Aerosol provision system

Abstract

An aerosol provision device of one piece, not configured to receive a consumable comprising aerosol material, the aerosol provision device comprising: a controller configured to control operation of the aerosol provision device; and a control interface configured to receive an input and to provide input data corresponding to the input to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to: receive the input data and, in response to the received input data, determine whether the input passes a predetermined test in which information in the input is associated with an identifier of the aerosol provision device, wherein passing the predetermined test indicates that verification of a user as a suitable user has been completed; and in response to determining that the input passes the predetermined test, switch from controlling operation of the aerosol provision device in accordance with a first mode in which functionality of the aerosol provision device for generating an aerosol from aerosol generating material is disabled, to controlling operation of the aerosol provision device in accordance with a second mode in which functionality of the aerosol provision device for generating an aerosol from aerosol generating material is enabled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an aerosol supply system, an aerosol supply device, and a method for generating steam. Background Technology

[0002] The operation of a delivery system, such as an aerosol supply system, can be controlled by a controller. The delivery system may include an external housing, a memory, a controller configured to control the operation of the delivery system, a control interface for receiving inputs from the delivery system and providing outputs from the delivery system, and a power supply configured to supply power to the operation of the delivery system. The delivery system may also include an aerosol generator configured to generate aerosols from an aerosol generating material, which may be in liquid, solid, or gel form. The operation of the delivery system can be controlled by a controller included in the delivery system, or by a controller of other devices configured to connect to and data communicate with the control interface of the delivery system via communication circuitry. For example, other devices may send data including instructions for performing control actions to the communication circuitry of the delivery system. The operation of the delivery system can be controlled by a distributed system that includes the delivery system and one or more other devices, such as an external power supply and / or a computing device, that together control the operation of the delivery system. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to one aspect, a one-piece aerosol supply device is provided, which is not configured to receive consumables including aerosol material. The aerosol supply device includes: a controller configured to control the operation of the aerosol supply device; and a control interface configured to receive input and provide input data corresponding to the input to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to: receive the input data and, in response to the received input data, determine whether the input has passed a predetermined test associated with information in the input and an identifier of the aerosol supply device, wherein passing the predetermined test indicates that verification of the user as a suitable user has occurred; and, in response to determining that the input has passed the predetermined test, switch from controlling the operation of the aerosol supply device according to a first mode to controlling the operation of the aerosol supply device according to a second mode, wherein in the first mode, the function of the aerosol supply device for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material is disabled, and in the second mode, the function of the aerosol supply device for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material is enabled.

[0004] In this embodiment, the aerosol supply device is a one-piece disposable aerosol supply device that is not configured to be refilled with aerosol generating material.

[0005] In this embodiment, the aerosol supply device is a non-rechargeable, one-piece aerosol supply device and does not include a charging interface for receiving power from an external power source.

[0006] In one embodiment, the aerosol supply device includes a heating assembly that includes a heating element for heating the aerosol-generating material.

[0007] In one embodiment, the heating assembly is configured to heat the heating element by resistance heating.

[0008] In one embodiment, the aerosol supply device includes a reservoir configured to store aerosol-generating materials.

[0009] In one embodiment, the aerosol supply device includes aerosol generating materials stored in a reservoir.

[0010] In this embodiment, the aerosol generating material is a liquid aerosol generating material.

[0011] In one embodiment, the aerosol supply device includes a transfer device configured to transport aerosol-generating material from a reservoir to a heating element.

[0012] In one implementation, the control interface includes one or more input components for receiving input from the user.

[0013] In an implementation, one or more input components include one or more of the following: i) a button configured to be pressed by a user; ii) a switch configured to be pushed by a user; and ii) a dial configured to be rotated by a user.

[0014] In this embodiment, the aerosol supply device does not include a communication circuit configured to communicate data with one or more other devices, including a wireless communication module or a wired communication module.

[0015] In one implementation, the control interface includes communication circuitry configured to communicate data with one or more other devices.

[0016] In this implementation, the communication circuit includes a wireless communication module.

[0017] In this implementation, the wireless communication module includes a Bluetooth module.

[0018] In this implementation, the communication circuit includes a wired communication module.

[0019] In this implementation, the wired communication module includes a USB interface.

[0020] In one implementation, in order to determine whether the input passes a predetermined test, the controller is configured to determine whether the information is generated using an identifier from an aerosol supply device.

[0021] In one implementation, the controller is configured to determine whether the information was generated using an aerosol supply device by applying predetermined software functions to the identifier.

[0022] In one implementation, the controller is configured to determine whether the information was generated using the identifier of the aerosol supply device by testing whether a first key of the aerosol supply device matches a second key, the second key being a pass key included in the information in the input.

[0023] In one implementation, in order to determine whether the input passes a predetermined test, the controller is configured to determine whether the information is generated by an authorized computing device.

[0024] In one implementation, the controller is configured to determine whether the information was generated by an authorized computing device by testing whether the information has an encrypted association with a first key of the aerosol supply device.

[0025] In one implementation, the controller is configured to determine whether the information was generated by an authorized computing device by testing whether a corresponding second key (a private key) of an authorized computing device was used to generate the information using a first key (a public key) of the aerosol supply device.

[0026] In one implementation, the controller is configured to determine whether the information was generated by an authorized computing device by using a first key (which is a private key) of the aerosol providing device, in order to test whether the information includes a corresponding second key of the authorized computing device that matches the first key.

[0027] In one implementation, the control interface is configured to provide an output, wherein the controller is configured to, when controlling the operation of the aerosol supply device according to a first mode, in response to receiving input data from the control interface corresponding to an instruction to execute a control action that is disabled in the first mode, cause the control interface to provide an alarm output indicating a requirement to verify the user as a suitable user of the aerosol supply device.

[0028] In one implementation, after switching to operation of the aerosol supply device according to the second mode, the controller is configured to: i) continue to control the operation of the aerosol supply device according to the second mode; or ii) switch back to operation of the aerosol supply device according to the first mode in response to a period of time or receiving input data corresponding to the instruction to switch from the first mode to the second mode from the control interface, wherein, after switching back to operation of the aerosol supply device according to the first mode, the controller is configured to switch back to operation of the aerosol supply device according to the second mode in response to determining that an input has passed a predetermined test, each input that has passed the predetermined test is different from the previous input that has passed the predetermined test.

[0029] In this implementation, the identifier is a unique identifier for the aerosol supply device.

[0030] In one embodiment, the aerosol supply device includes a memory in which a unique identifier is stored.

[0031] In one embodiment, the aerosol supply device includes an identifier portion that displays an identifier.

[0032] In one embodiment, the aerosol supply device includes an outer housing, wherein an identifier portion is disposed on the outer housing, and wherein: i) the identifier portion includes optical code, in which a unique identifier is encoded; or ii) the identifier portion includes text, in which a user can read the identifier from the text.

[0033] According to one aspect, a system is provided comprising: an aerosol supply device according to any one of the preceding claims; and other means, wherein the other means are configured to provide i) input to one or more input components of the aerosol supply device, or ii) instructions to a user to provide input to one or more input components of the aerosol supply device, wherein the input indicates that the user has been verified as a suitable user of the aerosol supply device.

[0034] In this implementation, the other device is a local computing device.

[0035] In one embodiment, the system further includes an authorized computing device configured to generate input in response to receiving a mode switching request including an identifier of an aerosol supply device, and to send the input to other devices.

[0036] According to one aspect, a method is provided for a one-piece aerosol supply device, the one-piece aerosol supply device not configured to receive consumables comprising aerosol material, the method comprising: providing an aerosol supply device and a controller, the controller being configured to control operation of the aerosol supply device; providing input to a control interface of the aerosol supply device; providing input data corresponding to the input to the controller from the control interface of the aerosol supply device; in response to the received input data, determining by the controller whether the input has passed a predetermined test associated with information in the input data and an identifier of the aerosol supply device, wherein passing the predetermined test indicates that verification of the user as a suitable user has been completed; and in response to determining that the input has passed the predetermined test, switching from controlling operation of the aerosol supply device according to a first mode to controlling operation of the aerosol supply device according to a second mode, wherein in the first mode, the function of the aerosol supply device for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material is disabled, and in the second mode, the function of the aerosol supply device for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material is enabled.

[0037] In this embodiment, the aerosol supply device is a one-piece disposable aerosol supply device that is not configured to be refilled with aerosol generating material.

[0038] In this embodiment, the aerosol supply device is a non-rechargeable, one-piece aerosol supply device and does not include a charging interface for receiving power from an external power source.

[0039] In one implementation, the method includes: sending materials for verifying a user as a suitable user of an aerosol supply device from a local computing device to an authorized computing device; and evaluating the materials using the authorized computing device to determine one or more characteristics of the user.

[0040] In one implementation, the method includes: sending a mode switching request from a local computing device to an authorized computing device, the mode switching request being a request from a controller to switch from controlling the operation of an aerosol supply device according to a first mode to controlling the operation of an aerosol supply device according to a second mode, and including an identifier of the aerosol supply device.

[0041] In one implementation, the method includes, in response to a receiving mode switching request, having an authorized computing device verify whether the user of the aerosol supply device is a suitable user of the aerosol supply device.

[0042] In one implementation, the method includes: upon completion of verification that the user is a suitable user of the aerosol supply device, an authorized computing device generates input for the aerosol supply device, the input indicating that verification that the user is a suitable user of the aerosol supply device has been completed; and the authorized computing device sends the input to a computing device or the local computing device.

[0043] In one implementation, generating input includes using an identifier of the aerosol supply device by an authorized computing device to generate input such that the information in the input has a testable association with the identifier of the aerosol supply device.

[0044] In one implementation, generating input by an authorized computing device includes applying predetermined software functions to an identifier.

[0045] In one implementation, generating input includes generating input by an authorized computing device, such that the controller can determine that the information in the input was generated by the authorized computing device.

[0046] In one implementation, generating input by an authorized computing device includes generating input such that the information in the input is cryptographically associated with a first key of the aerosol supply device.

[0047] In one implementation, generating input by an authorized computing device includes generating input using a second key of the authorized computing device, the second key being a private key, and a first key of the aerosol providing device being a public key corresponding to the private key.

[0048] In one implementation, generating input by an authorized computing device includes selecting a pass key associated with an identifier of the aerosol supply device from the memory of the authorized computing device, and generating input such that the information in the input includes the pass key.

[0049] In one implementation, providing input to the control interface includes a communication circuitry that allows other devices to send data to the control interface.

[0050] In an implementation, providing input to the control interface includes providing a sequence of manipulations to one or more input components of the control interface by a user.

[0051] According to one aspect, a method for manufacturing a one-piece aerosol supply device is provided, the one-piece aerosol supply device not configured to receive consumables comprising aerosol material, the method comprising: generating an identifier for the aerosol supply device; providing the identifier to the aerosol supply device and storing the identifier in a memory of an authorized computing device; generating a first key for the aerosol supply device; storing the first key in the memory of the aerosol supply device; generating a second key for the authorized computing device, wherein the second key is cryptographically associated with the first key; and storing the second key in the memory of the authorized computing device.

[0052] In one implementation, providing an identifier for the aerosol supply device includes storing the identifier in the memory of the aerosol supply device.

[0053] In one implementation, providing an identifier for the aerosol supply device includes setting an identifier portion for the aerosol supply device to present the identifier.

[0054] In this implementation, the first key is a public key, and the second key is a private key.

[0055] In this implementation, the first key is a private key, and the second key is a pass key that matches the first key.

[0056] In one embodiment, storing the second key in the memory of the authorized computing device includes storing the second key in association with an identifier in the memory of the authorized computing device.

