System and aerosol delivery method
A computing device adjusts aerosol delivery systems based on user mood and environmental data to optimize aerosol composition and quantity, addressing inconsistent consumption in e-cigarettes.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- NICOVENTURES TRADING LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-04-07
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-23
AI Technical Summary
Existing electronic aerosol supply systems, such as e-cigarettes, deliver aerosol amounts that depend on user inhalation behavior influenced by mood, leading to inconsistent consumption patterns.
A computing device adjusts aerosol delivery parameters based on user mood data, including facial expressions, weather, and other environmental factors, to optimize aerosol composition and quantity.
Enhances user experience by delivering tailored aerosols that align with the user's emotional state, providing consistent and responsive aerosol supply.
Smart Images

Figure 2026102976000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] [Background of the Disclosure] [Field] The present disclosure relates to an aerosol supply system and method. Description of the Prior Art
[0002] The description of "background" provided in this specification is intended to present a general overview of the context of the present disclosure. The work of the inventors named in this specification within the scope described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that are not considered prior art at the time of filing in other respects, are not admitted as prior art in the present disclosure, whether explicitly or implicitly.
[0003] Electronic aerosol supply systems, such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), generally include a reservoir of a source liquid containing a formulation typically including nicotine, from which an aerosol is produced, for example, by heating and vaporization. Thus, an aerosol supply source for an aerosol supply system may comprise a heater having a heating element arranged to receive the source liquid from the reservoir, for example, by wicking / capillary action. Other source materials, such as plant substances or gels containing active ingredients and / or flavorants, can likewise be heated to produce an aerosol. Thus, more generally, an e-cigarette can be considered to contain or receive a payload for heating and vaporization.
[0004] While the user inhales the device, power is supplied to a heating element, which vaporizes an aerosol source (part of the payload) located near the heating element, generating an aerosol for the user to inhale. Such devices typically have one or more air inlet holes located away from the mouthpiece end of the system. When the user inhales the mouthpiece connected to the mouthpiece end of the system, air is drawn in through the inlet holes and passes through the aerosol source. There is a flow path connecting the aerosol source and the mouthpiece opening, and as a result, the air passing through the aerosol source continues to be drawn along the flow path to the mouthpiece opening, carrying some of the aerosol from the aerosol source. The air carrying the aerosol exits the aerosol supply system through the mouthpiece opening for the user to inhale.
[0005] Typically, when a user inhales / inhales the device, current is supplied to the heater. Typically, when a user inhales / inhales / puffs, current is supplied to the heater, such as a resistive heating element, in response to the activation of an airflow sensor along the pathway, or in response to the user activating a button. The heat generated by the heating element is used to vaporize the formulation. The released vapor mixes with the air inhaled into the device by the inhaling consumer to form an aerosol. Alternatively, or in addition to this, heating elements are used to heat plants, such as tobacco, typically without combustion, to release their active ingredients as vapor / aerosol.
[0006] The amount of vaporized / aerosolized payload inhaled by the user depends, at least in part, on how long and how deep the user inhales, as well as how frequently the user inhales, over a period of time. These user behaviors may be influenced by the user's mood.
[0007] Embodiments of this disclosure aim to improve the delivery of payloads to users whose consumption may be influenced by their mood. [Overview of the project]
[0008] In a first embodiment, a computing device is provided by claim 1.
[0009] In another embodiment, a method for supplying an aerosol is provided by claim 12.
[0010] Further aspects and features of the present invention are defined in the appended claims.
[0011] Please understand that both the above general overview of this disclosure and the following detailed description are illustrative and not limiting. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0012] [Figure 1] This is a diagram of an electron aerosol / vapor supply system (EVPS). [Figure 2] This figure shows further details of EVPS. [Figure 3] This figure shows further details of EVPS. [Figure 4] This figure shows further details of EVPS. [Figure 5] This diagram shows a system equipped with an EVPS and remote devices. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart of the aerosol supply method. Description of the Embodiment
[0013] An electronic aerosol supply system and method are disclosed. The following description presents several specific details to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these specific details are not necessary to carry out embodiments of the disclosure. Conversely, specific details known to those skilled in the art are omitted where necessary for clarity of the description.
[0014] As stated above, this disclosure relates to an aerosol supply system (e.g., a non-combustion aerosol supply system) or an electronic vapor supply system (EVPS) such as an e-cigarette. Throughout the following description, the term “e-cigarette” may be used interchangeably with “(electronic) aerosol / vapor supply system.” Similarly, the terms “vapor” and “aerosol” are also used interchangeably herein.
[0015] Generally, an electronic vapor / aerosol supply system can be an e-cigarette, also known as a vaping device or electronic nicotine delivery system (END), but it should be noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosolizable material is not a requirement. In some embodiments, a non-combustible aerosol supply system is a tobacco heating system, also known as a non-combustible heating system. In some embodiments, a non-combustible aerosol supply system is a hybrid system that generates an aerosol using a combination of aerosolizable materials, one or more of which can be heated. Each of the aerosolizable 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 includes a liquid or gel aerosolizable material and a solid aerosolizable material. The solid aerosolizable material may include, for example, tobacco or a non-tobacco product. On the other hand, in some embodiments, a non-combustible aerosol supply system generates vapor / aerosol from one or more such aerosolizable materials.
[0016] Typically, a non-combustible aerosol supply system can comprise a non-combustible aerosol supply device and articles for use with the non-combustible aerosol supply system. However, articles that themselves have means for supplying power to aerosol-generating components can themselves be considered to form a non-combustible aerosol supply system. In one embodiment, the non-combustible aerosol supply device may comprise a power source and a controller. The power source may be a power source or an exothermic power source. In one embodiment, the exothermic power source includes a carbon substrate that can provide energy to distribute power in the form of heat to an aerosolizable material or heat transfer material near the exothermic power source. In one embodiment, the power source, such as an exothermic power source, is provided in the article to form a non-combustible aerosol supply section. In one embodiment, the article for use with the non-combustible aerosol supply device may include an aerosolizable material.
[0017] In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating component is a heater capable of interacting with the aerosolizable material to form an aerosol by releasing one or more volatile components from the aerosolizable material. In one embodiment, the aerosol-generating component is capable of generating an aerosol from the aerosolizable material without heating. For example, the aerosol-generating component is capable of generating an aerosol from the aerosolizable material without applying heat by one or more of the following means: vibration, mechanical means, pressurizing means, or electrostatic means.
