Unlocking the aerosol generating system for use.

Abstract

An aerosol generating system is provided in an unlocked state, in which case the aerosol generating system is capable of generating aerosols, and the aerosol generating system is configured to determine whether at least one unlock condition is met, and if it is confirmed that the unlock condition is met, to maintain the aerosol generating system in the unlocked state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of aerosol generation systems and devices for generating aerosols. In particular, the present disclosure relates to electronic aerosol generation devices and systems configured to generate aerosols inhalable by a user, for example, based on heating at least a portion of an aerosol-generating article or substrate. The present disclosure further relates to the use of an aerosol generation device or system, a method of controlling an aerosol generation device or system, a corresponding computer program, and a computer-readable medium storing such a computer program.

Background Art

[0002] An aerosol generation system may comprise an aerosol generation device and optionally a companion device for storing and / or charging the aerosol generation device. The aerosol generation device may be designed as a handheld device that can be used by a user to consume the aerosol generated by an aerosol-generating article, for example, in one or more use sessions. The aerosol-generating article may often be in the form of a stick and may comprise an aerosol-forming substrate such as tobacco or a nicotine-containing substrate. The stick can be configured in a shape and size that is at least partially inserted into the aerosol generation device, and the aerosol generation device may comprise a heating element for heating the aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol, for example, a nicotine-containing aerosol. Another exemplary aerosol-generating article may comprise a cartridge containing a liquid, optionally a nicotine-containing liquid, which can be vaporized based on heating the liquid to generate an aerosol, for example, a nicotine-containing aerosol. Also, such a cartridge can be configured in a shape and size that is at least partially inserted into the aerosol generation device. Alternatively, the cartridge may be fixedly attached to the aerosol generation device and may be refillable with liquid.

[0003] It may be desirable to restrict or limit the use of an aerosol generating system or aerosol generating device to one or more specific users, such as authorized users. In particular, it may be desirable to implement user access prevention (UAP) and / or youth access prevention (YAP) methods to prevent unauthorized users or minors from accessing and using such aerosol generating devices or systems. Existing UAP and YAP methods generally require a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connection or a wired connection, such as via USB, to unlock and use the aerosol generating system. The aerosol generating system must be properly paired with an external computing device, such as a smartphone or PC, which exchanges information with a server to obtain unlock permission to unlock the aerosol generating system. To identify the smartphone user and / or verify their age or authorization, a dedicated means of the computing device, such as a fingerprint sensor or image recognition camera, or an additional secure code given only to the owner or user of the computing device, can be used. Corresponding data related to the user and / or aerosol generating system can be stored, for example, in a server database, and the aerosol generating system can be associated with a computing device, such as the user's smartphone.

[0004] At the time of purchase, the aerosol generating system or device may be locked, in which case the user cannot operate the device to generate aerosols. UAP and / or YAP control of the aerosol generating device or system is typically performed once, for example, at the beginning of the aerosol generating system's usage period, if purchased from a retail store, to verify that it was purchased by an authorized user, e.g., a user of legal age. Where necessary, such aerosol generating systems may require re-authorization via BLE pairing or wired connection between the aerosol generating system or device and associated computing device before or at the start of a usage session in order to generate aerosols.

[0005] Establishing a wired connection between an aerosol generating system and a computing system can be inconvenient for users and may even be unavailable for some computing devices. Regarding unlocking based on BLE pairing, findings indicate that some computing devices, and consequently aerosol generating systems, have difficulty successfully completing the BLE pairing process, particularly with Android-based external computing devices or smartphones. Thorough testing is typically conducted to identify and resolve BLE incompatibilities before the commercial release of an aerosol generating system. However, new external computing devices are released throughout the lifecycle of an aerosol generating system, and even previously compatible devices may become incompatible after firmware updates. Taking action to resolve such incompatibilities is time-consuming and expensive, and typically requires a firmware update for the aerosol generating system. Until new firmware is released, affected systems cannot be unlocked using BLE. Even after a firmware update for the aerosol generating system has been released, pairing issues may prevent affected systems from updating using BLE.

[0006] Therefore, it is preferable to provide improved aerosol generating systems and devices, for example, that include improved user access prevention and / or youth access prevention means or controls. In particular, it may be preferable to provide improved aerosol generating systems and devices that enable mitigation or overcoming the above problems caused by incompatibility with BLE pairing with various external computing devices, problems related to wired connections, and / or problems related to potentially lax access permissions in computing devices. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0007] Aspects of this disclosure relate to aerosol generating systems, aerosol generating devices, and corresponding methods for controlling such systems or devices, for example, enabling the restriction, limitation, and / or prevention of the use or operation of an aerosol generating system or device for generating aerosols. Another aspect of this disclosure relates to corresponding computer programs and computer-readable media for storing such programs. Yet another aspect of this disclosure relates to computing devices, methods for operating computing devices, corresponding computer programs, and computer-readable media for storing such programs. It should be noted that any disclosure presented herein by reference to one or more aspects of this disclosure applies equally to any other aspects of this disclosure unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0008] According to one embodiment, an aerosol generating system is provided that is capable of generating aerosols when unlocked. The aerosol generating system is configured to determine whether at least one unlocking condition is being met, and if it is confirmed that the unlocking condition is met, the aerosol generating system is kept in the unlocked state.

[0009] Based on at least one unlock condition, and based on whether that condition is met or being executed, comprehensive and improved UAP and / or YAP control can be implemented while the aerosol generating system is in an unlocked state or remains in an unlocked state, thereby mitigating or overcoming the problems associated with the existing methods described above. In particular, by confirming that the unlock condition is met, the aerosol generating system can be kept in an unlocked state, thereby avoiding the need to continuously switch the aerosol generating system between unlocked and locked states using respective unlock and lock commands. This improves the usefulness of the aerosol generating system, for example, by reducing the number of user control interactions required to start the aerosol generating system. This also reduces the computational load and / or energy consumption.

[0010] For example, UAP and / or YAP controls or corresponding policies can be implemented or realized in an aerosol generating system, thereby restricting, limiting, and / or preventing the use or operation of the aerosol generating system for generating aerosols without relying on a wired connection or BLE pairing between the aerosol generating system or device and a computing device, such as a smartphone or PC. Specifically, unlock conditions may include receiving broadcast packets and / or advertised packets (hereinafter also referred to herein as advertised broadcasts, advertised signals, advertised messages, broadcast messages, or advertisements). For example, unlock conditions may include receiving a BLE advertised packet containing an unlock code, such as a one-time password (OTP). The advertised packets and / or BLE advertised packets may be received from a computing device separate from the aerosol generating device or system.

