Refilling device and method

Abstract

A refill device for an article of an aerosol supply system includes an article interface configured to receive the article, a disassembly module, and a refill control circuit. The refill control circuit is configured to control the detachment module to detach the article into one or more components in response to determining that the article is expired.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refilling device for a product for an aerosol supply system and a method of operating a refilling device for a product for an aerosol supply system. Background Art

[0002] Electronic aerosol supply systems such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) typically include a reservoir of aerosol generating materials, such as a source liquid, the liquid containing a formulation, typically including nicotine, or a solid material (such as a tobacco-based product), from which an aerosol is generated, for example by thermal evaporation, for inhalation by a user. Therefore, the aerosol supply system will typically include an aerosol generator (e.g., a heating element) that is arranged to aerosolize a portion of the aerosol generating material to generate an aerosol in an aerosol generating zone of an air passage through the aerosol supply system. When the user inhales on the device and electrical power is supplied to the aerosol generator, air is drawn into the device through one or more inlet holes and along the air passage to the aerosol generating zone, where the air mixes with the evaporated aerosol generator and forms a condensed aerosol. The air drawn through the aerosol generating zone continues to flow along the air passage to the mouthpiece, carrying some aerosol with it, and flows out through the mouthpiece for inhalation by the user.

[0003] Aerosol supply systems typically include modular components that typically have two main functional parts, namely an aerosol supply device and an article. Typically, the article will include consumable aerosol generating materials and an aerosol generator (heating element), while the aerosol supply device portion will include longer-life items such as rechargeable batteries, device control circuits, and user interface features. The aerosol supply device may also be referred to as a reusable portion or battery portion, and the article may also be referred to as a consumable, disposable / replaceable portion, cartridge, or atomizer cartridge.

[0004] For example, the aerosol supply device and the article are mechanically connected together at the interface using threads, bayonet, latch or friction fit for use. When the aerosol generating material in the article has been used up, or the user wishes to switch to a different article with a different aerosol generating material, the article can be removed from the aerosol supply device and the replacement article can be attached to the device in its appropriate position. Alternatively, some articles are configured so that when the aerosol generating material in the article has been used up, the article can be refilled with more aerosol generating material, thereby allowing the article to be reused. In this example, the user is able to refill the article using a separate reservoir of aerosol generating material. The aerosol generating material used to refill the article can be the same or different from the previous aerosol generating material in the article, allowing the user to change to a different aerosol generating material without purchasing a new article.

[0005] Refilling the article with aerosol-generating material extends the life of the article, as the use of the article is no longer limited by the volume or amount of aerosol-generating material that the article can hold. As a result, the use of the article may be limited by other factors, such as the life of various components within the article. As a result, continued use of the article may result in degradation or failure in components within the article. As a result, the article may become less reliable, the operation of the article may become less predictable, or the article may stop working altogether, all of which may have a negative impact on the user experience. Users also need to be able to safely dispose of and recycle the article when it reaches the end of its useful life.

[0006] Various approaches are described herein that seek to help solve or alleviate some of the problems discussed above. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present disclosure is defined in the appended claims.

[0008] According to some embodiments described herein, a refilling device for a product for an aerosol supply system is provided, comprising: a product interface configured to receive a product; a disassembly module; and a refilling control circuit configured to control the disassembly module to disassemble the product into one or more components in response to determining that the product is expired.

[0009] The refill device may further include a cleaning module, and wherein the refill control circuit is configured to control the cleaning module to clean the article and / or one or more components of the article in response to determining that the article is expired.

[0010] The refill control circuitry may be configured to determine that the article is expired by reading data stored on the article.

[0011] The refill control circuitry may be configured to cause a notification to be provided to a user in response to determining that the article is expired. The refill control circuitry may be configured to control the disassembly module to disassemble the article in response to user input.

[0012] According to some embodiments described herein, a method of operating a refill device for an aerosol supply system is provided, the method comprising receiving an aerosol supply system product and, in response to determining that the product is expired, controlling a disassembly module to disassemble the product into one or more components.

[0013] A computer-readable storage medium is also provided, comprising instructions, which, when executed by a processor, perform the above method.

[0014] These and other aspects will be apparent from the detailed description below.In this respect, specific parts of this specification should not be read separately from other parts. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the aerosol supply system; Figure 2 is used in Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an exemplary article for use in an aerosol delivery system shown in; Figure 3 It is used for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of an exemplary refilling device and reservoir for refilling the article shown in; Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a system including a refill device; Figure 5 is a flow chart of a method of operating a refill device for an article for an aerosol delivery system; Figure 6 is a flow chart of a method of operating a refill device for an article for an aerosol delivery system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Various aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments are discussed / described herein. Some aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments may be conventionally implemented, and for the sake of brevity, these aspects and features are not discussed / described in detail. Therefore, it will be understood that aspects and features of the articles and systems discussed herein that are not described in detail may be implemented according to any conventional techniques for implementing such aspects and features.

[0017] The present disclosure relates to an aerosol supply system, which may also be referred to as a vapor supply system, such as an electronic cigarette. In the following description, the term "electronic cigarette" or "electronic cigarette" may sometimes be used, but it will be understood that the term can be used interchangeably with aerosol supply system and electronic aerosol supply system.

[0018] As described above, an aerosol supply system (electronic cigarette) typically includes a modular assembly that includes both a reusable portion (aerosol supply device) and a replaceable (disposable) or refillable cartridge portion referred to as an article. Systems that conform to this type of two-piece modular configuration may generally be referred to as two-piece systems or devices. Electronic cigarettes also typically have a generally elongated shape. To provide a specific example, certain embodiments of the present disclosure described herein include such a generally elongated two-piece system that employs a refillable cartridge. However, it will be understood that the basic principles described herein may also be applicable to other electronic cigarette configurations, such as modular systems including more than two parts, and devices that conform to other overall shapes, such as high-performance devices based on so-called box-shaped modes that are generally box-shaped, or even systems that include one part, wherein the aerosol supply device and the article are formed integrally with each other.

[0019] As noted above, the present disclosure relates to (but is not limited to) refill devices for articles used in aerosol delivery systems, such as e-cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

[0020] Figure 1 1 is a highly schematic diagram (not to scale) of an exemplary aerosol supply system 10 (such as an electronic cigarette) to which embodiments are applicable. The aerosol supply system 10 has a generally cylindrical shape, extends along a longitudinal axis or y-axis as indicated by the axis (although aspects of the invention are applicable to electronic cigarettes configured in other shapes and arrangements), and includes two main components, namely an aerosol supply device 20 and an article 30.

[0021] The article 30 includes or consists of an aerosol generating material 32, some or all of which is intended to be consumed by a user during use. The article 30 may include one or more other components, such as an aerosol generating material storage region 39, an aerosol generating material delivery component 37, an aerosol generating region, a housing, a wrapper, a mouthpiece 35, a filter, and / or an aerosol modifier.

[0022] The article 30 may also include an aerosol generator 36, such as a heating element, which emits heat when in use to generate an aerosol from the aerosol generating material 32. For example, the aerosol generator 36 may include a combustible material, a material that can be heated by electrical conduction, or a susceptor. It should be noted that the aerosol generator 36 may be part of the aerosol supply device 20, and then the article 30 may include an aerosol generating material storage area 39 for the aerosol generating material 32, so that when the article 30 is connected to the aerosol supply device 20, the aerosol generating material 32 can be transferred to the aerosol generator 36 in the aerosol supply device 20. It should be understood that the aerosol generator 36 may cover aerosol generators other than heaters. More generally, an aerosol generator is a device configured to generate an aerosol from an aerosol generating material. In some other embodiments, the aerosol generator is configured to generate an aerosol from an aerosol generating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to one or more of vibrations, increased pressure, or electrostatic energy.