[0018] In some embodiments, the aerosolizable material may comprise an active material, an aerosol-forming material, and optionally one or more functional materials. The active material may comprise nicotine (optionally, found in tobacco or tobacco derivatives) or one or more other non-olfactory physiologically active materials. The non-olfactory physiologically active materials are materials included in the aerosolizable material to provide a physiological response other than olfaction. The aerosol-forming material may comprise one or more of glycerin, glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a mixture of diacetin, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenylacetate, tributyline, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate. One or more functional materials may include one or more of the following: fragrances, carriers, pH adjusters, stabilizers, and / or antioxidants.
[0019] In some embodiments, an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply device may include an aerosolizable material or a region for receiving the aerosolizable material. In one embodiment, the article for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply device may be provided with a suction port. The region for receiving the aerosolizable material may be a storage region for storing the aerosolizable material. For example, the storage region may be a reservoir. In one embodiment, the region for receiving the aerosolizable material may be separate from the aerosol-generating region or combined with the aerosol-generating region.
[0020] Next, please refer to the drawings. Throughout the drawings, the same reference number refers to the same or corresponding part.
[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram (not to scale) of an electron vapor / aerosol delivery system, such as an e-cigarette 10, according to several embodiments of the present disclosure. The e-cigarette has a substantially cylindrical shape extending along a longitudinal axis indicated by a dashed line LA and comprises two main components: a body 20 and a cartomizer 30. The cartomizer includes an internal chamber containing a reservoir for a payload, such as a liquid containing nicotine, a vaporizer (such as a heater), and a mouthpiece 35. It should be understood that "nicotine" as used below is merely illustrative and can be replaced with any suitable active ingredient. It should be understood that "liquid" as used as payload is merely illustrative and can be replaced with any suitable payload, such as a plant material (e.g., tobacco that is heated rather than burned), or a gel containing an active ingredient and / or flavoring agent. The reservoir may be a foam or any other structure for holding the liquid until it is needed to be delivered to the vaporizer. In the case of a liquid / fluid payload, the vaporizer is for vaporizing the liquid, and the cartomizer 30 may further include a wick or similar means for transferring a small amount of liquid from the reservoir to the vaporization position of the vaporizer, or to a vaporization position adjacent to the vaporizer. In the following, a heater is used as a concrete example of a vaporizer. However, it should be understood that other forms of vaporizers (e.g., those utilizing ultrasound) may also be used. It should also be understood that the type of vaporizer used may depend on the type of payload being vaporized.
[0022] The main unit 20 includes a rechargeable battery or power supply for powering the e-cigarette 10 and a circuit board for overall control of the e-cigarette. As controlled by the circuit board, when the heater receives power from the battery, the heater vaporizes a liquid, which is then inhaled by the user through the mouthpiece 35. In some specific embodiments, the main unit further includes a manual activation device 265 located on the outside of the main unit, such as a button, switch, or touch sensor.
[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the body 20 and the atomizer 30 can be removable from each other by separating in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis LA. However, in order to provide a mechanical and electrical connection between the body 20 and the atomizer 30, they are joined together when the device 10 is in use by the connection portions schematically shown as 25A and 25B in FIG. 1. The electrical connector 25B of the body 20 used to connect to the atomizer 30 also serves as a socket for connecting a charging device (not shown) when the body 20 is removed from the atomizer 30. The other end of the charging device can be inserted into the USB socket to recharge the battery in the body 20 of the e-cigarette 10. In other embodiments, a cable may be provided for a direct connection between the electrical connector 25B of the body 20 and the USB socket.
[0024] The e-cigarette 10 is provided with one or more holes for air inlets (not shown in FIG. 1). These holes are connected to an air passage that leads to the suction port 35 through the e-cigarette 10. When the user sucks on the suction port 35, air is drawn into this air passage through one or more air inlet holes suitably arranged outside the e-cigarette. When the heater is activated to vaporize nicotine from the cartridge, an air flow is generated that combines with the generated vapor, and then the air flow and the generated vapor are combined and flow out from the suction port 35 and are sucked by the user. Except for single-use devices, the atomizer 30 may be removed from the body 20 and disposed of (or replaced with another atomizer if desired) when the liquid supply source is exhausted.
[0025] The e-cigarette 10 shown in FIG. 1 is presented as an example, and it will be understood that various other embodiments can be adopted. For example, in some embodiments, the atomizer 30 is provided as two separable components, namely a cartridge comprising a liquid reservoir and a mouthpiece (which can be replaced when the liquid from the reservoir is exhausted), and an atomizer comprising a heater (which is generally held). As another example, the charging means may be connected to an additional or alternative power source such as a car cigarette lighter.
[0026] FIG. 2 is a schematic (simplified) view of the main body 20 of the e-cigarette 10 of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 can generally be considered as a cross-section in a plane passing through the longitudinal axis LA of the e-cigarette 10. Note that various components and details of the main body, such as wiring and more complex shapes, have been omitted from FIG. 2 for clarity.
[0027] The main body 20 includes a battery or cell 210 for supplying power to the e-cigarette 10 in response to activation of the device by the user. In addition, the main body 20 includes a control unit (not shown in FIG. 2) for controlling the e-cigarette 10, such as a chip such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a microcontroller. The microcontroller or ASIC includes a CPU or a microprocessor. The operation of the CPU and other electronic components is generally at least partially controlled by a software program running on the CPU (or other components). Such a software program can be incorporated into the microcontroller itself or stored in a non-volatile memory such as a ROM provided as a separate component. The CPU can access the ROM to load and execute individual software programs as needed and when required. The microcontroller also includes, where appropriate, a suitable communication interface (and control software) for communicating with other devices within the main body 10.
[0028] The main body 20 further includes a cap 225 for sealing and protecting the far (distal) end of the e-cigarette 10. Typically, an air inlet hole is provided in or adjacent to the cap 225 so that air can flow into the main body 20 when the user inhales into the mouthpiece 35. The control unit or ASIC may be located along the battery 210 or at one end of the battery 210. In some embodiments, the ASIC is attached to a sensor unit 215 to detect inhalation at the mouthpiece 35 (or the sensor unit 215 may be provided on the ASIC itself). An air path is provided in the e-cigarette, from the air inlet through the airflow sensor 215 and the heater (in the vaporizer or cartomizer 30) to the mouthpiece 35. Thus, when the user inhales into the mouthpiece of the e-cigarette, the CPU detects such inhalation based on information from the airflow sensor 215.