[0057] According to one aspect, a controller is provided configured to control the operation of a one-piece aerosol supply device, which is not configured to receive consumables comprising aerosol material, wherein the controller is configured to: receive input data from a control interface of the aerosol supply device, the input data corresponding to an input received by the control interface; determine, in response to the received input, whether the input passes a predetermined test associated with an identifier of the aerosol supply device containing information in the input; and switch, in response to determining that the data passes the predetermined test, from controlling the operation of the aerosol supply device according to a first mode to controlling the operation of the aerosol supply device according to a second mode, wherein in the first mode, the function of the aerosol supply device for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material is disabled, and in the second mode, the function of the aerosol supply device for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material is enabled.

[0058] In one implementation, in order to determine whether the input passes a predetermined test, the controller is configured to determine whether the information is generated using an identifier from an aerosol supply device.

[0059] In one implementation, the controller is configured to determine whether the information was generated using an aerosol supply device by applying predetermined software functions to the identifier.

[0060] In one implementation, the controller is configured to determine whether the information was generated using the identifier of the aerosol supply device by testing whether a first key of the aerosol supply device matches a second key, the second key being a pass key included in the information in the input.

[0061] In one implementation, in order to determine whether the input passes a predetermined test, the controller is configured to determine whether the information is generated by an authorized computing device.

[0062] In one implementation, the controller is configured to determine whether the information was generated by an authorized computing device by testing whether the information has an encrypted association with a first key of the aerosol supply device.

[0063] In one implementation, the controller is configured to determine whether the information was generated by an authorized computing device by testing whether a corresponding second key (a private key) of an authorized computing device was used to generate the information using a first key (a public key) of the aerosol supply device.

[0064] In one implementation, the controller is configured to test whether the information includes a corresponding second key of the authorized computing device that matches the first key, by using a first key (which is a private key) of the aerosol providing device to determine whether the information was generated by an authorized computing device.

[0065] Each of the implementations discussed above can be applied to any aspect and can also be combined with any other embodiment. Attached Figure Description

[0066] aspects of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 A cross-sectional view is shown through a schematic representation of an aerosol supply system according to certain embodiments.

[0067] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a system including an aerosol supply device, an external power supply device, a local computing device, and a remote computing device according to certain embodiments is shown.

[0068] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method for an aerosol supply system according to certain embodiments is shown.

[0069] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method for manufacturing an aerosol supply system according to certain embodiments is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0070] This document discusses or describes aspects and features of certain embodiments and implementations. Some aspects and features of certain embodiments and implementations can be conventionally implemented, and for the sake of brevity, these aspects and features are not discussed / described in detail. Therefore, it should be understood that aspects and features of the apparatus and methods discussed herein that are not described in detail can be implemented according to any conventional techniques used to implement such aspects and features.

[0071] This application generally relates to the field of "delivery systems," that is, systems for delivering at least one substance to a user. Typically, the purpose of delivering the substance to the user is to satisfy a specific "consumer moment." For this purpose, the substance may include components that impart physiological effects, sensory effects, or both to the user. In this text, the substance will generally be present in an aerosol-generating material or another material not intended to be aerosolized. The material itself (whether or not it is used for aerosolization) will generally contain a range of components. These typically break down into active substances, flavorings, aerosol-generating materials, and other functional materials (such as fillers). When delivered to the user, the active substance may have some form of psychological effect on the user.

[0072] Delivery systems take many forms. According to this disclosure, a "combustible" aerosol supply system is a system in which the constituent aerosol generating materials of the aerosol supply system (or its components) are burned or combusted during use in order to deliver at least one substance to the user.

[0073] Exemplary combustible aerosol supply systems include cigarettes, cigars, cigar tobacco, and pipe tobacco or self-rolled or homemade tobacco (whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, tobacco substitutes, or other ignitable smoking materials). Exemplary non-combustible aerosol supply systems include heated non-combustible aerosol supply systems (such as heated tobacco products (THP) and heated carbon-tip tobacco products (CTHP)) in which solid materials are heated to generate an aerosol without burning the material; vapor aerosol supply systems (often referred to as "electronic cigarettes" or "e-cigarettes") in which liquid materials are heated to generate an aerosol; and hybrid aerosol supply systems that are similar to vapor aerosol supply systems, except that the aerosol generated from the liquid material passes through a second material (such as tobacco) to pick up additional ingredients before reaching the user. Exemplary aerosol-free delivery systems that deliver at least one substance to a user orally, nasally, percutaneously, or otherwise without forming an aerosol include, but are not limited to, tablets, chewing gum, patches, articles containing inhalable powder, and oral tobacco (such as oral tobacco including mouth tobacco or smoky tobacco powder), wherein at least one substance may or may not include nicotine.

[0074] While this document describes various techniques for non-flammable aerosol supply systems, these techniques can be readily applied to any of the aforementioned delivery systems, for example, by implementation within the delivery system where feasible, or by application in “smart” containers used in delivery systems, such as for storage delivery systems. The delivery systems described herein can be implemented as flammable aerosol supply systems, non-flammable aerosol supply systems, or aerosol-free delivery systems.

[0075] Specifically, but not exclusively, this disclosure relates to a non-flammable aerosol supply system. A “non-flammable” aerosol supply system is an aerosol supply system in which the constituent aerosol-generating materials of the aerosol supply system (or its components) can deliver at least one substance to a user without combustion or with combustion. The delivery system can be a non-flammable aerosol supply system, such as a powered non-flammable aerosol supply system. A non-flammable aerosol supply system can be an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaporizer or electronic nicotine delivery system (END), but it should be noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol-generating materials is not essential. A non-flammable aerosol supply system can be an aerosol-generating material heating system, such as a heated non-flammable system. An embodiment of such a system is a tobacco heating system. Specifically, but not exclusively, this disclosure relates to an electronic aerosol supply system that can (or may not) be an electronic non-flammable aerosol supply system.

[0076] An aerosol supply system is used to generate aerosols from an aerosol-generating material. The aerosol-generating material is a material capable of generating aerosols, for example, when heated, radiated, or electrified in any other way. The aerosol-generating material may be in the form of a solid, liquid, or semi-solid (e.g., gel), and may or may not contain active substances and / or flavorings. The aerosol-generating material may contain one or more active substances and / or flavorings, one or more aerosol-generating materials, and optionally one or more other functional materials. The aerosol-generating material may contain a binder (e.g., a gelling agent) and an aerosol-forming agent. Optionally, a substance to be delivered and / or a filler may also be present. Optionally, a solvent, such as water, may also be present, and one or more other components of the aerosol-generating material may or may not be soluble in the solvent. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is substantially free of plant material. Specifically, in some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is substantially free of tobacco.

[0077] Aerosol-generating materials may include or be in the form of aerosol-generating membranes. Aerosol-generating membranes may contain a binder (e.g., a gelling agent) and an aerosol forming agent. Optionally, a substance to be delivered and / or a filler may also be present. Aerosol-generating membranes may be substantially free of plant material. Specifically, in some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is substantially free of tobacco. Aerosol-generating membranes may have a thickness of about 0.015 mm to about 1 mm. For example, the thickness may range from about 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, or 0.15 mm to about 0.5 mm or 0.3 mm. Aerosol-generating membranes may be continuous. For example, the membrane may include or be a continuous sheet of material. The sheet may be in the form of a package, which may be aggregated to form an aggregated sheet, or it may be shredded to form a shredded sheet. Shredded sheets may include one or more strands or strips of aerosol-generating material. Aerosol-generating membranes may be discontinuous. For example, an aerosol-generating membrane may include one or more discrete portions or regions of aerosol-generating material, such as dots, strips, or lines, that can be supported on a support. In such embodiments, the support may be planar or non-planar. An aerosol-generating membrane may be formed by combining a binder (e.g., a gelling agent) with a solvent (e.g., water, an aerosol forming agent, and one or more other components (e.g., one or more substances to be delivered)) to form a slurry, and then heating the slurry to evaporate at least some of the solvent to form the aerosol-generating membrane. The slurry may be heated to remove at least about 60 wt%, 70 wt%, 80 wt%, 85 wt%, or 90 wt% of the solvent.

[0078] Aerosol generating materials may include or be “amorphous solids.” In some embodiments, the aerosol generating material includes an amorphous solid aerosol generating membrane. The amorphous solid may be a “monolithic solid.” The amorphous solid may be substantially non-fibrous. In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may be a dried gel. An amorphous solid is a solid material that can retain some fluid (e.g., liquid) therein. In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may, for example, comprise from about 50 wt%, 60 wt%, or 70 wt% to about 90 wt%, 95 wt%, or 100 wt% of amorphous solids. The amorphous solid may be substantially free of plant material. The amorphous solid may be substantially free of tobacco.

[0079] Aerosol-generating materials may include one or more components capable of forming aerosols. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may include one or more of glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, erythritol, meso-erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, diethyl caprylate, triethyl citrate, glyceryl triacetate, a mixture of diacetates, benzyl benzoate, benzyl acetate, phenyl acetate, glyceryl tribanoate, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate. One or more other functional materials may include one or more of pH adjusters, colorants, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and / or antioxidants.

[0080] As is common in the art, the terms "vapor" and "aerosol," as well as related terms such as "evaporation," "volatilization," and "aerosolization," are generally used interchangeably. In use, inhalation occurs on an aerosol supply system when a user inhales an aerosol generated by an aerosol-generating material. An inhalation sequence can be considered a "session." The sequence can correspond to a characteristic pattern of inhalation. The sequence can correspond to a predetermined number or range of inhalations by the user on the aerosol supply system. For example, a session can be defined as 10 inhalations, or 8 to 12 inhalations. Alternatively or additionally, a session can be defined by a predetermined time from the initial inhalation on the aerosol supply system (e.g., a predetermined time after the aerosol-generating material has been heated to a target temperature). For example, the predetermined time can be less than 4 minutes, less than 6 minutes, or less than 10 minutes. Thus, a session can be defined when the total number of inhalations reaches a predetermined number or range of inhalations and / or when the time elapsed from the initial inhalation reaches a predetermined time. It should be understood that the values ​​for the predetermined number of inhalations and the predetermined time are given merely as examples, and other numbers and times may be appropriately used in other implementations.

[0081] Alternatively or concurrently, in this implementation, a session corresponds to an inhalation sequence that is separated from another session by a pause exceeding a threshold duration. The threshold duration can be selected for user understanding (e.g., 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes, 35 minutes, 40 minutes, 45 minutes, 50 minutes, or 55 minutes, or more preferably a session in the range of 5-45 minutes, or more preferably a time period in the range of 10-30 minutes, or still more preferably a time period in the range of 15-20 minutes), or it can be selected based on pharmacokinetic factors, such as the so-called in vivo nicotine half-life (approximately 2 hours) or physiological factors, such as a decrease in the perceived brain stimulation caused by nicotine (e.g., approximately 15-25 minutes, averaging approximately 18-20 minutes). Optionally, the half-life can further be personalized, for example, based on sex, body type (size, weight, etc.), ethnicity, etc. A lookup table of half-life values ​​and / or scaling values ​​for one or more physiological factors of the user can be used to refine the otherwise general half-life values. Therefore, an inhalation session can include characteristic patterns and / or can be separated from another session by an unused threshold duration.

[0082] Embodiments of an aerosol supply system may include an aerosol supply device (e.g., a reusable portion) and consumables (e.g., disposable portions) for use with the aerosol supply device. In many cases, consumables are sold separately from the device and are typically sold in multi-packs. The terms "consumable" and "article" are generally used interchangeably. Typically, consumables will include aerosol-generating material, and the aerosol supply device will include a power source, a controller, a control interface, and a memory (each of which will be discussed in more detail herein), the memory being at least partially enclosed within an outer housing that may be formed of any suitable material (e.g., plastic or metal). In use, the consumable may engage with the aerosol supply device. For example, at least a portion of the consumable may be received by the aerosol supply device, for example, in a consumable chamber of the aerosol supply device configured to receive at least a portion of the consumable. The aerosol supply device is configured to generate an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material of the consumable. Once the aerosol-generating material in the consumable has been depleted, the user can remove the consumable (e.g., by separating the aerosol supply unit and the consumable), discard the consumable, and replace it with a (new) consumable. Devices conforming to this type of two-piece modular configuration are generally referred to as two-piece aerosol supply units, and together with the consumable, they are generally referred to as two-piece aerosol supply systems.

