Patent Application
20230267462
Three common ways to consume substances are to smoke, vape, or drink those substances. Smoking can include burning a cigarette or cigar that has a base substrate containing one or more active ingredients by which the active ingredients are converted into an inhalant as “smoke”, followed by the inhalation of the resulting smoke. Vaping may involve heating in an “electronic cigarette” a liquid in a container such as a cartridge or tank to produce an aerosol, often called vapor, made of particulate matter; or a substrate with a wick that produces a flavor when heated, followed by the inhalation of the resulting vapor. Drinking is to take liquid into the body via the mouth.
Presently, the use of inhalants derived from plant materials via smoking or vaping is common for both medicinal and recreational use. Beverages, for example alcoholic beverages, that are sold commercially may also be produced from plant materials. Users consuming these substances may experience not only sensory effects such as taste and smell, but also pharmacological effects. By way of another example, inhalants, brewed beverages, and distilled beverages are sometimes blended to deliver a desired set of sensory effects. However, such blends may be costly and/or difficult to obtain.
In some examples, various blends of strains of grown Cannabis and related substances, when inhaled or ingested, are associated with sensory effects. As described herein, Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that include the species: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. Cannabis has long been used for hemp fibers, seed and seed oils, medicinal purposes, and recreational purposes. Cannabidiol, better known as “CBD,” is one of the chemical compounds called “cannabinoids” that are found in the Cannabis sativa plant. The Cannabis sativa plant may also include terpenes, which are common compounds in the natural world. Terpenes are responsible for the smell of many plants. The terpenes may act on the endocannabinoid system in the human body in a similar way to the cannabinoids.
An arbitrary blend of substances can be characterized as a set of chemicals and their associated amounts. A need may arise to specify a known blend by such a set of chemical amounts, and subsequently to mechanically generate those chemicals using less costly and/or more readily available materials to closely match at least some of the experiences of the characterized arbitrary blend.
While these targeted experiences may be successfully created by specific strain selection and specific preparation methods, the strains may be difficult or expensive to obtain and the specific preparation methods may be unknown. However, the resulting product from the strains and preparation methods, such as a cigarette, vaping cartridge, or beverage, can be considered a mere set of chemicals that correspond to the targeted experience. Where that set of chemicals is to be reproduced via other (preferably easier to source and less expensive) feedstock, the targeted experience may be reproduced as well.
Herein are disclosed techniques to reproduce a targeted experience. Specifically, techniques to infuse a substrate, such as a flammable substrate for a cigarette paper or a dissolvable substrate for a vaping device or beverage, with chemicals corresponding to a targeted experience are among those disclosed. Some of the techniques may include use of a mechanical printer as the method of infusion.
There are many variations of smokable filler, such as tobacco, forms of Cannabis, or coconut husk, to name three. Similarly, there are many different kinds of liquids that can be atomized for vaping, and many kinds of beverages. Note that the materials in each case are themselves sets of chemicals. Techniques to create a chemical signature, i.e., a set of chemicals and characteristics of each respective chemical, such as an amount that take into account the amount of the substrate; the filler, liquid, or beverage; and/or fixative agents, as to reproduce a targeted experience are also disclosed.
In one example, the printed substrate may be used to roll filler for a cigarette. Examples of filler may be active ingredients such as strains of Cannabis and/or tobacco, and/or neutral fillers such as corn husk, grass, and coconut husk. Upon rolling filler with the printed substrate, the combination yields a final product. The final product when consumed may then yield a targeted experience, subject to a tolerance in some embodiments.
In another example, the vaping apparatus may utilize the chemical signature as a reference for injecting predetermined dosages of one or more pre-vapor formulations into a chamber of the vaping apparatus. The vaping apparatus may then apply heat to a combination of the base flavor and the pre-vapor formulations in the chamber to generate the targeted flavor. This technique of on-demand customization of inhalants may improve the vaping experience and reduce the cost of vaping by dynamically adjusting the amount of chemicals to be added to the base flavor depending on a target experience or flavor.
In yet another example, alcoholic beverages, including brewed and distilled beverages, that are sold commercially also may be produced from plant materials. After a brewing or distillation process, each product may include distinct aromas and flavors, which can reflect raw materials that were used, method of brewing or distillation process performed, and/or post-brewing and -distillation treatments made on the product. Flavor compounds in alcoholic beverages may be referred to as congeners. Different alcoholic beverages may have small differences in congener levels but have large differences in flavor and aroma intensities. Examples of enhancements of alcoholic beverages may include aggregating raw materials of tobacco, alcohol, and similar products and then mechanically mixing the aggregated raw materials into the beverages. These types of distilled beverages may be combined to come up with different flavors.
The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similar or identical items or features.
Historically, people have prepared various plant products, including tobacco and Cannabis, and dried and cured various strains of those products for smoking. In some instances, smoking involves burning the cured products, thereby creating inhalants for ingestion. In this way, smoking is known as a method of delivery of inhalants.
While initial reasons for smoking may have included pharmaceutical effects, people have taken to optimizing the holistic experience of smoking. This includes selecting specific strains and applying specific preparation methods to create a targeted experience. The experience of ingesting these selected strains includes not only a specific pharmaceutical effect, but also sensory experiences including taste and smell. For example, flavorings such as menthol and mint have been added to mask the harshness of tobacco. By way of another example, strains have been bred for targeted concentrations of active pharmaceutical chemicals. Thus, a targeted experience may refer to the sum of one or more of the sensory, pharmaceutical, and other physical effects, resulting from consuming, via smoking, material comprised of a set of chemicals in associated amounts. Techniques for performing an on-demand customization of inhalants to improve the smoking experience are disclosed herein.