[0011] The aerosol generating system may have two different states or modes, namely, an unlocked state in which the aerosol generating system is available or operable by the user to generate aerosols, and a locked state in which the aerosol generating system is prevented from generating aerosols or is inoperable by the user to generate aerosols.

[0012] As used herein, an aerosol generating system being in an unlocked state means, or may include, that the aerosol generating system is initially configured to remain in an unlocked state. Here, “initially” may mean before it is determined whether at least one unlock condition has been performed or met.

[0013] If necessary, an aerosol generating system configured to remain unlocked initially may include transitioning the aerosol generating system from a locked state to an unlocked state, so that the aerosol generating system is prevented from generating aerosols while locked.

[0014] An aerosol generating system can be configured to determine whether at least one unlock condition is being performed or met, particularly while it is in an unlocked state. As used herein, the term “determining” can encompass a wide variety of actions, including, for example, calculation, computing, processing, derivation, investigation, evaluation, retrieval (e.g., retrieving from a table, database, or other data structure), verification, inspection, etc. “Determining” can also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), analyzing information or data, etc. “Determining” can also include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, etc.

[0015] The aerosol generating system may be further configured to maintain or hold the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state based on or upon confirmation that at least one unlocking condition is being performed or met. As used herein, “confirming” may include positively determining, confirming, and / or concluding that at least one unlocking condition is being met. For example, confirming may include evaluating or analyzing data or information with respect to or in relation to at least one unlocking condition. Alternatively or additionally, “confirming” may include reaching a conclusion as to whether at least one unlocking condition is being met or performed.

[0016] At least one unlock condition may refer to, or be considered to refer to, an indicator indicating, for example, whether the aerosol generating system should be kept unlocked when used or operated by an authorized user, and / or whether the use of the aerosol generating system should be restricted based on configuring or transitioning the aerosol generating system to a locked state. As will be described in more detail below, at least one unlock condition may be embodied in different forms, for example, in relation to different characteristics or functions of the aerosol generating system. Furthermore, multiple different unlock conditions may be considered.

[0017] As used herein, the term “transition” may mean to bring an aerosol generator into a locked or unlocked state, configure and / or switch it, and may mean or include operating and / or configuring an aerosol generator so that it is in a locked or unlocked state.

[0018] An aerosol generating system may be configured to perform one or more of the following: identifying a user, authenticating a user, and authorizing a user. As used herein, identifying a user may include determining the user's identification information. As used herein, the term “authentication” may mean verifying the user's identification information. As used herein, the term “authorization” may mean determining the user’s right to use, for example, the right to operate the aerosol generating system to generate aerosols, and / or the right to move the aerosol generating device from a locked state to an unlocked state. In a UAP or YAP method, the user’s identification information may be inherently linked to the right to use; therefore, in this disclosure, the terms “authentication” and “authorization” may be used interchangeably.

[0019] As used herein, the term “Authorized User” (also referred to as “Verified User”) may refer to or indicate a user authorized to configure an aerosol generator by another authorized user, such as the owner of the aerosol generator, an adult, an adult individual, a legally aged user, a user who has reached the age limit, a user who has reached the age of majority, and / or the owner. Furthermore, an Unauthorized User may refer to or indicate a minor user, a user who has not reached the age limit, a child, or any other user who is not authorized to configure an aerosol generator, specifically a user who is not authorized to operate the aerosol generating system to generate aerosols and / or who is not authorized to put the aerosol generator into an unlocked state for aerosol consumption.

[0020] An aerosol generating system may include an aerosol generating device. The aerosol generating device may be configured or designed as a handheld device usable, for example, by an authorized user consuming an aerosol generating article during one or more use sessions. For example, the aerosol generating device and usable aerosol generating article may include an aerosol-forming substrate, such as a tobacco-containing substrate, which can be optionally assembled with other elements or components in the form of a stick that can be at least partially inserted into the aerosol generating device. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generating device and usable aerosol generating article may include at least one cartridge containing a liquid that can evaporate during aerosol consumption by the user. Such a cartridge may be a refillable cartridge fixedly attached to the aerosol generating device, or the cartridge may be at least partially inserted into the aerosol generating device. Alternatively, the aerosol generating device may be referred to as a risk reduction device (RRD).

[0021] The aerosol generating system may further comprise a companion device. The companion device may include a charging case. The companion device may also be described as an auxiliary device, a receiving device, or a support device, and may be configured to support and / or house the aerosol generating device. The companion device may be portable. The companion device may be configured to at least partially receive the aerosol generating device. For example, the companion device may be configured to be physically coupled to the aerosol generating device. Such physical coupling may include, for example, mechanical coupling based on mounting means such as a hook mechanism, a latch mechanism, or a snap-fit ​​mechanism, which may mechanically couple the aerosol generating device to the companion device and / or its housing. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generating device may be physically coupled to the companion device based on magnetic or electromagnetic coupling. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generating device may be at least partially inserted into the companion device, for example, in an opening in the companion device.

[0022] Aerosol generators and / or companion devices may have at least one communication interface for communicating with each other and / or with computing devices, and / or for exchanging data, information, or signals. The communication interface may be configured for wireless communication, wired communication, or both. For example, the communication interface may be configured to communicate via edge connections, LTE connections, BUS connections, wireless connections, wired connections, radio connections, near-field connections, IoT connections, or any other connection using any suitable communication protocol, such as Internet connections, Wi-Fi connections, BLE connections, Bluetooth connections, cellular networks, 3G / 4G / 5G connections, etc.

[0023] It should be noted that any of the features, functions, and configurations of the aerosol generating systems described herein can be implemented in one or both of the aerosol generating device and / or companion devices. Specifically, this includes determining whether at least one unlocking condition is met, confirming that at least one unlocking condition is met, and maintaining the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state.

[0024] The aerosol generator and / or companion device may include a control circuit having one or more processors for data processing, specifically for determining whether at least one unlock condition is met, confirming that at least one unlock condition is met, and maintaining the aerosol generator system in an unlocked state. With respect to the aerosol generator system, any functional features described herein may be performed or controlled by either or both of the control circuits of the aerosol generator and the companion device, unless expressly otherwise stated.

[0025] As used herein, the term “circuit” may include, for example, a wired circuit, a programmable circuit such as a computer processor comprising one or more individual instruction processing cores, a state machine circuit, and / or firmware that stores instructions executed by a programmable circuit, either alone or in any combination. A module may be embodied as a circuit, either collectively or individually, forming part of one or more devices or systems described herein.