[0023] The aerosol generating material is, for example, a material that is capable of generating an aerosol when heated, irradiated, or energized in any other manner. The aerosol generating material 32 may be, for example, in the form of a solid, a liquid, or a gel, which may or may not contain an active substance and / or a fragrance. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating material 32 may include an "amorphous solid," which may alternatively be referred to as a "monolithic solid" (i.e., non-fibrous). In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may be a dried gel. An amorphous solid is a solid material that may retain some fluid (such as a liquid) inside it. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating material 32 may, for example, include from about 50 wt%, 60 wt%, or 70 wt% of an amorphous solid to about 90 wt%, 95 wt%, or 100 wt% of an amorphous solid.

[0024] Aerosol-generating materials include one or more components (such as one or more active substances and / or flavors), one or more aerosol-forming agent materials, and optionally one or more other functional materials (such as pH adjusters, colorants, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers and / or antioxidants).

[0025] Active substances as used herein can be physiologically active materials, which are materials intended to achieve or enhance physiological responses. Active substances can be, for example, selected from nutrients, nootropics and psychoactive substances. Active substances can be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. Active substances can include, for example, nicotine, caffeine, taurine, caffeine, vitamins (such as B6 or B12 or C), melatonin or its composition, derivative or combination. Active substances can include one or more components, derivatives or extracts of tobacco or another plant.

[0026] In some embodiments, the active substance comprises nicotine. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises caffeine, melatonin, or vitamin B12.

[0027] The aerosol supply device 20 includes a power source 14 (such as a battery) configured to supply electrical power to the aerosol generator 36. The power source 14 in this example is rechargeable and can be of a conventional type, such as the kind commonly used in electronic cigarettes and other applications that require relatively high currents to be provided in relatively short periods of time. The battery 14 can be recharged through a charging port (not shown), which can include a USB connector, for example.

[0028] The aerosol supply device 20 includes a device control circuit 28 configured to control the operation of the aerosol supply system 10 and provide conventional operating functions according to established techniques for controlling aerosol supply systems (such as electronic cigarettes). The device control circuit (processor circuit) 28 can be considered to logically include various subunits / circuit elements associated with different aspects of the operation of the electronic cigarette. For example, depending on the functions provided in different implementations, the device control circuit 28 may include a power source control circuit for controlling the supply of electrical power from the power source 14 to the aerosol generator 36, a user programming circuit for establishing configuration settings (e.g., user-defined power settings) in response to user input, and other functional units / circuitry associated functions according to the principles described herein and conventional operating aspects of the electronic cigarette. It will be understood that the functions of the device control circuit 28 can be provided in a variety of different ways, such as using one or more appropriately programmed programmable computers and / or one or more appropriately configured application specific integrated circuits / circuits / chips / chip sets configured to provide the desired functions.

[0029] The aerosol supply device 20 includes one or more air inlets 21. In use, when a user inhales on the mouthpiece 35, air is drawn into the aerosol supply device 20 through the air inlet 21 and along the air passage 23 to the aerosol generator 36, where the air mixes with the vaporized aerosol generating material 32 and forms a condensed aerosol. The air drawn through the aerosol generator 36 continues along the air passage 23 to the mouthpiece 35, carrying some aerosol with it, and flows out through the mouthpiece 35 for inhalation by the user. Alternatively, one or more air inlets 21 may be included on the article 30 so that the air passage 23 is completely contained within the article 30.

[0030] By way of specific example, the article 30 includes a housing (e.g., formed of a plastic material), an aerosol-generating material storage region 39 formed within the housing for containing an aerosol-generating material 32 (in this example, which may be a liquid that may or may not contain nicotine), an aerosol-generating material delivery member 37 (in this example, which is a core formed of, for example, glass or cotton fiber or a ceramic material configured to deliver liquid from the reservoir using capillary action), an aerosol-generating region including an aerosol generator 36, and a mouthpiece 35. Although not shown, a filter and / or an aerosol modifier (such as a flavoring material) may be located in or near the mouthpiece 35. The aerosol generator 36 of this example includes a heater element formed of a resistive material (such as NiCr8020) spirally wound around the aerosol-generating material delivery member 37 and located in the air passage 23. The area around the heating element and the core combination is the aerosol-generating region of the article 30.

[0031] Figure 2 is used in Figure 1 Schematic diagram of an exemplary article 30 for use in an aerosol supply system 10, wherein Figure 1 The product 30 shown in Figure 2 Similar elements between the articles 30 shown in FIG. 3 are labeled the same. Figure 1 The product 30 shown in Figure 2 The article 30 shown in FIG. 1 includes an aerosol generating material storage region 39 for storing an aerosol generating material 32 , an aerosol generating material delivery component 37 , an aerosol generating region including an aerosol generator 36 , and a mouthpiece 35 .

[0032] Figure 2 The article 30 shown in is configured to be refilled and reused. In other words, once Figure 2When some or all of the aerosol generating material 32 contained in the aerosol generating material storage area 39 of the article 30 shown in FIG. 3 has been used up or exhausted, the aerosol generating material storage area 39 can be refilled with the aerosol generating material 32. To facilitate the refilling or replenishment of the aerosol generating material 32, the article 30 has a refill tube 33 extending between the aerosol generating material storage area 39 and the exterior or outer surface of the shell of the article 30, thereby creating a refill orifice 34. The aerosol generating material 32 can then be inserted into the aerosol generating material storage area 39 via the refill orifice 34 and the refill tube 33. However, it will be understood that such a configuration of the refill tube 33 and the refill orifice 34 is not required, and the article 30 may include any other suitable means for facilitating the refilling of the aerosol generating material storage area 39 with the aerosol generating material 32.

[0033] The refill orifice 34 and / or the refill tube 33 may be sealed, for example, using a cap or a one-way valve, to ensure that the aerosol-generating material 32 does not leak out of the refill orifice 34. Figure 2 30 is shown as being located on the same end or surface of the article 30 as the interface with the air passage 23 and the aerosol supply device 20, but this is not required. The refill orifice 34 may be located at the end of the article 30 including the mouthpiece 35, for example near the outlet of the air passage 23 located on the mouthpiece 35, so that the refill tube 33 extends between the end of the article 30 including the mouthpiece 35 and the aerosol generating material storage area 39. In this case, since the refill orifice 34 is not blocked by the aerosol generating device 20 when the article 30 is coupled to the aerosol supply device 20, the article 30 does not necessarily need to be separated from the aerosol generating device 20 in order to refill the article 30 with the aerosol generating material 32.

[0034] Figure 2The article 30 shown in the figure also includes an article control circuit 38, which is configured to control the operation of the article 30 and store parameters and / or data associated with the article 30. The parameters associated with the article 30 may include, for example, a serial number and / or stock keeping unit (SKU) for the article 30 or other means of identifying the article 30 and / or the type of the article 30, the manufacturing date and / or expiration date of the article 30, an indication of the number of times the article 30 has been refilled, the capacity of the aerosol generating material storage area 39 and / or the amount of aerosol generating material remaining in the aerosol generating material storage area 39. As described above with respect to the device control circuit 28, the article control circuit 38 may also be provided in a variety of different ways, such as using one or more appropriately programmed programmable computers and / or one or more appropriately configured application specific integrated circuits / circuits / chips / chip sets configured to provide the desired functionality. For example, the article control circuit 38 may include a microcontroller unit (MCU) or a system on a chip (SoC).

[0035] Figure 2 The article 30 shown in the figure also includes one or more connectors 31 (such as contact electrodes) that are connected to the aerosol generator 36 and the article control circuit 38 via electrical wiring. In use, the article 30 is connected to the aerosol generating device 20, and the connector 31 mates with the connector on the aerosol generating device, thereby allowing electrical power and current to be supplied from the battery 14 of the aerosol generating device 20 to the aerosol generator 36 and the article control circuit 38.