Techniques for performing an on-demand customization of inhalants to improve a vaping experience are also disclosed herein. These techniques may include showing a selection of target flavors via a user interface of a vaping apparatus, comparing chemical components of a user-selected target flavor with a base flavor, and receiving a chemical signature based at least in part upon a comparison between the target flavor and the base flavor. The chemical signature may be received by the vaping apparatus from a server. The base flavor may be associated with a wick that produces a flavor when heated. The produced flavor (or base flavor) may include, without limitation, tobacco, mint, mango, tropical fruit, cola, or other flavors, for example. The target flavor may include a combination of the base flavor and additional chemicals such as, without limitation, predetermined dosages of Cannabis, terpenes, or a suitable combination thereof. In one example, the vaping apparatus may utilize the chemical signature as a reference for injecting predetermined dosages of one or more pre-vapor formulations into a chamber of the vaping apparatus. The vaping apparatus may then apply heat to a combination of the base flavor and the pre-vapor formulations in the chamber to generate the targeted flavor. This technique of on-demand customization of inhalants may improve the vaping experience and reduce the cost of vaping by dynamically adjusting the amount of chemicals to be added to the base flavor depending on a target experience or flavor.
Without limitation, the chemical signature may include information that identifies dosages, types, and/or other data associated with the chemicals to be used for generating a flavor change. The information may further identify a method, timing of injecting the pre-vapor formulations to the chamber, and/or threshold values such as an airflow pressure threshold that can be used as a reference to activate a heating element in the vaping apparatus. In one embodiment, the chemical signature is based upon a comparison between chemical components of the base flavor of the vaping apparatus and the selected target flavor. For example, the comparison may result in adding a particular dosage of cannabidiol or a terpene to a tobacco—base flavor during vaping. In this example, the additional particular dosage may be treated as a difference between the target flavor and the base flavor.
This disclosure also describes techniques for performing an on-demand customization of beverages to improve the drinking experience. In some embodiments, the beverage is an alcoholic beverage, although concepts described herein may be applicable to other beverages. For example, the techniques may include receiving a target flavor (e.g., from a selection of a target flavors received via a user interface) of a beverage dispenser, comparing chemical components of the target flavor with a base flavor, and receiving a chemical signature based at least in part upon a comparison between the target flavor and the base flavor. In some examples, the beverage may include at least a liqueur. The chemical signature may be received by the beverage dispenser from a server. In some examples, the base flavor may be associated with distilled beverages that include, without limitation, gin, tequila, vodka, whiskey, or rum. The target flavor may include a combination of the beverages and additional chemicals such as, without limitation, predetermined dosages of Cannabis, terpenes, or a suitable combination thereof. In one example, the beverage dispenser may utilize the chemical signature as a reference for injecting one or more formulations into a dispenser line that supplies the beverages from their corresponding kegs (or other container) to a beverage dispenser tower (or faucet). In this example, a mixture of the beverages and the formulations in the dispenser line may generate a combination that creates the selected or targeted flavor. This technique of on-demand customization of the beverages may improve the drinking experience and reduce the cost of drinking flavors by dynamically adjusting the amount of chemicals to be added to the base flavor as needed for an enhanced drinking experience.
Without limitation, the chemical signature may include information that identifies dosages, types, and/or other data associated with the formulations to be used for generating/creating the flavor or flavor change. The information may further identify a method or timing of injecting the formulations to the dispenser line. In one embodiment, the chemical signature can be based upon a comparison between chemical components of the base flavor and the selected flavor. For example, the comparison may result in adding a dosage of cannabidiol or a terpene to the distilled beverages. Here, the selected flavor may include additional dosages of cannabidiol, terpene, and/or tobacco.
Details regarding the novel products and techniques referenced above and presented herein are described in detail, below, with respect to several figures that identify elements and operations used in systems, devices, methods, and computer-readable storage media that implement the techniques. Some embodiments are described of generating flavors for cigarettes, vaping apparatuses, and beverages.
The chemical printer 106 may be provided with chemicals that it can infuse into a base substrate via piezoelectric, thermal, or equivalent printing techniques. In some embodiments, the base substrate may be flammable or dissolvable. Examples include, but are not limited to, cigarette paper. The chemicals may include active ingredients such as tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, terpenes, or oils. Other chemicals may include flavorings such as mint and menthol. Still other chemicals may include fixative agents or preservatives. The chemical printer 106 is described in further detail with respect to
The server 108 may communicatively access a chemical signature database engine 110, which may be a software database engine server. The chemical signature database engine 110 may be connected to a data store that contains a chemical signature database 112. The chemical signature database 112 may contain at least a plurality of chemical signatures, each comprised of a set of identifiers for various chemicals. Each chemical in a chemical signature may be associated in the chemical signature database 112 with an amount of the chemical and other data. When received by the chemical printer 106, the chemical printer may select chemicals corresponding to the identifiers in the signature and subsequently print quantities of the selected chemicals into a substrate according to the chemical signature. Chemical signatures are described in further detail with respect to
The chemical signature database engine 110 and chemical signature database 112 may both be remote from the user device 104, accessible, e.g., via the Internet or other network, and/or may be resident in a cloud installation. Examples of the hardware, software, and communications infrastructure are described in more detail with respect to
To effect remote printing for customized chemical mixing, the user 102, via the user device 104, may create a request for a chemical signature and transmit the request to the server 108, which may forward the request to the chemical signature database engine 110. In some embodiments, the request may include an identifier of the user 102, an identifier and/or specification for a substrate, and/or a chemical signature that comprises identifiers for one or more chemicals. The request may also include a digital code, such as a credential in a token or key that can be validated, that indicates a right to use the chemical signature in the request. Furthermore, the digital code may take be a non-fungible token (NFT) of the chemical signature. The chemical signature may comprise a compilation of individually identified chemicals or a defined set of chemicals (identified in a predefined set or individually in the request), and for each identified chemical at least a quantity of that chemical in the set. The request may instead include a brand name or other indicator for a desired set of chemicals, without specifying the chemicals individually. For example, if a user is aware of a particular blend of Cannabis X, it can specify a brand name for X to obtain printing in accordance with the chemical signature for X.
The chemical signature database engine 110 may retrieve the requested chemical signature and return the same to the server 108, which may then transmit the chemical signature to the chemical printer 106. In some embodiments, forwarding the request and/or choosing the chemical printer may be contingent on a successful validation of the digital code, if present. Indeed, the forwarding of the request may not be performed at all if the digital code is not validated or is needed but not present.