[0083] In this exemplary two-piece aerosol supply system, the consumable and the aerosol supply device can be coupled to each other. For example, the consumable can be mechanically and / or electrically coupled to the aerosol supply device using a coupling interface of the aerosol supply device and a corresponding coupling interface of the consumable. The coupling interface of the aerosol supply device may include a mechanical coupling device for mechanical coupling with the consumable, for example, mechanically coupled to a corresponding mechanical coupling device of the consumable. The coupling interface may include an electrical coupling interface for electrical coupling with the consumable, for example, electrically coupled to a corresponding electrical coupling interface of the consumable. The electrical coupling interface of the aerosol supply device may be configured to supply power to the consumable, for example, to supply power to the aerosol generator of the consumable (as will be discussed in more detail herein).

[0084] While exemplary consumables typically comprise a single portion of aerosol-generating material, in some cases, the consumable may comprise multiple portions of aerosol-generating material, each of which may be distinct. In this case, the consumable may be received by an aerosol supply device configured to generate an aerosol from one or more of the multiple portions of the aerosol-generating material. For example, the aerosol supply device may be configured to generate an aerosol independently of each portion of the aerosol-generating material. Each portion of the aerosol-generating material may be a discrete portion, wherein multiple discrete portions are separated from each other, such that each of these discrete portions can be individually stimulated (e.g., heated) and / or can be independently stimulated (e.g., heated) to generate an aerosol.

[0085] In some embodiments, the aerosol supply device may be configured to receive multiple consumables, each of which may comprise a different aerosol-generating material. In use, multiple consumables are received by the aerosol supply device, and the aerosol supply device is configured to generate aerosols from the aerosol-generating materials of one or more consumables, each consumable capable of generating aerosols independently. Devices conforming to this type of configuration are generally referred to as multi-consumable devices, and together with multiple consumables, they are generally referred to as multi-consumable systems. Multi-consumable devices and systems such as these may use any features used in two-piece aerosol supply devices and systems, such as, but not limited to, aerosol-generating materials, aerosol generators, power supplies, control interfaces, controllers, and memory (as will be discussed in more detail herein). Similarly, these components may be at least partially enclosed within an external housing that may be made of any suitable material, such as plastic or metal.

[0086] However, the present invention applies to an arrangement in which the aerosol supply device is a one-piece aerosol supply device, not configured to receive removable consumables, but rather the aerosol supply device itself includes aerosol generating material. The one-piece aerosol supply device can be configured to be refillable, such that when at least a portion of the (initial) aerosol generating material of the aerosol supply device is depleted, it can be refilled with (new) aerosol generating material. Alternatively, the one-piece aerosol supply device can be a disposable one-piece aerosol supply device, which can be discarded by the user after the aerosol generating material has been depleted (e.g., after a predetermined number of aspirations), and is not configured, for example, to be refillable by the user. Furthermore, the one-piece aerosol supply device can be a non-rechargeable one-piece aerosol supply device, excluding a charging interface for receiving power from an external power source (as will be discussed in more detail herein). These one-piece aerosol supply devices (refillable or disposable) can use any features used in two-piece (and / or multi-consumable) aerosol supply systems, such as, but not limited to, aerosol generating materials, aerosol generators, power supplies, control interfaces, controllers, and memory (as will be discussed in more detail herein). Similarly, these components can be at least partially enclosed within an external housing that can be made of any suitable material, such as plastic or metal.

[0087] An aerosol delivery system includes a mouthpiece through which a user inhales aerosols generated from an aerosol-generating material. The mouthpiece may include a material comfortable for the user's lips, such as plastic or rubber. When the user inhales through the mouthpiece, air is drawn in through the aerosol delivery system and combines with the aerosols generated by the aerosol-generating material. The user can then inhale this combination of air and aerosol, allowing the aerosol substance to be delivered to the user. The aerosol delivery system may include one or more air inlets, which may be positioned remotely from the mouthpiece. When the user inhales through the mouthpiece, air is drawn in through the one or more air inlets and passes through the location where the aerosol is generated. A flow path may connect this location and an opening in the mouthpiece, allowing the air drawn in through the one or more air inlets to continue along the flow path carrying the aerosol to the opening. The aerosol then exits the aerosol delivery system through the mouthpiece (e.g., its opening) for the user to inhale. The mouthpiece may be part of an aerosol delivery device or may be a separate component forming part of the aerosol delivery system other than the aerosol delivery device itself.

[0088] The construction of an aerosol supply system (and its aerosol supply device) can vary depending on the form of the aerosol-generating material from which it generates aerosols. However, although examples will be discussed below with regard to various forms of aerosol-generating materials and correspondingly different aerosol supply device constructions, the techniques discussed herein can be applied to all forms of aerosol-generating materials.

[0089] Aerosol supply systems (e.g., their aerosol supply devices) include an aerosol generator configured to generate aerosols from aerosol-generating materials, the aerosols being generated at an aerosol generation area within the aerosol supply system. Aerosol generators typically, but not always, include a heating element configured to heat and volatilize the aerosol-generating material, thereby producing aerosols that can be inhaled by a user. While this document will discuss many features of aerosol generators that include a heating element, we note that these features can also be applied to aerosol generators that do not necessarily include a heating element.

[0090] Aerosol supply systems (e.g., their aerosol supply devices) typically include a heating chamber, with heating components configured to heat the chamber, thereby heating the aerosol-generating material within it. In such an arrangement, the heating chamber may correspond to an aerosol-generating area. The heating chamber is configured to receive the aerosol-generating material.

[0091] The heating assembly may include heating elements, and the heating assembly is configured to heat the heating elements. The heating elements are used to heat the aerosol-generating material, for example, by configuring the heating chamber to heat it. The heating elements may be part of an aerosol supply device, or may be a separate component of an aerosol supply system other than the aerosol supply device. Multiple respective heating elements may be used, and the heating assembly may be configured to heat independently, for example, such that they can be heated individually or in combination. In the case of a system comprising multiple portions of aerosol-generating material, multiple respective heating elements may be used, each configured to heat a corresponding portion of the aerosol-generating material. Multiple heating elements may also be configured to heat different areas of the same portion of the aerosol-generating material.

[0092] In some arrangements, the heating assembly is configured to heat the heating element by resistance heating, wherein current flows through the heating element to induce heating as a result of the resistance of the heating element. In some arrangements, the heating assembly is configured to heat the heating element by induction heating, in which case the magnetic field generator of the heating assembly is configured to generate a changing magnetic field that penetrates the heating element and causes the sensor material within the heating element to be heated. In other words, the sensor material is configured to be heated by the penetration of the changing magnetic field. The magnetic field generator may include a coil, such as a helical coil, that can surround at least a portion of the heating chamber.

[0093] The heating element can be heated by utilizing the penetration of a changing magnetic field because the sensor material includes a conductive material, and the changing magnetic field induces eddy currents within the sensor material that cause heating. Alternatively or additionally, the sensor material can be heated because it includes a magnetic material, and the changing magnetic field causes heating of the sensor material through a hysteresis mechanism. In embodiments, the sensor material may include a conductive and magnetic material.

[0094] Heating elements, such as their sensor material (if present), may include one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: metallic materials such as aluminum, gold, iron, nickel, cobalt, pure carbon steel, stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel, copper, and bronze, or non-metallic materials such as conductive carbon or graphite.

[0095] An arrangement is envisioned in which the heating assembly includes a radiant heating element configured to generate radiation for heating the aerosol-generating material (e.g., for heating a heating chamber). The radiation may include electromagnetic radiation (e.g., infrared or microwave radiation) or acoustic radiation (e.g., ultrasonic radiation). In such an arrangement, as discussed above regarding heating elements, the heating assembly can be configured to independently heat different portions of the aerosol-generating material or different areas of the same portion of the aerosol-generating material. Typically, this can be achieved by a heating assembly configured to independently heat different areas of the heating chamber.

[0096] Each of these heating technologies can be applied to any aerosol-generating material discussed above, or to any other form of delivery system that uses heating to generate aerosols from the aerosol-generating material.

[0097] In arrangements where the aerosol-generating material is liquid, the aerosol generation can be stored within a reservoir included in the aerosol supply system. The reservoir can be part of the aerosol supply device, particularly in the case of a one-piece aerosol supply device, where the reservoir can take the form of a storage tank, which is a container or receiver for storing the aerosol-generating material, allowing the liquid to move and flow freely within the tank's boundaries. A transfer arrangement, including a wicking section or other porous element, can be provided to transport the aerosol-generating material from the reservoir to the heating element. The transfer arrangement can have one or more portions located inside the reservoir, or otherwise in fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material in the reservoir, to absorb the aerosol-generating material and transfer it, for example, by wicking or capillary action, to other portions of the transfer arrangement adjacent to or in contact with the heating element. The aerosol-generating material is thus heated and evaporated to be replaced by new aerosol-generating material from the reservoir, for transfer to the heating element via the wicking section transfer arrangement. The transfer arrangement can be considered as a conduit between the reservoir and the heating element, which transfers the aerosol-generating material from the reservoir to the heating element.

[0098] A non-flammable aerosol supply system (e.g., the aerosol supply device) may include an aerosol modifier. An aerosol modifier is a substance typically located downstream of the aerosol generation area, configured to modify the generated aerosol, for example, by altering its flavor, taste, acidity, or other characteristics. The aerosol modifier may be disposed in an aerosol modifier release component operable to selectively release the aerosol modifier. The aerosol modifier may be, for example, an additive or adsorbent. The aerosol modifier may, for example, comprise one or more of flavoring agents, coloring agents, water, and carbon adsorbents. The aerosol modifier may be, for example, a solid, liquid, or gel. The aerosol modifier may be in powder, filament, or granular form. The aerosol modifier may not contain filter material.

[0099] In some embodiments, the non-flammable aerosol supply system, such as its non-flammable aerosol supply device, may include a power source. The power source may include, for example, a power source or an exothermic power source. In some embodiments, the exothermic power source includes a carbon substrate that can be energized to distribute power in the form of heat to the aerosol-generating material or a heat transfer material adjacent to the exothermic power source. In some embodiments, the power source includes a battery, such as a rechargeable battery. Examples of suitable batteries include, for example, lithium batteries (e.g., lithium-ion batteries), nickel batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium batteries), and alkaline batteries. The power source is connected to and configured to supply power to the heating assembly, such that the power source is configured to supply power to the heating assembly, and the heating assembly is configured to use the power supplied by the power source to heat the aerosol-generating material.

[0100] In some embodiments, an aerosol supply system (e.g., its aerosol supply device) includes a controller configured to control the operation of the aerosol supply system. It should be recognized that the functionality of the controller can be provided in various ways, for example, using one or more appropriately programmed programmable computers and / or one or more appropriately configured application-specific integrated circuits / circuits / chips / chipsets configured to provide the desired functionality. It should be understood that the controller may include a microcontroller (MCU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a central processing unit (CPU), and / or a microprocessor. The controller can be considered as a processing circuit. The operation of the controller is typically controlled at least in part by a software program executing on the controller. Typically, the aerosol supply device of an aerosol supply system includes a controller, but this is not always the case.

[0101] The controller can be configured to control the operation of an aerosol generator (e.g., its heating element). While many arrangements for configuring the controller to control the operation of the heating element of the aerosol generator will be discussed, these arrangements can be more generally applied to aerosol generators that may or may not include a heating element. The controller is coupled to a power source and the aerosol generator and configured to control the power supply to the aerosol generator. Therefore, the controller can be configured to control the heating of the aerosol-generating material by the heating element.