[0026] The aerosol generator and / or companion device may include at least one energy storage unit for storing electrical energy and / or supplying electrical energy to the aerosol generator. For example, the companion device may be configured to supply electrical energy to the aerosol generator and charge at least one energy storage unit of the aerosol generator. In other words, the companion device may be configured to charge the aerosol generator and / or its at least one energy storage unit. The at least one energy storage unit of the aerosol generator may include, for example, at least one battery, at least one accumulator, at least one capacitor, or any other energy storage unit.

[0027] In order to generate an aerosol during use or consumption, e.g., in one or more usage sessions, a user typically activates the user interface of an aerosol generating device or system, thereby initiating the supply of electrical energy, e.g., to one or more heating elements or heat sources, to at least a portion of one or more aerosol generating means, e.g., heating at least a portion of an aerosol generating substrate or article that can be coupled to the aerosol generating device. At least a portion of the aerosol generating means, e.g., at least a portion of the heating element, can be disposed within the aerosol generating device. Alternatively or additionally, at least a portion of the aerosol generating means, e.g., at least a portion of the heating element, can be disposed within the aerosol generating article. Exemplary heating elements can be based on one or more of resistive heating, inductive heating, and microwave heating that use electrical energy supplied from, drawn from, or stored in an energy storage portion of the aerosol generating system.

[0028] It should be noted that alternatively or additionally, other aerosol generating means, e.g., a non-thermal aerosol generator, can be used. For example, the aerosol generating system can be configured to generate an aerosol from at least a portion of an aerosol generating article that can be coupled to the aerosol generating system, and the aerosol generating system can be configured to determine whether at least one unlocking condition is met when or at the start of an aerosol generating cycle.

[0029] A usage session, also called an “experience” or “experience session,” may have a specific start, end, and duration. The start and / or end may be initiated or triggered by the user, for example, by activating the user interface of the aerosol generating system. A usage session is generally characterized by the aerosol generator operating to heat at least a portion of an aerosol generating article, for example, an aerosol that can be inhaled by the user, such as a nicotine-containing aerosol, to a threshold temperature or heating temperature sufficient to release it from the aerosol generating article. If necessary, a usage session may be interrupted or paused by the user, for example, by activating the user interface of the aerosol generating system.

[0030] As described above, the aerosol generating system has at least two distinct states: an unlocked state and a locked state. As used herein, the term “locked state” may refer to a locked configuration of the aerosol generating device or system, and the term “unlocked state” may refer to an unlocked configuration of the aerosol generating device or system. In the locked state or configuration, the aerosol generating device or system is prohibited from delivering and / or generating aerosols. This may mean that the aerosol generating device is locked for aerosol consumption by the user in the locked state, and / or the aerosol generating device is configured in the locked state so that aerosols are not delivered and / or generated. Alternatively or additionally, a usage session is not started in the locked state. On the other hand, in the unlocked state or configuration, the aerosol generating device is permitted or enabled to deliver and / or generate aerosols, for example, based on heating at least a portion of the aerosol generating article. This may mean that the aerosol generator is unlocked for user aerosol consumption when it is unlocked, and / or that the aerosol generator is configured in the unlocked state to deliver and / or generate aerosols, for example, in one or more use sessions. Therefore, when the aerosol generator is locked, it is not possible for the user to operate or operate it to deliver and / or generate aerosols, and when the aerosol generator is unlocked, it may be possible for the user to operate or operate it to deliver and / or generate aerosols. In other words, when the aerosol generator is locked, access to one or more functions of the aerosol generator, including aerosol delivery and / or generation, may be prohibited to the user, and when the aerosol generator is unlocked, access to one or more functions of the aerosol generator, including aerosol delivery and / or generation, may be permitted to the user.Alternatively or additionally, the start of a usage session for generating an aerosol and / or the heating of an aerosol-generating article can be enabled in an unlocked state and prevented in a locked state.

[0031] Additionally or alternatively, the companion device can be configured to charge the energy storage of the aerosol-generating device when it confirms that at least one unlock condition is met. In this example, the locked state can be considered as the energy storage of the aerosol-generating device not containing a sufficient charge to generate an aerosol, and the unlocked state can be considered as the energy storage containing a sufficient charge to generate an aerosol. Alternatively or additionally, when switching or transitioning the aerosol-generating system or the companion device from a locked state to an unlocked state, the companion device can be configured to transmit a corresponding control signal to the aerosol-generating device to switch or transition the aerosol-generating device from a locked state to an unlocked state. Alternatively or additionally, when switching or transitioning the aerosol-generating system or the companion device from an unlocked state to a locked state, the companion device can be configured to transmit a corresponding control signal to the aerosol-generating device to switch or transition the aerosol-generating device from an unlocked state to a locked state.

[0032] An aerosol generating system may be configured to evaluate, for example repeatedly, at least one unlock condition while already configured in an unlocked state and / or while switched to an unlocked state, and to confirm, for example repeatedly, that the unlock condition is met. In other words, an aerosol generating system may be configured to evaluate at least one unlock condition and to positively determine that it is met while already configured in an unlocked state and / or while switched to an unlocked state. Such a positive determination or confirmation may include an analysis of the aerosol generating system regarding whether at least one unlock condition is met. However, such an analysis or evaluation regarding whether at least one unlock condition is met may not be the same as saying that the lock condition is not met.

[0033] For example, an aerosol generating system in an unlocked state may be configured to evaluate or re-evaluate the unlocking conditions based on the unlocking conditions that were switched to the unlocked state, and to maintain the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state based on reconfirming that the unlocking conditions are met while it is configured in an unlocked state.

[0034] In one embodiment, the aerosol generating system may be configured in a locked state. The aerosol generating system may be configured to switch or configure itself to an unlocked state when it evaluates at least one unlock condition and confirms that at least one unlock condition is met. Once switched or configured from a locked state to an unlocked state, the aerosol generating system may be configured to maintain the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state, based on the fact that it has switched to an unlocked state, by evaluating or re-evaluating the unlock condition and confirming that the unlock condition is met while it is configured to be in an unlocked state.

[0035] An aerosol generating system can be configured to repeatedly determine whether at least one unlock condition is met while the aerosol generating system is operating in an unlocked state. For example, the aerosol generating system may be configured to repeatedly determine whether at least one unlock condition is met during one or more of the following: while the aerosol generating device is operating to generate an aerosol; during a usage session; while generating an aerosol that can be inhaled by the user; while heating the aerosol generating article; during a heating cycle to heat at least a portion of the aerosol generating article to generate an aerosol; or while supplying electrical energy to the heating element of the aerosol generating system to heat at least a portion of the aerosol generating article.