Validation may be made against a data store of digital codes, for example by the server 108. The digital codes may be stored in a data store as part of the server, or accessible by the server 108 from an external data store. Examples of validation may include any of a variety of verifications based on information that may be partially or wholly contained in the digital code or elsewhere in the request, such as, and without limitation, verifying the purchase of the chemical signature in the request, verifying payment for the chemical signature or presence of an active subscription to make the request, verifying the transfer of the chemical signature in the request, or verifying that the chemical signature is a modification of a second chemical signature and that the user identifier is associated with rights to use the second chemical signature (and thus the requested chemical signature by extension). In some embodiments, the user identifier may be or need to be associated with a verifiable payment account that can be debited by the cost of obtaining the printed substrate before the request is forwarded to the chemical printer 106, whereby the forwarding is contingent on the presence of an associated account and funds available for debiting.
In some embodiments, the chemical signature determines which chemical printer or printers 106 to receive the chemical signature based on the contents of the received request and a chemical profile associated with each chemical printer 106. A printer's chemical profile, for example, may include, among other things, the chemicals that the chemical printer 106 is configured to print. In some embodiments, the chemical profile may include the amount of each chemical that the chemical printer 106 holds or can obtain for printing; in others, the printer's inventory may not be part of the chemical profile. For example, the server 108 may have or obtain information on the ingredients that each chemical printer 106 stocks at the time of printing, and send the chemical signature to the chemical printer or printers 106 that have the needed ingredients rather than to a printer that is unable to fill the request. In some embodiments, the server 108 may monitor the chemical stock of the chemical printer(s) 106 or obtain that information from the printers or another source.
In response to a request for a printed substrate to use in creating a smoking, vaping, or beverage product, the chemical printer(s) 106 receiving the request may print the chemicals on the specified substrate in accordance with the chemical signature, which can be used to create a targeted flavor in a cigarette 109a, vaping apparatus 109b, or beverage dispenser 109c. The printed substrate may be tagged with a predetermined digital tag format based at least on the requesting user identifier. In some embodiments, the tag may identify the requesting user. Other information may be included in the tag as desired. For example, the request may be associated with a digital code, either in the request itself or added by the server 108 or at another point in the transmission. The digital code may be the same as or different from the digital code used for validation of the request. The digital code in the tag may be scanned by the server 108 or another device and/or human in the sending of the printed substrate to the user. The digital code may be formatted according to the digital tag format and compared by the server 108, the chemical printer 106, and/or another entity against the tagged printed substrate for verification that the printed substrate is being sent to the proper party based on the association between the digital code and the request. The chemical printer 106, the server 108, or other entity verifying the comparison may then send a signal that the tagged printed substrate may be delivered if the digital code scan is successfully compared against the tagged printed substrate.
In the case of printing the chemical signature for use by the beverage dispenser 109c, the beverage may be pumped via a dispenser line that connects a keg or other container for the beverage to a tap or faucet. During the pumping of the beverage, one or more flavors may be injected into the dispenser line and mixed with the beverage. For example, the printed substrate obtained from the remote chemical printer may be a dissolvable substrate that can be inserted and/or dissolved into the dispenser line to mix/combine with the beverage. In this example, the chemical printer 106 may print one or more layers of ink on a dissolvable substrate to generate the printed dissolvable substrate that is associated with a flavor. In one embodiment, the ink may include a composition that can be obtained via a combination of formulations that are associated with one or more flavors.
It may not be enough to merely retrieve a chemical signature for X. For example, a fixative agent (used to ensure the printed chemicals are not easily removed from the substrate), composition of the substrate, and/or filler to be used may need to be specified. Although it is conceivable that one or more of these items may be identified by the user 102, in some embodiments these details may need to be predetermined by another entity, such as in the event that there are no options for a particular component, or the user is unable to make the specification. For example, it may be unnecessary to specify the form of the substrate needed by the user's device (e.g., a flammable substrate for a cigarette), or the server 108, user device 104, or chemical printer 106 may make the selection (e.g., a particular formulation may require a larger substrate). One or more of these ingredients may be selectable separately or in concert with the indication and retrieval of the chemical signature in some embodiments. The chemical signature database engine 110 may then retrieve the chemical signature modified by the chemical signatures of the fixative agent, substrate, and/or filler in this example. In this way, the retrieved chemical signature may take into account the other ingredients in the final product, and thereby achieve the intended targeted experience.
In some embodiments, the user device 104 and/or the chemical printer 106 may have the capability to modify chemical signatures, and the user 102 merely retrieves the chemical signature. In this scenario, the user device 104 may receive the chemical signature and modify the chemical signature to account for the specified fixative agent, substrate, and/or filler.
In other embodiments, the user 102 may specify custom modifications to the chemical signature. This may be performed on the user device 104 by a chemical signature editor (not shown). Example modifications may be to increase the amount of active chemicals and/or to add flavorings. In this way, a user 102 may customize a targeted experience.
Flavorings may, in some embodiments, be created by combining a base flavor with one or more other flavors present in the chemical signature. For example, flavors may each contain certain dosages of Cannabis, terpenes, or a suitable combination thereof. In this way, a flavor desired for enhancing an inhalant or beverage may be dynamically varied or generated on demand. This technique of customizing may improve the user experience and can in some instances be a cheaper way to dynamically add Cannabis, terpenes, etc. to inhalants or beverages.
Regardless of whether the chemical signature database engine 110 or the user device 104 modifies the chemical signature or the user customizes the chemical signature, the modified chemical signature is sent to the chemical printer 106, which prints the chemicals specified in the signature onto the substrate. Along with the chemicals specified in the signature, the chemical printer 106 may also print fixative agents, flavorings, preservatives, and/or other additives.