[0102] The controller can be configured to heat the aerosol-generating material according to a heating profile, for example, by causing a heating assembly to heat the aerosol-generating material according to the heating profile. A heating profile refers to the change in temperature of the material over time. For example, the temperature change of a heating element measured at the heating element during the duration of a usage session can be referred to as the heating profile of that heating element (or equivalently, the heating profile of the heating assembly unit including that heating element). The heating element provides heat to the aerosol-generating material during use to generate aerosols. Therefore, the heating profile of the heating element causes, for example, the heating profile of the aerosol-generating material disposed near the heating element.

[0103] The aerosol supply system (e.g., its aerosol supply device) may also include memory. The memory may include volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) or flash memory, and / or non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable read-only memory (EEROM), or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). In embodiments, the memory includes controller memory, which is part of the controller and may be integrated within the controller. The memory may additionally or alternatively include external memory connected to and outside the controller. The external memory may be removed from the aerosol supply system (e.g., its aerosol supply device) and may include an SD card or a microSD card. Software programs to be executed by the controller may be stored on the memory.

[0104] The aerosol supply system (e.g., its aerosol supply device) may also include a control interface for receiving inputs and / or providing outputs. For example, the control interface may be configured to receive inputs and provide input data corresponding to the received inputs to the controller. The control interface may be configured to receive output data from the controller and provide outputs corresponding to the output data received from the controller.

[0105] The control interface may include a user interface comprising one or more input components for receiving input from a user and one or more output components for providing output to the user. One or more input components are configured to receive input from the user and provide corresponding input data to the controller. One or more input components may be configured to receive input from the user in the form of physical manipulation. One or more input components may include buttons (such as scroll buttons), switches, dials, microphones, cameras, accelerometers, touchscreens, or any combination thereof. One or more input components may be assigned functions such as turning the aerosol supply device on and off and selecting the operating mode of the aerosol supply system (as will be discussed in more detail herein). One or more output components are configured to receive output data from the controller and provide corresponding output to the user. One or more output components may include light (such as LEDs), speakers, haptic components, displays (such as screens), or any combination thereof. The controller may be configured to cause one or more output components to provide outputs indicating characteristics of the aerosol supply system (e.g., characteristics of the aerosol generating material) or the remaining power of the power supply.

[0106] The control interface may include one or more sensors for detecting one or more characteristics associated with the aerosol supply system (e.g., its aerosol supply device), these sensors being configured to provide input data to the controller, including sensor data related to the detected one or more characteristics. One or more sensors may include aspiration sensors configured to detect user inhalation at the aerosol supply system. One or more sensors may include temperature sensors configured to detect temperatures associated with the aerosol supply system, such as the temperature of heating components, heating elements, aerosol generating materials, or the temperature of the environment surrounding the aerosol supply system. One or more sensors may include biometric sensors configured to detect user-related biometric attributes (e.g., fingerprint, heart rate, respiratory attributes).

[0107] The control interface may include communication circuitry configured to connect to one or more other devices and / or communicate data with one or more other devices. The communication circuitry communicating data with one or more other devices may include sending data to one or more other devices (e.g., to transmit data from an aerosol supply device to one or more other devices), receiving data from one or more other devices (e.g., to transmit data from one or more other devices to an aerosol supply device), or both sending data to one or more other devices and receiving data from one or more other devices. The term "send" in relation to data can be understood as transmitting data from a device, while the term "transmit" can be understood as transmitting data from a device and receiving data by other devices. For example, the communication circuitry may be configured to establish a data connection with one or more other devices. In some embodiments, the communication circuitry is integrated into the controller, and in other embodiments, it is implemented separately (including, for example, separate application-specific integrated circuits, circuits, chips, and / or chipsets). The data connection may be non-permanent or otherwise transient; in this sense, the data connection may be established for a period of time necessary to continuously perform a particular function, but may also be disconnected when not needed. In this text, other devices relative to the aerosol supply device may be another aerosol supply device or (as further described herein) an external power supply device or a computing device.

[0108] The communication circuit can be configured to receive input including data from other devices and to provide (e.g., transmit) output including data to other devices. The communication circuit can be configured to provide input data corresponding to the input, which includes data received from other devices, to a controller, and to provide (e.g., transmit) output including data to other devices, the output corresponding to output data provided by the controller. Therefore, the controller can (via the communication circuit) receive data sent from other devices to the aerosol supply system (e.g., its aerosol supply device), and the controller can (via the communication circuit) send data from the aerosol supply system (e.g., its aerosol supply device) to other devices. Data received from other devices may include instructions for the controller of the aerosol supply system (e.g., its aerosol supply device) to perform one or more control actions. Data provided to (e.g., transmitted to) other devices may include instructions for the other devices to perform one or more control actions. A reference to a device that transmits data to other devices can be understood as corresponding to a controller of a device that causes the device's communication circuit to transmit data to be received by the control circuit of the other device, the corresponding input data then being received by the controller of the other device from the control circuit of the other device.

[0109] The communication circuit may include a wireless communication module configured to establish a wireless data connection with one or more other devices, and / or use the wireless data connection to communicate data with one or more other devices. For example, the wireless communication module may include a Bluetooth module (e.g., a Bluetooth Low Energy module), a ZigBee module, a WiFi module (e.g., a WiFi Direct module), a 2G module, a 3G module, a 4G module, a 5G module, an LTE module, an NFC module, an RFID module, an optical communication module configured to use optical signals for data communication, an audio communication module configured to use audio signals for data communication, or other wireless communication modules. Therefore, the wireless data connection may accordingly be a Bluetooth connection (e.g., a Bluetooth Low Energy connection), a ZigBee connection, a WiFi connection (e.g., a WiFi Direct connection), a 2G connection, a 3G connection, a 4G connection, a 5G connection, an LTE connection, and an NFC connection, as well as an RFID connection, an optical data connection, an audio data connection, or other wireless data connection. More generally, it should be understood that any wireless protocol can, in principle, be used for wireless data connections.

[0110] The communication circuitry may also, or alternatively, include a wired communication module configured to establish a wired data connection with one or more other devices and / or to communicate data with one or more other devices using a wired data connection. For example, the wired communication module may include a wired interface, such as a USB interface (e.g., USB-A, USB-B, mini-USB, micro-USB, USB-C, or USB-3), a Thunderbolt interface, or other wired data interfaces. Therefore, the wired data connection may accordingly be a USB connection (e.g., USB-A, USB-B, mini-USB, micro-USB, USB-C, or USB-3), a Thunderbolt connection, or other wired data connection. More generally, it will be understood that the wired module may include any wired interface using a wired protocol that enables data transmission according to, for example, a packet data transmission protocol, and may include pin or contact pad arrangements configured to engage cooperating pins or contact pads on other devices that can be connected to the aerosol supply system (e.g., its aerosol supply device).

[0111] The controller can be configured to control the operation of the aerosol supply system based on input data received from a control interface. Input data may include input data provided from one or more input components of the user interface, input data provided from one or more sensors including sensor data, and input data provided from communication circuitry corresponding to data received from other devices. Based on events (e.g., in response to events), such as the receipt of input data, the controller can be configured to perform control actions, such as activating the function of components of the aerosol supply system (e.g., causing a heating element to start heating, causing one or more output components to provide output to a user, or causing communication circuitry to provide output to other devices), changing parameters associated with the function of components of the aerosol supply system, and enabling or disabling the function of components of the aerosol supply system.

[0112] The controller can be configured to perform a control action based on an event. In this case, the controller will determine whether and how to perform the control action based on the occurrence of the event and, for example, the attributes of the event. However, while this control action can be performed directly after the event—that is, triggered by the event—this is not necessary, and the control action can be performed at a later time. The controller can also be configured to perform a control action in response to an event. In this case, the controller will then perform the action (either directly afterward or at a later time), i.e., the execution of the action is triggered by the event. For example, the controller can cause the heating component to heat the aerosol-generating material immediately after the suction sensor detects inhalation, following the detection of user inhalation.

[0113] The controller can also be configured to control the operation of the aerosol supply system (e.g., its aerosol supply device) according to selected modes (or multiple selected modes). Each mode is associated with predetermined rules regarding the function of one or more components of the aerosol supply system (e.g., its aerosol supply device). For example, operating parameters and / or logic can vary between modes. These components may include, but are not limited to, memory, control interface, aerosol generator, and power supply. In some modes, specific functions of one or more components can be enabled such that the controller causes the function to be performed by the aerosol supply system (e.g., its aerosol supply device) when, for example, the controller receives input data including instructions to perform the function. However, in some modes, specific functions of one or more components can be disabled such that the controller does not cause the function to be performed by the aerosol supply system (e.g., its aerosol supply device) when, for example, the controller receives input data including instructions to perform the function.

[0114] The aerosol supply device may include a charging interface for receiving power from an external power source. For example, the charging interface may be used to receive power from an external power source including a charging cable. As part of a system including an aerosol supply system, an external power supply device may also be provided, configured to connect to the aerosol supply device (e.g., its charging interface) and supply power to the aerosol supply device. The external power supply device may include a power source comprising a battery, such as a rechargeable battery. Suitable battery embodiments include, for example, lithium batteries (e.g., lithium-ion batteries), nickel batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium batteries), and alkaline batteries. The external power supply device may be configured to provide power to charge the power source of the aerosol supply device. The external power supply device may be a "charging box" including a recess configured to receive at least a portion of the aerosol supply device, wherein the external power supply device is configured to connect to the charging interface when the aerosol supply device is received in the recess.

[0115] An external power supply device may include either or both of a controller and a memory. The controller and memory of the external power supply device may use any of the features of controllers and memory discussed above regarding aerosol supply systems. The controller of the external power supply device may be configured to control the power supply to the aerosol supply device. The external power supply device may also include a control interface for receiving inputs and / or providing outputs, which may use any of the features of control interfaces discussed above regarding aerosol supply systems. For example, the control interface may include communication circuitry configured to connect to one or more other devices and enable the establishment of data connections with one or more other devices. In this text, other devices of the external power supply device may be the aerosol supply device, other external power supply devices, or (as further described herein) computing devices.

[0116] The charging interface of the external power supply device can also be configured to communicate data with the external power supply when connected. In this arrangement, the charging interface corresponds to a wired communication component (i.e., the wired communication component of the communication circuitry of the external power supply device) configured to transmit data using a wired data connection. The charging interface may include a wired interface, such as a USB interface (e.g., USB-A, USB-B, mini USB, micro USB, USB-C, or USB-3), a Thunderbolt interface, or other wired interfaces.

[0117] A system including an aerosol supply system may also include one or more computing devices configured to connect to the aerosol supply system (e.g., its aerosol supply unit) and communicate with it using a data connection (e.g., wired or wireless). The one or more computing devices may include a local computing device that can be controlled or owned by a user, such as a smartphone, tablet computer, personal computer (PC), wearable device (e.g., smartwatch), a refilling device for refilling the aerosol supply unit using aerosol-generating materials, or a connection hub. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more computing devices may include a remote computing device that is not controlled or owned by the user, such as a server.

[0118] The computing device may include either or both of a controller and a memory. The controller and memory of the computing device may use any of the features discussed above regarding controllers and memory in relation to the aerosol supply system. The computing device may also include a control interface for receiving input (e.g., from a user) and / or providing output (e.g., to a user), which may use any of the features discussed above regarding control interfaces in relation to the aerosol supply system. The control interface may include communication circuitry configured to connect to and communicate data with other devices. In this text, other devices of the computing device may be an aerosol supply device, an external power supply device, or other computing devices.