[0029] On the end of the body 20 opposite to the cap 225 is a connector 25B for joining the body 20 to the cartomizer 30. Connector 25B provides mechanical and electrical connections between the body 20 and the cartomizer 30. Connector 25B includes a body connector 240 which is metal (silver-plated in some embodiments) that serves as one terminal (positive or negative) for the electrical connection to the cartomizer 30. Connector 25B further includes an electrical contact 250 which provides a second terminal for the electrical connection to the cartomizer 30, i.e., a terminal of opposite polarity to the body connector 240. The electrical contact 250 is attached to a coil spring 255. When the body 20 is attached to the cartomizer 30, the connector 25A on the cartomizer 30 pushes the electrical contact 250 so as to compress the coil spring axially, i.e., in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis LA (a direction coincident with the longitudinal axis LA). Considering the elasticity of spring 255, this compression biases spring 255 to stretch, which has the effect of firmly pressing electrical contact 250 against connector 25A of cartomizer 30, thereby helping to ensure a good electrical connection between body 20 and cartomizer 30. Body connector 240 and electrical contact 250 are separated by a base 260, which is made of a non-conductive material (such as plastic) to provide good insulation between the two electrical terminals. Base 260 is shaped to support the mutual mechanical engagement of connectors 25A and 25B.
[0030] As described above, the button 265 representing the form of the manual activation device 265 can be located on the outer housing of the main body 20. The button 265 can be implemented using any suitable mechanism that can be operated to be manually activated by the user, for example, as a mechanical button or switch, a capacitive or resistive touch sensor, etc. It will also be understood that the manual activation device 265 may be located on the outer housing of the cartomizer 30 instead of the outer housing of the main body 20, in which case the manual activation device 265 may be attached to the ASIC by connectors 25A, 25B. The button 265 may also be located on the end of the main body 20 instead of (or in addition to) the cap 225.
[0031] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the atomizer 30 of the e-cigarette 10 of Figure 1 according to several embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3 can generally be considered a cross-section in a plane passing through the longitudinal axis LA of the e-cigarette 10. Note that various components and details of the atomizer 30, such as wiring and more complex shapes, have been omitted from Figure 3 for clarity.
[0032] The cartomizer 30 includes an air passage 355 extending along the central axis (longitudinal axis) of the cartomizer 30 from the mouthpiece 35 to a connector 25A for joining the cartomizer 30 to the main body 20. A liquid reservoir 360 is provided around the air passage 335. This reservoir 360 can be implemented, for example, by providing cotton or foam immersed in liquid. The cartomizer 30 also includes a heater 365 for heating the liquid from the reservoir 360 so that, in response to the user inhaling the e-cigarette 10, it generates vapor which flows into the air passage 355 and out through the mouthpiece 35. The heater 365 is powered through wires 366 and 367, which are connected to the battery 210 of the main unit 20 via connector 25A to opposite polarities (positive and negative, or vice versa) (details of the wiring between power wires 366 and 367 and connector 25A are omitted from Figure 3).
[0033] Connector 25A includes an internal electrode 375, which may be silver-plated or made of some other suitable metal or conductive material. When the cartomizer 30 is connected to the body 20, the internal electrode 375 contacts the electrical contact 250 of the body 20, providing a first electrical path between the cartomizer 30 and the body 20. In particular, when connectors 25A and 25B are engaged, the internal electrode 375 pushes the electrical contact 250 to compress the coil spring 255, thereby helping to ensure good electrical contact between the internal electrode 375 and the electrical contact 250.
[0034] The internal electrode 375 is surrounded by an insulating ring 372, which can be made of plastic, rubber, silicone, or any other suitable material. The insulating ring is surrounded by a cartomizer connector 370, which may be silver-plated or made of some other suitable metal or conductive material. When the cartomizer 30 is connected to the body 20, the cartomizer connector 370 contacts the body connector 240 of the body 20, providing a second electrical path between the cartomizer 30 and the body 20. In other words, the internal electrode 375 and the cartomizer connector 370 function, where appropriate, as positive and negative terminals (or vice versa) for supplying power from the battery 210 in the body 20 to the heater 365 in the cartomizer 30 via supply lines 366 and 367.
[0035] The cartomizer connector 370 is provided with two projections or tabs 380A, 380B that extend away from the longitudinal axis of the e-cigarette 10 and in opposite directions. These tabs are used together with the body connector 240 to provide a bayonet-type mounting for connecting the cartomizer 30 to the body 20. This bayonet-type mounting provides a secure and robust connection between the cartomizer 30 and the body 20, so that the cartomizer and body are held in a fixed position relative to each other, with minimal wobbling or deflection and very little chance of accidental separation. At the same time, the bayonet-type mounting provides easy and quick connection and disconnection by inserting and rotating to connect, and rotating (in the opposite direction) and pulling to disconnect. It will be understood that other embodiments may use different forms of connection between the body 20 and the cartomizer 30, such as snap-fit or screw connections.
[0036] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of specific details of the connector 25B at the end of the body 20 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure (however, for clarity of explanation, most of the internal structure of the connector shown in Figure 2, such as the base 260, is omitted). In particular, Figure 4 shows the external housing 201 of the body 20, which is generally in the form of a cylindrical tube. This external housing 201 may comprise an inner metal tube that is covered on the outside with, for example, paper. The external housing 201 may also comprise a manual activation device 265 (not shown in Figure 4) so that the manual activation device 265 is easily accessible to the user.
[0037] The main body connector 240 extends from this external housing 201 of the main body 20. The main body connector 240 shown in Figure 4 comprises two main parts: a shaft portion 241 in the shape of a hollow cylindrical tube sized to fit snugly into the external housing 201 of the main body 20, and a lip portion 242 oriented radially outward away from the main longitudinal axis (LA) of the e-cigarette. Where the shaft portion does not overlap with the external housing 201, a collar or sleeve 290 surrounds the shaft portion 241 of the main body connector 240, and the collar 290 is also in the shape of a cylindrical tube. The collar 290 is held between the lip portion 242 of the main body connector 240 and the external housing 201 of the main body, and together they prevent the collar 290 from moving axially (i.e., parallel to the axis LA). However, the collar 290 can rotate freely around the shaft portion 241 (which is also the axis LA).
[0038] As described above, the cap 225 is provided with an air inlet hole so that air can flow when the user inhales through the mouthpiece 35. However, in some embodiments, most of the air that enters the device when the user inhales flows through the collar 290 and the main body connector 240, as shown by the two arrows in Figure 4.
[0039] Referring next to Figure 5, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a system providing a more responsive electronic vapor supply system (EVPS) may comprise two components, such as an EVPS / e-cigarette 10 and a mobile phone or similar device (such as a tablet) 100 that can operate to communicate with the e-cigarette (for example, via Bluetooth®) (for example, to at least receive data from the e-cigarette). In this case, the phone provides broader data collection and processing capabilities to generate responsiveness, as will be described later in this specification.
[0040] However, while two such components are likely to be used, it will be understood that an EVPS / e-cigarette with suitable communication and / or user interface capabilities could also implement such a system itself.
[0041] In any case, a computing device is provided for use with an aerosol supply system configured to generate aerosols from aerosol-generating material for inhalation by the user (for example, by a remote device such as a mobile phone or server, or by a suitable component within the EVPS itself).
