Electronic aerosol provision system

Abstract

Described is an aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material, the aerosol provision system including an aerosol generator for generating aerosol from an aerosol generating material provided to the aerosol provision system; control circuitry for controlling the operation of the aerosol generator to generate aerosol; a user input mechanism for the user to define settings of the aerosol generator; and an aerosol-generating material identification mechanism configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system. The control circuitry is configured to store the user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system as determined by the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism. The control circuitry is configured to generate a suggestion for the user defined settings for a second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system based on the stored user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol generating material. Also described is an aerosol provision device, a method of configuring an aerosol provision system, and aerosol provision means.

Description

[0001] ELECTRONIC AEROSOL PROVISION SYSTEM

[0002] Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to electronic non-combustible aerosol provision systems such as nicotine delivery systems (e.g. electronic cigarettes and the like).

[0004] Background

[0005] Electronic aerosol provision systems such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) generally contain an aerosol precursor material, such as a reservoir of a source liquid containing a formulation, typically including nicotine, or a solid material such as a tobacco-based product, from which an aerosol is generated, e.g. through heat vaporisation. An aerosol source for an aerosol provision system may thus comprise an aerosol generator, e.g., a heating element, arranged to vaporise at least a portion of the aerosol precursor material. As a user inhales on the device and electrical power is supplied to the heating element, air is drawn into the device through inlet holes and into the aerosol generation chamber where the air mixes with the aerosolised precursor material and forms a condensation aerosol. Such devices are usually provided with one or more air inlet holes located away from a mouthpiece end of the system. When a user sucks on a mouthpiece connected to the mouthpiece end of the system, air is drawn in through the inlet holes and past the aerosol source. There is a flow path connecting between the aerosol source and an opening in the mouthpiece so that air drawn past the aerosol source continues along the flow path to the mouthpiece opening, carrying some of the aerosol from the aerosol source with it. The aerosol-carrying air exits the aerosol provision system through the mouthpiece opening for inhalation by the user.

[0006] Such aerosol provision systems typically may be used with a plurality of different aerosolgenerating materials, such as different flavoured aerosol precursors or aerosol precursors having different strengths of active ingredients (such as nicotine). Users wishing to switch between different aerosol precursors, e.g., to experience different flavours, may not have a desired user experience where, for example, the settings of the aerosol provision device are not suited, or are less suited, for use with the replacement aerosol precursor. In other instances, the user may have to manually configure the settings of the device in order to obtain a desired experience. Additionally, with some manufacturers offering a vast array of different precursors, it can be difficult for a user to memorise certain settings for each different aerosol precursor.

[0007] Various approaches are described which seek to help address some of these issues.

[0008] Summary According to a first aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material, the aerosol provision system including an aerosol generator for generating aerosol from an aerosol generating material provided to the aerosol provision system; control circuitry for controlling the operation of the aerosol generator to generate aerosol; a user input mechanism for the user to define settings of the aerosol generator; and an aerosol-generating material identification mechanism configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the aerosolgenerating material provided to the aerosol provision system. The control circuitry is configured to store the user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system as determined by the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism. The control circuitry is configured to generate a suggestion for the user defined settings for a second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system based on the stored user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material.

[0009] In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the control circuitry is configured to generate the suggestion for the user defined settings for the second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system from the user defined settings stored against the one or more properties of at least the first aerosol-generating material in respect of one or more properties of the second aerosol-generating material obtained or determined by the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism.

[0010] In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism is configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the second aerosol-generating material, and wherein the suggestion for the user defined settings for the second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system includes the user defined settings stored against the one or more properties of at least the first aerosol-generating material corresponding to the obtained or determined one or more properties of the second aerosol-generating material.

[0011] In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism is configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the second aerosol-generating material, and wherein the suggestion for the user defined settings for the second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system is calculated on the basis of the user defined settings stored against one or more properties of at least the first aerosol-generating material corresponding to the obtained or determined one or more properties of the second aerosol-generating material. In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, one or more properties of at least the first aerosol-generating material are related to the obtained or determined one or more properties of the second aerosol-generating material through a predetermined relationship, and wherein the predetermined relationship is provided to the control circuitry.

[0012] In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material include at least one of: one or more properties relating to the composition of the aerosol-generating material and one or more properties relating to the macro properties of the aerosol-generating material.

[0013] In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material include at least one of: a type of aerosol-generating material, an active ingredient of the aerosol-generating material, a concentration of an active ingredient of the aerosol-generating material, a flavour of the aerosol-generating material, and a perceived strength of the flavour of the aerosol-generating material.

[0014] In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the used defined settings include at least one of: a power setting for the aerosol generator; a power profile for the aerosol generator; and an air inlet opening size.

[0015] In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the control circuitry is configured to cause the suggestion for the user defined settings for a second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system to be provided to a user, and wherein the user is required to provide an input to the control circuitry to cause the suggested user defined settings to be implemented.

[0016] In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the control circuitry is configured to automatically adjust the settings of the aerosol generator according to the suggestion for the user defined settings.

[0017] In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the user input mechanism is configured as a mechanism that the user physically interacts with in order to provide the user defined settings.

[0018] In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the user input mechanism is configured to receive the user defined settings from a remote source.

[0019] In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the user input mechanism comprises a wireless receiver.

[0020] In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the user input mechanism comprises a connector for receiving a wired connection to the remote source. In accordance with some examples of the first aspect, the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism includes at least one of: a data containing element for storing data indicative of the one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material and a reader for reading the data from the data containing element; a sensor for performing a measuring associated with the aerosol-generating material; and a second user input mechanism for receiving user inputs indicative of the one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material.

[0021] According to a second aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an aerosol provision device for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material, the aerosol provision device including an aerosol generator for generating aerosol from an aerosol generating material provided to the aerosol provision device; control circuitry for controlling the operation of the aerosol generator to generate aerosol; a user input mechanism for the user to define settings of the aerosol generator, and an aerosol-generating material identification mechanism configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the aerosolgenerating material provided to the aerosol provision device. The control circuitry is configured to store the user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system as determined by the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism. The control circuitry is configured to generate a suggestion for the user defined settings for a second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system based on the stored user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material.

[0022] According to a third aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a method of configuring an aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material, the aerosol provision system comprising an aerosol generator for generating aerosol from an aerosol generating material provided to the aerosol provision system, control circuitry for controlling the operation of the aerosol generator to generate aerosol, a user input mechanism for the user to define settings of the aerosol generator, and an aerosolgenerating material identification mechanism configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system. The method includes: storing user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system as determined by the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism, and generating a suggestion for the user defined settings for a second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system based on the stored user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material. According to a fourth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided aerosol provision means for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material, the aerosol provision means including: aerosol generator means for generating aerosol from an aerosol generating material provided to the aerosol provision means; control means for controlling the operation of the aerosol generator means to generate aerosol; user input means for the user to define settings of the aerosol generator means; and aerosol-generating material identification means configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision means. The control means is configured to store the user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision means as determined by the aerosol-generating material identification means. The control means is configured to generate a suggestion for the user defined settings for a second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision means based on the stored user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material.

[0023] It will be appreciated that features and aspects of the invention described above in relation to the first and other aspects of the invention are equally applicable to, and may be combined with, embodiments of the invention according to other aspects of the invention as appropriate, and not just in the specific combinations described above.

[0024] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] Figure 1 schematically shows an aerosol provision system including a device and a replaceable cartridge comprising a liquid aerosol generating material in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 2 schematically shows a cartridge comprising data containing element for storing one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material in cartridge according to an implementation;

[0028] Figure 3 schematically shows a cartridge comprising a sensor for sensing one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material in cartridge according to another implementation;

[0029] Figures 4a to 4c schematically show ways of storing user defined settings against one or more properties, where Figure 4a shows a voltage level as a user defined setting for property of the aerosol-generating material of a concentration of nicotine, Figure 4b shows a voltage level as a user defined setting for property of the aerosol-generating material of a given flavour, and Figure 4c shows a more complex table showing voltage level as a user defined setting stored against a combination of a concentration of nicotine and a flavour as a property of the aerosol-generating material; and

[0030] Figure 5 shows a flow diagram depicting a method of configuring an aerosol provision system for use with an aerosol generating material using a suggestion of user defined settings.

[0031] Detailed Description

[0032] Aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments are discussed I described herein. Some aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments may be implemented conventionally and these are not discussed I described in detail in the interests of brevity. It will thus be appreciated that aspects and features of apparatus and methods discussed herein which are not described in detail may be implemented in accordance with any conventional techniques for implementing such aspects and features.

[0033] According to the present disclosure, a “non-combustible” aerosol provision system is one where a constituent aerosol-generating material of the aerosol provision system (or component thereof) is not combusted or burned in order to facilitate delivery of at least one substance to a user.

[0034] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is a powered noncombustible aerosol provision system.

[0035] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device, electronic cigarette or electronic nicotine delivery system (END), although it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol-generating material is not a requirement. Throughout the following description the term “e-cigarette” is sometimes used but this term may be used interchangeably with aerosol (vapour) provision system.

[0036] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an aerosolgenerating material heating system, also known as a heat-not-burn system. An example of such a system is a tobacco heating system.

[0037] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is a hybrid system to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials, one or a plurality of which may be heated. Each of the aerosol-generating materials may be, for example, in the form of a solid, liquid or gel and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel aerosol-generating material and a solid aerosol- generating material. The solid aerosol-generating material may comprise, for example, tobacco or a non-tobacco product.

[0038] Aerosol-generating material is a material that is capable of generating aerosol, for example when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. Aerosol-generating material may, for example, be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel which may or may not contain an active substance and / or flavourants. In some implementations, the aerosol-generating material may comprise an “amorphous solid”, which may alternatively be referred to as a “monolithic solid” (i.e. non-fibrous). In some implementations, the amorphous solid may be a dried gel. The amorphous solid is a solid material that may retain some fluid, such as liquid, within it. In some implementations, the aerosol-generating material may for example comprise from about 50wt%, 60wt% or 70wt% of amorphous solid, to about 90wt%, 95wt% or 100wt% of amorphous solid.