[0036] Figure 3 is a product used in aerosol supply systems (such as Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a refilling device 40 and a reservoir 50 of an article 30) shown in FIG. The reservoir 50 is a disposable / replaceable portion that contains an aerosol-generating material 52. The refilling device 40 facilitates the transfer of the aerosol-generating material 52 from the reservoir 50 to the article 30 so as to refill or replenish the aerosol-generating material storage area 39 of the article 30 with the aerosol-generating material. The article 30 can then be reused as part of the aerosol supply system 10 described above, and the reservoir 50 can be discarded when the aerosol-generating material 52 within the reservoir 50 has been exhausted. This allows a single article 30 to be refilled using multiple reservoirs, thereby increasing the number of uses of a single article 30.

[0037] The refill device 40 includes an article interface 42 configured to receive the article 30. The article interface 42 may include a slot, tray, opening, or aperture on the refill device 40 into or on which the article 30 is placed or coupled. Alternatively, the article interface 42 may include a wire or other cable that can be attached to or otherwise connected to the article 30. Although Figure 3 , but the refill device 40 may include more than one product interface 42, such as three, five, or ten, depending on the specific design of the refill device 40. In this case, two or more product interfaces 42 may be different, so that the refill device 40 can receive different types of products, or two or more of the product interfaces 42 may be the same, so that the refill device 40 can receive multiple products of the same type.

[0038] The refill device 40 also includes one or more reservoir interfaces 46 configured to receive the reservoir 50. In the same manner as described above with respect to the product interface 42, each of the reservoir interfaces 46 may include a slot, tray, opening, or aperture on the refill device 40 into or on which the reservoir 50 is placed or coupled. Alternatively, each reservoir interface 46 may include a wire or other cable that can be attached to or otherwise connected to the reservoir 50. Although Figure 3 Two reservoir interfaces 46 are shown in FIG. 4 , but this is not required and the refill device 40 may include fewer or more reservoir interfaces 46 , such as one, three, five, or ten, depending on the specific design of the refill device 40 .

[0039] The refill device 40 also includes a refill control circuit 48 configured to control the operation of the refill device 40. As described above with respect to the device control circuit 28, the refill control circuit 48 may be provided in a variety of different ways, such as using one or more appropriately programmed programmable computers and / or one or more appropriately configured application specific integrated circuits / circuits / chips / chip sets configured to provide the desired functionality. For example, the refill control circuit 48 may include a microcontroller unit (MCU) or a system on a chip (SoC).

[0040] Although not shown, the refill device 40 may also include a power source, such as a battery, configured to supply electrical power to the components of the refill device 40. Alternatively, the power source may be an external power source, such as a household power source or an external battery pack to which the refill device 40 may be coupled, attached, or otherwise connected.

[0041] As described above, the reservoir 50 includes an aerosol-generating material 52 for delivery to the article 30 by the refilling device 40 so as to refill or replenish the aerosol-generating material 32 in the aerosol-generating material storage region 39 of the article 30 .

[0042] Figure 3The reservoir 50 shown in the figure also includes a reservoir control circuit 58, which is configured to control the reservoir 50 and store parameters and / or data associated with the reservoir 50. The parameters associated with the reservoir 50 may include, for example, data indicating the amount of aerosol generating material 52 stored in the reservoir 50, data related to the aerosol generating material 52 stored in the reservoir 50, such as one or more components within the aerosol generating material 52, the concentration and / or amount of the components, and / or one or more flavors. The data may also include an identifier, such as a serial number and / or SKU for the reservoir 50 or other means of identifying the reservoir 50 and / or the type of reservoir 50, and a manufacturing date and / or expiration date of the reservoir 50. As described above with respect to the device control circuit 28, the reservoir control circuit 58 may be provided in a variety of different ways, such as using one or more appropriately programmed programmable computers and / or one or more appropriately configured application specific integrated circuits / circuits / chips / chip sets configured to provide the desired functionality. For example, the storage control circuit 58 may include a microcontroller unit (MCU) or a system on a chip (SoC). Alternatively, the storage control circuit 58 may include a code printed on the storage, such as a barcode or QR code, or an NFC chip or other form of passive tag.

[0043] Figure 3 The refill device 40 shown in also includes one or more connectors 41 (such as contact electrodes) that are connected to the refill control circuit 48 and the power source (not shown) via electrical wiring. The connector 41 is located near or as part of the product interface 42. This facilitates communication between the refill control circuit 48 and the product control circuit 38; when the product 30 is received by the product interface 42, the connector 31 on the product 30 is paired with the connector 41 on the refill device 40, thereby allowing power to be supplied from the refill device 40 to the product control circuit 38 and electrical signals to be transmitted between the refill control circuit 48 and the product control circuit 38. The connector 41 can be arranged in a matching / mirroring pattern and position with respect to the product interface 42 with respect to the connector 31 on the product 30, so as to facilitate the connector 31 on the product 30 to mate with the connector 41 on the refill device 40 when the product 30 is received by the product interface 42.

[0044] In the same way, Figure 3The refill device 40 shown in FIG. 4 also includes one or more connectors 47 (such as contact electrodes) located near or as part of each of the reservoir interfaces 46 and connected to the refill control circuit 48 and a power source (not shown) via electrical wiring. When a reservoir 50 is received by the reservoir interface 46, the connector 47 mates with the connector 51 on the reservoir 50, thereby allowing power to be supplied from the refill device 40 to the reservoir control circuit 58 and electrical signals to be transmitted between the refill control circuit 48 and the reservoir control circuit 58. The connectors 47 can be arranged in a pattern and position relative to the reservoir interface 46 that matches / mirrors the connectors 51 on the reservoir 50 to facilitate the mating of the connector 51 on the reservoir 50 with the connector 47 on the refill device 40 when the reservoir 50 is received by one of the reservoir interfaces 46.

[0045] Although connectors 31, 41, 47, 51 are described herein as physical electrical connectors between the article, refill device, and reservoir, in alternative implementations, one or more of the electrical connections between the corresponding components may be wireless connections, such as NFC, RFID, or an inductive connection.

[0046] Figure 3 The refill device 40 shown in FIG. 4 also includes a refill outlet 44 located near or as part of the product interface 42, a refill inlet 45 located near or as part of each of the reservoir interfaces 46, and a conduit 43 connecting each refill inlet 45 to the refill outlet 44. The refill outlet 44 is configured to mate with the refill orifice 34 on the product 30 when the product is received by the product interface 42, and each refill inlet 45 is configured to mate with the reservoir outlet 55 when the reservoir 50 is received by the corresponding reservoir interface 46. The conduit 43 is configured to facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material 52 from each of the refill inlets 45 to the refill outlet 44, thereby providing a transfer path for the aerosol-generating material 52 from the reservoir 50 through the refill device 40 and into the product 30.

[0047] Although the refill outlet 44 is Figure 34 and 5. The refill outlet 44 may be located near or anywhere in the product interface 42 relative to the connector 41 so that the refill outlet 44 mates with the refill orifice 34 on the product 30 and the connector 41 on the refill device 40 mates with the connector 31 on the product 30 when the product 30 is received by the product interface 42. Similarly, the refill inlet 45 may be located near or anywhere in each reservoir interface 46 relative to the connector 47 so that the refill inlet 45 mates with the reservoir outlet 55 on the reservoir 50 and the connector 47 on the refill device 40 mates with the connector 51 on the reservoir 50 when the reservoir 50 is received by the reservoir interface 46.