[0042] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a computing device is configured to provide adjustments to one or more operating parameters of an aerosol delivery system (electron vapor delivery system (EVPS)) in response to the user's estimated mood. In this way, the user can obtain greater usefulness from the EVPS by, for example, delivering more active ingredients when the user is stressed, and / or fewer active ingredients and / or more flavorings when the user is relaxed. Other examples will be discussed later herein.
[0043] Accordingly, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a computing device configured to communicate with an aerosol supply device is i. Obtaining a dataset, the dataset containing data indicating the mood of users of aerosol delivery devices according to predetermined variables. ii. Calculating adjustments to one or more operating parameters to control the operation of the user's aerosol supply device based on at least some of the acquired data and the current values of predetermined variables, iii. The device is configured to provide the user's aerosol supply device with calculated adjustments to one or more operating parameters.
[0044] Optionally, the computing device may be configured to acquire not just one but multiple datasets, at least one of which contains data indicating the mood of the user of the aerosol delivery device according to each predetermined variable, and to calculate adjustments based on at least a portion of two or more of the acquired datasets and at least one of each predetermined variable.
[0045] A dataset representing a user's mood may directly reflect the user's mood (for example, based on the user's facial expressions) or relate to external factors that are likely to influence the user's mood (for example, local weather). Therefore, a predetermined variable within each dataset may relate to either the user's facial expressions or the weather.
[0046] In particular, this dataset is not related to the use by the EVPS user in terms of suction behavior (e.g., timing, frequency, suction depth, etc.) or related device modifications (e.g., changes in temperature settings or device settings), although these may, of course, be subject to separate tracking and adjustment systems that may operate separately or in conjunction with the systems described herein, although this is outside the scope of this application.
[0047] More generally, datasets that indicate a user's mood are i. Data related to the user's current physical condition, ii. Data related to circumstances caused by the user, and iii. It can be divided into one of four categories: data related to external circumstances.
[0048] The first category may include data relating to the user's physiological characteristics, while the second and third categories do not. Typically, the use of such datasets requires or benefits from the user's informed consent, because, in part, if a user knows that certain circumstances may contribute to improving their EVPS experience, they are more likely to provide information about such circumstances to the computing device.
[0049] i. Data related to the user's current physical condition The first example of data in this category includes user behavior data, such as a user simply fiddling with or playing with the EVPS, or holding the EVPS in their hand instead of in a bag. These activities are understood to indicate user habits or behaviors, rather than being related to the delivery of vapor to the user. Therefore, these are not related to the use of the aerosol delivery system in the sense of being used to deliver vapor to the user.
[0050] However, despite this, it will be understood that there can be a clear correlation between taking the EVPS out of the bag rather than simply holding it, or starting to play with the EVPS, and subsequently using the EVPS in terms of suction. For example, if the EVPS has been in the bag, this may indicate that it has not been used for some time, and therefore taking the EVPS out of the bag may correlate with boredom and a desire to use the device relatively more frequently than usual in the short term. On the other hand, playing with the EVPS rather than simply holding it may correlate with a state of excitement and may result in a faster-than-average rate or depth of suction.
[0051] Other examples of data in this category include other factors such as the user's facial expressions, tone / stress of voice, or vocabulary / keyword detection (e.g., sometimes captured by a mobile phone or digital assistant during other use, such as during a call), each of which may also correlate individually or in combination with different moods.
[0052] Similarly, other interactions that indicate mood may be considered with respect to the computing device itself or other devices, including other devices that may communicate with the computing device, such as playing with a mobile phone or not interacting with a workstation keyboard or mouse for a threshold period.
[0053] Other examples of this data include physiological data that may be obtained from fitness trackers worn by the user, such as information about sleep cycles, including the timing, duration, and / or quality of sleep the previous night, which may indicate a bias toward a particular mood or a negative mood. Similarly, the user's recent and / or current heart rate, as well as steps, impact (accelerometer) measurements, or other indicators of strenuous activity may be captured.
[0054] One or more of these data types may be provided within a further dataset. Furthermore, multiple datasets corresponding to different sources may be provided, such as exercise tracking from the EVPS itself, user facial expressions / speech from a mobile phone, and sleep data / heart rate from a fitness wearable device. These may be processed as separate datasets or integrated into a single dataset by a computing device.
[0055] ii. Data related to circumstances caused by the user Examples of this data include activities initiated by the user, such as eating, commuting, working, and exercising. Activities such as working or exercising can be detected based on the user's location relative to their registered workplace or gym. Commuting can be detected based on the user's movements and, optionally, the user's location (e.g., distinguishing between road and rail travel). This information can be determined from a combination of GPS data from a mobile phone and, optionally, additional data, such data may be publicly available in the case of road and rail locations, or privately available in the case of personal information registered by the user as part of an online account associated with the management of their EVPS.
[0056] Similarly, social and other engagements may be determined by referring to the user's telephone calendar.
[0057] In this case as well, it can be understood that a correlation may exist between the user's mood and data related to circumstances attributable to the user, such as exercise, commuting, or attending parties.
[0058] iii. Data related to external circumstances Examples of this data include broader environmental influences on the user's mood or activities that are not directly (or intentionally) caused or created by the user themselves. An example of an environmental condition that could affect the user is current and / or near-future local weather. Other factors may include, for example, sports results or news headlines in media consumed by the user (e.g., based on news feeds observed by the user on social media portals). Other factors that may influence the user's mood and behavior include the user's current bank balance and / or spending levels, how often the user has recently received phone calls from friends or family, and the user's social life.
[0059] Such external data may be obtained through mobile phones, for example, weather data may be obtained from any suitable online source and / or any suitable weather service app on the phone. Similarly, the influence of sports and news and other social media may be obtained from any suitable online source and / or any suitable social media app on the phone. Likewise, banking data or general liquidity assessments may be obtained with the user's permission from a suitable app, or provided by the user through a user interface, for example, on a weekly basis. Relationship status may be obtained via social media, and phone logs, SMS messages, etc., may be analyzed with the user's permission regarding the status of interpersonal relationships.
[0060] In this case as well, it can be understood that a correlation may exist between the user's mood and such external circumstances. For example, heavy rain can significantly reduce a user's happiness, or in other words, bias their mood in a negative direction, while sunlight can significantly increase a user's happiness, or bias their mood in a positive direction. On the other hand, unpleasant news in a news feed, for example, can slightly increase stress.
[0061] Other data sources may exist that span these classifications or represent other broader categories, or they may all be considered to fall outside the scope of these categories.