In some embodiments related to cigarette creation, after printing, the printed substrate may be used to roll filler to create the cigarette 109a. Examples of filler may be active ingredients such as strains of Cannabis and/or tobacco, and/or neutral fillers such as corn husk, grass, and coconut husk. Upon rolling filler with the printed substrate, the combination yields a final product. The final product when consumed may then yield a targeted experience, subject to a tolerance in some embodiments. Tolerances are described in further detail with respect to
In embodiments related to vaping products, the printed substrate may provide a roll of printed dissolvable substrate that can be inserted into the chamber of the vaping apparatus 109b. For example, a base flavor may be obtained via a wick that can be positioned and/or inserted into a replaceable cartridge to absorb an oil. One or more nozzles are in fluid communication with pre-vapor formulations to inject chemical components into the chamber of the vaping apparatus. The wick may include suitable materials which can be used to absorb oil and other chemicals from one or more reservoirs or chambers of the vaping apparatus. In one example, a vaporizing heater may apply a particular amount of heat to the replaceable cartridge to vaporize the oil resulting in a generation of the base flavor. The vaporizing heater may include a wire coil that transfers heat to incoming ambient air that can be drawn through chamber vent holes during vaping, which in turn heats the wick, oil, injected pre-vapor formulations, and/or the printed dissolvable substrate by convection.
The insertion to expose the printed dissolvable substrate may be done manually via a knob or through a roller that inserts the printed dissolvable substrate in increments to the chamber. The printed dissolvable substrate may be subdivided using perforated substrates where each section may correspond to a dosage that can be combined with the base flavor to generate the targeted flavor. For example, each dosage may be identified through a perforation of the printed substrate. In some instances, each increment in the vaping apparatus or knob step may be preconfigured to insert a particular dosage into the chamber.
In some embodiments related to dispensing an enhanced beverage using techniques described herein, the printed dissolvable substrate may be inserted in increments, for example, into the dispenser line of the beverage dispenser 109c. For example, the beverage dispenser 109c may include one or more processors and software instructions stored in memory which, when executed by the one or more processors, may control the dosage or amount of chemicals of the printed dissolvable substrate to be combined with the base flavor in the dispensing line to generate the targeted flavor. In one example, the printed dissolvable substrate may be dissolved by exposing a portion of the substrate in the dispenser line. The printed dissolvable substrate may be inserted and exposed in increments in the dispenser line where each increment may correspond to a subdivided individual dose of the printed dissolvable substrate. The insertion to expose the printed dissolvable substrate to be combined with the base flavor in the dispensing line to generate the targeted flavor may be done automatically or manually via a knob (not shown) or through a roller (not shown) that inserts the printed dissolvable substrate into the dispenser line. The printed dissolvable substrate may be subdivided using perforated substrates where each section may correspond to a dosage.
The printed flavor may be used as an alternative to another flavor that is already associated with the one or more formulations. In some cases, these flavors may be combined to increase the amount of dosages of cannabidiol, terpene, etc. in the dispensing line. Here, the chemical printer 106 may receive the chemical signature from the chemical signature engine server 132. Based upon the chemical signature, the chemical printer 106 may print at least a single layer in a continuous pattern over a printable area of the dissolvable substrate to produce the printed dissolvable substrate. The single layer may include a particular dosage, amount, or chemical characteristics that comply with the received chemical signature.
The beverage dispenser 109c may include one or more processors and other hardware, as well as software components including those executable by the processor(s), to combine the beverage (e.g., associated with the base flavor) with the formulation(s) associated with additional flavors or the printed dissolvable substrate to generate the target flavor. In at least one embodiment, the beverage dispenser 109c may include embedded sensors to recognize a label, stamp, engraving, or the like bearing an identifier for the keg to detect type and other data of the first flavor 160. For example, each keg may include a label that can be used to identify gin, rum, tequila, etc. components of the base flavor that can be supplied via the dispensing line of the beverage dispenser. The label that is associated with the key may be stored in the beverage dispenser or the server 108. The beverage dispenser 109c may also include a user interface to show different selections flavors. The beverage dispenser 109c may send information of these flavors to the user device 104, which may then send the query to the server 108.
Embodiments described above connect a user's request for rendering a chemical signature to a chemical printer to carry out the request. In other embodiments, the user 102 may send a request to the server 108 to identify a chemical printer service suited to render the chemical signature. In such embodiments, the request may comprise an identifier for the user, a type of substrate, and a chemical signature that may comprise identifiers for one or more chemicals, or predefined sets of chemicals, to be printed on the substrate and amounts of the chemicals. The server 108 may additionally receive geolocation information about the requesting user, in or accompanying the request, or by another way such as from a user profile maintained or accessible by the server 108, or by the IP address or GPS coordinates from which the request was sent.
In some embodiments, the data store and/or database 112 may further hold referral information regarding chemical printer establishments that may be consulted to determine one or more sources to provide the printed substrate. The referral information may include, without limitation, one or more of the location, capacity, rating, capability of producing the substrate, turnaround time, and/or the like for each establishment. The user 102 may request this referral information, or the server 108 may make the request on behalf of the user 102, from the chemical signature database engine 110. The request for the referral information may be a general request, with the server 108 or chemical signature database engine 110 making an independent determination of suitable chemical printer establishments based on information contained in the user's request for the chemical printer service (e.g., without or with minimal added input from the user). Alternatively, the request for the referral information may specify factors for the server 108 and/or chemical signature database engine 110 to filter the results to only those chemical printer establishments that meet the parameters of the user request. In response to the request, the server 108 and/or chemical signature database engine 110 may return at least some of the retrieved referral information of the chemical printer establishments to the user and/or server 108 as the case may be.
By way of example, and without limitation, the chemical printer establishment may operate or control at least one chemical printer 106. Each chemical printer 106 may have a chemical printer profile that comprises a set of chemicals that the chemical printer 106 is configured to print. In some embodiments, the chemical printer profile has the information that is used to determine whether that chemical printer establishment can meet the referral information and thereby fulfil the chemical printing request. That is, the server 108, chemical signature database engine 110, and/or chemical printer establishment may receive (or already possess) and compare the referral information with the chemical printer profile, and determine whether a suitable match between the request and the chemical printer establishment can be made. Those chemical printer establishments that have one or more chemical printers 106 to meet the request may be included in the response to the user request and/or the request from the server 108, delivered to the user 102 or server 108. The response may include an identifier and/or contact information for the suitable chemical printer establishment(s), such as a web address, telephone number, physical location, and/or the like. In the case of a web address, the link may trigger a routine in the server 108 to automatically forward a request to print to the associated chemical printer establishment when clicked. Alternatively, the link could trigger a routine on the user device 104 to forward the request directly to the chemical printer establishment.