[0039] In some embodiments, the or each aerosol-generating material may comprise one or more active substances and / or flavours, one or more aerosol-former materials, and optionally one or more other functional materials.

[0040] In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered comprises an active substance.

[0041] The active substance as used herein may be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. The active substance may for example be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, psychoactives. The active substance may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active substance may comprise for example nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, vitamins such as B6 or B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids, or constituents, derivatives, or combinations thereof. The active substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of tobacco, cannabis or another botanical.

[0042] In some implementations, the active substance comprises nicotine. In some implementations, the active substance comprises caffeine, melatonin or vitamin B12.

[0043] As noted herein, the active substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of cannabis, such as one or more cannabinoids or terpenes.

[0044] As noted herein, the active substance may comprise or be derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof. As used herein, the term "botanical" includes any material derived from plants including, but not limited to, extracts, leaves, bark, fibres, stems, roots, seeds, flowers, fruits, pollen, husk, shells or the like. Alternatively, the material may comprise an active compound naturally existing in a botanical, obtained synthetically. The material may be in the form of liquid, gas, solid, powder, dust, crushed particles, granules, pellets, shreds, strips, sheets, or the like. Example botanicals are tobacco, eucalyptus, star anise, hemp, cocoa, cannabis, fennel, lemongrass, peppermint, spearmint, rooibos, chamomile, flax, ginger, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, licorice (liquorice), matcha, mate, orange skin, papaya, rose, sage, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, clove, cinnamon, coffee, aniseed (anise), basil, bay leaves, cardamom, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lavender, lemon peel, mint, juniper, elderflower, vanilla, Wintergreen, beefsteak plant, curcuma, turmeric, sandalwood, cilantro, bergamot, orange blossom, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, geranium, mulberry, ginseng, theanine, theacrine, maca, ashwagandha, damiana, guarana, chlorophyll, baobab or any combination thereof. The mint may be chosen from the following mint varieties: Mentha Arventis, Mentha c.v..Mentha niliaca, Mentha piperita, Mentha piperita citrata c.v., Mentha piperita c.v, Mentha spicata crispa, Mentha cardifolia, Memtha longifolia, Mentha suaveolens variegata, Mentha pulegium, Mentha spicata c.v. and Mentha suaveolens.

[0045] In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is tobacco.

[0046] In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is selected from eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa and hemp.

[0047] In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is selected from rooibos and fennel.

[0048] As used herein, the terms "flavour" and "flavourant" refer to materials which, where local regulations permit, may be used to create a desired taste or aroma in a product for adult consumers. They may include naturally occurring flavour materials, botanicals, extracts of botanicals, synthetically obtained materials, or combinations thereof (e.g., tobacco, cannabis, licorice (liquorice), hydrangea, eugenol, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek, clove, maple, matcha, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed (anise), cinnamon, turmeric, Indian spices, Asian spices, herb, Wintergreen, cherry, berry, red berry, cranberry, peach, apple, orange, mango, clementine, lemon, lime, tropical fruit, papaya, rhubarb, grape, durian, dragon fruit, cucumber, blueberry, mulberry, citrus fruits, Drambuie, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, aloe vera, cardamom, celery, cascarilla, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, khat, naswar, betel, shisha, pine, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, orange blossom, cherry blossom, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sage, fennel, wasabi, piment, ginger, coriander, coffee, hemp, a mint oil from any species of the genus Mentha, eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa, lemongrass, rooibos, flax, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, mate, orange skin, rose, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, juniper, elderflower, basil, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lemon peel, mint, beefsteak plant, curcuma, cilantro, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, limonene, thymol, camphene), flavour enhancers, bitterness receptor site blockers, sensorial receptor site activators or stimulators, sugars and / or sugar substitutes (e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharine, cyclamates, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol), and other additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, botanicals, or breath freshening agents. They may be imitation, synthetic or natural ingredients or blends thereof. They may be in any suitable form, for example, liquid such as an oil, solid such as a powder, or gas.

[0049] In some embodiments, the flavour comprises menthol, spearmint and / or peppermint. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components of cucumber, blueberry, citrus fruits and / or redberry. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises eugenol. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from tobacco. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from cannabis.

[0050] In some embodiments, the flavour may comprise a sensate, which is intended to achieve a somatosensorial sensation which are usually chemically induced and perceived by the stimulation of the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve), in addition to or in place of aroma or taste nerves, and these may include agents providing heating, cooling, tingling, numbing effect. A suitable heat effect agent may be, but is not limited to, vanillyl ethyl ether and a suitable cooling agent may be, but not limited to eucalyptol, WS-3.

[0051] The aerosol-former material may comprise one or more constituents capable of forming an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol-former material may comprise one or more of glycerine, glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-Erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, a diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate.

[0052] The one or more other functional materials may comprise one or more of pH regulators, colouring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and / or antioxidants.

[0053] An aerosol-modifying agent is a substance, typically located downstream of the aerosol generation area, that is configured to modify the aerosol generated, for example by changing the taste, flavour, acidity or another characteristic of the aerosol. The aerosol-modifying agent may be provided in an aerosol-modifying agent release component, that is operable to selectively release the aerosol-modifying agent.

[0054] The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be an additive or a sorbent. The aerosolmodifying agent may, for example, comprise one or more of a flavourant, a colourant, water, and a carbon adsorbent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be a solid, a liquid, or a gel. The aerosol-modifying agent may be in powder, thread or granule form. The aerosol-modifying agent may be free from filtration material.

[0055] In some implementations, the aerosol provision systems comprise a modular assembly including an aerosol provision device (sometimes referred to as a reusable part) and an article comprising aerosol-generating material (sometimes referred to as a consumable or a replaceable part). However, in other implementations, the aerosol provision systems may comprise a one-piece arrangement where the article and aerosol provision device are integrally formed.

[0056] Typically, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise a non-combustible aerosol provision device and a consumable for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device. In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to consumables comprising aerosol-generating material and configured to be used with non-combustible aerosol provision devices. These consumables are sometimes referred to as articles throughout the disclosure.

[0057] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a non- combustible aerosol provision device thereof, may comprise a power source and a controller. The power source may, for example, be an electric power source.

[0058] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise an area for receiving the consumable, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a mouthpiece, a filter and / or an aerosol-modifying agent.

[0059] A consumable is an article comprising or consisting of aerosol-generating material, part or all of which is intended to be consumed during use by a user. A consumable may comprise one or more other components, such as an aerosol-generating material storage area (or storage portion), an aerosol-generating material transfer component, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a filter, a mouthpiece, and / or an aerosol-modifying agent. A consumable may also comprise an aerosol generator, such as a heater, that emits heat to cause the aerosol-generating material to generate aerosol in use. The heater may, for example, comprise combustible material, a material heatable by electrical conduction, or a susceptor. A susceptor is a material that is heatable by penetration with a varying magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field. The susceptor may be an electrically-conductive material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes induction heating of the heating material. The heating material may be magnetic material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes magnetic hysteresis heating of the heating material. The susceptor may be both electrically-conductive and magnetic, so that the susceptor is heatable by both heating mechanisms. The device that is configured to generate the varying magnetic field is referred to as a magnetic field generator, herein.

[0060] An aerosol generator is an apparatus configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material. In some implementations, the aerosol generator is a heater configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to heat energy, so as to release one or more volatiles from the aerosol-generating material to form an aerosol. In some implementations, the aerosol generator is configured to cause an aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to one or more of vibration, increased pressure, or electrostatic energy.

[0061] The following description will focus on embodiments in which the aerosol provision system is one in which a source liquid as the aerosol-generating material is vaporised to generate an aerosol for user inhalation. In such embodiments, the article is more commonly referred to as a cartridge. The cartridge mechanically engages with the aerosol provision device as described above. However, it should be appreciated that the principles of the present disclosure are applicable to aerosol provision systems capable of vaporising different aerosol-generating materials, such as solids or gels, as described above. More generally, the principles of the present disclosure apply to aerosol provision systems for use with any suitable aerosol-generating materials.

[0062] Generally speaking, the present disclosure relates to an aerosol provision system which is capable of generating suggested user defined settings for an aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system. In particular, the aerosol provision system stores user defined settings against one or more properties of a first aerosol-generating material and, when a second aerosol generating material is provided to the aerosol provision system, the aerosol provision system is able to generate a suggestion for the user defined settings for use with the second aerosol-generating material, on the basis of the user defined settings stored against one or more properties of the first aerosol-generating material. This means that when a user provides a second aerosol-generating material to the aerosol provision system, the user provided with a suggestion of user defined settings to use with the second aerosol-generating material based on user defined settings used previously. Therefore, the user is provided with a suggestion or guide for how to configured or operate the aerosol provision system to achieve a user experience that is desired, without having to guess or perform a trial and error in respect of the settings of the aerosol provision system. Overall, this may help lead to a better overall user experience.

[0063] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through an aerosol provision system 1 provided in accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure. The aerosol provision system 1 of Figure 1 is adapted to vaporise a liquid aerosol-generating material (sometimes referred to as a source liquid or an e-liquid). However, as described above, the principles of the present disclosure are not limited to aerosol provision systems 1 adapted to vaporise liquid aerosolgenerating material.