[0062] For example, user-initiated situations may include going to the hospital or not going to the gym at a scheduled / habitual time. These may suggest that the user is unwell, and therefore are also indirect indicators of the user's physiological state and potentially represent a negative mood bias.
[0063] On the other hand, time or day of the week may be optionally excluded from consideration as a suitable dataset. Clearly, time or day of the week may correlate with the user's mood, but the current time or day of the week itself may be independently excluded from consideration as a dataset. Nevertheless, time or day of the week may be used in parallel with the present invention as part of a separate mechanism for establishing the user's habitual usage patterns, and these separate techniques may be combined, for example, by weighting the contributions of usage estimations from these techniques and potentially other techniques to determine the overall adjustment to the operation of EVPS.
[0064] Similarly, location may also be optional and not be considered a suitable dataset. In this case, location may clearly correlate with the user's mood (for example, going to the hospital), but location itself may be excluded from consideration as a dataset. Nevertheless, location may be used in parallel with the present invention as part of a separate mechanism for establishing the user's habitual usage patterns (for example, if the user works in a place where vaping is not permitted), and these separate techniques may be combined, for example, by weighting the contributions of usage estimates from these techniques and potentially other techniques to determine the overall adjustment to the operation of the EVPS.
[0065] As mentioned above, multiple datasets may be provided within one or more of these broad categories.
[0066] It will be understood that some data (for example, related to the user's physiological functions, preferences, or activities, such as workplace) may need to be explicitly provided by the user if it is not already available (for example, the user's physiological data may be available from the affiliated fitness app, while the user's workplace may be inferred from the user's location during weekday work hours). Therefore, the user may optionally be provided with a means to input this data into the system, for example, by interacting with a website hosted by a service provider associated with the EVPS (e.g., the manufacturer or a trusted third party) that allows the user to open and maintain an account. The account associates this data with the user and the user's EVPS, and therefore its usage data. The data may include directly entered information and / or permissions to access other information (such as data from social media, phone calendars, or fitness devices). Some such permissions may also be obtained when installing the app on the user's phone.
[0067] For any predetermined variable in any of the above categories (whether related to facial expressions, social status, local weather forecasts, or bank account balances), the relevant dataset may also include indications of the user's possible moods, depending on that variable.
[0068] This may include indications of specific moods (e.g., related to facial expressions or keywords in spoken or typed text), or mood values or biases (e.g., from very positive to very negative).
[0069] Therefore, for example, with respect to weather, the mood bias value may be proportional to temperature, or it may have different profiles, such as being lower when it is too cold or too hot, and higher when the temperature is comfortable. Similarly, the mood bias value may be proportional to the probability of rain, with the bias being lower when the probability of rain is high and higher when the probability of rain is low. Likewise, the bias may be considered to be an indicator of cloud cover, pollen, air quality, etc.
[0070] These mood bias values may be generic (i.e., provided by the manufacturer at a global, national, or regional level) or individualized for the user based on feedback provided by the user, for example. For example, a companion app on an aerosol delivery system or remote device 100 may provide a happiness scale (e.g., a set of five faces ranging from very sad to very happy), and the user can input their own happiness level. The current value of one variable or a predetermined variable can then be correlated with the thus indicated mood. Optionally, if mood values already exist for a given predetermined variable value, such input may be used to correct the mean, or otherwise combined with the existing value.
[0071] Therefore, typically, this dataset, or each dataset, includes predetermined variables (regardless of whether they are continuous variables such as temperature or the probability of rain, or classification values such as an index of multiple facial expressions) along with associated mood categories or mood bias values. As mentioned above, continuous variables may have a linear or nonlinear functional relationship with mood bias values, but they may also be related to multiple mood categories; for example, low temperature may be associated with boredom, and high temperature may be associated with fatigue. Alternatively, or in addition to this, high and low temperatures may be associated with negative mood bias values, and moderate temperatures may be associated with positive mood bias values. Similarly, classification type variables may have corresponding mood categories or associated positive or negative mood bias values.
[0072] However, the dataset may not explicitly associate the user's mood with the variable, and the ranking of the variable values may be sufficient to simply assign a scale from, for example, "good" to "bad."
[0073] As described above, the classification and / or mood bias value for a given predetermined variable value may be changed or modified by user input indicating the mood classification or mood value when it matches the predetermined variable value.
[0074] After acquiring this dataset or each dataset, as described above, the computing device can be operated to calculate adjustments to one or more operating parameters for controlling the operation of the user's aerosol supply device, based on at least a portion of the acquired data and the current values of these predetermined variables or each predetermined variable.
[0075] It will be understood that not all of the data obtained in a given dataset may be relevant to determining the user's current mood because certain predetermined variables or their corresponding current values are unavailable (for example, if the user is not wearing their fitness tracker, their current heart rate may not be available, or if the user's weather app on their phone does not provide that information, their current pollen count may not be available).
[0076] Similarly, if there is high volatility in the user's mood as indicated for a given value of a variable, for example, data for a particular predetermined variable may be ignored.
[0077] If a user does not have a pollen allergy, and the user provides various different mood indicators over time via the user interface that may have a strong correlation with a specific predetermined variable, these may have little to no correlation with, for example, pollen count. As a result, for a given range of pollen counts, these may represent a wide range of happiness levels, from not happy at all to very happy, or a wide range of mood categories that fluctuate significantly. If the variance between mood and the predetermined variable value is large (i.e., the correlation is low), the predetermined variable, or optionally its value, or a local range of the value of the predetermined variable may not be used when estimating the user's mood.
[0078] For example, a user survey or other calibration process could work to remove some input categories, in which case questions such as "Is your reaction to pollen high / moderate / low / zero?" could enable the system to determine whether or not to include pollen count as a predetermined variable, and / or, if the contributions of multiple variables are considered together, to provide some advice regarding the weight of the possible contributing effects of that variable.
[0079] In any case, one or more acquired datasets and at least a portion of the acquired data may be used to calculate the user's mood, taking into consideration that a predetermined variable is related to mood or mood bias value, and this predetermined variable or data showing the current value of each predetermined variable is used.
[0080] Therefore, in principle, by obtaining data related to the user's current physical condition, circumstances attributable to the user, and / or current external circumstances, it is possible to retrieve and / or calculate the corresponding mood, multiple moods, or influences on mood.
[0081] Therefore, for example, current values of predetermined variables are available (e.g., via weather forecasts, news feeds, other apps and data sources, or direct measurements from fitness monitors, mobile phone cameras, etc.) for at least one predetermined variable in at least one dataset, and typically for a subset of predetermined variables in a subset of the dataset. These values can be used to find the corresponding mood or mood bias value. Mood values or mood bias values can also be assigned to individual moods to enable combined behavior.