Usage history of the requesting user 102 may provide data that can be used by the server 108 for various purposes, including enhancing the user's experience in its dealings with the server/broker and/or chemical printer establishments. For example, the server 108 may collect indicia of use by the user 102 with respect to services associated with the ordering and purchase of printed substrates. That indicia of use may then form data inputs to analyze for patterns of use, which can be tied to promotions, frequent-user discounts, complaint history, and/or the like. Similarly, indicia of use of the chemical printer establishments can be collected for all users 102 to make similar data analysis of service by the chemical printer establishments, including timeliness, product quality, usage patterns, and/or the like. The server 108 or other entity may utilize the results of analysis to generate reports which can be studied to enhance the user experience, manage the business relationship with the chemical printer establishments, etc. In some embodiments, the data may be fed to machine learning models for predicting and improving customer service by the server 108 and chemical printer establishments.
In some embodiments, providing the referral information may be contingent on a successful validation of the digital code, if present, as described elsewhere herein. The user identifier may be or need to be associated with a verifiable payment account that can be debited by the cost of providing the referral information before the information is provided, contingent on the presence of an associated account and funds available for debiting. Similarly, the inclusion of a chemical printer establishment in the retrieved referral information may be made contingent on receiving prior payment.
In some embodiments, the user 102 may send a request to identify a third-party provider of chemical signatures. The request may comprise an identifier for the user, a type of substrate, and a chemical signature that may comprise identifiers for one or more chemicals, or predefined sets of chemicals, to be printed on the substrate and amounts of the chemicals. In response to receiving the request, the server 108 may retrieve from storage a user profile, or user profile information from the user profile, using the user identifier as a key. The server 108 may additionally retrieve from a data store of third-party providers of chemical signatures, referral information about such third-party providers, based at least on the user profile information. For example, referral information may be retrieved about third-party providers of chemical signatures near the user 102, or providers of chemical signatures that the user 102 habitually orders or is profiled to recommend based on factors such as purchase history, products similar to recent purchases, products that other users of similar profile have ordered, etc. At least some of the retrieved referral information may be returned to fulfil the request. The response may include an identifier and/or contact information for the suitable chemical printer establishment(s), such as a web address, telephone number, physical location, and/or the like. In the case of a web address, the link may trigger a routine in the server 108 to automatically forward a request to print to a chemical printer 106 at or near the user's location. Alternatively, the link could trigger a routine on the user device 104 to forward the request directly to the chemical printer 106.
In some embodiments, providing the referral information may be contingent on a successful validation of the digital code, if present, and on receiving prior payment, as described elsewhere herein. Further, the chemical printer 106 fulfilling the request may provide a signal as to whether the printing was successful (e.g., a steady-on light or sound signal when successful, a repeating signal when unsuccessful). The server 108, on receiving the signal from the chemical printer 106, may debit the payment account for a payment for providing referral information, contingent on receipt of a signal of a successful print.
Customization with respect to customizable printable solutions for delivery of inhalants or beverages may refer to the specifying of a targeted experience via a set of chemicals associated at least with quantities.
A chemical signature may be comprised of a set of chemical identifiers and associated data. An example of a set of chemical identifiers may include:
CBD (representing cannabidiol)
LMN (representing limonene (a terpene)
MRC (representing myrcene (another terpene)
MTH (representing menthol (a flavoring)
DPG (representing dipropylene (a fixative agent))
The set of chemical identifiers may be used to create a histogram which represents an amount of the chemical identified by the identifier to be printed by the chemical printer 106. In many cases, the chemical printer 106 is programmed to print out a constant amount of the chemicals identified in the chemical signature. In this case, the chemical printer 106 may, for example, take the amount of the chemical identified by the chemical signature, divide it by the amount of time anticipated for the chemical printer 106 to print out a line along the length of a substrate, and print the chemical according to that ratio.
However, in some cases, the chemical signature may be comprised of a time series of histograms, each histogram indicating the amount of the chemical in the chemical signature to print at a particular point in time. Software on the chemical printer 106 (or external software), may calculate ratios, and print the chemical by the calculated ratio. For example, if a chemical signature indicates that it is anticipated that the product is to be consumed over 7 minutes, and that 5 units of cannabidiol (CBD) will be provided in the first half of consumption and 2 units of CBD in the second half of consumption, the chemical printer 106 will print 5 units over the first half of a printed line, and 2 units over the second half, where the length of the line is expected to burn for 7 minutes. In this way, the delivery of a particular chemical in a chemical signature can be customized over the time of consumption of the product.
In the example shown in
To determine the chemical signature to be printed by chemical printer 106, we can take the difference between the two histograms 204 and 206. For example, the delta of the first chemical is the difference between 2 units of that chemical in the “targeted” histogram 204 and 1 unit in the “filler” histogram 206, yielding a corresponding 1 unit (i.e., 2 units−1 unit=1 unit) to be printed as indicated in the “printer” histogram 208, which represents the chemical signature of the difference between the targeted experience signature and the filler chemical signature (i.e., specifying the difference in the same set of chemicals between the two signatures). A corresponding example can be made for a liquid in a vaping apparatus or beverage. In the printer histogram 208, we can see that we have taken the differences between the targeted histogram 204 and the filler histogram 206 for all chemicals identified in those histograms in this example embodiment. Accordingly, the chemical printer 106 need only print the additional chemicals as represented by the printer chemical signature 208 to recreate or at least approximate the targeted experience.
While block 202 shows only operations with respect to filler, the same analogous operations may be performed for other ingredients such as fixative agents, preservatives, and the flammable substrate itself, or components that add a Cannabis flavor to vaping liquid or a beverage. The printer histogram 208 may also be hand modified and/or customized by the user 102 as desired.
In some examples, while some portion of the targeted experience may be recreated, a portion of a targeted experience might not. For example, certain sensory, pharmaceutical, or physical effects might not be reproduced. In some cases, this may be because not all the chemicals comprising the experience are accounted for. In other cases, the amount of chemical added via the printer is not precise.