[0064] The aerosol provision system 1 shown in Figure 1 comprises two main components, namely an aerosol provision device 2 and a replaceable I disposable cartridge 4 (which is an example of an article). The aerosol provision system 1 of Figure 1 is an example of a modular construction of an aerosol provision system 1. In this regard, the aerosol provision device 2 and the cartridge 4 are able to engage with or disengage from one another at an interface 6. However, as mentioned above, the principles of the present disclosure also apply to other constructions of the aerosol provision system 1, such as one-part or unitary constructions where the device 2 and cartridge 4 may be integrally formed (or in other words, the aerosol provision device 1 is provided with an integrally formed aerosolgenerating material storage area).

[0065] The aerosol provision system 1 is generally elongate and cylindrical in shape. The aerosol provision system 1 may be sized so as to approximate a conventional cigarette. However, it should be understood that the general size and shape of the aerosol provision system 1 is not significant to the principles of the present disclosure. In some other implementations, the aerosol provision system 1 may conform to different overall shapes; for example, the aerosol provision device 2 may be based on so-called box-mod high performance devices that typically have a more box-like shape.

[0066] The device 2 comprises components that are generally intended to have a longer lifetime than the cartridge 4. In other words, the device 2 is intended to be used, sequentially, with multiple cartridges 4. The cartridge 4 comprises components (such as aerosol-generating material) that are consumed when forming an aerosol for delivery to the user during use of the aerosol provision system 1.

[0067] In the example modular configuration of Figure 1, the device 2 and the cartridge 4 are releasably coupled together at the first interface 6. When the aerosol-generating material in the cartridge 4 is exhausted or the user simply wishes to switch to a different cartridge 4 (e.g., containing a different aerosol-generating material), the cartridge 4 may be removed from the device 2 and a replacement cartridge 4 attached to the device 2 in its place. The interface 6 provides a structural connection between the device 2 and cartridge 4 and may be established in accordance with broadly conventional techniques, for example based around a screw thread, latch mechanism, bayonet fixing or magnetic coupling. In some implementations, the interface 6 may also provide an electrical coupling between the device 2 and the cartridge 4 using suitable electrical contacts. The electrical coupling may allow for power and I or data to be supplied to I from the cartridge 4.

[0068] It should also be understood that in some implementations, the cartridge 4 may be refillable. That is, the cartridge 4 may be refilled with aerosol-generating material when the cartridge 4 is depleted, using an appropriate mechanism such as a one-way refilling valve or the like (not shown). The cartridge 4 may be removed from the device 2 in order to be refilled. In other examples, the cartridge 4 may be configured so as to be refilled while attached to the device 2.

[0069] In implementations where the aerosol provision system 1 is a one-part or unitary system, the aerosol provision system 1 may be designed to be disposable once the aerosol-generating material is exhausted. Alternatively, the aerosol provision system 1 may be provided with a suitable mechanism, such as a one-way valve or the like, to enable the integrated cartridge 4 (or integrated aerosol-generating material storage area) to be refilled with aerosol-generating material.

[0070] In Figure 1 , the cartridge part 4 comprises a cartridge housing 42, an aerosol-generating material storage area 44, an aerosol generator 48, an aerosol-generating material transport component 46, an outlet or mouthpiece opening 50, and an air path 52.

[0071] The cartridge housing 42 supports other components of the cartridge 4 and provides the mechanical interface 6 with the device 2. The cartridge housing 42 is formed from a suitable material, such as a plastics material or a metal material. In the described implementation, the cartridge housing 42 is generally circularly symmetric about a longitudinal axis along which the cartridge 4 couples to the device 2. In this example the cartridge 4 has a length of around 4 cm and a diameter of around 1.5 cm. However, it will be appreciated the specific geometry, and more generally the overall shapes, may be different in different implementations. The cartridge 4 comprises a first end, broadly defined by the interface 6, and a second end which is opposite the first end and includes the mouthpiece opening 50. The second end including the mouthpiece opening 50 is intended to be received in / by a user’s mouth and may therefore be referred to as a mouthpiece end of the cartridge 4.

[0072] Within the cartridge housing 42 is an aerosol-generating material storage area 44 (also referred to herein as a reservoir 44). The cartridge 40, or more particularly the reservoir 44, of Figure 1 is configured to store a liquid aerosol-generating material, which may be referred to herein as a source liquid, e-liquid or liquid. The source liquid may be broadly conventional, and may contain nicotine and I or other active ingredients, and I or one or more flavours, as described above. In some implementations, the source liquid may contain no nicotine.

[0073] The reservoir 44 in this example has an annular shape with an outer wall defined by the cartridge housing 42 and an inner wall that defines the air path 52 through the cartridge 4. The reservoir 44 is closed at each end with end walls to contain the liquid. The reservoir 44 may be formed in accordance with conventional techniques, for example it may comprise a plastics material and be integrally moulded with the cartridge housing 42.

[0074] The cartridge 4 further comprises an aerosol generator 48. The aerosol generator 48 is an apparatus configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material (e.g., the source liquid). Optionally, the cartridge 4 comprises the aerosol-generating material transport component 46, which is configured to transport the aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage area 44 (e.g., reservoir 44) to the aerosol generator 48. In some implementations, the aerosol-generating material transport component 46 may not be required, particularly in implementations where the aerosol generator 48 is in direct fluid communication with the aerosol-generating material storage area 44.

[0075] The aerosol generator 48 is configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosolgenerating material. In some implementations, the aerosol generator 48 is a heater 48. The heater 48 is configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to heat energy, so as to release one or more volatiles from the aerosol-generating material to form an aerosol. By way of example, the heater 48 may take the form of an electrically resistive wire or trace intended to have electrical current passed between ends thereof, or a susceptor element which is intended to generate heat upon exposure to an alternating magnetic field. However, in other implementations, the aerosol generator 48 is configured to cause an aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator 48 may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to one or more of vibration, increased pressure, or electrostatic energy.

[0076] The aerosol-generating material transport element 46 is configured to transport aerosolgenerating material from the aerosol-generating material storage area 44 (reservoir 44) to the aerosol generator 48. The nature of the aerosol-generating material may dictate the form of the aerosol-generating material transport element 46. For example, for a liquid or viscous gel aerosol-generating material, the aerosol-generating material transport element 46 is configured to transport the liquid or viscous gel aerosol-generating material using capillary action or a suitable pumping mechanism or the like. For example, the aerosol-generating material transport element 46 may comprise a porous material (e.g., ceramic) or a bundle of fibres (e.g., glass or cotton fibres) capable of transporting liquid I viscous gel using capillary action.

[0077] In the described implementation of Figure 1 , the aerosol generator 48 is a heater 48 taking the form of a coil of metal wire, such as a nickel chrome alloy (Cr20Ni80) wire. The aerosolgenerating material transport element 46 in the implementation of Figure 1 is a wick 46 taking the form of a bundle of fibres, such as glass fibres. The heater 48 is wound around the wick 46 approximately in a central region thereof as seen in Figure 1 such that the heater 48 is provided in the proximity of the wick 46 and therefore any liquid held in the wick 46. In some implementations, the aerosol generator 48 may comprise a porous ceramic wick 46 and an electrically conductive track disposed on a surface of the porous ceramic wick acting as the heater 48. In yet other implementations, the heater 48 and wick 46 may be combined into a single component, e.g., a plurality of sintered steel fibres forming a planar structure.

[0078] In the described example, the heater 48 and wick 46 are located towards an end of the reservoir 44. In this example, the wick 46 extends transversely across the cartridge air path 52 with its ends extending into the reservoir 44 of liquid through openings in the inner wall of the reservoir 44. The openings in the inner wall of the reservoir 44 are sized to broadly match the dimensions of the wick 46 to provide a reasonable seal against leakage from the liquid reservoir 44 into the cartridge air path 52 without unduly compressing the wick 46, which may be detrimental to its fluid transfer performance. The wick 46 is therefore configured to transport liquid from the reservoir 44 to the vicinity of the heater 48 via a capillary effect.

[0079] The wick 46 and heater 48 are arranged in the cartridge air path 52 such that a region of the cartridge air path 52 provided around the wick 46 and heater 48 in effect defines a vaporisation region or aerosol generating region for the cartridge 4. This vaporisation region is the region of the cartridge 4 where vapour is initially generated. In use, electrical power may be supplied to the heater 48 to vaporise an amount of liquid drawn to the vicinity of the heater 48 by the wick 46.

[0080] Aerosol is delivered to the user via the mouthpiece opening 50 provided at the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 4. During use, the user may place their lips on or around the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 4 and draw air I aerosol through the mouthpiece opening 50. More specifically, air is drawn into and along the air path 52, past the heater 48 where aerosol is entrained into the drawn air, and the combined aerosol I air is then inhaled by the user through the mouthpiece opening 50. Although Figure 1 shows the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 4 as being an integral part of the cartridge 4, a separate mouthpiece component may be provided which releasably couples to the end of the cartridge 4.

[0081] The device 2 comprises an outer housing 12, an optional indicator 14, an inhalation sensor 16 located within a chamber 18, a controller or control circuitry 20, a power source 26, an air inlet 28 and an air path 30, and a user input mechanism 32.

[0082] The outer housing 12 may be formed, for example, from a plastics or metallic material and in this example has a circular cross-section generally conforming to the shape and size of the cartridge 4 so as to provide a smooth transition between the two parts at the interface 6. In this example, the device 2 has a length of around 8 cm so the overall length of the aerosol provision system 1 when the cartridge 4 and device 2 are coupled together is around 12 cm. However, and as already noted, it will be appreciated that the overall shape and scale of an aerosol provision system 1 implementing the present disclosure is not significant to the principles described herein.

[0083] The outer housing 12 further comprises an air inlet 28 which connects to an air path 30 provided through the device 2. The device air path 30 in turn connects to the cartridge air path 52 across the interface 6 when the device 2 and cartridge 4 are connected together. In this regard, the interface 6 is also arranged to provide a connection of the respective air paths 30 and 52, such that air and / or aerosol is able to pass along the coupled air paths 30, 52. In other implementations, the device 2 does not comprise an air path 30 and instead the cartridge 4 comprises the air path 52 and a suitable air inlet which permits air to enter into the air path 52 when the cartridge 4 and device 2 are coupled.