[0048] In addition, as described above, the refill device 40 can be configured to receive products 30 of different types, designs, or configurations using the same product interface 42. In this case, there can be multiple configurations of connectors 41 and / or refill outlets 44 near or in the product interface 42 to facilitate the same product interface 42 to receive products 30 of different types, designs, or configurations. Similarly, there can also be multiple configurations of connectors 47 and / or refill inlets 45 near or in each reservoir interface 46 to facilitate the same reservoir interface 46 to receive reservoirs 50 of different types, designs, or configurations. Alternatively or additionally, the configuration of the connectors 47 and / or refill inlets 45 near or in one or more of the reservoir interfaces 46 can be different so that different reservoir types are received by different reservoir interfaces 46 of the same refill device 40.

[0049] One or more of the refill outlet 44, the refill inlet 45, the reservoir outlet 55, and the conduit 43 may also include a device for controlling the rate and / or direction of delivery of the aerosol-generating material 52, such as a ball valve, a needle valve, or a diaphragm for controlling the rate of delivery and / or a one-way valve (such as a check valve or a non-return valve) for controlling the direction of delivery. For example, a one-way valve may be located at or near each of the refill outlet 44, the refill inlet 45, and the reservoir outlet 55 to ensure that the aerosol-generating material 52 can only be delivered from the reservoir 50 to the refilling device 40 and from the refilling device 40 to the product 30, while a single ball valve or diaphragm may be located on or in the conduit 43 of the refilling device 40 to control the flow rate of the aerosol-generating material 52 from the reservoir 50 through the refilling device 40 and into the product 30. Likewise, a ball valve or diaphragm may be located proximate each refill inlet 45 to independently control the rate of delivery of aerosol-generating material 52 into or from each of the refill inlets 45 into the conduit 43. This allows, for example, the refill control circuit 48 to prevent delivery of the first aerosol-generating material 52 from the first reservoir 50 while the second aerosol-generating material 52 is being delivered from the second reservoir 50 to the article 30. This also allows the refill control circuit 48 to facilitate delivery of the first aerosol-generating material 52 from the first reservoir 50 and the second aerosol-generating material 52 from the second reservoir 50 to the article 30 simultaneously (but at different delivery rates), thereby producing an aerosol-generating material 32 in the article 30 that contains a mixture of the first aerosol-generating material 52 and the second aerosol-generating material 52 at different concentrations.

[0050] Figure 3 The refilling device 40 shown in the figure also optionally includes a device interface 49, which is configured to receive the aerosol supply device 20 so as to supply electrical power from the refilling device 40 to the aerosol supply device 20. The electrical power can be used, for example, to recharge the power source or battery 14 of the aerosol supply device 20, and to facilitate the transmission of electrical signals between the refilling control circuit 48 and the device control circuit 28. This allows the user to use the refilling device 40 as a device for charging the aerosol supply device 20 while replenishing the product 30 with the aerosol generating material 32, thereby reducing the number of associated devices required to operate and maintain the aerosol supply system 10. The device interface 49 can be a wired interface, such as using the above-mentioned electrical connector, or a wireless interface, such as an inductive or capacitive connection. The device interface 49 can also be configured to transmit data between the refilling control circuit 48 and the device control circuit 28. The refill control circuit 48 may be configured to read data from and / or write data to the aerosol supply device 20 , for example to perform a software update to install an updated version of software onto the device control circuit 28 .

[0051] As described above, the refill device 40 facilitates the transfer of aerosol-generating material 52 from the reservoir 50 to the article 30 in order to refill or replenish the article 30 so that it can be reused as part of the aerosol supply system 10. By way of specific example, when the reservoir 50 is received by one of the reservoir interfaces 47, the connector 47 located near or in the corresponding reservoir interface 46 mates with the connector 51 on the reservoir 50, and the refill inlet 45 located near or in the corresponding reservoir interface 46 mates with the reservoir outlet 55. When the article 30 is received by the article interface 42, the connector 41 located near or in the article interface 42 mates with the connector 31 on the article 30, and the refill outlet 45 mates with the refill orifice 34 on the article 30. The refill control circuit 48 is then configured to facilitate the transfer of the aerosol generating material 52 from the reservoir 50 to the product 30 by facilitating the transfer of the aerosol generating material 52 from the reservoir 50 to the conduit 42 of the refilling device 40 via the reservoir outlet 51 and the refill inlet 45 and from the conduit 42 of the refilling device 40 to the aerosol generating material storage area 39 of the product 30 via the refill outlet 44, the refill orifice 34 and the refill tube 33.

[0052] In examples where the refill device 40 has multiple reservoir interfaces 46, the refill control circuit 48 is configured to selectively facilitate delivery of aerosol generating material 52 from a reservoir 50 received by one of the reservoir interfaces 46, e.g., in response to determining that only one of the reservoir interfaces 46 has received a reservoir 50 or in response to selecting a particular reservoir 50 from which aerosol generating material 52 should be delivered (e.g., based on user input or determination of one or more parameters of each of the reservoirs 50 stored on the corresponding reservoir control circuit 58). In this case, the refill control circuit 48 is configured to receive a selection of one or more reservoir interfaces 46 from a user of the refill device 40 and, when the article 30 is coupled to the refill device, selectively facilitate delivery of aerosol generating material 52 from each reservoir 50 connected to one of the one or more selected reservoir interfaces 46 to the article 30. In other words, the refill control circuit 48 is configured to deliver aerosol generating material 52 only from the reservoir 50 connected to the selected reservoir interface 46 , and to prevent delivery of aerosol generating material 52 from any other reservoir 50 connected to the refill device 40 .

[0053] Although not shown, in some examples, the refill device 40 may include a canister, container, or other such receiving portion for storing aerosol-generating material 52 received from the reservoir 50, such as when the reservoir 50 is received by the reservoir interface 46 without the article 30 being received by the article interface 42, thereby allowing the reservoir 50 to be disconnected from the reservoir interface 46 before the article 30 is received by the article interface 42. In this case, the aerosol-generating material 52 is stored in the receiving portion of the refill device 40 until it can be transferred to the article 30 received by the article interface 42. In this case, the control circuit 48 of the refill device 40 is configured to facilitate transfer of the aerosol-generating material 52 from the reservoir 50 to the receiving portion, and subsequently and separately facilitate transfer of the aerosol-generating material 52 from the receiving portion to the article 42.

[0054] The receiving portion of the refilling device 40 can also be used to promote mixing of the aerosol generating materials 52 before delivering them to the article 30. For example, if the first reservoir interface 46 receives a first reservoir 50 containing a first aerosol generating material 52, and the second reservoir interface 46 receives a second reservoir 50 containing a second aerosol generating material 52, the refilling control circuit 48 can be configured to promote the transfer of the first aerosol generating material 52 from the first reservoir 50 into the receiving portion, and promote the transfer of the second aerosol generating material 52 from the second reservoir 50 into the receiving portion. The first aerosol generating material 52 and the second aerosol generating material 52 can then be mixed in the receiving portion, and the mixture of the first aerosol generating material 52 and the second aerosol generating material 52 can be delivered to the article 30.

[0055] As described above, refill device 40 includes article interface 42 configured to receive article 30. Refill control circuit 48 may be configured to detect that article 30 has been received by article interface 42, for example, by detecting mating of one or more of article connectors 31 with refill device connector 41 or mating of refill orifice 34 with refill outlet 44, or detecting when a securing latch, lock, or other attachment device of article interface 42 has been engaged, or by using a sensing device such as a light sensor or a pressure sensor.

[0056] In response to article 30 being received by refill device 40, e.g., by article interface 42, refill control circuitry 48 is configured to read data from article 30. For example, the data may be stored on article control circuitry 38, and refill control circuitry 48 is configured to read the data stored on article control circuitry 38 in response to article 30 being received by article interface 42 (e.g., in response to refill control circuitry 48 detecting that article 30 has been received by article interface 42, as described above).