[0036] By repeatedly checking whether at least one unlock condition is met, unauthorized use of the aerosol generating system by unauthorized users can be effectively prevented. For example, existing systems may allow the device to be unlocked via BLE pairing, but after unlocking, the aerosol generating system could be taken and used by an unauthorized user. Such situations can be efficiently avoided by repeatedly checking whether at least one unlock condition is met while the aerosol generating system is operating.

[0037] As used herein, "repeated determination" may include determination two or more times. For example, whether at least one unlock condition is met can be determined or confirmed at two or more different points in time.

[0038] The aerosol generating system may be further configured to remain unlocked only if it is confirmed, or has been confirmed, that at least one unlocking condition is met. For example, the aerosol generating system may be configured to remain unlocked only if it is confirmed, or has been confirmed, that at least one unlocking condition is met multiple times. Here, "multiple times" may include determining whether at least one unlocking condition is met at least two different times.

[0039] The aerosol generating system may also be configured to transition to a locked state if it determines that an unlock condition has been violated or is not met, in which case the aerosol generating system is prevented from generating aerosols. The aerosol generating system may also be configured to transition to or switch to a locked state if it determines that at least one unlock condition has been violated at least once or more times, for example, at different points in time.

[0040] For example, the aerosol generating system may be configured to enter a locked state if it determines that the unlock condition has been violated a predetermined number of times, either within or after a predetermined period, as needed. The predetermined number of times may be stored, for example, in the aerosol generating system's data storage, along with the predetermined period, as needed. The predetermined number of times may relate to multiple occurrences, i.e., there may be two or more occurrences.

[0041] The aerosol generating system may be configured to determine whether at least one unlock condition is met at multiple different points in time corresponding to a predetermined number of times. For example, the aerosol generating system may be configured to determine whether at least one unlock condition is met multiple times, as required, within a predetermined period or given time frame, as specified by a predetermined number of times. For example, the aerosol generating system can perform a check to determine whether at least one unlock condition is met two or more times within a time frame of about 10 seconds or more, for example, about 10 seconds to about 60 minutes or a predetermined period. Other periods are also possible.

[0042] The aerosol generating system may be further configured to continuously or sequentially determine whether at least one unlocking condition is met during the operation of the aerosol generating system for generating aerosols.

[0043] As used herein, "continuously" may include making determinations multiple times, for example, two or more times, as necessary, within a predetermined period or time frame. Thus, determinations may be performed multiple times by the aerosol generating system, for example, within a predetermined period or time frame, with interruptions between consecutive checks or determinations. On the other hand, "continuously" may refer to determinations that are always performed by the aerosol generating system without interruption, for example, within a predetermined period or time frame.

[0044] The aerosol generating system may be configured to generate an aerosol by heating at least a portion of an aerosol generating article that can be connected to the aerosol generating system. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generating system may be configured to determine whether at least one unlock condition is met at the start of a usage session and / or heating cycle, for example, at the start of a heating cycle performed by the aerosol generating system during a usage session, or at that point in time.

[0045] The aerosol generating system may include at least one heating element configured to heat at least a portion of an aerosol generating article that can be connected to the aerosol generating device of the aerosol generating system. The heating element may be part of the heating circuit of the aerosol generating system. The heating element may be supplied with electrical energy for at least a portion of the usage session, for example, from the internal energy storage of the aerosol generating system and / or from an external power source. When a usage session is initiated by a user and executed by the aerosol generating system, the aerosol generating system may perform a heating cycle, which means, or may include, raising the temperature of at least a portion of the aerosol generating article to a predetermined threshold temperature or heating temperature sufficient to release aerosols from the aerosol generating article or the substrate contained therein, and the released aerosols may be inhaled by the user as needed. Thus, by verifying that at least one unlocking condition is met at the start of a usage session and / or the corresponding heating cycle, it is possible to ensure that only authorized users can use the system for aerosol consumption.

[0046] Depending on the specific type and composition of the aerosol-generating article or substrate used with the apparatus, the threshold temperature or heating temperature may be within the range of 200°C to 500°C, specifically 250°C to 450°C, specifically 270°C to 430°C, specifically 315°C to 355°C, or 240°C to 280°C. These temperatures may be operating or heating temperatures that are sufficiently suitable, for example, to allow volatile compounds to be released from the aerosol-generating article or substrate during one or more use sessions. For example, the first temperature level and / or heating temperature of a liquid aerosol-generating article or substrate may be lower than the first temperature level of a solid aerosol-generating article or substrate.

[0047] Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generating system may be configured to prohibit the initiation of a heating cycle and / or usage session for generating aerosols if it determines that at least one unlock condition has been violated, for example, once or more times. Prohibiting the initiation of a heating cycle may include preventing or blocking the aerosol generating system from performing a heating cycle.

[0048] The aerosol generating system may be configured to turn off the aerosol generator in the aerosol generating system in response to, or upon, the determination that the unlock condition has been violated, for example, once or more times. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generating system may be configured to transition the aerosol generator to a low-power mode, such as sleep mode, stop mode, or standby mode, in response to the determination that the unlock condition has been violated. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generator may be configured, for example, by a companion device of the aerosol generating system, to enter or transition to a low-power mode in response to the determination that the unlock condition has been violated.

[0049] In one embodiment, the aerosol generating system may be configured to reduce, limit, and / or shut off the energy supply to the aerosol generating system in response to determining that at least one unlocking condition has been violated or is not met. In other words, transitioning the aerosol generating system to a locked state may include reducing, limiting, and / or shutting off the energy supply sources of the aerosol generating system and / or its heating elements. For example, the aerosol generating system may be configured to control one or more of the heating elements and energy storage units of the aerosol generating system so that the aerosol generating article is not heated above a threshold temperature for generating aerosols. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generating system may prevent power from being supplied to the heating elements and / or prevent the energy storage units from supplying power to the heating elements.