[0084] The power source 26 in this example is a battery 26. The battery 26 may be rechargeable and may be of a broadly conventional type, for example of the kind normally used in aerosol provision systems and other applications requiring provision of relatively high currents over relatively short periods. The battery 26 may be, for example, a lithium ion battery. The battery 26 may be recharged through a suitable charging connector provided at or in the outer housing 12, for example a USB connector. Additionally or alternatively, the device 2 may comprise suitable circuitry to facilitate wireless charging of the battery 26.

[0085] The control circuitry 20 is suitably configured I programmed to control the operation of the aerosol provision system 1. The control circuitry 20 may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units I circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the aerosol provision system's operation and may be implemented by provision of a (micro)controller, processor, ASIC or similar form of control chip. The control circuitry 20 may be arranged to control any functionality associated with the aerosol provision system 1. By way of nonlimiting examples only, the functionality may include the charging or re-charging of the battery 26, the discharging of the battery 26 (e.g., for providing power to the heater 48), in addition to other functionality such as controlling visual indicators (e.g., LEDs) I displays, communication functionality for communicating with external devices, etc. The control circuitry 20 may be mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB). Note also that the functionality provided by the control circuitry 20 may be split across multiple circuit boards and I or across components which are not mounted to a PCB, and these additional components and I or PCBs can be located as appropriate within the aerosol provision device 2. For example, functionality of the control circuit 20 for controlling the (re)charging functionality of the battery 26 may be provided separately (e.g. on a different PCB) from the functionality for controlling the discharge of the battery 26.

[0086] As noted above, when the device 2 and the cartridge 4 are coupled together at interface 6, the interface 6 provides an electrical connection between the device 2 and the cartridge 4. More particularly, electrical contacts on the device 2, which are coupled to the power source 26, are electrically coupled to electrical contacts on the cartridge 4, which are coupled to the heater 48. Accordingly, under suitable control by the control circuitry 20, electrical power from the power source 26 is able to be supplied from the power source 26 to the heater 48, thereby energising the heater 48 and allowing the heater 48 to vaporise liquid in the proximity of the heater 48 held in the wick 46.

[0087] In the example of Figure 1 , the aerosol provision device 2 comprises a chamber 18 containing the inhalation sensor 16, which in this example is a pressure sensor 16. The pressure sensor 16 is in fluid communication with the air path 30 in the device 2 (e.g. the chamber 18 branches off from the air path 30 in the device 2). When a user inhales on the aerosol provision system 1 at the mouthpiece end, and subsequently draws air into the device 2 via the air inlet 28 and along the air paths 30, 52, the pressure sensor 16 detects a change (a drop) in the pressure within chamber 18. If the drop in pressure is sufficient, the pressure sensor 16 (or control circuitry 20 coupled thereto) detects a user inhalation. The aerosol provision system 1 is controlled to generate aerosol in response to detecting an inhalation by a user. That is, when the pressure sensor 16 detects a drop in pressure in the pressure sensor chamber 18, the control circuitry 20 responds by causing electrical power to be supplied from the battery 26 to the aerosol generator 48 sufficient to cause vaporisation of the liquid held within the wick 46. This is an example of an aerosol provision system which is said to be “puff actuated”. The pressure sensor 16 may be used to start and I or end the power supply to the heater 48 (e.g., when the pressure sensor detects the absence of an inhalation). It should be appreciated that the inhalation sensor 16 may be any suitable sensor, such as an air flow sensor, for sensing when a user inhales on the mouthpiece end of the cartridge 4 and subsequently draws air along the air paths 30, 52. Accordingly, the presence of the chamber 18 is optional and its presence may depend on the characteristics of the selected inhalation sensor 16. For example, an air flow sensor may sit in the air flow path 30, 52.

[0088] In other implementations, the aerosol provision system 1 includes a button or other user actuatable mechanism. When the button or other user actuatable mechanism is actuated by the user, the control circuitry 20 causes power to be supplied to the heater 48, as described above. This is an example of an aerosol provision system which is said to be “button actuated”. The button may be used to start and I or end power supply to the heater 48 (e.g., when the button is pressed and released by the user). In some implementations, both a button (or other user actuatable mechanism) and an inhalation sensor 16 may be used to control the delivery of power to the heater 48, e.g., by requiring both the button press and a pressure drop indicative of an inhalation to be present before supplying power to the heater 48.

[0089] The aerosol provision device 2 further comprises an optional indicator 14. The indicator 14 may be provided for providing feedback to a user of the aerosol provision system 1. For example, the indicator 14 may indicate information such as whether the aerosol generator 48 is currently active, a remaining battery life (of the battery 26), total number of activations of the aerosol generator 48, amount of liquid remaining in the reservoir 44, etc. Alternatively or additionally, the indicator 14 may display operational parameters of the aerosol provision system 1. In some implementations, the indicator 14 may be provided in conjunction with an input mechanism (such as one or more buttons) which may allow operational parameters to be programmed and / or settings of the aerosol provision system 1 to be changed. The indicator 14 may be a visual indication (such as a display or one or more LEDs), an audio indicator (such as a speaker) or a haptic indictor (such as a haptic motor).

[0090] The aerosol provision device 2 of Figure 1 further schematically shows a user input mechanism 32. The user input mechanism 32 is capable of receiving user defined settings for the aerosol provision system 1 and, in particular, for the aerosol generator 48. That is to say, the user input mechanism 32 is provided for the purposes of allowing a user to define settings of the aerosol provision device 2 and / or aerosol generator 48.

[0091] In the described implementation, the user input mechanism 32 is a mechanism that the user physically (e.g. directly) interacts with in order to provide the user defined settings for the aerosol provision system 1. For example, the user input mechanism 32 may comprise a touchscreen, or a series of actuatable buttons or the like. Accordingly, by physically interacting with user input mechanism 32, such as pressing the appropriate buttons or location on the touchscreen, the user is able to program the control circuitry 20 to control operations of the aerosol provision device 2 (and in particular the aerosol generator 48 thereof) in accordance with the user defined settings.

[0092] However, it should be appreciated that, in other implementations, the user input mechanism 32 is a mechanism that is configured to receive the user defined settings from a remote source, for example such as a smartphone, laptop, PC, etc. That is, the user input mechanism 32 in such implementations comprises circuitry, such as an antenna or the like, for receiving communications from a remote source, with the communications including the user defined settings. Hence, in these implementations, the smartphone, laptop, PC, etc. is used by the user to provide the user defined settings, for example, via a suitable program or application (app) running on the remote source, and subsequently generate and transmit a suitable communication containing the user defined settings suitable for receipt by the user input mechanism 32. It should also be appreciated that the transmission of the suitable communication may be via wireless or wired means, and in the latter case, the user input mechanism 32 may comprise a suitable connector to receive the corresponding wire (e.g., such as a USB socket or similar).

[0093] The aerosol provision system 1 also comprises an aerosol-generating material identification mechanism configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the aerosolgenerating material that is provided to the aerosol provision system 1. For instance, the aerosol provision system 1 of Figure 1 is shown as comprising a separable cartridge 4 which may be removed and replaced with another cartridge 4. In some instances, a user may wish to replace a cartridge 4 with another cartridge 4 to generate aerosol from a different aerosolgenerating material. For example, a first cartridge 4 may comprise a flavoured nicotine containing liquid as the aerosol-generating material, while the second cartridge 4 may comprise an unflavoured nicotine containing liquid as the aerosol-generating material. Accordingly, the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism is configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material that is currently provided to the aerosol provision system 1.

[0094] The one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material that is provided to the aerosol provision system can be broadly considered to fall into one of two categories.

[0095] A first category includes the composition of the aerosol-generating material. This category encompasses the individual components or ingredients that form the aerosol-generating material. The one or more properties may therefore relate to the presence or absence of a particular constituent. For example, the one or more properties may include whether a certain flavour or nicotine (as an example of an active ingredient) is present within the aerosol-generating material. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more properties may be indicative of an amount, strength or concentration of a particular constituent in the aerosolgenerating material. For example, the concentration of nicotine in the aerosol-generating material, which may be expressed as a percentage, or the concentration of a particular flavourant in the aerosol-generating material. In some implementations, depending on the constituent, the one or more properties may relate to a physical characteristic of the constituent. For example, in the case of nicotine, the form of nicotine (e.g., liquid, crystal, protonated, etc.). Therefore, the first category of one or more properties of the aerosolgenerating material that is provided to the aerosol provision system generally relates to the composition of the aerosol-generating material.

[0096] A second category includes the macro properties of the aerosol-generating material (i.e., the properties of the bulk aerosol-generating material). The one or more properties may therefore include a type or state of the aerosol-generating material. For example, the aerosol-generating material may be a solid, a liquid, a gel, etc. as described above. Additionally, or alternatively, the one or more properties may represent a physical characteristic of the aerosol-generating material. For example, the one or more properties may include the density of the aerosol-generating material, or in the case of a liquid aerosolgenerating material, the one or more properties may include a viscosity of the aerosolgenerating material. In principle, any property of the bulk aerosol-generating material may be used as the one or more properties. Therefore, the second category of one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material that is provided to the aerosol provision system generally relates to the macro properties of the aerosol-generating material.

[0097] As will be described below in more detail, any one or more of the aforementioned properties from either of the two categories may form the obtained or determined one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material that is provided to the aerosol provision system 1. However, in some implementations, the obtained or determined one or more properties includes at least one of: a type of aerosol-generating material, an active ingredient of the aerosol-generating material, a concentration of an active ingredient of the aerosol-generating material, a flavour of the aerosol-generating material, and a concentration of the flavour of the aerosol-generating material.