[0057] The refill control circuit 48 is configured to determine whether the data read from the product 30 indicates that the product is expired. In other words, the refill control circuit 48 is configured to determine that the product is expired by reading the data stored on the product. When the useful life of the product 30 has been reached or exceeded, the product 30 is considered expired, which indicates that the product 30 should no longer be used and should be replaced. In other words, the refill control circuit 48 is configured to determine whether the product 30 has reached the end of its useful life. The useful life of the product 30 is defined or set based on many factors, such as the degradation and reliability of the components within the product 30 (such as the aerosol generator 36 and the aerosol generating material conveying component 37). Therefore, the useful life of the product 30 is defined or set to ensure that the operation of the product 30 is safe, reliable and consistent, and the product 30 is replaced before the product 30 adversely affects the operation of the aerosol supply system 10.

[0058] The refill control circuit 48 may be configured to determine whether a data field or flag is stored on the article 30, or whether the value of a particular data field or flag indicates that the article 30 is expired. For example, the flag or data field may be a binary value, where "0" indicates that the article 30 is not expired, and "1" indicates that the article 30 is expired, or the flag or data field may be a Boolean or logical operator, where "false" indicates that the article 30 is not expired, and "true" indicates that the article 30 is expired. The refill control circuit 48 is configured to determine whether the article has expired based on the value of the data.

[0059] In some examples, the data includes an identifier of the article 30, such as a serial number or other means of identifying the article 30. In this example, determining that the data indicates that the article 30 has expired may include comparing the identifier to a list of identifiers of expired articles. In other words, the identifier of each article that has expired is stored in the list. The refill control circuit 48 is then configured to compare the identifier of the article 30 to the list of identifiers to determine whether the identifier of the article 30 is in the list, thereby indicating that the article 30 is expired. The list of identifiers may be stored on the refill device 40, such as in a memory of the refill control circuit 48 or in a memory described below. Figure 4 In the latter example, the refill control circuit 48 is configured to communicate with the remote data storage device 70 to compare the identifier with a list of identifiers of expired articles.

[0060] The data may include a counter, wherein the value of the counter indicates the number of times the article 30 has been refilled. For example, the counter may be stored on the article control circuit 38, and the refill control circuit 48 is configured to read the value of the counter stored on the article control circuit 38 in response to the article 30 being received by the article interface 42 (e.g., in response to the refill control circuit 48 detecting that the article 30 has been received by the article interface 42, as described above). The value of the counter indicates the number of times the article 30 has been refilled with the aerosol generating material 32. In some examples, the value of the counter represents the number of times the article has been refilled, and is incremented each time the article is refilled. For example, when the article 30 is manufactured and used for the first time (i.e., when the article is new), the value of the counter may be zero, and each time the article 30 is refilled with the aerosol generating material 32, the value of the counter is incremented by one until the value of the counter exceeds or equals the number of times the article 30 is designed or intended to be refilled in its usable life, such as 10, 50, or 100. Alternatively, when the article 30 is manufactured and used for the first time (i.e., when the article is new), the value of the counter is equal to the number of times the article 30 is designed or intended to be refilled during its useful life. Then, each time the article 30 is refilled with the aerosol-generating material 32, the value of the counter is decremented by one until the value of the counter is equal to zero.

[0061] In some examples, the value of the counter represents the amount of aerosol-generating material 32 that has been delivered to the article 30 by the refilling device 40, or the amount of aerosol-generating material 32 used by the article 30 during operation of the aerosol supply system 10. For example, when the article 30 is manufactured and used for the first time (i.e., when the article is new), the value of the counter may be zero, and the value of the counter is incremented by a number that represents the amount of aerosol-generating material 32 delivered to the article 30 by the refilling device 40 during refilling. In other words, if the refilling device 40 delivers 10 ml of aerosol-generating material 52 from the reservoir 50 to the article 30 during refilling, the value of the counter is incremented by 10. The counter is then incremented by a number that represents the amount of aerosol-generating material 52 delivered to the article 30 by the refilling device 40 during each refill until the value of the counter exceeds or equals the total amount of aerosol-generating material that the article 30 is designed or intended to be refilled with during its usable life, such as 100 ml, 500 ml, or 1000 ml. Alternatively, when the article 30 is manufactured and used for the first time (i.e., when the article is new), the value of the counter is equal to the total amount of aerosol-generating material that the article 30 is designed or intended to be refilled with during its useful life. The value of the counter is then decremented by a number that represents the amount of aerosol-generating material 32 delivered to the article 30 by the refilling device 40 during each refill until the value of the counter is less than or equal to zero.

[0062] The refill control circuit 48 may determine whether the article 30 has expired by comparing the value of the counter stored on the article 30 to the refill limit. The refill limit is configured such that it represents the usable life of the article 30, and when the refill limit is met or exceeded, the article 30 is determined to be expired. In the above example where the counter is incremented when the aerosol-generating material 52 is transferred from the reservoir 50 to the article 30, the article 30 is determined to be expired when the value of the counter equals or exceeds the refill limit, wherein the refill limit represents the number of times the article 30 is designed or intended to be refilled during its usable life (such as 10, 50 or 100) or the total amount of aerosol-generating material 32 that the article 30 is designed or intended to be refilled during its usable life (such as 100 ml, 500 ml or 1000 ml), depending on whether the value of the counter represents the number of times the article 30 has been refilled or the total amount of aerosol-generating material 32 that the article 30 has been refilled. In the above example where the counter is decremented when the aerosol generating material 52 is transferred from the reservoir 50 to the article 30, the refill limit is zero. In other words, when the value of the counter is equal to or less than zero (the refill limit), the article 30 is determined to be expired. The refill limit may be stored on the refill device 40, for example as part of the refill control circuit 48, or on the article 30, for example as part of the article control circuit 38. In the latter case, the refill control circuit 48 is configured to read the refill limit from the article 30 in response to the article 30 being received by the article interface 42.

[0063] like Figure 3 As shown in , the refilling device 40 further includes a disassembly module 421. The refilling control circuit 48 is configured to control the disassembly module 421 to disassemble the product into one or more components in response to determining that the product 30 is expired. Figure 3 As shown in , the disassembly module 421 can be located near the product interface 42, or the disassembly module 421 can form a part of the product interface 42. In both cases, the disassembly module 421 is configured to disassemble the product 30 into one or more parts while the product 30 is received by the product interface 42. In other words, when the product 30 is disassembled by the disassembly module 421, the product 30 remains in, on, or otherwise connected to the product interface 42. Alternatively, the product 30 can be moved from the product interface 42 to the disassembly module 421 so that the product 30 is disassembled when it is located in the disassembly module 421. In this case, one or more of the disassembly module 421 and the product interface 42 may include rails, arms, claws, or other conveying components configured to move the product 30 from the product interface 42 to the disassembly module 421.

[0064] The disassembly module 421 is configured to perform one or more disassembly operations to disassemble the article 30 into one or more components. In other words, the disassembly module 421 is configured to separate, divide or otherwise decompose the article 30 into one or more components so that each component can be recycled or otherwise disposed of separately. Figure 2 As an example, the disassembly module 421 can perform one or more disassembly operations to disassemble the article 30 into separate components, such as the article control circuit 38, the aerosol generator 36, the connector 31, the aerosol generating material storage area 39 and the mouthpiece 35. The components of the article 30 may include Figure 2 For example, the refill orifice 34, the refill tube 33 and the aerosol generating material storage area 39 may form a single component, while the air passage 23 and the mouthpiece 35 may form another single component.