[0050] As described above, at least one unlocking condition can be embodied in various forms and / or associated with one or more functions or features of the aerosol generation system. Illustrative unlocking conditions are described below. Specifically, at least one unlocking condition may relate to or indicate one or more of the following: a predetermined period of time, a permitted number of consecutive inhalations, the amount of energy available to generate an aerosol, the number of use sessions in which the aerosol generating system can operate to generate an aerosol, the number of aerosol generating articles available to the aerosol generating system, the presence of one or more computing devices in the vicinity of the aerosol generating system, the presence of one or more computing devices within the communication range of the aerosol generating system, the distance between one or more computing devices and the aerosol generating system, the distance between the aerosol generating device and a companion device of the aerosol generating system, the presence of a companion device in the vicinity of the aerosol generating device of the aerosol generating system, establishing communication with one or more external computing devices or companion devices, establishing connectionless communication with one or more external computing devices or companion devices, receiving one or more messages from at least one external computing device, detecting at least one external computing device known or trusted to the aerosol generating system, confirming authorization from a user of at least one external computing device within the communication range of the aerosol generating system to operate the aerosol generating system to generate an aerosol, or determining the identification information of the user of the aerosol generating system.

[0051] Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generating system may be determined by the time the aerosol generating system is operated by the user, the number of consecutive inhalations performed by the user, the amount of energy used to generate aerosols, the number of use sessions in which the aerosol generating system is operated to generate aerosols, the number of aerosol generating articles used by the aerosol generating system to generate aerosols in one or more use sessions, the presence of one or more computing devices in the vicinity of the aerosol generating system, the presence of one or more computing devices within the communication range of the aerosol generating system, the distance between one or more computing devices and the aerosol generating system, the distance between the aerosol generating device and the companion device of the aerosol generating system, and aero The system can be configured to determine one or more of the following: the presence of a companion device in the vicinity of the aerosol generator of the sol generation system; establishing communication with one or more external computing devices or companion devices; establishing connectionless communication with one or more external computing devices or companion devices; receiving one or more messages from at least one external computing device; confirming authorization from a user of at least one external computing device known or trusted by the aerosol generation system, and at least one external computing device within the communication range of the aerosol generation system, to operate the aerosol generation system to generate aerosols; and user identification information.

[0052] The aerosol generating system may be configured to determine one or more of the aforementioned conditions, such as the detection of the presence of an external computing device, and / or parameter values, such as the number of usage sessions in which the aerosol generating system has operated. Depending on the conditions or parameter values, one or more dedicated sensors of the aerosol generating system may be involved, and the determination may include obtaining one or more corresponding sensor signals from one or more of these sensors. For example, a dedicated distance sensor of the aerosol generating system may be used to detect the presence of an external computing device and / or determine the distance to the external computing device. Alternatively or additionally, the communication interface of the aerosol generating system may be used to detect the presence of a computing device and, if necessary, the distance.

[0053] The aerosol generating system may be further configured to cross-reference or compare one or more determined conditions and / or parameter values ​​with one or more corresponding unlock conditions. For example, one or more determined or detected conditions or parameter values ​​may be evaluated or analyzed with respect to one or more corresponding unlock conditions. Such analysis may include determining whether one or more detected conditions or parameter values ​​match one or more corresponding unlock conditions. If a violation or mismatch with one or more unlock conditions is determined, the aerosol generating system may transition to a locked state.

[0054] One or more unlock conditions may be stored in, for example, the aerosol generating system, in the system's memory or data storage, or retrieved from external data storage. Depending on the actual unlock conditions, a numerical value may be stored, for example, in the case of an unlock condition defining the number of sessions in use; a binary value may be stored, for example, in the case of presence detection; or a string or other data may be stored, for example, in the case of an unlock condition associated with the detection of a known or trusted computing device. For example, one or more numerical values, one or more device names or IDs, one or more codes, one or more flags or binary values ​​may be stored as unlock conditions in the aerosol generating system or retrieved from external data storage.

[0055] According to another aspect of this disclosure, an unlocked aerosol generating system is provided, in which the aerosol generating system is capable of generating aerosols. The aerosol generating system may be configured to maintain the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state or to transition the aerosol generating system to an unlocked state based on the determination that at least one unlocking condition is met, the at least one unlocking condition including or relating to the detection of the presence of one or more external computing devices within communication range. In this regard, transitioning the aerosol generating system from an unlocked state to an unlocked state may include confirming or verifying that the aerosol generating system is in an unlocked state. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generating system may transition back to an unlocked state.

[0056] As used herein, a computing device may be configured to communicate with an aerosol generator and / or companion device, for example, based on the exchange of data or information. Generally, an external computing device may be a handheld or portable device. Alternatively, an external computing device may be a standalone or permanently mounted device. Furthermore, an external computing device may be owned or installed by a user or another business entity or individual, such as a retail store. As an example, an external computing device may refer to a handheld smartphone, personal computer ("PC"), tablet PC, notebook computer, or computer. An external computing device may have a user interface. An external computing device may have one or more processors for data processing, such as processing one or more user inputs received at the user interface. Alternatively or additionally, an external computing device may have data storage and / or memory for storing data, such as software instructions, computer programs, and / or other data. Furthermore, an external computing device may have a communication interface, communication module, and / or communication circuit for connecting the external computing device to the aerosol generator in a communicative manner, for example, via the communication interface of a companion device. Therefore, the external computing device may be configured for wireless and / or wired communication with the aerosol generator, companion device, or both. For example, the external computing device may be configured to communicate with the aerosol generator and / or companion device via edge connectivity, LTE connectivity, BUS connectivity, wireless connectivity, wired connectivity, radio connectivity, near-field connectivity, IoT connectivity, or any other connection using any suitable communication protocol, such as Internet connectivity, Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth connectivity, BLE, cellular network, 3G / 4G / 5G connectivity.

[0057] At least one unlocking condition may relate to detecting the presence of a computing device, as used herein synonymously with an external computing device, within the communication range of the aerosol generating system, aerosol generating device, and / or companion device. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generating system may be configured to detect the presence of one or more computing devices within the communication range of the aerosol generating system. Corresponding data or information may be obtained from a dedicated sensor, such as a distance sensor, or from a communication interface or circuit of the aerosol generating system, which may be configured to communicatively couple the aerosol generating system to one or more computing devices. The communication circuit or interface may be wired or wireless. The signal strength of signals transmitted between the aerosol generating system and the computing device may be used, if necessary, to determine the distance between the aerosol generating system and the computing device.

[0058] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an unlocked aerosol generating system is provided, in which the aerosol generating system is capable of generating aerosols. The aerosol generating system may be configured to maintain or transition to an unlocked state based on the detection of the presence of one or more external computing devices within communication range, for example, based on or using connectionless communication. If necessary, the aerosol generating system may be configured to determine whether at least one unlock condition related to the presence of an external computing device is met.

[0059] For example, if an aerosol generating system detects an external computing device within the communication range of the aerosol generating system, it may maintain the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state, transition to an unlocked state, or cause them to do so.