[0098] The aerosol-generating material identification mechanism may be implemented in a number of ways.

[0099] According to a first implementation, the cartridge 4 is provided with a data containing element which is capable of storing data indicative of one or more properties of the aerosolgenerating material contained in the reservoir 44 of the cartridge 4, while the aerosol provision device 2 is provided with a suitable reader or the like capable of reading the data stored in the data containing element. The data containing element and the reader together form at least a part of the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism.

[0100] Figure 2 schematically shows a cartridge 4 of an aerosol provision system 1 comprising a data containing element 41. Figure 2 will be understood from Figure 1, and indeed like components are shown with like reference signs. A description of these components will not be repeated herein for conciseness.

[0101] The cartridge of Figure 2 comprises a data containing element 41 which is capable of being read by an associated reader (not shown) provided in the aerosol provision device 2. The data containing element 41 is configured to store data corresponding to the aerosolgenerating material stored in the reservoir of the cartridge 4.

[0102] The data containing element 41 of the cartridge 4 may be any suitable data containing element 41 which is at least capable of storing the aforementioned data and of being read by the associated reader (not shown) provided in the device 2. The data containing element 41 may be an electronically readable memory (such as a microchip or the like) that contains the aforementioned data for the cartridge 4, for example in the form of a numerical value which can be electronically read. The electronically readable memory may be any suitable form of memory, such as electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), although other types of suitable memory may be used depending on the application at hand. The electronically readable memory in this implementation is non-volatile, as the cartridge 4 is not continuously coupled to the power source 26 of the device 2 (that is, the cartridge 4 may be separated from the device 2). However, in other implementations, the electronically readable memory may be volatile or semi-volatile, in which case the cartridge 4 may have its own power source.

[0103] The data containing element 41 may be electronically read by coupling electrical contacts (not shown) on the cartridge 4 with electrical contacts (not shown) on the device 2. Application of an electric current from the device 2 to the data containing element 41 allows the reader of the device 2 to obtain the data corresponding to the aerosol-generating material stored in the reservoir of the cartridge 4 from the data containing element 41. Alternatively, the data containing element 41 may be electronically read using any suitable wireless technology, such as RFID or NFC, and the cartridge 4 may be provided with suitable hardware (e.g., an antenna) to enable such reading by a suitable wireless reader in the device 2.

[0104] The data containing element 41 is configured to store data indicative of one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material contained in the reservoir 44 of the cartridge 4. The data may include direct indications of the one or more properties. For example, a “Y” or “N” may be stored to indicate the presence of nicotine, or an “S”, “G”, or “L” may be stored to indicate whether the aerosol-generating material is a solid, gel, or liquid, or a value such as 3 mg / ml may be stored to indicate the strength I concentration of a particular constituent. Alternatively, the data may be indicative of or associated with certain properties. For example, the data may be an identifier of the aerosol-generating material (for example, product name, stock keeping unit (SKU) or batch code, or other identifier). One or more properties of the aerosol-generating material can be derived from the obtained data. For example, a look-up table storing certain parameters in conjunction with the identifier may be provided.

[0105] Hence, the data from the data containing element 41 as read by the associated reader, may be passed to the control circuitry 20 (or another control module). The control circuity 20 therefore obtains or, in some cases determines, one or more properties of the aerosolgenerating material provided to the aerosol provision system 1. Hence, a part of the control circuitry 20, or a separate control circuitry module, also forms a part of the aerosolgenerating material identification mechanism in the first implementation.

[0106] It should be appreciated that while the above describes an electronically readable data containing element 41, the data containing element 41 is not limited to such implementations. For example, the data containing element 41 may be a magnetic strip that is capable of being read by a suitable reader, or an optically readable element (such as a bar code or the like) capable of being read by a suitable reader. The data containing element 41 may take any suitable form provided data is capable of being stored and subsequently read by a suitable reader in the device 2.

[0107] According to a second implementation, the cartridge 4 is provided with a sensor or the like which is capable of providing a measurement or signal indicative of one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material contained in the reservoir 44 of the cartridge 4. The sensor forms at least a part of the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism.

[0108] Figure 3 schematically shows a cartridge 4 of an aerosol provision system 1 comprising a sensor 43. Figure 3 will be understood from Figure 1 , and indeed like components are shown with like reference signs. A description of these components will not be repeated herein for conciseness.

[0109] In Figure 3, the cartridge comprises a sensor 43. In this example, the sensor 43 comprises a pair of capacitive plates 43a, 43b that are provided facing one another with a gap therebetween. Part of the reservoir 44 is provided between the capacitive plates 43a, 43b. That is to say, the gap between the plates 43a, 43b is capable of receiving aerosolgenerating material that is located in the reservoir 44. In normal use, the cartridge 4 is configured such that the aerosol-generating material is located between the plates 43a, 43b. Not shown in Figure 3 are the electrical connectors between each of the capacitive plates 43a, 43b and interface 6, which subsequently permit the capacitive plates 43a, 43b to receive an electrical current, for example, from the power source 26.

[0110] In the described example, in order to obtain or determine one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material contained in the reservoir 44 of the cartridge 4, the control circuitry 20 causes the sensor 43 of the cartridge to perform a measurement, e.g., through supplying a pulse of current to one of the capacitive plates 43a and measuring the charge on the other of the capacitive plates 43b. The capacitance as measured between the two capacitive plates 43a, 43b is a function, in part, of the material between the capacitive plates (otherwise known as the dielectric). More specifically, the capacitance, C, for a pair of parallel capacitive plates can be expressed, mathematically as, C = £ (A / d), where A is the overlapping area of the plates of the capacitive plates, d is the distance between the capacitive plates and £ is the permittivity of the dielectric between the capacitive plates. Depending on the material between the capacitive plates 43a, 43b, the measured capacitance varies. For example, one aerosol-generating material having a first dielectric constant can be distinguished from a second aerosol-generating material having a second dielectric constant.

[0111] The sensor 43 is an example of a sensor that may be employed within the context of the present disclosure to perform a measurement on or of the aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 44 of the cartridge 4. However, it should be appreciated that depending on the one or more properties that are to be obtained or determined, the aerosol provision system 1 may employ other suitable sensors, or even combinations of sensors. By way of example only, other sensors may include an optical sensor configured to determine an absorption or emission spectrum of light absorbed or emitted by the aerosol-generating material, or in other instances, a colour of the aerosol-generating material. However, it should be appreciated that any suitable sensor 43 may be employed.

[0112] Additionally, it should also be appreciated that the sensor 43 may not be located in the cartridge 4 as shown in Figure 3. For example, in other implementations, the sensor 43 may be located in the aerosol provision device 2 and adapted to make a measurement of the aerosol-generating material in the cartridge 4.

[0113] Hence, it should be appreciated that the sensor 43 is capable of performing a measurement on or of the aerosol-generating material. The measurement may be provided to the control circuitry 20, which is subsequently capable of obtaining or determining one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system 1 based on the measurement. Hence, the control circuity 20 therefore obtains or, in some cases determines, one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system 1. Hence, a part of the control circuitry 20, or a separate control circuitry module, also forms a part of the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism in the second implementation.

[0114] In a similar manner to above, the measurements from the sensor 43 may be a direct measurement of the one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material, for example, a viscosity measurement, the presence or absence of a given constituent, etc. Alternatively, the measurement may be indicative of or associated with certain properties. For example, the measurement may be performed to identify a particular aerosol-generating material. The control circuitry 20 obtaining this measurement indicative of the identity of the aerosolgenerating material is configured to subsequently derive the one or more properties from the determined identity of the aerosol-generating material. For example, a look-up table storing certain parameters in conjunction with the identity of aerosol-generating materials.

[0115] In a third implementation, the aerosol provision system 1 is adapted to obtain or determine one or properties of the aerosol-generating material contained in the reservoir 44 of the cartridge 4 by a user input. For example, the user may specify certain properties associated with the aerosol-generating material stored in the cartridge 4, such as the presence of certain constituents (such as nicotine), the concentration of such constituents, the type of aerosol-generating material, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the user may input an identifier identifying the aerosol-generating material which may then be used to determine the corresponding one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material based on this identifier. In either case, this information may be obtained from any packaging or labelling on the housing of the cartridge 4, for example.

[0116] In some implementations, the user may interact with the user input mechanism 32 in order to provide the one or more properties. For example, the user input mechanism 32 may display a user interface for allowing the user to inputting the parameter(s) and / or an identifier of the aerosol-generating material via buttons or a touchscreen capability. Alternatively, as described above, the user input mechanism 32 may be configured to receive an input from a remote source, such as a smartphone or the like. In a similar manner, the smartphone or the like may be configured to display the user interface allowing the user to input the parameter(s) and / or an identifier of the aerosol-generating material via buttons or a touchscreen capability, and subsequently cause transmission of the one or more parameters to the control circuitry 20 of the aerosol provision device 2 via the user input mechanism 32. However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, a dedicated user input mechanism (i.e., separate from the user input mechanism 32) may be provided to allow input or receipt of the one or more parameters of the aerosol-generating material in the cartridge 4.

[0117] Hence, in the third implementation, the user input mechanism 32 or a dedicated user input mechanism forms at least a part of the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism. Similarly, the data that is obtained by the user input mechanism 32 or dedicated user input mechanism is passed to the control circuitry 20. Hence, the control circuity 20 therefore obtains or, in some cases determines, one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system 1. Hence, a part of the control circuitry 20, or a separate control circuitry module, also forms a part of the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism in the third implementation.