[0082] When multiple variables are used, the resulting multiple mood or mood bias values may be combined using appropriate weightings. These weightings may relate to the correlation between a predetermined variable and the accuracy of mood prediction, based on user feedback or inferred from user behavior. For example, if a particular mood is predicted but the user exhibits the opposite mood within a threshold period, the wait contributing to that variable (either a specific value or a local range of values) may be reduced. As mentioned above, optionally, the relevant datasets can also be updated in response to such feedback, making the information more personal.
[0083] The overall result may be a single mood or mood bias value, or a series of distinct mood or mood bias values. In either case, these may be associated with corresponding adjustments to one or more operating parameters for controlling the operation of the aerosol delivery device.
[0084] The association between mood or mood bias values and the adjustment of one or more operating parameters can be understood as implicitly associating mood or mood values with changes in vaping-related behavior, and then adjusting one or more operating parameters of the aerosol delivery device to correspond to or predict that new vaping-related behavior. Therefore, this mood or mood value, or each mood or mood value, can be considered a direct or indirect proxy to the operating settings of the aerosol delivery device, and vice versa.
[0085] For example, boredom may be associated with an increase in the fragrance components of the generated aerosols, and stress or frustration may be associated with an increase in the active ingredients of the generated aerosols in order to deliver more active ingredients, or with the generation of more aerosols per unit volume of air (all other things being equal).
[0086] The adjustment may take any preferred form. As previously stated, the amount of vapor / aerosol, and therefore the active ingredient, produced by the EVPS typically depends on the temperature of the heater used to vaporize the payload. Therefore, as a first example, if increased use is indicated, the effective temperature of the heater may be increased by raising the temperature and / or changing the heater's duty cycle. Similarly, if decreased use is indicated, the effective temperature of the heater may be decreased by lowering the temperature and / or changing the heater's duty cycle. In either case, the delivery of the active ingredient by the device will be more in line with the inferred user needs based on the user's usage history pattern in light of the currently detected situation.
[0087] Similarly, the rate at which the payload is delivered to the heater / atomizer may be adjustable for similar purposes. This may be done by reducing wick suppression, adjusting the valve, etc.
[0088] Other methods can also be considered; for example, if the payload is a gel occupying an adjacent surface area to a multipart heater, more gel can be vaporized by activating more parts of the heater and / or changing the temperature / duty cycle of one or more parts of the heater.
[0089] Similarly, if more frequent use is indicated, optionally after suction, the heater temperature may be reduced to a level below the vaporization temperature but not completely turned off, and thus the device will be more responsive during the rapid suction period. Such options may be subject to a threshold frequency below which this technique will no longer be used.
[0090] Similarly, if a short, sharp suction is indicated to be likely (e.g., under stressful conditions), the vapor delivery profile may attempt to deliver vapor as quickly as possible after startup by raising the heater temperature above the normal operating temperature over a predetermined period. This predetermined period may be based on the suction profile and / or in response to the detected peak airflow during suction.
[0091] Conversely, if it is indicated that slow, deep inhalation is likely, the vapor delivery profile may be more uniform. If the system is aware of the nature of the payload, for example, if the payload is strongly scented as in this example, the device may provide an increase in vapor towards the end of inhalation to enhance the perceived scent.
[0092] In addition to direct adjustments to the operating parameters of the steam generation process, indirect adjustments can be made if the steam generation process is already subject to other controls. For example, if a user has set a maximum usage limit for the day, this limit may be increased in response to characteristics of previous heavy usage.
[0093] Similarly, if a user has been following a reduction program for several weeks or months, the reduction program may be suspended for that day in response to characteristics of previous heavy use (e.g., not implementing a reduction in active ingredient delivery per puff or per period, or a reduction in the overall permitted dose). Conversely, if characteristics of the situation indicate historically lighter-than-average use, the nicotine reduction program may be optionally skipped for a day, or equivalently, further reductions beyond the default daily increments may be implemented.
[0094] Therefore, in such cases, the operating parameters are adjusted to the corresponding usage with a predetermined variance (i.e., modifying the separately imposed usage pattern).
[0095] Operating parameters are not limited to the direct or indirect generation of vapor itself. For example, if the EVPS has haptic feedback or other user interface elements, these may be adjusted as appropriate. For instance, if use in response to detected situational characteristics is stressful, haptic feedback may be reduced and / or other interface elements may be modified, such as changing the color of an indicator light, lowering its volume, or changing the type of notification sound (e.g., a sound used to indicate the need to change the reservoir). Similarly, the threshold for notifying the user that the payload reservoir is low may be increased so that the notification occurs sooner, thereby reducing the likelihood that the user will be unable to use the EVPS during stressful situations. Similar principles can also be applied to battery life. More generally, the content and / or frequency of user interface interactions initiated by the device may be changed (e.g., to decrease or increase the number of status notifications or reminders).
[0096] In particular, when used as a user interface or an extension thereof, EVPS itself and / or other optional modifications for mobile phones will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
[0097] Therefore, the computing device is subsequently configured to provide the user's aerosol supply device with calculated adjustments to one or more operating parameters.
[0098] This provision may take the form of directly controlling the aerosol supply device, at least when the computing functions of the computing device are located within the aerosol supply device, or alternatively, transmitting adjustments from the computing device (for example, located in a mobile phone or remote server) to the aerosol supply device as commands for implementation by the local processor of the aerosol supply device, or as a set of one or more parameter settings used by the aerosol supply device.
[0099] As mentioned above, it should be understood that the above explanation discusses the use of predetermined variables that are not directly related to the act of vaping but relate them to the user's mood. The user's mood is considered an explicit proxy for the changes in the user's vaping behavior that are driven by the associated mood. Consequently, the calculated user's mood or mood value is used to drive adjustments to the operating parameters of the aerosol delivery system that are intended to correspond to or predict those behavioral changes.
[0100] However, it will be understood that it is possible to bypass the intermediate step of explicitly identifying mood and / or generating mood values (e.g., mood bias values) as a preamble for selecting one or more operating parameters for adjustment.
[0101] If there is a clear correlation between adverse weather conditions and the desired increase in fragrance and usage rate of the aerosol supply system, it is not necessary to indicate intermediate conditions, or this may simply be an internal calculation.
[0102] In this case, the conceptual mood value can be simply treated as a weighting for different adjustments to the aerosol delivery system, and the value associated with adverse weather has a strongly weighted link to increased fragrance, for example, reducing user interface notifications if usage frequency is likely to increase.
[0103] Therefore, a correlator, such as a neural network or other suitable machine learning system, may be trained on one or more datasets, such datasets that, instead of associating one or more predetermined variables with values for one or more mood classifications, associate the values of one or more predetermined variables with changes in one or more operating parameters of an aerosol delivery system, which are proxies to mood, as discussed above. Thus, in this case, the acquired datasets contain data that indicates the mood of the user of the aerosol delivery system in accordance with predetermined variables by showing some change in one or more operating parameters, where one or more operating parameters are proxies to the mood for which this change in operation corresponds.
