form. Such substances may also be used in place of oxygen and hydrogen. In addition, it should be understood that no additional substances may be required to accomplish the creation of a concentrate. Taking a nitrogen atmosphere as the heating atmosphere in this example, we use nitrogen as the gas into which 1 gram of cannabis is aerosolized. The gas is then cooled to at least −196 degrees C. At that point, the nitrogen becomes a liquid and the particulates may precipitate out of solution and be recovered in that manner.
In another aspect, it may be desirable to have a souvenir of use of the invention. As the primary (and in some cases, sole) material left behind after the process is carbon, we teach that some or all of the remaining carbon, whether cured of some impurities, all impurities, or no impurities, may be compressed into an industrial diamond.
Thus, an apparatus for creation of a cannabis concentrate may comprise, (i) a heating chamber containing cannabis to be concentrated, (ii) a heat source, (iii) a source of hydrogen gas, the source operably connected to the heating chamber and the heating chamber cleared of oxygen, the clearing being accomplished by replacing some or all of the oxygenated gas with hydrogen gas to below a LOC for substances being heated, including the hydrogen, wherein the cannabis is heated to a temperature above a boiling point of one or more cannabinoids, the hydrogen gas containing vaporized cannabis components are vented into a mixing chamber, oxygen in the form of O2 is added to the mixing chamber; and a reaction is catalyzed in which the oxygen and the hydrogen gas combine to form water.
In some aspects, the catalyst may be combustion, platinum, or pressure, and in some embodiments a substance remaining after the oxygen and hydrogen have been substantially combined to form water is recovered.
In a related embodiment, one problem in cooking with certain oils is that the smoking point is too low for many applications. For example, coconut oil has a smoke point of approximately 177 degrees C., while MCT oil has a smoke point of 150 degrees C., rendering both a poor choice for deep frying. By contrast, oils typically associated with frying, have a higher smoking point, such as canola oil (smoking point ˜205 degrees C.) or peanut oil (smoking point ˜233 degrees C.). A related problem, also solved herein, is that of burning matter in an oven or microwave.
For persons with certain metabolic diseases, such as the CPT2 deficiency both inventors have, cooking with long chain fatty acids is strongly contraindicated. While MCT oil is the recommended fat for those with CPT2, it cannot even be used to brush vegetables for baking, as the smoking point is simply too low. Many “healthy fats” have a low smoking point.
The smoking point is the point at which oxidation of the fat begins. We teach utilizing a non-oxygenated atmosphere to cook, bake, or even deep fry with oils having a low smoking point.
The first experiment showing the efficacy of this system is illustrated in
A constant flow of non-oxygenated gas is one approach, but is not necessary in all instances. For example, a fully sealed container, such as a pressure cooker, may be voided or substantially voided of oxygen and sealed in that state. In another embodiment, the amount of oxygen present in the pot or heating chamber is below the LOC.
Thus, an apparatus for cooking with low smoke point oils may comprise (i) a heating chamber, (ii) a heat source, (iii) a source of non-oxygenated gas, the source operably connected to the heating chamber, wherein the heating chamber is capable of being cleared of oxygen to below a LOC for substances being heated by the heat source, such clearing accomplished by replacing atmospheric air with the source of non-oxygenated gas.
In some embodiments the heating chamber may be a pot that may be subjected to a constant flow of non-oxygenated gas, and the heating chamber may be sealed after being filled with non-oxygenated gas.
In another embodiment, a cooking device such as a microwave oven may be filled with non-oxygenated gas. This would allow very high temperatures to be reached without causing smoke. In one implementation, the contents of the microwave are allowed to cool before the door is allowed to open, thereby preventing a flash fire. Such a delay mechanism may be utilized in conjunction with the other methods for cooking in a non-oxygenated atmosphere. In a preferred implementation for a microwave application, the gas utilized is non-polar.
Whether a microwave, oven, or other cooking or heating device, replacement of the internal gas to below the LOC permits use without concern for accidental combustion or smoke.
The described systems and processes merely exemplify various embodiments of enhanced features. The present technology is not limited by these examples.
Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 371, this application is a U.S. National Phase application of PCT/US2020/062096 filed Nov. 24, 2020, which claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/940,101, filed Nov. 25, 2019, which applications are specifically incorporated herein, in their entireties, by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US20/62096 | 11/24/2020 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62940101 | Nov 2019 | US |
