Patent Application
20150332379
The present disclosure relates to a system, a method, and a device for retailing electronic cigarettes via a subscription service.
Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes (eCigs) and personal vaporizers (PVs), are a popular alternative to traditional tobacco-based cigarettes that must be burned in order to generate smoke for inhalation. Electronic cigarettes provide a vapor for inhalation, but do not contain certain byproducts of combustion that may be harmful to human health. Electronic cigarettes are electronic inhalers that vaporize or atomize a liquid solution (smoke juice) into an aerosol mist that may then be delivered to a user. A typical eCig has two main parts—a housing holding a battery and a cartomizer. The housing holding the battery typically includes a rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, a light emitting diode (LED), and a pressure sensor. The cartomizer typically includes a liquid solution, an atomizer and a mouthpiece. The atomizer typically includes a heating coil that vaporizes the liquid solution.
According to an aspect of the disclosure, a model for a subscription service for electronic cigarettes includes an e-Cig retailer with a network computer that is configured to communicate with an e-Cig, an e-Cig charging pack, a mobile phone of an e-Cig user, a subscription database, and/or a manufacturer of e-Cigs. Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the disclosure may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the disclosure and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the disclosure as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. No attempt is made to show structural details of the disclosure in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the disclosure and the various ways in which it may be practiced. In the drawings:
The disclosure and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the disclosure. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the disclosure may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure. Moreover, it is noted that like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
The eCig 10 comprises a cartridge 14 and an eCig body 18. The cartridge 14 comprises an opening 12 through which aerosol may be delivered to a user. The cartridge 14 comprises a solution (not shown) and an atomizer (not shown). The solution may include, e.g., a liquid, a gel, a solid, or a gas that comprises molecules (or particles) to be delivered in an aerosol to a user. The eCig body 18 includes a power supply (e.g., a rechargeable Li-ion battery) (not shown) and an LED (not shown). In an alternative embodiment, the cartridge 14 and the eCig body 18 can be combined into a single unit.
The retailer 38 can have a computer network capable of receiving and processing data. The user's e-Cig 10, pack 20, or phone 34 can include a RFID device or barcode, for example, to enable communication with the retailer 38 or network 36. In an example, the retailer 30 can simply scan the RFID or barcode on the eCig 10, pack 20, or phone 34 to obtain data regarding the status of the associated e-Cig 10 or pack 20 (e.g., battery life, level of smoke juice, number of spare cartomizers, the rate at which these supplies are being used, and/or the like). Communication between the user's e-Cig 10, pack 20, or phone 34 and the retailer 38 can also occur via the communication network 36, in which case the retailer 38 can receive data without the need to scan anything.
The subscription service system can also include a separate subscription database 39 that can store data regarding the vamping habits and/or supply status of users. This subscription database 39 can reside on one or more network computers or servers, for example, and can be communicatively linked to both the retailer 38 and the communication network 36. Thus, data regarding users' vamping habits and/or supply status can be stored locally (i.e., by the retailer 38), in a network environment (i.e. in the database), or in both locations.
In an example, when data indicating that a user is low on e-Cig supplies (e.g., pack battery life, smoke juice, customizers, and/or the like) is communicated via the above described channels to the retailer 38, the retailer 38 can send a coupon, a promotional offer, or simply a notice to the user, either directly or via the communication network. The coupon, offer, or notice can be sent to the user's smart phone 34 or pack 20 (e.g. if the pack 20 includes a display screen), for example.
In another example, when data indicating that a user is low on e-Cig supplies (e.g., pack battery life, smoke juice, cartomizers, and/or the like) is communicated via the above described channels to the retailer 38, the retailer 38 or it's computer network can automatically mail the user refill supplies and charge the user's credit card on file. In yet another example, the user can set up recurring shipments of various e-Cig supplies, via the retailer 38 or it's computer network, based on data regarding the user's vaping habits and when he or she will be likely to need refill supplies. Updated or new products can also be sent to users instead of or in addition to refill supplies.
In another embodiment, a retailer can also subscribe to the subscription service. In this case, a network server (not shown) can match up users and retailers, thereby facilitating the sale of e-Cig-related products. For example, if a particular retailer has a large supply of vanilla-flavored smoke juice, and a particular user who uses vanilla-flavored smoke juice is nearly out of smoke juice, the network server could send a coupon for vanilla-flavored smoke juice, redeemable from the retailer, to the user. In another example, the network server could send a coupon or promotional deal to a user who is in the vicinity of a particular retailer that carries vanilla-flavored smoke juice (or any other product). GPS data or other location-based services data (e.g., cellular triangulation or IP address) can be used to match up the retailer and the user.
In yet another embodiment, an e-Cig manufacturer 40 can subscribe to the subscription service, in addition to retailers and users. The manufacturer 40 can have a computer network capable of receiving and processing data, such as sales data for particular retailers or supply status data for particular users, for example. The manufacturer 40 (via its computer network) can be communicatively linked to the communication network 36, and thereby to the subscription database 39, retailer 38, user pack 20, user phone 34, and/or user e-Cig 10. The manufacturer 40 can also be directly linked to the subscription database 39 and the retailer 38. The manufacturer 40 can send (electronically or otherwise) coupons or retail kickbacks, for example, to retailers, based on the data it receives. The manufacturer can also use the data it receives to send coupons or promotions to individual users.
While the disclosure has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure can be practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of the appended claims. These examples given above are merely illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs, embodiments, applications, or modifications of the disclosure.
This application claims priority to U.S. States provisional patent application No. 61/992,679, filed on 13 May 2014, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, for all purposes, as though fully set forth herein
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61992679 | May 2014 | US |