[0065] The article 30 may be configured to cooperate with the disassembly module 421 so as to allow the disassembly module 421 to disassemble the article 30 into one or more components. For example, the components of the article 30 may be configured to have frangible, perforated, or otherwise disassembled connectors between the components so that the disassembly module 421 can easily separate the components of the article 30 from each other. In other words, the article 30 is configured to minimize the force required for the disassembly module 421 to disassemble the article 30. In other examples, the components and / or portions of the housing may be releasably attached to each other (e.g., via a threaded connection), and the disassembly module 421 may be configured to relatively rotate certain components or portions of the housing to separate the corresponding elements.

[0066] The disassembly module 421 may include one or more retainers configured to hold a portion or component of the article 30 while performing a disassembly operation. The retainer may include a claw, a clamp, a suction cup, or any other form of device that can hold a portion or component of the article 30 with sufficient force while performing a disassembly operation. Each retainer is connected to a motor, a jack, a piston, or other form of motion device configured to move the retainer. Each disassembly operation includes relative movement of one or more retainers relative to another one or more retainers so as to apply force to the article 30 so as to disassemble, separate, or otherwise remove one or more components from the rest of the article 30. For example, again referring to Figure 2, the first holder can be connected to the mouthpiece 35 so that the first holder holds the mouthpiece 35, and the second holder can be connected to the shell of the article 30 located near the connector 31. Then, the first holder can be moved away from the second holder while the second holder remains stationary, thereby applying a force to the mouthpiece 35 and causing the mouthpiece 35 to become separated from the article 30. Then, the first holder can be connected to another component of the article 30 (e.g., the aerosol generating material storage area 39), and the process is repeated until each component of the article 30 is separated from the shell of the article 30. Alternatively, the first holder and the second holder can be moved in opposite directions, thereby applying forces to the mouthpiece 35 and the shell of the article 30. This can result in the removal of the mouthpiece 35, the air channel 23, and the aerosol generator 36 by the first holder, and the removal of the shell of the article 30 by the second holder. Then, the second holder can release the shell of the article 30 and hold the aerosol generator 36, and the process is repeated to separate the aerosol generator 36 from the mouthpiece 35. Thus, it will be appreciated that one or more retainers may be used to retain portions or components of the article 30 while a disassembly operation is performed to disassemble the article 30 into one or more components.

[0067] When each component is removed from the article 30, or once the removal operation is completed, the removal module 421 can be configured to collect the components of the article 30 or group the components so that the components or component groups can be disposed of by the user. For example, the removal module 421 may include an outlet into which each component or component group can be placed by the removal module 421 when the components are removed from the article 30. The user can then collect the components or component groups from the outlet for disposal. The components can be grouped by the removal module 421 based on the material from which each component is made or the properties of each component. For example, one component group may include components made of the same or similar materials, while another component group may include each electrical component of the article 30.

[0068] In response to determining that the article 30 is expired, the refill control circuit 48 may also be configured to prevent the transfer of aerosol generating material 52 from the reservoir 50 to the article 30. This also ensures that the expired article 30 cannot be refilled again by the refilling device 40. The transfer of aerosol generating material 52 may be prevented by disabling one or more pumps or other flow control devices within the refilling device 40 or by preventing the actuation of one or more valves within the refilling device 40. The refill control circuit 48 may also be configured to cause a notification to be provided to the user in response to determining that the article 30 is expired. For example, an LED on the refilling device 40 may be illuminated or activated, an audio notification may be played on a speaker located on the refilling device 40, or the article 30 may be disconnected or otherwise removed from the article interface 42 by the refill control circuit 48.

[0069] In response to determining that the article has not expired, the refill control circuit 48 may be configured to facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material 52 from a reservoir 50 coupled to the refill device 40 to the article 30. As described above, the reservoir 50 may be coupled to the refill device 40 using the reservoir interface 46. As described above, the refill control circuit 48 facilitates the transfer of aerosol-generating material 52 from the reservoir 50 coupled to the refill device 40 to the article 30. For example, the refill control circuit 48 may be configured to facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material 52 only when the article 30 is received by the article interface 42 and the reservoir 50 is coupled to the refill device 40. The refill control circuit 48 may be configured to facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material 52 in response to a user input (e.g., by a user pressing a button on the refill device 40 or by a user providing an input on a touch screen display on the refill device 40). In the case described above where there are multiple reservoirs 50 connected to the refilling device 40, the user input can represent selection of one of the reservoirs from which the aerosol generating material 52 should be delivered, or selection of more than one of the reservoirs in the case where the aerosol generating material 52 delivered to the article 30 is a mixture of aerosol generating materials from more than one of the reservoirs.

[0070] like Figure 3 As shown in , the refill device 40 also includes a cleaning module 422. In response to determining that the article 30 is expired, the refill control circuit 48 can be configured to control the cleaning module 422 to clean the article and / or one or more components of the article. It will be understood that it may not be possible to completely deplete the article 30 of aerosol generating material 32, so that when the article 30 is determined to be expired, a small amount of aerosol generating material 32 and / or liquid may remain in the article 30 (such as in the aerosol generating material storage area 39). The cleaning module 422 can be configured to wash, rinse, flush or otherwise remove any remaining aerosol generating material 32 and / or liquid from the article 30 so that the article 30 is substantially cleared of aerosol generating material 32 and is therefore considered clean.

[0071] The refill control circuit 48 may be configured to control the cleaning module 422 and the disassembly module 421 so that the article 30 is cleaned before being disassembled, disassembled before being cleaned, or cleaned and disassembled concurrently (i.e., simultaneously). For example, the refill control circuit 48 may be configured to first control the cleaning module 422 to clean the article 30. In response to the cleaning module 422 completing the cleaning of the article 30, the refill control circuit 48 may then be configured to control the disassembly module 421 to disassemble the article 30. In another case, the refill control circuit 48 may be configured to first control the disassembly module 421 to disassemble the article 30. In response to the disassembly module 421 completing the disassembly of the article 30, the refill control circuit 48 may be configured to control the cleaning module 422 to clean the article 30. In another case, the refill control circuit 48 may be configured to control the cleaning module 422 and the disassembly module 421 so that the article 30 is cleaned and disassembled concurrently.

[0072] like Figure 3 , the cleaning module 422 may be located near the article interface 42, or the cleaning module 422 may form a part of the article interface 42. In both cases, the cleaning module 422 is configured to clean the article 30 while the article 30 is received by the article interface 42. In other words, when the article 30 is cleaned by the cleaning module 422, the article 30 remains in, on, or otherwise connected to the article interface 42. Alternatively, the article 30 may be moved from the article interface 42 to the cleaning module 422 so that the article 30 is cleaned while it is located in the cleaning module 422. In this case, one or more of the cleaning module 422 and the article interface 42 may include rails, arms, claws, or other conveying components configured to move the article 30 from the article interface 42 to the cleaning module 422. The product interface 42, the cleaning module 422 and the refilling module 421 can be arranged in series so that the product 30 moves from the product interface 42 to the cleaning module 422 for cleaning, and then moves from the cleaning module 422 to the disassembly module 421 for disassembly (or moves from the product interface 42 to the disassembly module 421 for disassembly, and then moves from the disassembly module 421 to the cleaning module 422 for cleaning).

[0073] The cleaning module 422 may include one or more fluid tanks configured to hold a volume of fluid for cleaning the article, wherein each of the one or more tanks is connected to the cleaning module outlet via a conduit. The cleaning module outlet may be fluidly linked or otherwise coupled to the article interface 42 so that while the article 30 is located on, in, or otherwise connected to the article interface 42, fluid in each of the one or more tanks may flow from the fluid tank into the article 30. The cleaning module outlet may be fluidly linked to the refill outlet 44 so that fluid may be transferred from the fluid tank to the refill orifice 34 of the article via the refill outlet 44. Alternatively or additionally, the cleaning module outlet may be fluidly linked to different portions of the article interface 42 so that fluid may be transferred from the fluid tank to one or more of the air passage 23 and the mouthpiece 35 of the article 30.