In such cases, the user 102 may adopt a strategy of reproducing a targeted experience according to a predetermined tolerance. Specifically, the user 102 may accept a printer histogram that is the difference between the targeted experience histogram and the filler or liquid histogram plus or minus some quantity of units, i.e., a predetermined tolerance.
Block 210 illustrates an example of printing to a tolerance. By way of example, a user 102 may accept a predetermined tolerance of plus or minus 1 unit in the number of units for a first chemical, and the targeted histogram 212 shows zero units of that chemical. In this example, the presence of the first chemical may be considered an impurity. However, if the filler histogram 214 shows that 1 unit of that first chemical is present, the first chemical as a lesser quality substance may be acceptable, even as an impurity, because it is within the predetermined tolerance of plus or minus 1 unit.
Accordingly, we can take a difference between the targeted histogram 212 and the filler histogram 214, and generate a printer histogram 216 that, while not precise, is nevertheless within the predetermined tolerance. In such examples, it may be that the first chemical in the printer histogram should be −1 (e.g., 0 desirable units in the targeted experience signature but 1 unit in the filler chemical signature), but one cannot print a negative quantity. Accordingly, 0 units is accepted for the printer chemical signature instead since 1 unit from the filler histogram 214 and 0 from the printer histogram 216 yields 1 unit, which is still within the predetermined tolerance of the targeted histogram amount of 0 units.
Tolerances can support overshooting. For example, for the second chemical in the
Tolerances similarly support undershooting. For the third chemical, the filler histogram indicates 3 units, and the printer histogram indicates 1 unit, yielding a total of 4 units. However, the targeted histogram indicates 5 units. Yet again, since this is within the predetermined tolerance of plus or minus 1, this amount of the third chemical in the printer chemical signature is acceptable.
This notion of predetermined tolerances can be applied to a time series of histograms as well, thereby enabling the calculation of histograms for printing over the time of consumption of a product.
The functionality for customizable printable solutions may be generally hosted on computing devices. Exemplary computing devices include without limitation on the client-side: mobile devices (including smart phones), tablet computers, laptops, desktop personal computers and kiosks. Exemplary computing devices on the server-side include without limitation: mainframes, physical servers, and virtual machines. Generally, the computing devices may be networked.
A client-side computing device, or “client,” 302 may correspond to the user device 104 and have a computer processor 304 and a computer readable memory 306. The processor may be a central processing unit, a repurposed graphical processing unit, and/or a dedicated controller such as a microcontroller. The computing device may further include an input/output (I/O) interface 308, and/or a network interface 310. The I/O interface 308 may be any controller card, such as a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) used in conjunction with a standard I/O interface protocol such as RS-232 and/or Universal Serial Bus (USB). The network interface 310, may potentially work in concert with the I/O interface 308 and may be a network interface card supporting Ethernet and/or Wi-Fi and/or any number of other physical and/or datalink protocols. Alternatively, the network interface 310 may be an interface to a cellular radio.
Memory 306 is any computer-readable media which may store several software components including an operating system 312 and software components 314 and/or other software applications 316 including an internet browser or application integrating internet browsing capability. In general, a software component is a set of computer executable instructions stored together, e.g., on one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, as a discrete whole. Operating systems 312 and applications 316 are themselves software components or integrated aggregations of software components. Examples of software components 314 include binary executables such as static libraries, dynamically linked libraries, and executable programs. Other examples of software components 314 include interpreted executables that are executed on a run time such as servlets, applets, p-Code binaries, and Java binaries. Software components 314 may run in kernel mode and/or user mode.
Computer-readable media may include, at least, two types of computer-readable media, namely computer storage media and communications media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and non-volatile, both removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD), Blu-Ray, or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transmission medium that can be used to store information for access by a computing device. In contrast, communication media may embody computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave, or other transmission mechanism. As defined herein, computer storage media does not include communication media.
The server-side computing device, or “server,” 318 may correspond to the server 108 and be any computing device that may participate in a network. The network may be, without limitation, a local area network (“LAN”), a virtual private network (“VPN”), a cellular network, or the Internet. The server 318 may have hardware components analogous to the client-side computing device 302. Specifically, it will include a computer processor 320, a computer memory 322, an input/output interface 324 and/or a network interface 326. In the memory 322 may be an operating system 328, software components 330, and/or software applications 332. Server 318 hardware may differ from client hardware 302 in that processing power is generally more powerful to handle concurrent processes running and network capacity is greater to communicate with multiple clients 302. Server-side software components 330 may include libraries and run-times (e.g., to run interpreted code). Server-side applications 332 may include web servers (also called “application servers”) and database servers. Database servers hosted as a server-side application 332 may access external database storage 334 in the form of a separate hard drive, or potentially an array of hard drives. In some situations, the array of hard drives may be configured as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a set of potential configurations to prevent data loss in the event of a single disk failure.
In general, customizable printable solutions may be implemented as a software service on a physical server as the server 318. However, such a software service may also be hosted on the cloud 336 via a cloud service 338. Specifically, a cloud service 338 is comprised of multiple physical computer servers which are disaggregated via a hypervisor.
The cloud service 338 itself may embody an abstraction of services. Common examples include service abstractions such as Platform as a Service (“PAAS”), Infrastructure as a Service (“IAAS”), and Software as a Service (“SAAS”).
Where the physical computer servers each may have one or more processors, memory, at least an I/O interface and/or network interface, the features and variations of the processors, memory, the I/O interface, and the network interface for virtual machines are substantially similar to those described for the physical computer server 318 described above.
A cloud service 338 includes a hypervisor which can delegate calls to any portion of hardware in the underlying physical servers, and upon request generates a virtual machine from the separate portions of hardware, regardless of physical server (a process called “disaggregation”). Just as a physical server 318, a virtual machine may host not only software applications, components including services, but also virtual web servers 340 functionality and virtual storage/database 342 functionality.
Note that virtual machines themselves may be further partitioned into containers, which enable execution of a program in an independent subset of the virtual machine. Software such as Kubernetes, Mesos, and Docker are examples of container management software. Unlike virtual machines which have a delay in startup due to the need for provisioning an entire OS, containers may be generated more quickly and on demand since the underlying virtual machine is already provisioned.