[0118] In accordance with the present disclosure, the control circuitry 20 is configured to store the user defined settings against the obtained or determined one or more properties of aerosolgenerating material provided to the aerosol provision system 1. In this regard, it should be appreciated that when the user provides a certain aerosol-generating material to the aerosol provision system 1 (such as attaching a cartridge 4 with a given aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 44), the user is able to provide user defined settings for that given aerosolgenerating material to provide a certain user experience using that aerosol-generating material. For example, the user may find that a certain flavour containing liquid aerosolgenerating material provides suitable flavour delivery / perception when operated with a voltage supplied to the heater 48 of 4.5 V, while an unflavoured liquid aerosol-generating material may provide a certain desired perception / delivery when operated with a voltage supplied to the heater 48 of 6 V. In order to provide the user’s desired experience for a given aerosol-generating material, the user can adjust the operating parameters of the aerosol provision system 1, such as the operating parameters of the heater 48, to deliver a desired experience.

[0119] Hence, for a first aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol-provision system 1 (i.e., contained in a first cartridge 4), the control circuitry 20 stores the user defined settings for that aerosol-generating material against the obtained or determined one or more properties. For example, in some implementations, the control circuitry 20 is capable of varying the power (i.e., one or both of the voltage and current) supplied to the heater 48. In such implementations, the user’s selected power level and I or power profile (i.e., variation of power over the duration of an inhalation, and / or over several consecutive inhalations) may be stored against the one or more properties. In some implementations, the aerosol provision system 1 may be provided with a variable air inlet 28 which is capable of being varied to change the size of the opening of the air inlet 28 and therefore change the relative amount of air passing into the aerosol provision system 1 and / or the resistance to draw. In such implementations, the control circuitry 20 may, alternatively or additionally, store the setting of the air inlet 28 against the one or more properties of the first aerosol-generating material. In some implementations, it should be appreciated that instead of the air inlet 28 being variable in size, the air path through the aerosol provision system 1 may be configured to vary the size of a cross-sectional area at a location along the air path different from the air inlet 28. In other words, it may be that any portion of the air path, including the air inlet 28, is configured so as to be varied in size (i.e., a cross-sectional size perpendicular to the direction of air flow in normal use).

[0120] It should be appreciated that the aerosol provision system 1 may be configured so as to provide adjustment of any other suitable parameters depending on the configuration and functionality of the aerosol provision system 1 , and accordingly user defined settings for such adjustable parameters may also be stored against the one or more properties of the given aerosol-generating material. These adjustable parameters need not exclusively relate to the generation of the aerosol (such as the heater power level and / or size of the air inlet), but may also relate to other features such as the user interface or the indicator 14. For example, the user may set the indicator 14 to illuminate a particular colour when the aerosolgenerating material contains a particular flavour.

[0121] The control circuitry 20 may store the user defined settings against the one or more properties in any suitable form (such as in one or more tables, lists or matrices). The user defined settings may be stored against individual properties or against a suitable identifier, such as the SKU of the aerosol-generating material, which may then be used to infer certain user defined settings against the properties of the identified aerosol-generating material.

[0122] The following example focuses on the user defined setting of the voltage supplied to the heater 48 (which subsequently affects the power supplied to the heater 48). However, it should be understood that the principles of the present disclosure may be applied to other user defined settings as appropriate.

[0123] Figures 4a and 4b show two tables according to a first example. The table shown in Figure 4a shows the voltage level (in volts) set according to the user defined settings in respect of the property of nicotine concentration (in mg / ml). The table shown in Figure 4b shows the voltage level (in volts) set according to the user defined settings in respect of the property of flavour of the identified aerosol generating material.

[0124] A first aerosol-generating material may be provided to the aerosol provision system 1 and the user may subsequently provide the user defined settings to the aerosol provision system 1. In this example, the first aerosol-generating material is a liquid containing nicotine at a concentration of 3 mg / ml and is of a Dark Cherry flavour. In respect of the voltage level, the user defined setting in this example is 4.2 V. That is, when the cartridge 4 containing the first aerosol-generating material is attached to the aerosol provision device 2, the user sets the voltage level to 4.2 V via the user input mechanism 32 to provide the user defined setting. The control circuitry 20, after obtaining or determining the one or more properties of the first aerosol-generating material (in this example, concentration of nicotine and the type of a flavour), stores the user defined setting against the obtained or determined one or more parameters for the first aerosol-generating material. Figure 4a shows the user defined voltage level for the heater 48 of 4.2 V stored against the concentration of nicotine (3 mg / ml), while Figure 4b shows the user defined voltage level for the heater 48 of 4.2 V stored against the flavour called “Dark Cherry”.

[0125] A second aerosol-generating material may also be provided to the aerosol provision system 1. For example, the cartridge 4 containing the first aerosol-generating material may be decoupled from the aerosol provision device 2 and a second cartridge 4 containing the second aerosol-generating material may be coupled to the aerosol provision device 2 in its place. The second aerosol-generating material in this example is a liquid containing nicotine at a concentration of 6 mg / ml and is of a Menthol flavour. When the second cartridge 4 containing the second aerosol-generating material is attached to the aerosol provision device 2, the user may provide user defined settings, such as adjusting or setting the voltage applied to the heater 48, in order to provide a desired user experience when using the second cartridge 4 containing the second aerosol-generating material. In this example, the user may set the voltage level for the second cartridge 4 I second aerosol-generating material to 3.4 V. That is, when the cartridge 4 containing the second aerosol-generating material is attached to the aerosol provision device 2, the user sets the voltage level to 3.4 V via the user input mechanism 32 to provide the user defined setting. The control circuitry 20, after obtaining or determining the one or more properties of the second aerosol-generating material (in this example, concentration of nicotine and the type of a flavour), stores the user defined setting against the obtained or determined one or more parameters for the second aerosol-generating material. Figure 4a shows the user defined voltage level for the heater 48 of 3.4 V stored against the concentration of nicotine (6 mg / ml) of the second aerosolgenerating material, while Figure 4b shows the user defined voltage level for the heater 48 of 3.4 V stored against the flavour called “Menthol”.

[0126] Hence, it should be appreciated that the control circuitry 20 is capable of storing user defined settings against one or more properties of aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system 1. The control circuitry 20 may also store user defined settings for a plurality of aerosol-generating materials (or against properties for a plurality of aerosolgenerating materials).

[0127] It should also be appreciated that the user defined settings for a given aerosol-generating material may be changed or updated during use of the aerosol-generating material. For example, when the user first couples the cartridge 4 containing the first aerosol-generating material to the aerosol provision device 2, the user may not know what user defined settings should be provided to the aerosol provision system 1 in order to provide a desired experience (if for example, this is the first time the user uses this aerosol-generating material). During use, the user may alter or adapt the user defined settings (e.g., the voltage level to the heater 48) in an iterative manner to arrive at a user defined setting that provides the desired experience. It should also be understood that a user’s preference or desired experience may also change with time, even if the user has previously used the selected aerosol-generating material. For example, the user’s preferred or desired experience using the first aerosol-generating material today may vary from the user’s preferred or desired experience using the first aerosol-generating material one year from today. Accordingly, the control circuitry 20 is configured to allow the user defined settings stored against the one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol-generating system 1 to be updated as the user provides updated settings.

[0128] It should also be appreciated that the user-defined settings in Figures 4a and 4b are shown stored in a simplified form to reduce storage space in the control circuitry 20. In particular, the voltage level for nicotine concentration is stored independently of the flavour. In some instances, this can mean that multiple voltage level values potentially may be stored for a given nicotine concentration I flavour. For example, the user defined settings may be set to 4.2 V for a 3 mg / ml nicotine containing Dark Cherry liquid but 3.9 V for a 3 mg / ml nicotine containing Menthol liquid. This would result in two different voltage levels stored against the nicotine concentration level of 3 mg / ml in the examples of Figures 4a and 4b. In such situations, either the control circuitry 20 is configured to store an average or a weighted average of the voltage levels against the nicotine concentration, or the control circuitry 20 may instead be configured to store the voltage level for the heater 48 in a more detailed table or matrix. For example, Figure 4c shows a more detailed table in which various combinations of the flavour and nicotine concentration define rows of the table. In this instance, the different values may be stored independently by the control circuitry 20 by virtue of having separate rows in the table. For example, the voltage level supplied to the heater 48 of 3.9 V for a 3 mg / ml nicotine containing Menthol liquid is shown in the suitable row in Figure 4c. Accordingly, the control circuitry 20 is configured to store associated user defined settings against one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system 1 in any suitable form.

[0129] In addition, the control circuitry 20 is configured to generate a suggestion for the user defined settings for another (e.g., a third) aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system 1 based on the stored user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material. In other words, the control circuitry 20 is capable of generating the suggestion for the user defined settings for the third aerosolgenerating material provided to the aerosol provision system 1 from the user defined settings stored against the one or more properties of at least the first aerosol-generating material in respect of one or more properties of the third aerosol-generating material obtained or determined by the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism.

[0130] The suggestion for the user defined settings for the third aerosol-generating material generated by the control circuitry 20 may include the user defined settings stored against the one or more properties of at least the first aerosol-generating material corresponding to the obtained or determined one or more properties of the third aerosol-generating material. Put another way, the control circuitry 20 identifies the user defined settings stored against one or more properties corresponding to one or more properties identified or obtained for the third- aerosol generating material, and generates the suggestion based on the user defined settings for the corresponding one or more parameters.

[0131] By way of example, we consider the third aerosol-generating material as a 6 mg / ml nicotine containing Dark Cherry liquid. As evident from Figures 4a to 4c (and from the above description), this aerosol-generating material (or at least this combination or one or more properties of aerosol-generating material) have not previously be used with the aerosol provision device 2. Figure 4a includes a user defined voltage level for the heater 48 against the nicotine concentration value of 6 mg / ml of 3.4 V. The control circuitry 20 may subsequently generate a suggestion of 3.4 V for the user defined setting when the third aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol provision system 1 (e.g., when a third cartridge 4 containing the third aerosol-generating material is coupled to the aerosol provision device 2). In this instance, it can be seen that the control circuitry 20 generates the suggestion for the user defined setting(s) for the third aerosol-generating material by using the user defined setting stored for a corresponding property (e.g., nicotine concentration) of the third-aerosol generating material.