[0104] As a first approximation, such a correlator may be trained on data derived from a corpus of multiple users to provide relatively generic correlations.
[0105] As a second approximation, users from whom situational and vaping behaviors have been acquired for the purpose of training this correlator may be asked to complete questionnaires that characterize their personality and individual responses to specific situations (e.g., regarding mood and / or vaping habits), such as those characterized by predetermined variables in the dataset.
[0106] Subsequently, prospective users of the system implementing the techniques described herein may complete similar questionnaires. The system can then select a pre-trained correlator that has been trained using a subset of user corpora with questionnaire responses most similar to the current user, and the correlator's response is therefore likely to accurately predict mood-induced changes in user behavior. Optionally, a new correlator may be trained from the point of the entire questionnaire on data from those users in user corpora whose responses to the questionnaire are sufficiently similar (e.g., within a threshold difference), or it may be trained on individual aspects of the questionnaire associated with individual behaviors. In this way, a custom correlator may be boost-strapped for individual users whose responses / outputs are still likely to more accurately predict mood-induced changes in user behavior.
[0107] The correlators selected or generated for a user may be further learned after use to improve the model, for example, by using feedback from the user or by comparing actual behavior with predicted behavior.
[0108] Referring again to Figure 1, the EVPS can be a self-contained unit (commonly referred to as an e-cigarette, even if the device itself does not necessarily conform to the shape or dimensions of a conventional cigarette). Such an e-cigarette may include airflow measuring means, processing means, and optionally one or more feedback means such as tactile, audible, and / or light / display means.
[0109] Instead, referring to Figure 5, the EVPS may comprise two components, such as an e-cigarette 10 and a mobile phone or similar device (such as a tablet) 100 that can communicate with the e-cigarette via, for example, Bluetooth® (for example, to receive data from the e-cigarette).
[0110] Subsequently, the mobile phone may be equipped with, in place of or in addition to, those of an e-cigarette, processing means, as well as one or more feedback means such as tactile, voice, and / or light / display means.
[0111] Optionally, the EVPS may include an e-cigarette 10 capable of communicating with a mobile phone 100, the mobile phone storing one or more parameters or other data for the EVPS (such as data characteristic of one or more modes of use by the user) and receiving such parameters / data from the e-cigarette. The phone may then optionally perform processing on such parameters / data, return the processed data and / or commands to the EVPS, display the results to the user (or perform another action), or transfer the processed and / or unprocessed parameters / data to a remote server.
[0112] Optionally, the mobile phone or EVPS itself may be capable of operating wirelessly to access data associated with the user's account on such a remote server.
[0113] In a modified embodiment of the present disclosure, a user's first EVPS can communicate some or all of its user settings to another EVPS. The user settings may include settings related to embodiments of the methods disclosed above, such as data characteristic of user behavior and / or data relating to modifications of EVPS operation.
[0114] Such data can be relayed directly between devices (for example, via Bluetooth® or near-field communication), or through one or more intermediary devices such as mobile phones owned by the users of the two devices or servers on which the users have accounts.
[0115] In this way, for example, if a user has two EVPS devices, or if a user wants to exchange one EVPS for another without losing the stored personal data, the user can easily share data from one device to another.
[0116] Optionally, in this embodiment, if the second EVPS is of a different type from the first EVPS (for example, by having a different default power level or heating efficiency), a conversion coefficient or lookup table may be used to convert the operating parameters from the first EVPS to the second EVPS. This can be provided in the software or firmware of the second EVPS, which identifies the first EVPS and therefore the appropriate conversion when communicating directly (or when data is relayed without modification via an intermediary such as a telephone). Alternatively, or in addition to this, the conversion may be provided by a telephone app, which optionally downloads the relevant conversion in response to the identification information of the first and second EVPS. In this case, or alternatively, or in addition to this, a remote server may provide the conversion in response to the identification information of the first and second EVPS associated with the user's account.
[0117] Therefore, instead of, or in addition to, an EVPS, a computing device such as a server (or a mobile phone operating alone or in a similar role with such a server) can be used to calculate device settings (for example, adjustments to one or more operating parameters, as described herein) based on registered received data with the user, such as the current values of predetermined variables specific to the user, and / or data such as a questionnaire that initially characterizes the user, which can be used to initially adjust the correlator to the user's possible needs.
[0118] It will be understood that the methods and techniques described herein may be implemented in conventional hardware preferably configured by software instructions, where applicable, or by incorporating or replacing dedicated hardware.
[0119] Therefore, the requirements for adapting existing components of a conventional equivalent device can be implemented in the form of a computer program product containing processor-executable instructions stored on a non-temporary machine-readable medium such as a floppy disk, optical disk, hard disk, solid-state disk, PROM, RAM, flash memory, or any combination thereof or other storage media, or they can be implemented in hardware as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or other configurable circuit suitable for use when adapting a conventional equivalent device. Separately, such computer programs can be transmitted via data signals over a network such as Ethernet, wireless network, internet, or any combination thereof or other networks.
[0120] In particular, referring to Figure 6, for example, an aerosol delivery method that can be implemented using such conventional hardware is: The first step s610 involves obtaining at least a portion of the dataset, wherein the dataset includes data indicating the mood of the user of the aerosol delivery device, depending on predetermined variables. In the second step s620, based on at least some of the acquired data and the current values of predetermined variables, adjustments to one or more operating parameters for controlling the operation of the user's aerosol supply device are calculated, The third step s630 includes providing the user's aerosol supply device with calculated adjustments to one or more operating parameters.
[0121] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations of the above methods are conceivable within the scope of this disclosure to correspond to the operation of various embodiments of the methods and / or apparatus described and claimed herein, and this disclosure is not limited thereto, but includes the following:
[0122] The acquisition step includes acquiring at least a portion of multiple datasets, at least one of which includes data indicating the mood of the user of the aerosol delivery device according to each predetermined variable, and the capture step includes calculating adjustments based on at least a portion of two or more of the acquired datasets and the current values of at least one of each predetermined variable.
[0123] Multiple datasets include data indicating the user's mood according to their respective predetermined variables, and the adjustment step includes calculating adjustments based on at least two portions of the multiple acquired mood-indicating datasets and the current values of two or more corresponding respective predetermined variables.
[0124] Each predetermined variable is one or more selected from a list consisting of weather, user's facial expression, user's voice intensity, telephone usage, and / or keyword detection, as described above in this specification.
[0125] Each additional predetermined variable is one or more selected from a list consisting of time (itself) and place (itself), as previously stated herein.