Chemicals 408 may be infused onto and/or into the printed substrate via a printer head 410 which has a plurality of nozzles 412. Nozzles 412 may correspond to the chemical to be printed. Printer head 410 may comprise piezo-electric printer heads or thermal (sometimes called bubble) printer heads.
Infusing the substrate horizontally may be achieved by moving the printer head 410 horizontally via a belt 414 attached to a stepper motor 416. The stepper motor is controlled via a hardware controller chip (or similar component, e.g., on an SoC) 418.
Chemicals may be sent to the printer head 410 via printer lines 418 connected to chemical receptacles 420, each of which contains a respective chemical of the set of chemicals 408, for example. In some embodiments, a receptacle 420 may be associated with a sensor 422 which may indicate the amount of chemical in the receptacle 420 or other attributes. The sensors 422 are communicatively coupled to the receptacle controller 424 which may provide software notifications based on information received from the sensors 422. In some embodiments, the receptacle controller 424 may be a hardware controller chip (or similar component, e.g., on an SoC).
Information and control commands from the roller engine controller 406, stepper motor controller 418, and receptacle controller 424 flow back and forth from the processor 426 via a bus (not shown), which may be external, or internal if on an SoC. Processor 426 may be in communicative control with a computer memory 428 configured to store computer executable instructions. The chemical printer 106 in general may be configured to be a computer client 302 as shown in
Software and chemical signatures may be received by the chemical printer 106 externally. Two options include a portable storage reader 430 and a network controller 432. Specifically, the portable storage reader 430 may interface with the chemical printer 106 via an I/O interface as set forth in client interface 308 in
Via the portable storage reader 430, software and chemical signatures 416 may be uploaded to chemical printer 106 via USB drivers, SD cards, and other similar media. The network controller 432 enables the reception of software and chemical signatures 416 to the chemical printer 106. Local software on the printer may enable the reception and storing into memory 428. The functions of the chemical printer may be powered by electric power supply 434.
The foregoing description of chemical printer 106 is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting. Rather, the description is intended to illustrate the customized printing of chemicals for delivery of inhalants. Features such as chassis, power management, and paper feed management may be incorporated into the chemical printer 106, as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.
Printer software components 502 may be resident in printer memory 428 and comprised of computer executable instructions and computer readable data. For example, the printer software components 502 may be comprised of an operating system 312 and printer controller drivers 502. Recall that the printer has several controllers, including the roller engine controller 406, stepper motor controller 418, and receptacle controller 424. Printer software components 502 may include drivers that provide the software interface between the operating system 312 of the chemical printer 106 and the controllers 406, 418, 424. Printer software 512 may provide a user interface to provide notifications to the user about the status of the chemical printer 106 and to enable the user to configure the chemical printer 106.
Applications chemical signature uploader 514 and chemical signature customizer 516 may relate to the operation of the chemical printer 106 to receive chemical signatures as well as modify chemical signatures according to user specifications. In the case of the chemical signature uploader 514, a user may use USB, the portable storage reader 430, or the network interface 432 to upload chemical signatures for printing. In some embodiments, the chemical signature uploader 514 may handle the different I/O and network signals and protocols to receive software notifications that a signature is being uploaded, buffer the received signature, and store the received signature in a location in memory 428 where the signature may be located.
Once the signature is stored, the chemical signature customizer 516 may modify the chemical signature. For example, a user may use the chemical signature customizer 516 to store default settings for chemical signatures of the filler, printed substrate, fixative agents, preservatives, and the like. The chemical signature customizer 516 may then modify received signatures to satisfy default setting for the chemical signatures. The chemical signature customizer 516 may also received custom modifications as specified by the user via the chemical signature customizer 516 user interface for any purpose whatsoever. The chemical signature customizer 516 may then accordingly adjust the received signatures to take those custom settings into account.
Turning to the user device software components 504, the user device 104 also has a memory 306. Resident in memory 306 is an operating system 312 that enables the operation of applications. Query tool 518 is a tool to query the database engine 110 for chemical signatures. The query tool 518 may be a local application or may be a web application operating within a web browser on the user device 104.
Once the user 102 has retrieved one or more chemical signatures via the query tool 518, the user may edit the chemical signatures via the chemical signature editor 520. Here the chemical signature editor operates similarly to the chemical signature customizer 516 on the chemical printer 106, except that the editing may be done interactively by the user 102 on the user device 104. The operation of client side software is described in more detail with respect to
The server software 506 may be resident in a server memory 322 or in a virtual machine in the cloud 336, for example. The server software 506 may include an operating system 328. Typical server software includes a web server 522 and a database engine such as the chemical signature database engine 110 which may host database applications. For web application embodiments, web server 522 may host applications that support a web interface for the query tool 518. Typical web servers include Apache and Tomcat. Web applications may then interact with a database server (such as the chemical signature database engine 110) which may be in the form of a relational database management system (RDBMS) such as Microsoft SQL Server™ and Oracle Database™.
Upon receiving a query, the chemical signature database engine 110 (or web application server 522 for some web application embodiments) may query a data store of signatures such as the chemical signature database 112. Optionally the chemical signature customizer 524 may modify chemical signatures before returning.
In some cases, the chemical signature database engine 110 (or web applications server 522 for some web application embodiments) may have need of authentication services. An identity services server 526 which stores user accounts and credentials may provide such authentication services. If downloaded chemical signatures are to be paid for, payment services 528 provide an interface to debit accounts. The operation of server side software is described in more detail with respect to
In block 602, a user 102 may select software identifiers for one or more chemicals comprising a selected set of identified chemicals. The selected set of identified chemicals may be represented in a histogram as described elsewhere herein. The chemicals may correspond to chemicals to be printed by the chemical printer 106 and/or to chemicals contained in filler, substrate, fixative agents, liquids, and/or preservatives. In this way, the chemicals to comprise the chemical signatures to be processed and retrieved are set.