[0132] Alternatively, it is noted that Figure 4b includes a user defined voltage level for the heater 48 against the flavour of Dark Cherry of 4.2 V. The control circuitry 20 may subsequently generate a suggestion of 4.2 V for the user defined setting when the third aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol provision system 1. In this instance, it can be seen that the control circuitry 20 generates the suggestion for the user defined setting(s) for the third aerosol-generating material by using the user defined setting stored for a corresponding property (e.g., flavour) of the third-aerosol generating material.

[0133] Additionally or alternatively, the suggestion for the user defined settings for the third aerosolgenerating material provided to the aerosol provision system 1 may be calculated on the basis of the user defined settings stored against one or more properties of at least the first aerosol-generating material corresponding to the obtained or determined one or more properties of the third aerosol-generating material.

[0134] For instance, in the above example, it is noted that the two suggested user defined settings are different. This arises in this example as a result of the way in which the stored user defined settings are stored. The control circuitry 20 may be configured to employ certain rules to select one of these values above the other. For example, user defined settings provided against the property of nicotine concentration may be prioritised by the control circuitry 20 over user defined setting provided against the property of flavour. Alternatively, the control circuitry 20 may apply suitable mathematical operations to generate the suggestion for the user settings. For example, the control circuitry 20 may generate a suggestion based on an average of the two user defined settings stored against each of the individual properties. For instance, in the above example, the control circuitry 20 may generate a suggestion for the voltage level of the heater 48 of 3.8 V (the average of 3.4 and 4.2).

[0135] In other implementations, for example such as Figure 4c, the occurrence of multiple values for a given property (or combination of properties) may be avoided, and thus in these implementations, the control circuitry 20 may be configured simply to use the corresponding value stored against the corresponding one or more properties for the suggestion of user defined settings.

[0136] In other implementations, the control circuitry 20 may use more complex algorithms to calculate the suggestion for the user defined settings for the third aerosol-generating material. For example, with reference to Figure 4c, no user defined setting for the voltage level supplied to the heater 48 is recoded against a 6 mg / ml nicotine containing Dark Cherry liquid aerosol-generating material. However, user defined settings are recorded against related properties. For instance, the control circuitry 20 may identify that a user defined setting for the voltage level of the heater 48 is stored against a 3 mg / ml nicotine containing Dark Cherry liquid (of 4.2 V). That is to say, a user defined setting for the flavour property (i.e. , Dark Cherry) does exist. Additionally, the control circuitry 20 may determine there exists a user defined setting for different nicotine concentrations of the same flavour aerosolgenerating material (i.e., 3 and 6 mg / ml nicotine containing Menthol liquids). The control circuitry 20 may employ an algorithm that determines, for the same flavour liquid, the change in the user defined settings for the different nicotine concentrations. Taking the example above, for a nicotine containing Menthol liquid, the change between nicotine concentrations of 3 mg / ml and 6 mg / ml is 0.5 V or approx. 87% of the user defined setting at a nicotine concentration of 3 mg / ml. The control circuitry 20 may subsequently subtract the absolute value of 0.5 V from the value 4.2 V of the user defined setting for the 3 mg / ml nicotine containing Dark Cherry liquid aerosol-generating material to provide a suggested user defined setting of 3.7 V for the third aerosol-generating material or the control circuitry 20 may multiple the value 4.2 V of the user defined setting for the 3 mg / ml nicotine containing Dark Cherry liquid aerosol-generating material by the relative percentage of 87% to provide a suggested user defined setting of 3.65 V for the third aerosol-generating material.

[0137] In the abovementioned examples, the control circuitry 20 may not be provided with a value corresponding to each and every property identified in respect of the third aerosol-generating material, but by using the stored user defined settings against other properties, the control circuitry 20 is configured to calculate a suitable suggestion for the user defined settings of the third aerosol-generating material.

[0138] The above represents a few examples of how the control circuitry 20 may be configured to generate a suggestion of user defined settings to use in the aerosol provision device 2 when using the third aerosol-generating material. However, it should be understood that any suitable algorithms may be used by the control circuitry 20 to generate the suggestion of user defined settings for the third aerosol-generating material based on the stored user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material.

[0139] In addition, in some implementations, the control circuitry 20 may also be provided with one or more predetermined relationships that define relationships between the user defined settings and one or more properties. For example, in the example above, the control circuitry 20 may be considered to determine a relationship between the stored user settings and the one or more parameters. For example, the above example provided an absolute difference of 0.5 V or a relative difference of 87% based on the relationship between two user defined settings for a given property. However, certain relationships may be found empirically, e.g., through testing. For example, it may be found that, generally, users of aerosol provision settings tend to change the voltage level by 0.5 V between Menthol and Dark Cherry flavours, or by 0.3 V between 3 mg / ml nicotine concentration and 0 mg / ml nicotine concentration, for example. These relationships known in advance, e.g., by the manufacturer, in respect of general user defined settings can be provided to the control circuitry 20 and used by the control circuitry 20 to generate a suggestion of user defined settings for use in the aerosol provision device 2 when using the third aerosol-generating material. For instance, if we assume a fourth aerosol-generating material of a 0 mg / ml nicotine containing Dark Cherry liquid, then the control circuitry 20 may take the user defined setting of 4.2 V for a 3 mg / ml nicotine containing Dark Cherry liquid (as in Figure 4c) and apply the predetermined relationship to the stored user defined setting, e.g., by increasing the heater voltage by 0.3 V, to generate a suggestion of 4.6 V for the user defined setting for the fourth aerosol-generating material. In such instances, it should be appreciated that the control circuitry 20 uses at least one stored user defined setting in order to generate a suitable (i.e., tailored to the given user) suggestion of the user defined settings.

[0140] Additionally, it should be appreciated that such relationships may be defined in more general terms rather than at the individual one or more property level of the aerosol-generating material. For example, it may be determined that similar user defined settings are appropriate for several aerosol-generating materials. For instance, it may be found that a similar voltage level of the heater 48 is suitable for both a 6 mg / ml nicotine containing Dark Cherry and a 0 mg / ml nicotine (i.e., nicotine free) Menthol aerosol-generating material.

[0141] Alternatively or additionally, it should be appreciated that Figures 4b and 4c provide flavours by name as one of the properties. However, there may be other ways of characterising flavours. For example, the relative strength of the flavour as it is perceived by a user may be used as the property. In this case, different flavours may be classified as having similar perceptions. For example, a Banana flavour may be perceived at a similar strength to a Dark Cherry flavour by a user (or users more generally). Accordingly, instead of storing user settings for individual flavours, the user defined settings may be stored against a perceived strength of flavour (e.g., this may be provided on a scale of one to five, for example, where e.g., Dark Cherry and Banana may be given a score of three). This could alternatively be implemented as a predetermined relationship, such that the control circuitry 20 essentially treats Banana flavour and Dark Cherry flavour liquids the same.

[0142] However, it should be appreciated that the principles of the present disclosure are not limited to the examples described above. Indeed, the control circuitry 20 may be configured in any suitable way so as to generate a suggestion for the user defined settings for another (e.g., a third) aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system based on the stored user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosolgenerating material. Additionally, while the above has focused on the constitution of the aerosol-generating material, it should be appreciated the same principles may be applied to aerosol-generating material with different macro properties, e.g., such as viscosity and / or state.

[0143] Once the control circuitry 20 generates a suggestion for the user defined settings for another (e.g., third) aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system 1 , in some implementations, the control circuitry 20 is configured to automatically implement the suggested user defined settings. Put another way, the control circuitry 20 configures the aerosol provision system 1 to operate in accordance with the suggestion for the user defined settings. In the case of the voltage level supplied to the heater 48, the control circuitry 20 is configured to cause the power supply 26 to supply the voltage level as determined by the control circuitry 20 (as per the generated suggestion for the user defined settings).

[0144] In alternative implementations, the control circuitry 20 may cause a notification to be provided to the user of the aerosol provision system 1. The notification notifies the user of the suggestion of the user defined settings. For example, the notification may display the message, “We recommend setting your voltage level to X V”. Additionally, the message may also include a justification for the recommendation, such as “We recommend setting your voltage level to X V, based on your settings when using 3 mg / ml Dark Cherry flavour”. The user may be required to manually input the user defined settings, e.g., via the user input mechanism 32. In other implementations, the notification may include an option to automatically update the user defined settings of the aerosol provision system 1 in accordance with the suggestion for the user defined settings generated by the control circuitry 20. For example, in implementations where the user input mechanism 32 comprises a touchscreen, a touch-sensitive button may be displayed that, when pressed by a user, causes the user defined settings to be updated in accordance with the suggestion generated by the control circuitry 20. The notification may be provided on the aerosol provision system 1 (e.g., via a screen or display or via indicator 14) or on a remote source communicatively coupled to the aerosol provision system, such as a smartphone or the like.

[0145] Furthermore, it should be appreciated that in some instances, the control circuitry 20 may not have sufficient stored user defined setting(s) and / or predetermined relationships to generate the suggestion of the user defined settings for the aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system 1. In such cases, the control circuitry 20 may simply not generate a suggestion for the user defined settings and I or display a notification informing the user that no suggestion could be provided.

[0146] Figure 5 is an example flow diagram illustrating an example method of configuring an aerosol provision system 1 for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material. Assuming a first aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol provision system 1 (i.e., a first cartridge 4 is coupled to the aerosol provision device 2), the method starts at step S1 where the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism is configured to identify one or more properties of the first aerosol-generating material. As described above, the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism may be implemented in a number of ways depending on the implementation at hand, but is configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the first aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system 1.