[0126] In one example, the steps of the method are performed on a computing device which is part of a system that includes an aerosol supply system configured to generate an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material for inhalation by a user.
[0127] In this example, each step of the method is performed on a computing device located in one or more selected from a list consisting of a remote server capable of communicating with an aerosol supply system, a mobile computing device capable of communicating with an aerosol supply system, and a remote server capable of communicating with the mobile computing device capable of communicating with an aerosol supply system, the aerosol supply system comprising a receiver capable of receiving calculated adjustments from the computing device.
[0128] In this example, the computing device is placed within the aerosol supply system.
[0129] In this example, the aerosol supply system can operate to modify (i.e., change its operation / behavior) one or more operating parameters in response to the calculated adjustments it receives.
[0130] Optionally, modifications are added to separate modifications of one or more operating parameters of the aerosol supply system in response to other data (either by adding additional value changes separate from changes made by other schemes, or by providing separate inputs to a scheme or supervision scheme that combines contributions from multiple influences on the behavior of the aerosol supply system).
[0131] The current values of one or more predetermined variables may be obtained using one or more selected from a list consisting of a barometer, a network link to a local weather data source, a camera facing the user in normal use, a microphone in close proximity to the user in normal use, a keyword detection application, a fitness tracking wearable device, a global positioning system receiver, and a clock (for example, these may be provided to the computing device by an associated mobile phone, remote server, wearable device, and / or other peripheral equipment).
[0132] The above discussion discloses and describes only exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. As those skilled in the art will understand, the present disclosure may be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the essential features of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is intended to be descriptive, not limiting, the scope of the present disclosure and the other claims. The present disclosure partially defines the scope of the terms of the above claims so as not to make the subject matter of the invention available exclusively to the public, including any readily recognizable variations of the teachings herein.
Claims
1. A computing device configured to communicate with an aerosol supply device, To obtain at least a portion of a dataset containing data indicating the mood of the user of the aerosol supply device according to predetermined variables, Based on at least a portion of the aforementioned data and the current values of the predetermined variables, the calculation of adjustments to one or more operating parameters for controlling the operation of the user's aerosol supply device, A computing device configured to provide the user's aerosol supply device with the calculated adjustments of one or more of the aforementioned operating parameters.
2. This involves obtaining at least a portion of multiple datasets, where at least one dataset includes data indicating the mood of the user of the aerosol supply device according to each predetermined variable. A computing device according to claim 1, configured to calculate the adjustment based on at least two or more portions of the plurality of acquired datasets and the current values of at least one of each predetermined variable.
3. Multiple datasets include data indicating the user's mood according to each predetermined variable, The computing device according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment is calculated based on at least two of the multiple acquired datasets indicating mood and the current values of the two or more corresponding predetermined variables.
4. Each predetermined variable is, i. Weather, ii. The user's facial expression, iii. The strength of user voices, iv. Use of telephone, and v. Keyword detection A computing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is one or more selected from the list consisting of the following.
5. Each of the additional predetermined variables is, i. Time, and ii. Location A computing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is one or more selected from the list consisting of the following.
6. A computing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, An aerosol supply system configured to generate aerosols from aerosol-generating materials for inhalation by the user, A system equipped with these features.
7. The computing device, i. A remote server capable of communicating with the aerosol supply system, ii. A mobile computing device capable of communicating with the aerosol supply system, and iii. A remote server capable of communicating with a mobile computing device capable of communicating with the aerosol supply system, which is located in one or more of the following selected from the list: The system according to claim 6, wherein the aerosol supply system comprises a receiver that can be operated to receive the calculated adjustments from the computing device.
8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the computing device is located within the aerosol supply system.
9. The aerosol supply system is operable to modify one or more operating parameters in response to the received calculated adjustments. The system according to any one of claims 6 to 8.
10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the modifications are added to separate modifications of one or more operating parameters of the aerosol supply system in response to other data.
11. i. Barometer, ii. Network links to local weather data sources, iii. The camera facing the user during normal use. iv. Microphones that are close to the user during normal use, v. Keyword detection application, vi. Fitness tracking wearable devices, vii. Global positioning system receiver, and viiii. Clock The system according to any one of claims 6 to 10, further comprising one or more selected from a list consisting of the following.
12. A method for supplying aerosols, The steps include obtaining at least a portion of a dataset containing data indicating the mood of a user of an aerosol supply device, depending on predetermined variables, A step of calculating adjustments to one or more operating parameters for controlling the operation of the user's aerosol supply device based on at least a portion of the acquired data and the current values of the predetermined variables, A method comprising the step of providing the calculated adjustment of one or more operating parameters to the user's aerosol supply device.
13. The acquisition step includes acquiring at least a portion of a plurality of datasets, wherein at least one dataset includes data indicating the mood of the user of the aerosol supply device according to each predetermined variable, The method according to claim 12, wherein the capture step includes calculating the adjustment based on the current values of at least two or more of the plurality of acquired datasets and at least one of each predetermined variable.
14. Multiple datasets include data indicating the user's mood according to each predetermined variable, The method according to claim 13, wherein the adjustment step includes calculating the adjustment based on at least two of the multiple acquired datasets indicating mood and the current values of the two or more corresponding predetermined variables.
15. Each predetermined variable is, i. Weather, ii. The user's facial expression, iii. The strength of user voices, iv. Use of telephone, v. Keyword detection The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein one or more of the following are selected from a list:
16. Each of the additional predetermined variables is, i. Time, and ii. Location The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein one or more of the following are selected from a list:
17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the steps of the method are performed on a computing device which is part of a system including an aerosol supply system configured to generate an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material for inhalation by a user.
18. Each step of the above method is i. A remote server capable of communicating with the aerosol supply system, ii. A mobile computing device capable of communicating with the aerosol supply system, and iii. Each computing device located in one or more selected from the list consisting of a mobile computing device capable of communicating with the aerosol supply system and a remote server capable of communicating with the aerosol supply system, The method according to claim 17, wherein the aerosol supply system comprises a receiver that can be operated to receive the calculated adjustments from the computing device.
19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the computing device is located within the aerosol supply system.
20. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the aerosol supply system is operable to modify the one or more operating parameters in response to the calculated adjustments received.
21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the modifications are added to separate modifications of one or more operating parameters of the aerosol supply system in response to other data.
22. The current values of one or more predetermined variables are i. Barometer, ii. Network links to local weather data sources, iii. The camera facing the user during normal use. iv. Microphones that are close to the user during normal use, v. Keyword detection application, vi. Fitness tracking wearable devices, vii. Global positioning system receiver, and viiii. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 21, which may be obtained using one or more selected from a list of clocks.