[0060] In one embodiment, the aerosol generating system is configured to remain unlocked or transition to an unlocked state when it detects a computing device associated with the aerosol generating system within the communication range of the aerosol generating system. For example, data or information uniquely associated with the computing device, such as a device name, ID, or certificate, may be used to determine whether the computing device is associated with the aerosol generating system.

[0061] In one embodiment, at least one unlocking condition may relate to the detection of the presence of an external computing device associated with the aerosol generating system within the communication range of the aerosol generating system, for example, within the range of a WiFi communication, a Bluetooth communication, and / or a Bluetooth Low-Energy communication. The aerosol generating system may be configured to receive data from the computing device that is uniquely associated with and / or uniquely identifies the computing device, and to detect the presence of the computing device based on the data received from the computing device. For example, the aerosol generating system may be configured to receive one or more messages (also referred to herein as packages or data packages) via wireless communication, for example, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low-Energy, and / or WiFi communication, and the received one or more messages may include data that is uniquely associated with and / or uniquely identifies the computing device.

[0062] In non-limiting embodiments, a communication address, e.g., the media access control, MAC address of a computing device, may be used as data uniquely associated with and / or uniquely identifying the computing device. Alternatively or additionally, the computing device can function as an access point and provide a communication network. The aerosol generating system can connect to this communication network based on a service set identifier (SSID) indicating the network name and, optionally, a password, e.g., a Wi-Fi protected access key (WPA key), where the SSID can be used as data uniquely associated with and / or uniquely identifying the computing device. Thus, the aerosol generating system may be configured to remain unlocked when it receives, or based on, a message or data from the computing device indicating, or including, the computing device's communication address, e.g., MAC address, and / or network name, e.g., the SSID of the access point provided by the computing device. For example, the aerosol generating system may be configured to detect communication addresses, MAC addresses, network names, and / or SSIDs in network traffic and / or communication traffic between the aerosol generating system and the computing device.

[0063] In these exemplary embodiments, the unlock condition may refer to a communication address, MAC address, network name, and / or SSID detected by the aerosol generating system in network traffic and / or communication traffic. The communication address, MAC address, network name, and / or SSID may be associated with a computing device of a user known to be authorized to use the aerosol generating system, such as an adult user. Therefore, receiving or detecting a message or packet containing a communication address, MAC address, network name, and / or SSID suggests or indicates the presence of an (external) computing device and / or indicates that the computing device is associated with the aerosol generating system, and as a result, the aerosol generating device may be kept in an unlocked state or transitioned from a locked state to an unlocked state.

[0064] If necessary, the signal strength or power of the communication between the computing device and the aerosol generating system can be determined by the aerosol generating system and compared to a predetermined minimum value of signal power or strength to ensure that the computing device is sufficiently close to the aerosol generating system.

[0065] The aerosol generation system can be configured to use packet analysis to detect one or more of the following in network traffic and / or communication traffic: communication addresses, MAC addresses, network names, and / or SSIDs, for example, when operating in monitoring mode to monitor network traffic.

[0066] In one embodiment, the aerosol generating system may be configured to maintain an unlocked state or transition from a locked state to an unlocked state in response to receiving a communication address, MAC address, network name, and / or SSID of a computing device that is known to the aerosol generating system or is pre-stored in the aerosol generating system. For example, the aerosol generating system may be configured to verify the received communication address, MAC address, network name, and / or SSID by comparing it with a communication address, MAC address, network name, and / or SSID pre-stored on the aerosol generating system, preferably associated with an authorized user, such as an adult user. Thus, by matching the pre-stored communication address, MAC address, network name, and / or SSID with the detected communication address, MAC address, network name, and / or SSID, the aerosol generating system can be configured to maintain an unlocked state or transition from a locked state to an unlocked state.

[0067] Furthermore, the aerosol generating system may be configured to detect the presence of an external computing device based on receiving a broadcast signal or message from a computing device, preferably via connectionless communication. Optionally, the received broadcast signal or message may include an unlock code and / or an unlock command to unlock the aerosol generating system.

[0068] Furthermore, as needed, the aerosol generating system may be configured to repeatedly determine whether an external computing device is within the communication range of the aerosol generating system, and to maintain the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state based on the confirmation and / or detection of the presence of an external computing device. For example, the aerosol generating system may be configured to maintain or hold the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state only when, or only during, the presence of an external computing device within the communication range of the aerosol generating system is detected by the aerosol generating system, for example, using the communication interface or circuitry of the aerosol generating system.

[0069] The aerosol generating system may be configured to determine whether at least one unlock condition is met based on communication with an external computing device using connectionless communication in the unlocked state, for example, based on repeated, continuous, or sequential communication with an external computing device, preferably using connectionless communication. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generating system may be configured to repeatedly, continuously, or sequentially determine whether at least one unlock condition is met based on communication with an external computing device, preferably using connectionless communication, in the unlocked state.

[0070] In one embodiment, the aerosol generation system may include a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication with an external computing device. For example, the wireless communication circuit may be configured for Bluetooth Low Energy, BLE, or other forms of communication.

[0071] As used herein, the term “connectionless communication” refers in particular to communication that takes place without device pairing and / or association with one or more access points, such as a WiFi access point. Connectionless communication may also take place between two endpoints, where a message is sent from one endpoint to another without prior arrangement, i.e., without ensuring that the recipient is available and ready to receive data. As used herein, the term “connectionless communication” is used in contrast to communication that uses a pre-configured fixed data channel, as in the case of connection-oriented communication, also referred herein as “connectable” mode. Connectionless communication may include multicast and / or broadcast operations, where the same data is sent to several recipients in a single transmission. For example, connectionless communication may include communication that uses at least one broadcast / advertising beacon and / or communication that uses at least one broadcast / advertising packet, as in the case of Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy, and therefore may be referred to in terms of communication that uses advertising mode. To enable both sending and receiving data using connectionless communication, an aerosol generating system may be configured to switch between peripheral mode operation and central mode operation. An aerosol generation system can be configured to transmit data when operating in peripheral mode and to receive data when operating in central mode. Similarly, a computing device may be further configured to switch between operating in central mode and peripheral mode. The computing device may be further configured to receive data when operating in central mode and to transmit data when operating in peripheral mode.Alternatively, connectionless communication may involve, for example, monitoring network traffic using network sniffing and / or packet analysis, which can be done without any association between the aerosol generating system and the access point.