[0119] The aerosol supply system (e.g., its aerosol supply device) can directly establish communication with a remote computing device using one of the aforementioned wireless protocols, for example, through a connection with a communication node (such as a telecommunications "base station") that provides a connection to the remote computing device. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol supply system (e.g., its aerosol supply device) can establish communication with the remote computing device via a local computing device, for example, using wired or wireless communication protocols to communicate with the local computing device, which then communicates with the remote computing device. The local computing device can also indirectly communicate with the remote computing device via a relay device (which may be another computing device) to realize aspects of its own functionality or on behalf of the aerosol supply system (e.g., as a relay or coprocessor unit).

[0120] The computing devices can also transmit data to each other directly or indirectly via any of the wired or wireless communication protocols described above. Therefore, in embodiments, a given first device and a second device (e.g., any one of an aerosol supply device, an external power supply device, and a computing device) can typically be in a connected or disconnected state relative to each other. The disconnected state can also be referred to as an idle state, and in this state, the given first device cannot be detected by the other second device (i.e., the first device does not transmit any signaling that enables the determination of its presence and / or identity), or the first device can be used to establish a data connection with the second device (i.e., it can use announcement signaling to announce its presence and / or identity). In the connected state, the first and second devices are configured such that data can be transmitted from the first device to the second device (e.g., "uplink" transmission) and / or from the second device to the first device (e.g., "downlink" transmission). Therefore, the establishment of a data connection between the first and second devices can be considered to include the establishment of any state in which the two devices can exchange data regardless of the direction of data transmission. Non-limiting embodiments of the connection state are establishing an RRC connection state according to the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, or establishing a connection state according to the Bluetooth (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)) standard.

[0121] When the first and second devices are configured to communicate wirelessly, the transition from an unconnected state to a connected state typically follows a process similar to the following: In the initial query step, the first device (e.g., an aerosol providing device, although this can be applied to any of the aforementioned devices) establishes the presence of the second device (e.g., a computing device, although this can be applied to any of the aforementioned devices) by receiving a beacon signal or other identification signal from the second device. In the authentication step, the first and second devices exchange messages to establish information related to the data transmission protocol used for exchanging data (e.g., including encoding and encryption parameters to be used when exchanging data). In the data transmission step, the first and second devices transmit data through a wireless interface established according to the agreed data transmission protocol. This data transmission can be bidirectional or unidirectional. The data communication process for wired communication can be broadly similar, except that data is transmitted through a wired interface instead of a wireless interface.

[0122] As further described herein, any system comprising any combination of an aerosol supply system and an external power supply and computing device can be used to support the functions of the aerosol supply system. These functions may be referred to as “connectivity” functions because they involve data transmission between the aerosol supply system and other connected devices, such as one or more computing devices. Such an arrangement can be considered advantageous in enhancing aspects of the operation of the aerosol supply system. For example, an aerosol supply device capable of receiving data from other devices can receive software updates or updated parameters from the computing device (e.g., related to aerosol generation by the aerosol generator). Determining suitable parameters may require significant handling of overheating, which is performed more efficiently on the computing device with higher processing power than is typically provided on an aerosol supply system, where lower energy consumption (for extended battery life) and reduced complexity (for cost reduction) are generally considered advantageous.

[0123] Computing devices (such as smartphones) can also be used by users to provide input to the control interface of the aerosol supply system, which can be particularly advantageous where there is an incentive to keep the input or output components on the aerosol supply system to a minimum (e.g., to reduce complexity and cost). Therefore, an application (“app”) running on the computing device can support offloading or relaying functions, effectively targeting the aerosol supply device, which has a direct or indirect (e.g., relayed) data connection with the computing device according to the methods described above. Thus, the aerosol supply system can send data (e.g., sensor data related to the use of the aerosol supply system received by the controller of the aerosol supply system) to the computing device via its communication circuitry, and the computing device can provide information related to the aerosol supply system to the user via the app. Alternatively or additionally, the user can select control actions via the app, and data related to the control actions can be sent from the computing device to the aerosol supply system, whereby the controller of the aerosol supply system executes the control actions.

[0124] This document describes various methods for operating an aerosol supply system. While these methods can be described within the context of the aerosol supply system being controlled by a controller (e.g., its aerosol supply device), it should be understood that these methods can be executed by any controller of a broader system comprising any combination of one or more aerosol supply devices, one or more external power supply devices, and one or more computing devices, or by any combination of these controllers. Specifically, since each of these controllers can communicate with some or any of the other controllers in a system comprising any one of the aerosol supply devices, external power supply devices, and computing devices, data such as instructions for performing one or more control actions can be communicated directly or indirectly between these controllers. Therefore, methods for operating an aerosol supply system can be executed by a “distributed” aerosol supply system comprising any combination of the aforementioned aerosol supply devices, external power supply devices, and computing devices, for example, by any one or more controllers of these devices. Therefore, although specific method steps can be described in the context of a controller for a particular device, it is expected that, where feasible, these control actions can be performed by other controllers among these controllers, and that the individual method steps can be performed by multiple corresponding different controllers.

[0125] Various implementation methods will now be described in more detail.

[0126] Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view is shown through a one-piece aerosol supply system 1 according to some embodiments.

[0127] The aerosol supply system 1 is a one-piece aerosol supply device 100. The aerosol supply device 100 includes an outer housing 105, a memory 110, a controller 120 configured to control the operation of the aerosol supply device 100, a control interface 130 for receiving input from the aerosol supply device and providing output from the aerosol supply device 100, a power supply 140 configured to provide power for the operation of the aerosol supply device 100, a reservoir containing liquid aerosol generating material 170, and a heating assembly 160 configured to heat the aerosol generating material 170. The outer housing 105 may also at least partially enclose other components of the aerosol supply device 100, namely the memory 110, controller 120, control interface 130, power supply 140, reservoir containing liquid aerosol generating material 170, and heating assembly 160. The aerosol supply device 100 also includes a nozzle 190 through which a user can draw aerosol generated from the aerosol generating material 170.

[0128] The one-piece aerosol supply device 100 can be configured to be refillable, such that when at least a portion of the (initial) aerosol generating material 170 of the aerosol supply device is depleted, it can be refilled with (new) aerosol generating material 170. Alternatively, the one-piece aerosol supply device 100 can be a disposable one-piece aerosol supply device 100, which the user can discard once the aerosol generating material 170 has been depleted (e.g., after a predetermined number of inhalations), and, for example, the disposable one-piece aerosol supply device is not configured to be refillable by the user. Furthermore, the one-piece aerosol supply device 100 can be a non-rechargeable one-piece aerosol supply device 100, excluding a charging interface for receiving power from an external power source. However, other arrangements are contemplated in which the one-piece aerosol supply device 100 is rechargeable and has a charging interface for receiving power from an external source. The aerosol supply device 100 is a handheld electronic vapor device, meaning that the size and structure of the outer casing 105 surrounding other components are configured to be held in the user's hand. In other words, the device is portable. The aerosol supply device 100 is a disposable, one-piece aerosol supply device that the user can discard after the aerosol generating material 170 is depleted, and the aerosol supply device is not configured to receive consumables or be refilled by the user.

[0129] The heating assembly 160 includes a heating element for heating aerosol generating material 170 and a transfer device configured to deliver the aerosol generating material 170 from a reservoir to the heating element. The heating assembly 160 is configured to heat the heating element such that the aerosol generating material 170 delivered from the transfer device to the heating element can be heated to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user. The transfer device may include a wick or other porous element and has one or more portions in fluid communication with the aerosol generating material 170 within the reservoir, enabling it to absorb the aerosol generating material and transfer it by wicking or capillary action to other portions of the transfer device arranged to be heated by the heating element.

[0130] However, although Figure 1 The device 100 is presented in the context of an aerosol generating material 170, which is a liquid aerosol generating material 170. However, it should be noted that the techniques discussed herein can also be applied to a one-piece aerosol supply device configured to store or include a non-liquid aerosol generating material, which may be in solid or gel form.

[0131] The one-piece aerosol supply device 100 may have a limited lifespan, for example, because the heating assembly 160 (including the heating element) may degrade over time, and the aerosol generating material 170 may be depleted. Furthermore, the aerosol supply device 100 may be non-rechargeable, meaning it does not include a charging interface for receiving power from an external power source. This may be because the power supply 140 is not a rechargeable battery, but rather a cost-reduced non-rechargeable power source. Therefore, it is advantageous that the one-piece aerosol supply device 100 can be manufactured with a reduced number of parts and less complexity to keep power consumption and costs associated with the device low for the user. Even if the power supply 140 is rechargeable, the reduction in the number and complexity of electrical components can still be advantageous in enabling the use of a smaller and lighter power supply 140.

[0132] Therefore, the one-piece aerosol supply device 100 may not have a communication circuit configured to communicate data with one or more other devices, including a wireless communication module or a wired communication module. In other words, the one-piece aerosol supply device 100 may not have a wireless communication module (e.g., a Bluetooth module or any other wireless communication module described above) or a wired communication module (e.g., a USB interface or any other wired communication module described above). Furthermore, the one-piece aerosol supply device 100 may not have a biometric sensor configured to detect user-related biometric attributes.

[0133] Conversely, the control interface 130 of the aerosol supply device 100 may include one or more input components for receiving input from a user. The one or more input components may be configured to receive physical input including a sequence of physical manipulations by the user. In such a case, the one or more input components may include one or more buttons configured to be pressed by the user to receive physical input including a pressing sequence. Similarly, the one or more input components may include one or more switches configured to be actuated by the user to receive physical input including a series of switches. Furthermore, the one or more input components may include one or more dials configured to be rotated by the user.

[0134] However, it should be noted that in other arrangements, the control interface 130 does include communication circuitry configured to communicate data with one or more other devices. For example, the communication circuitry may include a wireless communication module (e.g., a Bluetooth module or any other wireless communication module described above) or a wired communication module (e.g., a USB interface or any other wired communication module described above).

[0135] Figure 2A schematic representation of the system is shown, which includes an aerosol supply system 2 as an aerosol supply device 2, an external power supply device 260, local computing devices 271, 272, and 273, and a remote computing device 280. The aerosol supply device 200 may have any of the characteristics of the aerosol supply device 100 discussed above.

[0136] In this arrangement, remote computing device 280 is a server residing on cloud 290. Each of the local computing devices 271, 272, and 271 is interconnected with each other and connected to each of the other devices. Different data connections 20 between each of these devices are depicted, illustrating how data can be sent between any given first and second devices. In use, when these data connections 20 are established (using wired or wireless protocols), data can be sent from the first device (such as aerosol supply device 200) to the second device (such as remote computing device 280) either directly via a direct data connection between the two devices (if it exists) or indirectly via relay by one or more other devices.

[0137] In the case of the aerosol supply device 200 and the remote computing device 280, data (such as usage data collected by the aerosol supply device) can be sent to the remote computing device 280 via a wired data connection to the external power supply device 260. The external power supply device then sends this data to a first local computing device 271, which is a smartphone 271, via a wireless data connection. The wireless data connection between the smartphone 271 and the external power supply device 260 is a Bluetooth connection established using the Bluetooth module of the smartphone 271 and the Bluetooth module of the external power supply device 260.

[0138] The smartphone 271 then transmits data to the remote computing device 280 via a wireless data connection. The wireless data connection between the smartphone 271 and the remote computing device 280 is a 3G wireless connection established using the 3G module of the local computing device, which is connected to a corresponding communication node (such as a telecommunications "base station") that provides connectivity to the remote computing device 280.

[0139] Users can also use data connection network 20 to perform control actions on aerosol supply device 200 via their controller. Using an application on a second local computing device 272 (such as a smartphone or personal computer), the user can select control actions, and the personal computer 272 then sends data related to the control actions to remote computing device 280 via a wired data connection. The remote computing device 280 then uses the aforementioned 3G wireless connection to send the data related to the control actions to smartphone 271.