[0074] In the case where the article 30 is delivered to the cleaning module 422 for cleaning as described above, the cleaning module outlet is configured to be fluidly linked or otherwise coupled to the article 30 so as to deliver the fluid in the fluid tank to the article 30. The cleaning module outlet may be configured to be fluidly linked or otherwise coupled to one or more of the refill orifice 34, the air channel 23, and the mouthpiece 35 of the article 30.

[0075] The cleaning module 422 may include one or more pumps or other flow control devices and / or one or more valves to facilitate the transfer of fluid from the fluid tank to the article 30. The fluid may be a liquid or a gas. For example, the fluid may be a water-based liquid and a detergent, or the fluid may be air or another gas. In the latter case, the cleaning module 422 may be configured to transfer air or gas from the fluid tank to the article 30 at a sufficient pressure to remove any aerosol-generating material and / or liquid from the article 30.

[0076] Each of the fluid tanks can accommodate different fluids, such as a tank that accommodates water, and another tank that accommodates detergent or cleaning agent. Then, the cleaning module 422 can be configured to promote the transmission of fluid from a tank to the article 30, and then promote the transmission of fluid from different tanks to the article 30, so as to clean the article 30. For example, water can be transmitted to the article from the first tank, and then the detergent or cleaning agent is transmitted to the article from the second tank, and then the water is transmitted to the article from the first tank. Alternatively, the cleaning module 422 can be configured to promote the simultaneous transmission of fluid from multiple tanks to the article 30. For example, the cleaning module 422 can be configured to promote the transmission of water from the first tank and the transmission of concentrated detergent from the second tank at the same time, so that water and concentrated detergent are mixed to produce a diluted detergent solution for being transmitted to the article 30.

[0077] It will be understood that not all components of the article 30 will require cleaning. For example, the article control circuit 38 and one or more connectors 31 may not require cleaning, while components of the article 30 that are in the fluid path or otherwise wetted by fluid during normal use (such as the aerosol generator 36, the refill tube 33, and the air channel 23) will require cleaning.

[0078] In the above-described case where the article 30 is cleaned before being disassembled, the cleaning module 422 can be configured to transfer fluid from one or more fluid tanks to the article 30 so that the components of the article 30 that are in the fluid path are cleaned. For example, the fluid can be delivered to the article 30 through the refill orifice 34, wherein the fluid flows into the aerosol generating material storage area 39 via the refill tube 33. The cleaning module 422 can be configured to deliver the fluid at a sufficient pressure and / or flow rate, which fluid can then flow into the aerosol generator 36 via the aerosol generating material delivery component 37, and then flow into the mouthpiece 35 along the air passage 23. Alternatively or additionally, the cleaning module 422 can be configured to deliver the fluid (e.g., from the aerosol generating material delivery component 37) along the air passage 23. Figure 2 The cleaning module 422 is configured to deliver fluid to the aerosol generating material storage area 39 via the refill orifice 34 and the refill tube 33 and allow the fluid to be sucked back from the refill orifice 34, or the cleaning module 422 can be configured to suck or otherwise withdraw fluid from the aerosol generating material storage area 39 via the refill orifice 34 and the refill tube 33.

[0079] It will be appreciated that, in normal use, liquid flows along the refill tube 33 and into the aerosol generating material storage area 39, while gas flows along the air passage 23. The cleaning module 422 may be configured to clean the aerosol generating material storage area 39 using liquid, and to clean the air passage 23 using gas. For example, the cleaning module 422 may be configured to clean the aerosol generating material storage area 39 by transferring liquid from one of the fluid tanks into the aerosol generating material storage area 39 via the refill orifice 34 and the refill tube 33, and withdrawing liquid from the aerosol generating material storage area 39 via the refill orifice 34 and the refill tube 33. The cleaning module 422 may then be configured to clean the aerosol generating material storage area 39 by transferring gas from one of the fluid tanks into the aerosol generating material storage area 39. Figure 2 The air passage 23 is cleared by placing an inlet near the connector 31 shown in FIG. 2 so that the gas flows along the air passage 23 , flows through the aerosol generator 36 , and flows out of the article 30 via the mouthpiece 35 .

[0080] The cleaning module 422 may also include one or more drains for disposing of fluid from one or more tanks after the fluid has been used to clean the article 30 and / or for waste disposal of a tank or receptacle for receiving and storing used fluid for the cleaning article 30 .

[0081] As described above, the article 30 can be cleaned after it has been disassembled. In this case, the cleaning module 422 can be configured to clean each component of the article 30 individually and / or a subset of the components of the article 30. As described above, not all components of the article 30 will need to be cleaned. Therefore, the cleaning module 422 can be configured to clean only the components that are in the fluid path or are otherwise wetted by the fluid during normal use. The cleaning module 422 can be configured to transfer the fluid from one of the fluid tanks to each of the components of the article 30 that need to be cleaned.

[0082] As described above, the article 30 may also be cleaned and disassembled simultaneously. For example, the cleaning module 422 may be configured to deliver fluid to the aerosol generating material storage area 39 via the refill orifice 34 and the refill tube 33 and / or the air passage 23 described above while the disassembly module 421 is performing a disassembly operation, such as removing the housing of the article 30 and / or removing parts of the article 30 that do not need to be cleaned (such as the article control circuit 38). Alternatively, the disassembly module 421 may be configured to perform a disassembly operation, and then the cleaning module 422 may be configured to clean the parts of the article 30 before the disassembly module 421 performs the next disassembly operation. For example, the disassembly module 421 may be configured to only perform each disassembly operation in response to receiving a confirmation from the cleaning module 422 that the parts to be removed in the next disassembly operation do not need to be cleaned or have been cleaned. Therefore, the disassembly module 421 only disassembles the parts that have been cleaned or do not need to be cleaned. In this way, the disassembly module 421 and the cleaning module 422 cooperate to ensure that the article 30 is cleaned and disassembled at the same time.

[0083] Figure 4 A system 400 is shown that includes a refill device 40, a remote data storage device 70, and a remote device 60, each of which is communicatively coupled. The remote data storage device 70 may be a physical server or a virtualized infrastructure (such as a cloud storage device). The remote device 60 may include any suitable electronic device that may be communicatively coupled to the remote data storage device 70 and the refill device 40. For example, the remote device 60 may include a mobile device (such as a smart phone), a PDA, a personal computer, a laptop, a tablet computer, a smart watch, etc.

[0084] Remote data storage device 70 is configured to communicate with refill device 40 and remote device 60 using a wireless communication protocol such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or using a cellular network. The communication means used between remote data storage device 70 and refill device 40 and between remote data storage device 70 and remote device 60 may be the same or may be different. Figure 4 As shown in , refill device 40 may be configured to communicate with remote device 60 only via remote data storage device 70 , or refill device 40 may be configured to also communicate directly with remote device 60 .

[0085] In some examples, a notification is provided to the user in response to determining that the product 30 is expired. For example, a different LED or a different color LED (such as a red LED) may be activated on the refill device to indicate to the user that the product 30 is expired. Alternatively, a message or symbol may be displayed on a display screen of the refill device 40 to indicate to the user that the product 30 has expired and should be replaced. The notification may be provided to the user in response to determining that the product 30 received by the product interface 42 is expired and / or in response to determining that the product 30 is expired based on a comparison between an updated value of the counter and a refill limit.

[0086] In a similar manner, the refill control circuit 48 can also be configured to provide a notification to the user based on one or more of the data indicating the amount of aerosol generating material 52 stored in the reservoir 50, the data indicating the amount of aerosol generating material 32 stored in the article 30, and / or in response to a determination that the article 30 is not authentic. For example, the notification can provide an indication of the amount of aerosol generating material 32 remaining in the article 30 in absolute terms or relative to the capacity of the aerosol generating material storage area 39 and / or provide an indication of the amount of aerosol generating material 52 remaining in the reservoir 50 in absolute terms or relative to the capacity of the reservoir 50.