[0072] As used herein, the term “peripheral mode,” also known as “peripheral role,” refers to a mode or role in which a device advertises its presence and waits for a device operating in central mode to connect to it, while the term “central mode” or “central role” refers to a mode or role in which a device scans for or discovers other devices. The terms “central mode” and “peripheral mode” may refer to pre-connection modes or roles. After connection, a device operating in central mode may act as a master, and a device operating in peripheral mode may act as a slave. Also, devices may be “paired” when connected, but may not be paired if information is exchanged using connectionless communication. Peripheral mode and central mode are also called Generic Attribute Profile roles in which a device can operate, particularly when using BLE functionality.

[0073] The aerosol generating system may be configured to remain unlocked based on receiving one or more messages or data from an external computing device, preferably via connectionless communication. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generating system may be configured to determine or detect the presence of a computing device within the communication range of the aerosol generating system based on receiving one or more messages or data from an external computing device, preferably via connectionless communication. For example, the aerosol generating system may be in peripheral mode and receive one or more advertising or broadcast packages from an external computing device, which may include one or more messages. In this case, if one or more messages are successfully received by the aerosol generating system, it can indicate that the external computing device is within the communication range of the aerosol generating system.

[0074] As used herein, “message” may refer to a data package containing one or more values. These values ​​may be numeric, binary, and / or string values. If applicable, messages, and the information or data contained therein, may be ciphered or encrypted. If applicable, messages as used herein may include broadcast and / or advertised packets, such as BLE broadcast and / or advertised packets.

[0075] An aerosol generating system may be configured to determine whether a user of the aerosol generating system is authorized to generate aerosols, based on whether an external computing device is associated with the aerosol generating system. As further described below, such “association” between an aerosol generating system and an external computing device can be carried out in various forms, including one or more of the following: sharing data or information between the computing device and the aerosol generating system; applying the same data transformation to one or more values ​​exchanged or shared between the computing device and the aerosol generating system; and retrieving, retrieving, or accessing data that is uniquely associated with one or more of the computing devices and aerosol generating systems.

[0076] The aerosol generating system may be configured to receive, for example, confirmation from a server or external computing device that the external computing device is associated with the aerosol generating system.

[0077] For example, an aerosol generating system may be configured to obtain a device identifier for an external computing device from, for example, the aerosol generating system and / or a server, and to determine whether the external computing device is associated with the aerosol generating system based on the obtained device identifier. For example, the obtained device identifier may be compared to a reference identifier stored in the aerosol generating system's data storage or obtained from an external data source, such as a server's database. In one embodiment, the device identifier may represent one or more of the external computing device's unique device identifier, device name, communication address, device code, device certificate, and software application identifier. Other information or data that uniquely identifies the external computing device may be used instead or in addition.

[0078] The aerosol generating system may be further configured to remain unlocked, for example, based on detecting at least one external computing device known or trusted by the aerosol generating system within the communication range of the aerosol generating system. This may include determining whether the external computing device is trusted or known. For example, the acquired device identifier may be compared to a reference identifier, and if the identifiers match, the aerosol generating system can confirm or determine that the computing device is known or trusted and therefore associated with the aerosol generating system. Once such confirmation is made, the aerosol generating system may transition to or remain unlocked, thereby allowing a user to use or operate the aerosol generating system for one or more usage sessions to generate aerosols.

[0079] To detect the presence of one or more external computing devices within or near the communication range of the aerosol generating system, the aerosol generating system may be configured to receive one or more messages from the external computing devices, preferably as broadcast or advertised messages via connectionless communication.

[0080] If necessary, an incoming message may include at least one ciphered value. As used herein, “ciphered value” may mean one or more values, in particular one or more numerical values ​​that have been ciphered or transformed based on the application of a cipher function and, if necessary, with other information, e.g., secrets. Such a cipher function may be, for example, hash-based and may calculate hash values ​​of several other values, e.g., numerical values. Alternatively or additionally, such a cipher function may be cryptographic-based and may encrypt one or more values, e.g., numerical values.

[0081] An aerosol generating system may receive one or more ciphered values ​​from a computing device. Alternatively or additionally, one or more ciphered values ​​may be generated or calculated by the aerosol generating system to detect the presence of a computing device within the communication range of the aerosol generating system.

[0082] The ciphered values ​​may include, for example, time information, counter information, and one or more numerical values ​​generated in the aerosol generating system or by a computing device. As used herein, counter information may refer to, or include, counter values ​​provided by an electronic counter, e.g., an electronic counter in the aerosol generating system or computing device, which can periodically change the counter value. Time information may be provided by an internal clock of the aerosol generating system and / or computing device, or obtained from another device. For example, time information and / or counter information from the internal clock of the aerosol generating system may be converted by the aerosol generating system to one or more ciphered values ​​based on the application of one or more cipher functions. Alternatively or additionally, time information and / or counter information from the internal clock of a computing device may be converted by the computing device to one or more ciphered values ​​and transmitted to the aerosol generating system as one or more ciphered values. Alternatively or additionally, time information and / or counter information from the internal clock of a computing device may be transmitted to the aerosol generating system in plain text or as clear values, and the corresponding one or more ciphered values ​​may be calculated in the aerosol generating system as needed.

[0083] An aerosol generating system may be configured to detect the presence of an external computing device based on successfully decoding a ciphered value received from a computing device. Decompositing may involve applying a cipher function to the ciphered value to convert it into one or more clear or human-readable values. Successful decoding may involve applying the same cipher function used to generate the received ciphered value. Thus, by successfully decompositing the value obtained from the computing device, it may be assured that the computing device used the same cipher function for ciphering that the aerosol generating system used for decoding, thereby confirming that the computing device is associated with the aerosol generating system.

[0084] Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generating system may be configured to detect the presence of an external computing device based on calculating a ciphered value of a value stored in the aerosol generating system, and, if necessary, on comparing the calculated ciphered value with a ciphered value received from the external computing device. Specifically, the aerosol generating system may be configured to determine the identity or match between a ciphered value generated in the aerosol generating system and a value received from the aerosol generating system, thereby detecting the presence of a computing device and / or confirming that the computing device is associated with the aerosol generating system. For example, a pre-stored or shared value may be ciphered by the aerosol generating system by applying a cipher function, and the same value may be stored in the aerosol generating system and used to generate a ciphered value by applying the same cipher function. The computing device may then send the ciphered value to the aerosol generating system for comparison with its own ciphered value, confirming that the aerosol generating system is associated with that particular computing device. Alternatively or additionally, the time information and / or counter information of the clock or counter of the aerosol generation system and computing device may be used to obtain the corresponding ciphered value. This allows the counter and / or internal clock to be synchronized as needed.