[0140] The smartphone 271 then uses the aforementioned Bluetooth connection to send data related to the control action to the external power supply device 260, and the external power supply device 260 then sends the data related to the control action to the aerosol supply device 200 via a wired data connection between the aerosol supply device 200 and the external power supply device 260. The controller of the aerosol supply device 200 receives the data related to the control action and causes the aerosol supply device 400 to perform the control action.

[0141] For aerosol supply devices, such as aerosol supply devices 100 and 200, it is desirable to ensure that the aerosol supply device is operated by a suitable user. This may be because the specific functions of the aerosol supply device may only be suitable for use by a suitable user, or within a given jurisdiction, only suitable users with specific characteristics (e.g., older than an age threshold) may be permitted.

[0142] To achieve this, an aerosol supply device can be sold, wherein the controller is configured to control the operation of the aerosol supply device according to a first mode (which may be referred to as the aerosol supply device being "in first mode"), in which specific functions of the aerosol supply device are disabled. After purchasing the aerosol supply device, the user can then perform several steps to verify that they are a suitable user of the aerosol supply device, and can then provide the aerosol supply device with an indication that this verification has occurred. In response to receiving this indication, the controller of the aerosol supply device can then switch from controlling the operation of the aerosol supply device according to the first mode to controlling the operation of the aerosol supply device according to a second mode, in which specific functions of the aerosol supply device that were disabled in the first mode are enabled.

[0143] For example, in the first mode, the function of the aerosol supply device in generating aerosols from aerosol generating materials can be disabled. In an arrangement such as aerosol supply device 100, this might be because the function of the aerosol generator (e.g., heating components 220, 320) is disabled. In other arrangements, this might be because the function of the aerosol supply device supplying power to the aerosol generator is disabled. In either case, this function is disabled in the first mode and enabled in the second mode.

[0144] All functions of the aerosol supply device in generating aerosols from any aerosol generating material can be disabled, or specific functions of the aerosol supply device in generating aerosols from aerosol generating materials with specific properties can be disabled. The function of the aerosol supply device in enabling the aerosol generator to generate aerosols in a specific manner can be disabled in the first mode. For example, the function of the aerosol supply device in enabling the heating component of the aerosol generator to heat the aerosol generating material according to one or more heating profiles can be disabled. Furthermore, the function of the aerosol supply device in generating, storing, or transmitting usage data related to the user's use of the aerosol supply device can be disabled in the first mode. Each or any other of these aspects of functionality can be enabled in the first mode and disabled in the second mode.

[0145] In the case of one-piece aerosol supply devices (such as one-piece aerosol supply device 100), a device with the aforementioned reduced complexity may be advantageous. Therefore, this application relates to a method for switching from a first mode to a second mode after verifying that a user is a suitable user, which is advantageous in the context of one-piece aerosol supply devices.

[0146] Now see Figure 3 The flowchart describes a method for providing input to switch modes of the aerosol supply device 100. Figure 3 A flowchart representation of a method according to certain embodiments is shown.

[0147] In step S1-1, a user who owns or intends to purchase the aerosol delivery device in the first mode logs in or creates a (digital) user profile using a local computing device. While any other suitable device discussed above may be used, this local computing device may be a smartphone or computer, such as any of local computing devices 471, 472, 473, or any other type of local computing device that the user can enter the data necessary to log in or create a user profile. Specifically, the user may use an application on the local computing device to log in to their user profile by submitting a username and password, or to create a user profile by submitting user information such as their name, email address, postage address, and password.

[0148] The user account is associated with the aforementioned verification of the appropriate user and is stored on an authorized computing device. The authorized computing device may be a remote computing device, such as remote computing device 280 on cloud 290. The authorized computing device may include multiple computing devices in an arrangement, such as a network of computing devices. The authorized computing device is controlled by the manufacturer of aerosol supply device 100, or by an entity operating with or on behalf of the manufacturer, to perform user verification according to the appropriate user. The authorized computing device has the authority to indicate that verification has been completed and generates the necessary inputs provided to aerosol supply device 100, which allows controller 120 to switch from controlling the operation of the aerosol supply device according to a first mode to a second mode.

[0149] The local computing device can use any of the data connections discussed above (such as those related to...). Figure 2 The methods discussed involve data communication between the local computing device and the authorized computing device. For example, in the case where the local computing device is a smartphone and the authorized computing device is a remote computing device (such as a server), the local computing device can communicate with the authorized computing device via a wireless data connection (such as a 3G, 4G, or 5G wireless data connection) established using the local computing device's 3G, 4G, or 5G module. This wireless data connection is connected to a corresponding communication node (such as a telecommunications "base station") that provides the connection to the remote computing device. As another embodiment, the local computing device can connect to the Internet via a wireless data connection, which is a WiFi data connection established using the local computing device's WiFi module, and communicate with the authorized computing device via the Internet.

[0150] In steps S1-2, the user submits materials via their user profile using a local computing device for verification as a suitable user of the aerosol supply device, to be sent to the authorized computing device. These materials may include an image or video of the user and / or one or more user identification documents (such as a passport or ID card). For example, the user may use the camera on the local computing device to take an image or video of themselves and images of one or more user identification documents, or alternatively, they may upload pre-taken images stored on the local computing device. Once the user has submitted such materials via their profile for verification as a suitable user on the local computing device, the local computing device then sends these materials to the authorized computing device.

[0151] While steps S1-1 and S1-2 have been discussed above regarding methods in which a user uses a local computing device to create or log in to a user account and submit materials for verification as a proper user, other methods are also envisioned. For example, in cases where the authorized computing device is operated by an authorized person (such as an employee of a retailer or manufacturer of an aerosol supply device), the user could provide details to the authorized person in step S1-1 so that they can create or log in to a user account on the authorized computing device, and the user could directly provide the authorized person with materials for their verification in step S1-2, or provide the authorized person with a physical or digital copy of an image or video from which the authorized person could obtain it.

[0152] In steps S1-3, the authorized computing device evaluates materials to determine one or more characteristics of the user, or the materials may be provided to an authorized person to determine one or more characteristics of the user. These one or more characteristics may include the user's age, or other medical or non-medical characteristics. One or more characteristics may be stored by the authorized computing device and associated with the user's user profile. The authorized computing device can then use one or more characteristics to verify that the user is a suitable user for a specific function of the aerosol supply device 100, such as the aerosol generation function of the aerosol supply device 100, or any of the other functions discussed above. In some methods, one or more characteristics may be used to verify that the user is a suitable user for a set of aerosol supply devices in a specific jurisdiction.

[0153] We note that while steps S1-1, S1-2, and S1-3 can be performed before the user possesses the aerosol supply device, they can also be performed after the user possesses the aerosol supply device. Specifically, by performing these steps, the user can be prompted to verify themselves as a suitable user by attempting to use the aerosol supply device in the first mode. For example, a user attempting to use the aerosol supply device 100 with its functions disabled can receive output from the control interface. In other words, the controller 120 can be configured to provide an alarm output indicating that the user needs to be verified as a suitable user when controlling the operation of the aerosol supply device 100 according to the first mode, and when receiving input data corresponding to instructions for performing control actions (including functions disabled in the first mode) from the control interface 130. This alarm output can be provided using the communication circuitry of the control interface 130 by sending the alarm output to other devices (e.g., local computing devices, such as smartphones), or it can be provided using one or more output components of the control interface (such as haptic components or one or more lights).

[0154] Next, in step S2-1, the user submits a mode-switching request via a user profile using a local computing device to switch from the aerosol supply device 100 in the first mode to the second mode. The local computing device sends the mode-switching request to an authorized computing device to switch the input provided to the aerosol supply device 100 from the first mode to the second mode, and indicates that the user's verification as a suitable user of the aerosol supply device has been completed. Although this request can be made using the same local computing device as discussed with respect to steps S1-1, S1-2, and S1-3, it is not mandatory, and the local computing device used in this step and subsequent steps can be different. However, all the same options for selecting the local computing device and for data communication between the local computing device and the remote device can still be applied to S2-1 and subsequent steps.

[0155] The mode switching request includes an identifier of the aerosol supply device 100 submitted to the local computing device. This identifier may be a unique identifier of the aerosol supply device 100 stored in memory 110, such as a unique code. This identifier may be generated during the manufacturing of the aerosol supply device 100, as per the relevant documentation. Figure 4 Further details can be discussed and stored in memory 110 and the memory of an authorized computing device.

[0156] The aerosol supply device 100 may include an identifier portion that presents an identifier. This identifier portion is visible to the user and visually presents the identifier, and may be, for example, disposed on the outer housing 105. For example, the identifier portion may include an optical code (such as a barcode or QR code) in which the identifier is encoded, which can be read by a local computing device (or other computing device) to submit the identifier to the local computing device. Alternatively, the identifier portion may include a readable representation of the identifier, such as text, where the identifier is readable from text by the user and therefore can be submitted to the local computing device. In other scenarios, the identifier portion may be an RFID tag from which the identifier can be read by querying the local computing device (or other computing device) to submit the identifier to the local computing device. Along with the identifier, the mode switching request may include information about the user and may include a timestamp for the time the request was sent by the local computing device.

[0157] An arrangement is also envisioned in which one or more input components of the control interface 130 are disposed on the input component portion of the aerosol supply device 100. The input component portion of the aerosol supply device 100 can be manufactured separately and, after separate manufacturing, connected to the rest of the aerosol supply device 100. In such a case, at least a portion of the memory 110 can be disposed in the input component portion, and at least a portion of the controller 120 can similarly be disposed in the input component portion. One or more input components can also have their own input component identifiers, which can have the same characteristics as the identifiers of the aerosol supply device 100, but can have different values, and serve as identifiers for one or more input components. The input component identifiers can be stored in the portion of the memory 110 disposed in the input component portion, and can be generated during the manufacturing of the input component portion.

[0158] In another embodiment where the control interface 130 of the aerosol supply device 100 includes communication circuitry for data communication with one or more other devices, the controller 120 may read an identifier (if stored in memory 110) and cause the communication circuitry to transmit the identifier to a local computing device via a data connection. For example, the communication circuitry may include a wireless communication module, in which case a wireless data connection is established with the local computing device, and the identifier is transmitted to the local computing device using the wireless data connection. Similarly, the communication circuitry may include a wired communication module, in which case a wired data connection is established with the local computing device, and the identifier is transmitted to the local computing device using the wired data connection.

[0159] In step S2-2, the authorized computing device receives a mode switching request from the local computing device and generates input to be provided to the aerosol supply device 100, indicating that the user's authentication in S1-3 has been completed. To ensure that the input is applicable to the aerosol supply device 100 and not to other unintended aerosol supply devices, the input may be generated by the authorized computing device and associated with an identifier. For example, the input may be generated by the authorized computing device such that the input has a testable association with the identifier of the aerosol supply device 100. To prevent the aerosol supply device 100 from switching from the first mode to the second mode due to forged input generated by an unauthorized computing device, the authorized computing device may also generate the input in such a way that the controller 120 of the aerosol supply device 100 can determine that it was generated by the authorized computing device (and not by a different unauthorized computing device).

[0160] An authorized computing device may use various techniques to generate inputs associated with an identifier, and similarly, various techniques may be used to generate inputs in a manner recognizable by the controller 120 as generated by an authorized computing device. Schemes that can be used in step S2-2 to achieve one or both of these objectives—associating authenticated inputs with an identifier and originating from an authorized computing device—will now be discussed.

[0161] To generate input associated with an identifier, an authorized computing device can generate input containing information (e.g., encoded information) by applying predetermined software functions to the identifier received in the mode switching request. This can be accomplished based on the understanding that the controller 120 is also configured with corresponding predetermined software functions that can be applied to the information in the input to determine whether it was generated by the authorized computing device using the identifier. In other words, the controller 120 can be configured to apply corresponding predetermined software functions to the information in the input to determine whether the information was generated by applying predetermined software functions to the identifier. In some cases, the scheme may have a controller 120 configured to "reverse engineer" the identifier from the information in the received input and compare it with an identifier stored in memory 110.