[0147] At step S2, the aerosol provision system 1 (or control circuitry 20 thereof) is configured to store user defined settings provided to the aerosol provision system 1 against the identified one or more properties of step S1. As noted above, the user input mechanism 32 is used to provide the user defined setting(s) to the control circuitry 20 of the aerosol provision system 1 I device 2. On the one hand, the control circuitry 20 is configured to store these user defined settings, e.g., in suitable memory, as described above, and on the other, the control circuitry 20 is configured to control operations of the aerosol provision system 1 according to the user defined settings, e.g., such as providing a certain power level to the heater 48.

[0148] At step S3, a second aerosol-generating material is provided to the aerosol provision system 1 (i.e., a second cartridge 4 containing the second aerosol-generating material is coupled to the aerosol provision device 2). The first aerosol-generating material or first cartridge 4 is removed or used prior to providing the second aerosol-generating material to the aerosol provision system 1.

[0149] In the event that the control circuitry 20 is unable to generate a suggestion of user defined settings for the second aerosol-generating material (i.e., steps S4 to S6 do not proceed), the method proceeds back to step S2 where the user provides user defined settings and the user defined settings are stored against the one or more properties of, in this case, the second aerosol-generating material.

[0150] However, on the assumption, the control circuitry 20 has sufficient stored user defined settings against one or more properties identified for the second aerosol-generating material at step S3, the method proceeds to step S4.

[0151] At step S4, the control circuitry 20 is configured to generate a suggestion for the user defined settings for the second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system 1 based on the stored user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material. The way or ways in which this may be implemented have been described above and will not be repeated here for conciseness. Once the suggestion for the user defined settings has been generated, the method proceeds to step S5 or S6. At step S5, a notification is provided to a user, for example on a screen or the like of the aerosol provision device 2 or a screen or the like of a remote device, such as a smartphone, communicatively coupled to the aerosol provision device 2, informing the user of the suggestion of user defined settings. The user may then insert the suggested user defined settings, e.g., using the input mechanism 32, or the notification may inform the user that the suggested user defined settings are to be implemented. At step S6, the suggested user defined settings are implement. In other words, the control circuitry 20 is configured to operate in accordance with the suggested user defined settings.

[0152] While the above described implementations have in some respects focussed on specific example aerosol provision systems, it will be appreciated the same principles can be applied for aerosol provision systems using other technologies or vaporising other aerosolgenerating material. That is to say, the specific manner in which various aspects of the aerosol provision system function are not directly relevant to the principles underlying the examples described herein.

[0153] While the above described embodiments have focused on an aerosol provision system 1 comprising a replaceable cartridge 4 and a reusable aerosol provision device 2, it should be appreciated that the principles of the present disclosure are not limited to such arrangements of the aerosol provision system 1. For example, the aerosol provision system 1 may instead be provided as a single piece or unitary device where the cartridge and aerosol provision device 2 are integrally formed. In such instances, it should be appreciated that the aerosol provision device 2 comprises the aerosol generator and reservoir 44.

[0154] In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, there is also provided aerosol provision means, including aerosol provision system 1 , for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material, the aerosol provision means including aerosol generator means, including aerosol generator 48, for generating aerosol from an aerosol generating material provided to the aerosol provision means; control means, including control circuitry 20, for controlling the operation of the aerosol generator means to generate aerosol; user input means, including user input mechanism 32, for the user to define settings of the aerosol generator means; and aerosol-generating material identification means, including aerosolgenerating material identification mechanism, configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision means. The control means is configured to store the user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision means as determined by the aerosol-generating material identification means, and wherein the control means is configured to generate a suggestion for the user defined settings for a second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision means based on the stored user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material.

[0155] Thus, there has been described an aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material, the aerosol provision system including an aerosol generator for generating aerosol from an aerosol generating material provided to the aerosol provision system; control circuitry for controlling the operation of the aerosol generator to generate aerosol; a user input mechanism for the user to define settings of the aerosol generator; and an aerosol-generating material identification mechanism configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system. The control circuitry is configured to store the user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system as determined by the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism. The control circuitry is configured to generate a suggestion for the user defined settings for a second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system based on the stored user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosolgenerating material. Also described is an aerosol provision device, a method of configuring an aerosol provision system, and aerosol provision means.

[0156] In order to address various issues and advance the art, this disclosure shows by way of illustration various embodiments in which the claimed invention(s) may be practiced. The advantages and features of the disclosure are of a representative sample of embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and / or exclusive. They are presented only to assist in understanding and to teach the claimed invention(s). It is to be understood that advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and / or other aspects of the disclosure are not to be considered limitations on the disclosure as defined by the claims or limitations on equivalents to the claims, and that other embodiments may be utilised and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. Various embodiments may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, various combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc. other than those specifically described herein, and it will thus be appreciated that features of the dependent claims may be combined with features of the independent claims in combinations other than those explicitly set out in the claims. The disclosure may include other inventions not presently claimed, but which may be claimed in future.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material, the aerosol provision system comprising: an aerosol generator for generating aerosol from an aerosol generating material provided to the aerosol provision system; control circuitry for controlling the operation of the aerosol generator to generate aerosol; a user input mechanism for the user to define settings of the aerosol generator; and an aerosol-generating material identification mechanism configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system, wherein the control circuitry is configured to store the user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system as determined by the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to generate a suggestion for the user defined settings for a second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system based on the stored user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material.

2. The aerosol provision system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to generate the suggestion for the user defined settings for the second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system from the user defined settings stored against the one or more properties of at least the first aerosol-generating material in respect of one or more properties of the second aerosol-generating material obtained or determined by the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism.

3. The aerosol provision system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism is configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the second aerosol-generating material, and wherein the suggestion for the user defined settings for the second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system includes the user defined settings stored against the one or more properties of at least the first aerosol-generating material corresponding to the obtained or determined one or more properties of the second aerosol-generating material.

4. The aerosol provision system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the aerosolgenerating material identification mechanism is configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the second aerosol-generating material, and wherein the suggestion for the user defined settings for the second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system is calculated on the basis of the user defined settings stored against one or more properties of at least the first aerosol-generating material corresponding to the obtained or determined one or more properties of the second aerosol-generating material.

5. The aerosol provision system of claim 4, wherein one or more properties of at least the first aerosol-generating material are related to the obtained or determined one or more properties of the second aerosol-generating material through a predetermined relationship, and wherein the predetermined relationship is provided to the control circuitry.

6. The aerosol provision system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material include at least one of: one or more properties relating to the composition of the aerosol-generating material and one or more properties relating to the macro properties of the aerosol-generating material.

7. The aerosol provision system of any preceding claim, wherein the one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material include at least one of: a type of aerosolgenerating material, an active ingredient of the aerosol-generating material, a concentration of an active ingredient of the aerosol-generating material, a flavour of the aerosol-generating material, and a perceived strength of the flavour of the aerosol-generating material.

8. The aerosol provision system of any preceding claim, wherein the used defined settings include at least one of: a power setting for the aerosol generator; a power profile for the aerosol generator; and an air inlet opening size.

9. The aerosol provision system of any preceding claim, wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause the suggestion for the user defined settings for a second aerosolgenerating material provided to the aerosol provision system to be provided to a user, and wherein the user is required to provide an input to the control circuitry to cause the suggested user defined settings to be implemented.

10. The aerosol provision system of any preceding claim, wherein the control circuitry is configured to automatically adjust the settings of the aerosol generator according to the suggestion for the user defined settings.

11. The aerosol provision system of any preceding claim, wherein the user input mechanism is configured as a mechanism that the user physically interacts with in order to provide the user defined settings.

12. The aerosol provision system of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the user input mechanism is configured to receive the user defined settings from a remote source.

13. The aerosol provision system of claim 12, wherein the user input mechanism comprises a wireless receiver.

14. The aerosol provision system of claim 12, wherein the user input mechanism comprises a connector for receiving a wired connection to the remote source.

15. The aerosol provision system of any preceding claim, wherein the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism includes at least one of: a data containing element for storing data indicative of the one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material and a reader for reading the data from the data containing element; a sensor for performing a measuring associated with the aerosol-generating material; and a second user input mechanism for receiving user inputs indicative of the one or more properties of the aerosolgenerating material.

16. An aerosol provision device for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material, the aerosol provision device comprising: an aerosol generator for generating aerosol from an aerosol generating material provided to the aerosol provision device; control circuitry for controlling the operation of the aerosol generator to generate aerosol; a user input mechanism for the user to define settings of the aerosol generator, and an aerosol-generating material identification mechanism configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision device, wherein the control circuitry is configured to store the user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system as determined by the aerosol-generating material identification mechanism, andwherein the control circuitry is configured to generate a suggestion for the user defined settings for a second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system based on the stored user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material.

17. A method of configuring an aerosol provision system for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material, the aerosol provision system comprising an aerosol generator for generating aerosol from an aerosol generating material provided to the aerosol provision system, control circuitry for controlling the operation of the aerosol generator to generate aerosol, a user input mechanism for the user to define settings of the aerosol generator, and an aerosol-generating material identification mechanism configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system, the method comprising: storing user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosolgenerating material provided to the aerosol provision system as determined by the aerosolgenerating material identification mechanism, and generating a suggestion for the user defined settings for a second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision system based on the stored user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material.

18. Aerosol provision means for generating aerosol from aerosol generating material, the aerosol provision means comprising: aerosol generator means for generating aerosol from an aerosol generating material provided to the aerosol provision means; control means for controlling the operation of the aerosol generator means to generate aerosol; user input means for the user to define settings of the aerosol generator means; and aerosol-generating material identification means configured to obtain or determine one or more properties of the aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision means, wherein the control means is configured to store the user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision means as determined by the aerosol-generating material identification means, and wherein the control means is configured to generate a suggestion for the user defined settings for a second aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol provision means based on the stored user defined settings against one or more properties of at least a first aerosol-generating material.

Images