[0087] In each case, a notification from the refill control circuit 48 to the user may be provided on the refill device 40, for example, by activating one or more indicator lights (such as the LEDs described above), emitting a sound from a speaker, displaying a message on a display screen on the refill device 40, or activating a tactile notification device on the refill device 40. Alternatively or additionally, a notification from the refill control circuit 48 may be provided on an application on the remote device 60. In this case, the refill control circuit 48 is configured to communicate with the remote device 60 so that the notification is provided to the user on the remote device 60 (such as an application installed on the remote device 60). As described above, this may be achieved by the refill control circuit 48 sending data to the remote data storage device 70 and the remote device 60 receiving data from the remote data storage device 70. For example, a notification may be provided on the remote device by displaying a message or symbol on a display screen on the remote device 60, activating an indicator light on the remote device 40, emitting a sound from a speaker on the remote device 60, or activating a tactile notification device on the remote device 60. It will be understood that the notification may be provided to the user by any suitable communication or indication means.

[0088] As described above, the refill control circuit 48 is configured to control the disassembly module 421 to disassemble the product into one or more components. In some cases, the refill control circuit 48 is configured to control the disassembly module to disassemble the product into one or more components in response to user input. The user input can be received on the refill device 40, for example, by the user pressing a button on the refill device 40 or by the user providing input on a touch screen display on the refill device 40. Alternatively or additionally, the user input can be received on the remote device 60, for example, by the user pressing a button on the remote device 60 or by the user providing input on a touch screen display on the remote device 60. As described above, the user input can be received in response to a notification provided to the user. For example, in response to determining that the product is expired, the refill control circuit 48 can be configured to provide a notification to the user, wherein the notification indicates to the user that the product is expired. Then, the user can provide user input, and in response to receiving the input, the control circuit is configured to control the disassembly module 421 to disassemble the product 30. The notification to the user may ask the user whether they wish to disassemble and / or clean the article 30, as described above, and the user input may indicate whether the user wishes to disassemble and / or clean the article 30. In this case, the refill control circuit 48 is only configured to control the disassembly module 421 to disassemble the article 30 and / or control the cleaning module 422 to clean the article 30 in response to the user input indicating that the article 30 will be disassembled and / or cleaned, respectively. If the user input indicates that the article 30 will not be disassembled or cleaned, the refill control circuit 48 does not control the disassembly module 421 or the cleaning module 422 to disassemble and clean the article 30, respectively. In this case, the user is then able to remove the expired article from the article interface 42. This allows the user to control the actions taken by the refill control circuit 48; for example, the user may wish to clean but not disassemble the article 30, clean and disassemble the article 30, or take no action.

[0089] Figure 5 Flowchart of a method 500 for operating a refill device 40 for an article 30 for an aerosol supply system 10, the method being performed, for example, by a refill control circuit 48. The method begins at step 510, where an article 30 for an aerosol supply system 10 is received, for example, by the article interface 42. At step 520, it is determined whether the article 30 is expired. If it is determined that the article is not expired, the method ends. Otherwise, if it is determined at step 520 that the article 30 is expired, the disassembly module 421 is controlled to disassemble the article 30 into one or more components. The method then ends.

[0090] Figure 66 is a flow chart of yet another method 600 of operating a refill device 40 for an article 30 for an aerosol supply system 10, the method being performed, for example, by a refill control circuit 48. The method begins at step 610, where it is detected that an article 30 has been received by the refill device 40, such as by the article interface 42. At step 620, data is read from the article 30. At step 630, it is determined whether the data read from the article 30 indicates that the article 30 is expired. If it is determined at step 630 that the article 30 is not expired, the method continues to step 635, where a transfer of aerosol generating material 52 from a reservoir 50 to the article 30 is facilitated. The method then ends. If it is determined at step 630 that the article 30 is expired, the method continues to step 640, where a notification is provided to a user indicating that the article 30 is expired. At step 650, a user input is received. At step 660, it is determined whether the user input indicates that the article 30 is to be cleaned. If it is determined at step 660 that the article 30 is to be cleaned, the method proceeds to step 670, wherein the cleaning module 422 is controlled to clean the article 30. The method proceeds to step 680. If it is determined at step 660 that the article 30 is not to be cleaned, the method proceeds directly to step 680. At step 680, it is determined whether the user input indicates that the article 30 is to be disassembled. If it is determined at step 680 that the article 30 is to be disassembled, the method proceeds to step 690, wherein the disassembly module 421 is controlled to disassemble the article 30 into one or more components. The method then ends. If it is determined at step 680 that the article 30 is not to be disassembled, the method ends. It will be understood that steps 680 and 690 may be performed before steps 660 and 670, such that the article is disassembled before cleaning the article, or steps 660 to 690 may be performed concurrently, such that the article 30 is cleaned and disassembled simultaneously / concurrently, as described above.

[0091] Figure 5 and Figure 6 The methods 500 and 600 shown in FIG. 5 may be stored as instructions on a computer-readable storage medium, so that when the instructions are executed by a processor, the methods 500 and 600 are performed. The computer-readable storage medium may be non-transitory.

[0092] As described above, the present disclosure relates to (but is not limited to) a refilling device 40 for a product 30 of an aerosol supply system 10. The refilling device 40 includes a product interface 42, a disassembly module 421, and a refilling control circuit 48, the product interface being configured to receive the product 30. The refilling control circuit 48 is configured to control the disassembly module 421 to disassemble the product 30 into one or more components in response to determining that the product 30 is expired.

[0093] Thus, a refilling device for an article for an aerosol supply system and a method of operating a refilling device for an article for an aerosol supply system have been described.

[0094] The various embodiments described herein are presented only to help understand and teach the claimed features. These embodiments are provided only as representative samples of embodiments and are not exhaustive and / or exclusive. It should be understood that the advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures and / or other aspects described herein should not be considered as limitations on the scope of the invention defined by the claims or limitations on the equivalents of the claims, and other embodiments may be used and may be modified without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. In addition to those specifically described herein, various embodiments of the present invention may appropriately include appropriate combinations of disclosed elements, parts, features, parts, steps, devices, etc., be composed of appropriate combinations of disclosed elements, parts, features, parts, steps, devices, etc., or be substantially composed of appropriate combinations of disclosed elements, parts, features, parts, steps, devices, etc. In addition, the present disclosure may include other inventions that are not currently claimed but may be claimed in the future.

Claims

1. A refilling device for an aerosol supply system, the refilling device comprising: an article interface configured to receive the article; Disassemble the module; as well as The refill control circuit is configured to control the disassembly module to disassemble the product into one or more components in response to determining that the product is expired.

2. The refill device according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning module, and wherein: The refill control circuit is configured to control the cleaning module to clean the article and / or the one or more components of the article in response to determining that the article is expired.

3. The refill device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The refill control circuit is configured to determine that the article is expired by reading data stored on the article.

4. The refill device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The refill control circuit is configured to cause a notification to be provided to a user in response to determining that the article is expired.

5. The refill device according to claim 4, wherein: The refill control circuit is configured to control the disassembly module to disassemble the article in response to user input.

6. A method of operating a refill device for an article of an aerosol supply system, the method comprising: receiving said article for use with said aerosol delivery system; and In response to determining that the article is expired, the disassembly module is controlled to disassemble the article into one or more components.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed, perform a method comprising: receiving articles for use in aerosol supply systems; and In response to determining that the article is expired, the disassembly module is controlled to disassemble the article into one or more components.

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