[0162] These authentication schemes may include using a first key stored in memory 110 of the aerosol supply device 100 and a second key stored in the memory of an authorized computing device. Both the first and second keys are encryption keys; in the context of this invention, the term "encryption key" refers to information (typically a string of letters and / or numbers) that can be applied to the information for authentication. Each of the first and second keys may be a string of as few as three characters (e.g., a code), but in most cases uses more characters, such as five or more, or ten or more. The first and second keys are cryptographically associated with each other such that each key corresponds to the other, and one key can be used to test whether the other key has been used to generate information (e.g., the information includes another key). In techniques using the first and second keys, the second key can typically be used by an authorized computing device to generate input. Once the aerosol supply device 100 receives input, the controller 120 can use the first key to test whether the corresponding second key of the authorized computing device was used to generate the input. In a scheme where the first key of the aerosol supply device 100 can be used to test whether the input was generated by an authorized computing device, it can be said that the information in the input is cryptographically associated with the first key of the aerosol supply device 100.

[0163] In a scheme known as "asymmetric" (or "public-key") encryption, the aerosol supply device 100 uses a first key as its public key, and the authorized computing device uses a second key as its corresponding private key. The public key is generally publicly available without compromising the integrity of the encryption, while the private key remains confidential. In this case, the authorized computing device uses the private key to generate the input. For example, this input can be generated by applying software functionality to the private key, thus the input can be considered to be cryptographically "signed" by the private key. Once the aerosol supply device 100 receives the input, the controller 120 can use the first key, which serves as the public key, to test whether the authorized computing device's private key (i.e., the second key) was used to generate the information in the input. If the test determines that the second key was used, the controller 120 can be considered to have authenticated that the input came from an authorized computing device (rather than from a different unauthorized source).

[0164] With this technique alone, it should be noted that the same second key, serving as the private key, can be used by an authorized computing device to generate inputs for various aerosol supply devices, each of which can use the same public key as the first key to verify this key. In such a case, where the same private key is used to generate inputs for various aerosol supply devices, this technique alone may not be sufficient to confirm that the input is associated with the identifier of a specific aerosol supply device 100. Therefore, this technique can be combined with the techniques described above for authenticating the association of inputs with identifiers, wherein the input is generated by applying predetermined software functions of the identifier. Thus, in this scheme, by applying predetermined software functions to both the identifier and the private key, an authorized computing device can generate inputs that depend on both the identifier and the private key of the authorized computing device.

[0165] In another scheme, referred to as "symmetric" (or "secret key") encryption, the first key of the aerosol supply device 100 is a private key, and the second key of the authorized computing device is a corresponding access key, which is associated with the identifier of the aerosol supply device 100 in the memory of the authorized computing device. The authorized computing device can thus store a library of access keys in memory, each access key associated with the identifier of the corresponding aerosol supply device, and each access key matching the private key of the corresponding aerosol supply device. It should be noted that the term "match" here does not necessarily mean that the private key and the corresponding access key are the same (although they can be the same in the scheme), but rather that there can be a functional (e.g., mathematical) correspondence between the access key and the private key, such as a one-to-one correspondence, which can be tested by the controller 120. In this scheme, to generate input, the authorized computing device uses the identifier in a mode switching request to select the access key associated with the identifier in memory and generates input including the access key. Then, when input is received via aerosol supply device 100, controller 120 can be configured to test whether the access key contained in the input meets a predetermined standard by using a first key test of aerosol supply device 100 to match the key with the first key.

[0166] Using this symmetric encryption scheme, if the controller 120 confirms through testing that the access key in the input corresponds to the first key of the aerosol supply device 100, it can be considered that the input was generated using the identifier of the aerosol supply device 100 (i.e., the input is associated with the aerosol supply device 100), and that the input was generated by an authorized computing device, since the authorized computing device has access to the access key library associated with the identifier of the aerosol supply device. Thus, when the input includes an access key corresponding to the private key of the aerosol supply device 100, the input is considered to be associated with the identifier of the aerosol supply device 100. In a particular version of this scheme, the first key (i.e., the private key) and the second key (i.e., the access key) are the same, and therefore, the controller can be configured to test whether the access key of the input is the same as the first key of the aerosol supply device 100. In this scheme, the processing requirements of the controller 120 can be reduced. It should be noted that while each access key can be matched with the private key of one aerosol supply device, a scheme is also envisioned where each access key can be matched with multiple private keys of multiple corresponding aerosol supply devices.

[0167] In an embodiment where the aerosol supply device 100 includes an input component portion, an authorized computing device may store an association between an identifier of the aerosol supply device 100, an input component identifier, and a second key. Furthermore, a first key for the aerosol supply device 100 may be stored in a portion of the memory 110 within the input component portion. Upon receiving a mode switching request including the identifier of the aerosol supply device 100, the authorized computing device then identifies the associated input component identifier and the associated second key. Using the associated second key, the authorized computing device may generate an input corresponding to the first key, and after being received by one or more input components of the input component portion, this input may be evaluated by a portion of the controller 120 within the input component portion (e.g., using a predetermined test as discussed in detail below).

[0168] Next, in steps S2-3, once the authorized computing device (using the above scheme or any other scheme) has generated the input, the authorized computing device sends the input to the local computing device. This can be done using any connection between the authorized computing device and the local computing device discussed above, and the local computing device can be configured to alert the user upon receiving the input.

[0169] Then, in steps S2-4, once the local computing device receives the input, it can be provided to one or more input components of the control interface 130 of the aerosol supply device 100. The actual process of providing input to the aerosol supply device 100 can vary depending on whether the control interface 130 includes one or more input components for receiving input from the user, or communication circuitry for communicating with one or more other devices (or, in embodiments where both are present, either can be used). If the control interface 130 includes communication circuitry (such as a wired or wireless communication module) for communicating with one or more other devices, the input can be in the form of data sent from the local computing device to the communication circuitry of the control interface 130.

[0170] In cases where the control interface 130 includes one or more input components, steps S2-4 involve a local computing device presenting instructions to the user to provide input to the one or more input components. The local computing device may visually and / or audibly instruct the user on how to provide input to the one or more input components of the aerosol supply device 100, the input including a sequence of manipulations to be provided by the user to the one or more input components. The structure of the manipulation sequence is encoded with information that allows the user to provide information to the aerosol supply device 100, and the information can be decoded by the controller 120 to decode information in the input used to perform a predetermined test.

[0171] In step S3-1, the aerosol supply device receives input at the control interface 130 and provides the corresponding input data to the controller 120. The controller 120 is then configured to decode the information encoded in the input, which may involve different schemes depending on how the input is provided, as discussed below. Once the controller recognizes the information in the input, it is configured to determine whether the input passes a predetermined test, i.e., whether the information is associated with the identifier of the aerosol supply device 100. If this is determined, the test passes, and it can be concluded that the input is intended for use with the aerosol supply device 100 and not another aerosol supply device. Furthermore, the predetermined test indicates that user verification as a suitable user has occurred, and therefore the aerosol supply device 100 can switch from a first mode to a second mode. More generally, the test indicates that user verification as a suitable user has been completed.

[0172] In one approach, the predetermined test may include determining whether the information in the input was generated by applying a specific predetermined software function to the identifier of the aerosol supply device 100. It should be understood that the software function used to generate the information in the input is known when the aerosol supply device 100 is manufactured, and therefore the corresponding predetermined software function is also implemented in the controller 120. In this case, by applying the predetermined software function to the information in the input by the controller 120 of the aerosol supply device 100, the controller 120 can use the identifier to determine whether the input was generated (e.g., by an authorized computing device). As described above, regarding step S2-2, this may include the controller 120 “reverse-engineering” the identifier from the information in the input to check that the identifier is the same as the identifier of the aerosol supply device 100, although this is not always necessary.

[0173] As discussed above, it is also desirable to confirm that the input originates from an authorized computing device (i.e., generated by an authorized computing device) and not from a different unauthorized source. In this case, if it is determined that the information in the input was generated by an authorized computing device, it can pass a predetermined test. In other words, to determine whether the input passes the predetermined test, the controller 120 can also be configured to determine whether the information was generated by an authorized computing device. To do this, the controller 120 can be configured to determine whether the information was generated by an authorized computing device by testing whether the information has an cryptographic association with a first key of the aerosol supply device, which is possible only if the information was generated using a corresponding cryptographic second key of an authorized computing device.

[0174] In one approach, the "asymmetric" encryption techniques discussed above can be applied, in which an authorized computing device generates the input using its second key (which is a private key). In this approach, a first key, serving as the public key corresponding to the private key, is stored in the memory 110 of the aerosol supply device 100. As discussed above, this private key can be used to generate information in the input (e.g., the private key can be used to "sign" the information), and the first key, serving as the public key, can be used to test this. Thus, the controller 120 is configured to use the first key, serving as the public key, to test whether the corresponding private key of the authorized computing device was used to generate the information in the input. If the test determines that the corresponding private key was used, the input can be considered verified as originating from the authorized computing device. This can also be combined with the methods discussed above for determining whether information in the input is associated with an identifier, in which case the predetermined test includes the controller applying predetermined software functions to the information in the input to determine whether the information was generated by applying the corresponding predetermined software functions to the identifier, and using the public key to test whether the private key was used to generate the information in the input.

[0175] In one approach, the predetermined test includes determining whether the information in the input includes a pass key (i.e., a second key for an authorized computing device) that meets a specific criterion. This typically includes applying software functionality to the pass key via controller 120 and determining whether the result indicates that the pass key matches a first key (e.g., a private key) stored in memory 110 of aerosol supply device 100. If controller 120 does determine that the pass key in the input matches the first key of aerosol supply device 100, it can be considered that the input was generated using the identifier of aerosol supply device 100 (i.e., the input is associated with aerosol supply device 100) and that the input was generated by an authorized computing device. In a particular version of this approach, the first key (i.e., the private key) and the second key (i.e., the pass key) are the same, and therefore, the controller can be configured to test whether the pass key of the input is the same as the first key of aerosol supply device 100. In this approach, the processing requirements of controller 120 can be reduced.

[0176] Therefore, while the predetermined test can authenticate that the information in the input is associated with an identifier, and can also authenticate that the information in the input was generated by an authorized computing device, a scheme in which the predetermined test authenticates that the information in the input was generated by an authorized computing device is also envisioned, without having to authenticate that the information is associated with an identifier of the aerosol supply device 100. Each of these authentications performed by the controller 120 provides a level of security regarding the verification of the user as a suitable user of the aerosol supply device 100, and depending on the implementation, using one or both of these authentications may be advantageous.

[0177] Regardless of the approach used, once it is determined that the information in the input passes the predetermined test, step S3-2 is performed. In step S3-2, the controller 120 switches from control operation of the aerosol supply device 100 according to the first mode to operation of the aerosol supply device 10 according to the second mode. As described above, the mode switching may involve enabling specific functions that are disabled in the first mode but enabled in the second mode.

[0178] Once the controller 120 has switched to controlling the operation of the aerosol supply device 100 according to the second mode, the controller 120 can be configured to continue controlling the operation of the aerosol supply device 100 according to the second mode (i.e., indefinitely). In this approach, the switch from the first mode to the second mode can be considered a “one-time” activation of the function of the aerosol supply device 100. However, in other approaches, the controller 120 can be configured to switch back from the control operation of the aerosol supply device 100 according to the second mode to the control operation of the aerosol supply device 100 according to the first mode in response to events such as the passage of a period of time (e.g., a predetermined time period or the arrival of a specific time event), the arrival of a threshold number of aerosols inhaled by the aerosol supply device 100 detected by the suction sensor, the device reaching a predetermined location, or the loss of a wired or wireless data connection (e.g., a Bluetooth connection) established with other devices. The controller 120 can also be configured to switch from control operation of the aerosol supply device 100 according to the second mode back to control operation of the aerosol supply device 100 according to the first mode in response to receiving input data from the control interface 130 corresponding to an instruction to switch back from the first mode to the second mode.