In block 604, the user 102 may, for each identified chemical in the selected set, create a chemical specification, the specification including at least a quantity of the respective selected chemical, and the specifications in aggregate comprising the chemical signature of the selected set of identified chemicals in some embodiments. The chemical specification may be preset such that the user's “creation” may in practice be a designation of the chemical specification without specifying its components. In any event, the quantity of units may be based on a targeted experience. Accordingly, the user may specify the quantity of units by retrieving chemical signatures from the database engine 110 via the query tool 518 in some embodiments. Alternatively, or in addition, the user 102 may upload chemical signatures via USB, portable storage via portable storage reader 430, or from the network via network controller 432.
Note that chemical signatures from third parties or database 430 may have different or additional chemicals in their signatures. Having user 102 specify the chemicals or chemical signatures available to work with via selecting or designating chemicals to comprise the chemical signature in block 602 enables the definition of a common set of histograms, and therefore enables operations between those chemical signatures.
In block 606, the user 102 may send a request to the server 108 to obtain the chemical printing corresponding to the requested chemical signature. In some instances, in accordance with the request, the user 102 may select a solvent and a solvent quantity based at least on one chemical specification in the chemical signature, the solvent suitable for dissolving the specified chemicals in the chemical signature and for printing onto a predetermined flammable base substrate. For example, the user 102 may select a solvent suitable for dissolving the chemicals to be printed i.e., the chemicals specified in block 602. The chemicals in the chemical signature may be dissolved into the selected solvent in accordance with or in response to the selection, either individually or in combination. The solvent may be oil or water, but in some cases may be combined with a fixative agent such as dipropylene. In this way, when the chemicals are printed onto a substrate, for example, the chemicals may not evaporate quickly and thereby negatively impact the printing process. The selected solvent may also be sent with the request.
In block 608, the user 102 may receive the substrate printed in accordance with the parameters of the request.
In block 702, via a network connect, a chemical signature database engine 110 (or web application which forwards a received query) may receive a query for a chemical signature of a printable solution. The network connection may be via the Internet or may be a local network connection, for example. In some embodiments, the query will be from query tool 518.
The query tool 518 may allow for a wide range of queries. Some options include querying by brand name, querying by concentration by amount of chemicals, and querying by similarity to a chemical signature. Regarding the last two options, since chemical signatures correspond to histograms, query results may be ranked via use of histogram similarity measures.
Note, also, that the database engine 110 may store user generated content such as identity of uploader, rankings, and reviews. Accordingly, the query tool 518 may query according to those values as well.
Prior to processing a query, in block 704, a web application or server side application may authenticate, at an identity software component, the identity of the sender of the query by receiving credentials and forwarding them to identity services 526. Identity services 526 may delegate authentication to third party services such as Google™ and Facebook™ or alternatively authenticate against credentials directly managed by identity services 526. In this way, an account associated with the querying party, here user 102, may be retrieved. In block 706, this account may be used to identify a payment account for the sender of the query for performing payments based at least on the authentication.
Based on the query, if authentication succeeds, in block 708, the database engine 110 may respond to the received query and retrieve from a database 112 of chemical signatures, one or more chemical signatures.
In some embodiments, the database engine 110 may retrieve full signatures but only perform query matches using histogram distance measures against the subset of chemicals specified in the query. In other embodiments, the database engine 110 may include rules that determine whether chemicals not included in the query may cause undesirable qualitative effects when printed.
In some embodiments, a user 102 may have uploaded chemical signatures of filler, printed substrate, fixative agents, preservatives, liquids, and the like, or of customizations. In this case, in block 710, the database engine 110 (or web application for some web embodiments) via a chemical signature customizer 524 may modify a chemical signature before returning it for response, based on information in the received query. In this way, the user 102 need not edit returned results prior to printing.
In block 712, the chemical signatures retrieved by the database engine 110 (and optionally modified by chemical signature customizer 524) may return the search results including the chemical signature. In some cases, the user may specify receiving additional information about the retrieved chemical signature or signatures. These include user generated content, such as textual or media reviews of the chemical signature, comments, and ratings. Other additional information may include instructions on how to make use of the chemical signature.
If the retrieved results are to be paid for, in block 714, the database server 110 (or web application) may invoke payment services 528 and debit the payment account retrieved in block 706 accordingly. In some embodiments, the debiting may be in response to or based at least on completing processing of the received query. In this way, a wide range of monetization techniques and business models are enabled.
The foregoing disclosure describes embodiments in which a user 102 using a user device 104 obtains a chemical signature product, such as a chemically printed substrate, from a chemical printer 106 via a server 108. In other embodiments based on similar concepts, the user 102, via the user device 104, may send the request or query directly to the chemical printing service without going through an intermediate server. In such embodiments, the chemical printing service may access a database of chemical signatures to retrieve one or more that will fulfil the user's request. By way of example, the chemical printing service may access the chemical signature database 112 via query to the chemical signature database engine 110.
Although subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/678,956, filed on Feb. 23, 2022 entitled “CUSTOMIZABLE PRINTABLE SOLUTIONS FOR DELIVERY OF INHALANTS;” a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/678,981, filed on Feb. 23, 2022 entitled “CUSTOMIZABLE INHALANTS FOR VAPING;” a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/683,181, filed on Feb. 28, 2022 entitled “CUSTOMIZABLE BEVERAGES;” and a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/691,026, filed on Mar. 9, 2022 entitled “CHEMICAL SIGNATURE MANAGER,” which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Parent | 17678956 | Feb 2022 | US |
| Child | 17705891 | US | |
| Parent | 17678981 | Feb 2022 | US |
| Child | 17678956 | US | |
| Parent | 17678956 | Feb 2022 | US |
| Child | 17678981 | US | |
| Parent | 17683181 | Feb 2022 | US |
| Child | 17678956 | US | |
| Parent | 17678956 | Feb 2022 | US |
| Child | 17683181 | US | |
| Parent | 17691026 | Mar 2022 | US |
| Child | 17678956 | US | |
| Parent | 17678956 | Feb 2022 | US |
| Child | 17691026 | US | |
| Parent | 17678981 | Feb 2022 | US |
| Child | 17678956 | US | |
| Parent | 17678956 | Feb 2022 | US |
| Child | 17678981 | US | |
| Parent | 17683181 | Feb 2022 | US |
| Child | 17691026 | US | |
| Parent | 17678956 | Feb 2022 | US |
| Child | 17683181 | US |