[0179] After switching back to the first mode from the second mode, it may be necessary to repeat some or all of the steps discussed above. For example, the user may have to perform steps S1-1 to S3-2, or scheme steps S2-1 to S3-2. In any case, another mode switching request will need to be sent to the authorized computing device, after which another input will be generated and sent from the authorized computing device. However, the input generated by the authorized computing device may be time-dependent, such that each input generated is different from the last (e.g., all previous) inputs generated for the user profile in question. To pass predetermined tests, the controller 120 may also require different inputs in each case to ensure that the user re-authenticates themselves as the appropriate user. This can be particularly advantageous because it will accommodate changes in user characteristics and changes in regulatory requirements of the jurisdiction.

[0180] Figure 4A flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing an aerosol supply device 100 according to certain embodiments is shown. While it is noted that this method may involve the physical construction and modification of components of the aerosol supply device 100, this is not necessarily the case; instead, manufacturing may involve only the creation of a data-based structure. Furthermore, although the method is discussed in the context of aerosol supply device 100, it can be equally applied to any other one-piece aerosol supply device.

[0181] In step S1, an identifier is generated for the aerosol supply device 100. This can be generated as a unique identifier, such as an incrementing serial number for each new aerosol supply device being manufactured. Alternatively, this can be a randomly generated identifier, for example, with a sufficiently high degree of randomness such that the possibility of multiple aerosol supply devices having the same identifier is nonexistent.

[0182] Then, in step S2, the aerosol supply device 100 is assigned an identifier. As described above, this can be stored in the memory 110 of the aerosol supply device 100. Alternatively, if the controller 120 does not need to access the identifier in the embodiment, the identifier may not be stored in the memory 110. As described above, the identifier can be provided by providing an identifier portion that presents the identifier to the aerosol supply device 100. The identifier portion can be configured such that a user or computing device can read the identifier from the identifier portion.

[0183] In step S3, a first key is generated as the encryption key. As mentioned above, this can be a short string and can be either a private key or a public key. Then, in step S4, the first key is stored in the memory 110 of the aerosol supply device 100 for later use in the verification input as described above.

[0184] In step S5, a second key (which is an encryption key) is then generated with an cryptographic association with the first key, and in step S6, the second key is stored in the memory of an authorized computing device. As mentioned above, the second key can also be a short string. In some schemes, such as when the first key is a public key, the second key is a private key that can be used by the authorized computing device to generate input (e.g., for various aerosol supply devices), and this use can be tested by a controller using the public key. In some schemes, such as when the first key is a private key, the second key is a pass key dedicated to the first key of the aerosol supply device 100, and this pass key matches the first key of the aerosol supply device 100. In such cases, the second key is stored in the memory of the authorized computing device in association with the identifier of the aerosol supply device 100, so that it can be selected from a pass key library by the authorized computing device.

[0185] In an arrangement where one or more input components are disposed in an identifier component portion of the aerosol supply device 100, the identifier component portion includes a corresponding input component identifier. Thus, step S1 may further include generating an input component identifier for one or more input components of the aerosol supply device, and in step S2, providing this input component identifier in the identifier component portion to a portion of the memory 110. In this case, in step S4, a first key is also stored in the portion of the memory 110 within the identifier component portion. Then, in step S5, a second key is stored in the memory of an authorized computing device in association with the input component identifier, and when the input component portion is subsequently connected to the remainder of the aerosol supply device 100, the identifier of the aerosol supply device 100 may be associated with the input component identifier in the memory of the authorized computing device, and the result may then also be associated with the second key.

[0186] Therefore, in this scheme using (e.g., separately manufactured) the input component portion, when the input component portion is connected to the rest of the aerosol supply device 100 and the identifier of the aerosol supply device 100 is associated with the input component identifier, it is not required that anyone have visibility of the second key in the memory of an authorized computing device. Thus, no one can know both the identifier of the aerosol supply device 100 and the second key, which provides additional security.

[0187] The various embodiments described herein are provided only to aid in understanding and teaching the claimed features. These embodiments are provided only as representative examples of implementations and are not exhaustive and / or exclusive. It should be understood that the advantages, implementations, examples, functions, features, structures, and / or other aspects described herein should not be considered as limitations on the scope of the invention as defined by the claims or on the equivalents of the claims, and other embodiments may be used and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. In addition to those specifically described herein, various embodiments of the invention may suitably include, consist of, or substantially consist of suitable combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, portions, steps, devices, etc., or suitable combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, portions, steps, devices, etc. Furthermore, this disclosure may include other inventions not currently claimed but which may be claimed in the future.

Claims

1. A one-piece aerosol supply device, said one-piece aerosol supply device not configured to receive consumables comprising aerosol materials, said aerosol supply device comprising: The controller is configured to control the operation of the aerosol supply device; as well as The control interface is configured to receive input and provide input data corresponding to the input to the controller. The controller is configured as follows: Receive the input data; In response to receiving the input data, it is determined whether the input passes a predetermined test associated with the identifier of the aerosol supply device by the information in the input, wherein passing the predetermined test indicates that the user has been verified as a suitable user; as well as In response to determining that the input passes the predetermined test, the operation of the aerosol supply device is switched from being controlled according to a first mode to being controlled according to a second mode. In the first mode, the function of the aerosol supply device for generating aerosols from aerosol generating materials is disabled, and in the second mode, the function of the aerosol supply device for generating aerosols from aerosol generating materials is enabled.

2. The aerosol supply device according to claim 1, wherein, The aerosol supply device is a one-piece disposable aerosol supply device that is not configured to be refilled with aerosol generating material.

3. The aerosol supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The aerosol supply device is a non-rechargeable, one-piece aerosol supply device and does not include a charging interface for receiving power from an external power source.

4. The aerosol supply device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a heating assembly, the heating assembly including a heating element for heating the aerosol generating material.

5. The aerosol supply device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The control interface includes one or more input components for receiving input from the user.

6. The aerosol supply device according to claim 5, wherein, The aerosol supply device does not include communication circuitry configured to communicate data with one or more other devices, including wireless communication modules or wired communication modules.

7. The aerosol supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The control interface includes communication circuitry configured to communicate data with one or more other devices.

8. The aerosol supply device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, To determine whether the input passes the predetermined test, the controller is configured to determine whether the information was generated using the identifier of the aerosol supply device.

9. The aerosol supply device according to claim 8, wherein, The controller is configured to determine whether the information was generated using the identifier by determining whether the information was generated by applying predetermined software functions to the identifier of the aerosol supply device.

10. The aerosol supply device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein, The controller is configured to determine whether the information was generated using the identifier of the aerosol supply device by testing whether a first key of the aerosol supply device matches a second key, wherein the second key is a pass key included in the input information.

11. The aerosol supply device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, To determine whether the input passes the predetermined test, the controller is configured to determine whether the information was generated by an authorized computing device.

12. The aerosol supply device according to claim 11, wherein, The controller is configured to determine whether the information was generated by an authorized computing device by testing whether the information has an cryptographic association with a first key of the aerosol supply device.

13. The aerosol supply device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The control interface is configured to provide output, and The controller is configured to, when controlling the operation of the aerosol supply device according to the first mode, respond to receiving input data from the control interface corresponding to an instruction to perform a control action that is disabled in the first mode, cause the control interface to provide an alarm output, the alarm output indicating that the user needs to be verified as a suitable user of the aerosol supply device.

14. The aerosol supply device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, After switching to control the aerosol supply device according to the second mode, the controller is configured to: i) Continue to control the operation of the aerosol supply device according to the second mode; or ii) In response to a period of time or receiving input data from the control interface corresponding to an instruction to switch from the first mode to the second mode, switching back from controlling the aerosol supply device according to the second mode to controlling the aerosol supply device according to the first mode, wherein, after switching back to controlling the aerosol supply device according to the first mode, the controller is configured to switch back to controlling the aerosol supply device according to the second mode in response to determining that an input has passed the predetermined test, each input that has passed the predetermined test being different from a previous input that has passed the predetermined test.

15. The aerosol supply device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising an identifier portion that presents the identifier.

16. The aerosol supply device of claim 16, comprising an outer housing, wherein the identifier portion is disposed on the outer housing, and wherein: i) The identifier portion includes an optical code, within which a unique identifier is encoded; or ii) The identifier portion includes text, through which a user can read the identifier.

17. The aerosol supply device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a reservoir configured to store aerosol generating materials.

18. A system comprising: Aerosol supply device according to any one of the preceding claims; as well as Other devices The other devices are configured to provide: i) input to one or more input components of the aerosol supply device, or ii) instructions to a user to provide input to one or more input components of the aerosol supply device. The input indication has completed the verification of the user as a suitable user of the aerosol supply device.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising an authorized computing device, wherein the authorized computing device is configured to generate the input in response to receiving a mode switching request including the identifier of the aerosol supply device, and to send the input to the other device.

20. A method for a one-piece aerosol supply device, the one-piece aerosol supply device not configured to receive consumables comprising aerosol material, the method comprising: Provides an aerosol supply device and a controller configured to control the operation of the aerosol supply device; Provide input to the control interface of the aerosol supply device; The control interface of the aerosol supply device provides input data corresponding to the input to the controller; In response to receiving the input data, the controller determines whether the input has passed a predetermined test associated with the identifier of the aerosol supply device by the information in the input data, wherein passing the predetermined test indicates that the user has been verified as a suitable user. as well as In response to determining that the input passes the predetermined test, the operation of the aerosol supply device is switched from being controlled according to a first mode to being controlled according to a second mode. In the first mode, the function of the aerosol supply device for generating aerosols from aerosol generating materials is disabled, and in the second mode, the function of the aerosol supply device for generating aerosols from aerosol generating materials is enabled.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein, The aerosol supply device is a one-piece disposable aerosol supply device that is not configured to be refilled with aerosol generating material.

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, wherein, The aerosol supply device is a non-rechargeable, one-piece aerosol supply device and does not include a charging interface for receiving power from an external power source.

23. The method of any one of claims 20 to 22, comprising: Having completed the verification that the user is a suitable user of the aerosol supply device, an authorized computing device generates input indicating to the aerosol supply device that the verification of the user as a suitable user of the aerosol supply device has been completed, and The input is sent by the authorized computing device to a local computing device or the local computing device.

24. A method of manufacturing a one-piece aerosol supply device, said one-piece aerosol supply device not configured to receive consumables comprising aerosol material, said method comprising: Generate an identifier for the aerosol supply device; The identifier is provided to the aerosol supply device, and the identifier is stored in the memory of an authorized computing device; Generate a first key for the aerosol supply device; The first key is stored in the memory of the aerosol supply device; Generate a second key for the authorized computing device, wherein the second key has an cryptographic association with the first key; The second key is stored in the memory of the authorized computing device.

25. A controller configured to control the operation of a one-piece aerosol supply device, the one-piece aerosol supply device not configured to receive consumables comprising aerosol material, wherein the controller is configured to: Receive input data from the control interface of the aerosol supply device, the input data corresponding to the input received by the control interface; In response to receiving the input, determine whether the input passes a predetermined test that associates the information in the input with the identifier of the aerosol supply device; and In response to determining that the data passes the predetermined test, the operation of the aerosol supply device is switched from being controlled according to a first mode to being controlled according to a second mode. In the first mode, the function of the aerosol supply device for generating aerosols from aerosol generating materials is disabled, and in the second mode, the function of the aerosol supply device for generating aerosols from aerosol generating materials is enabled.

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