[0085] In one embodiment, the aerosol generation system may be configured to detect the presence of a computing device based on calculating a ciphered value and determining that the calculated ciphered value matches a ciphered value received from an external computing device. Here, both the ciphered value calculated by the aerosol generation system and the ciphered value received from the computing device may be based on the same initial value, which may be obtained, for example, by applying the same cipher function to that initial value. Such an initial value for ciphering may be generated by the aerosol generation system and transmitted to the computing device. For example, sensor values, Bluetooth Low-Energy characteristics, an identifier for the aerosol generation system, characteristics of the aerosol generation system, time information of the internal clock, an initial counter value generated and / or stored in the aerosol generation system, or any other numerical value may be read by the computing device, preferably using connectionless communication and / or without pairing the aerosol generation system with the computing device.

[0086] In non-limiting embodiments, sensor values ​​measured by one or more sensors in the aerosol generating system may be used as initial values, for example, temperature values ​​measured by the temperature sensor in the aerosol generating system.

[0087] In one embodiment, a computing device may obtain or read initial values ​​from an aerosol generating system using connectionless communication and / or without pairing the aerosol generating system with the computing device, so that both the computing device and the aerosol generating system have the same initial values. The computing device may optionally apply a cipher function using a secret (also referred to herein as a secret key) that is pre-shared between the aerosol generating system and the computing device. Similarly, the aerosol generating system may optionally use a pre-shared secret key to apply a cipher function to the initial values ​​to generate ciphered values. The aerosol generating system may then receive one or more messages from the computing device via connectionless communication, one or more messages containing ciphered values ​​generated by the computing device. The aerosol generating system may further be configured to keep the aerosol generating system unlocked based on the fact that it compares the received ciphered values ​​with the values ​​generated by the aerosol generating system and verifies that the received ciphered values ​​match the ciphered values ​​calculated by the aerosol generating system. Furthermore, the initial value may be changed as needed, for example, by increasing it by a predetermined value in the computing device and the aerosol generating system, and the procedure can be repeated using this changed value as the new initial value for ciphering. In this embodiment, the ciphered value generated in the aerosol generating system and the computing device can be considered a one-time password uniquely shared between the aerosol generating system and the computing device.

[0088] An aerosol generating system may be configured to detect the presence of an external computing device based on the periodic, recurring, or regular reception of messages from that external computing device. The messages received from the computing device may be the same or different in content. For example, the presence of an external computing device may be detected based on the aerosol generating system periodically, recurring, or regular reception of messages from that external computing device that include modified content, specifically updated ciphered values. Such modified content may refer to, or include, updated time information and / or updated counter information.

[0089] In one embodiment, the aerosol generating system may be configured to detect the presence of an external computing device based on the reception of a series of messages over one or more predetermined time intervals or periods. The aerosol generating system can maintain an unlocked state if messages are received according to a predetermined pattern, for example, by defining a predetermined minimum number of messages that should be received within a predetermined period. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generating system may transition to a locked state if no messages are received at all, or if only a few messages are received.

[0090] In exemplary embodiments, the aerosol generating system may be further configured to apply a correction function to at least one value contained in a message received from or stored in the aerosol generating system, the correction function preferably includes converting at least one value to a numerical value. In non-limiting embodiments, the correction function may be applied to time information of the internal clock of the aerosol generating system or computing device to convert this time information into a numerical sequence or a multi-digit number. Other correction functions may include adding one or more values, deleting one or more values, and changing one or more values.

[0091] If necessary, the aerosol generating system may be further configured to recursively apply a correction function according to a counter value of an external computing device or a counter in the aerosol generating system. For example, the aerosol generating system may be configured to recursively apply a correction function a number of times indicated by the counter value in order to determine that a computing device is associated with the aerosol generating system.

[0092] In yet another embodiment, one or more messages received from an external computing device include a clear value and a ciphered value, and the aerosol generating system may be configured to compare the received ciphered value with a ciphered value generated by the aerosol generating system based on the received clear value to verify that the same cipher function is applied in the aerosol generating system and the external computing device. In this case as well, this enables the aerosol generating system to reliably determine that the computing device is present and associated with the aerosol generating system.

[0093] Generally, an aerosol generation system may be configured to calculate one or more ciphered values ​​using a cipher function or modified values ​​using a modification function, based on one or more of the following: time information of the aerosol generation system, time information received from an external computing device, values ​​received from an external computing device, and values ​​generated by the aerosol generation system.

[0094] In yet another optional embodiment, the aerosol generating system may be configured to confirm or detect the presence of an external computing device and / or the association between the computing device and the aerosol generating system based on receiving a value from the computing device and applying a cipher function to the received value using a secret shared between the aerosol generating system and the external computing device. The secret may be, for example, a pre-shared secret. If necessary, the aerosol generating system may be configured to repeatedly confirm the presence of an external computing device based on confirming that a cipher function has been successfully applied to a value received from the external computing device or a value stored in the aerosol generating system, using a secret shared between the aerosol generating system and the external computing device.

[0095] The cipher function applied by the aerosol generating system and / or computing device to generate one or more ciphered values ​​may be hash-based or cryptography-based, specifically using symmetric encryption. If necessary, the cipher function may include a one-time password.

[0096] Furthermore, if necessary, applying a cipher function may require a secret that may be specific to the aerosol generating system or a pre-shared secret. The secret may be based, for example, on a random generation process, specifically by applying a hash-based key derivation function. Alternatively or additionally, the secret may be based on a random generation process using data uniquely associated with the aerosol generating system, such as a seed indicating the aerosol generating system's device ID and / or device-specific serial number DUSN.

[0097] Alternatively or additionally, the secret may be specific to the computing device. For example, the secret may be based on a random generation process using a seed that indicates data uniquely associated with an external computing device, such as the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), and / or a secret numerical code of an app that runs on the computing device and is configured to communicate with an aerosol generating system as needed.

[0098] Furthermore, if necessary, the secret may be generated on an external computing device, and the aerosol generating system may be configured to retrieve the secret from the external computing device. Alternatively or additionally, the secret may be generated by the manufacturer and stored in the aerosol generating system's data storage as necessary. The secret may be stored in a database on the manufacturer's server and retrieved by computing from this database, for example, upon request or when the computing device is first associated with the aerosol generating system. Alternatively or additionally, the secret may be retrieved from the server by the aerosol generating system during its operation, for example, to unlock it.

[0099] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for controlling and / or operating an aerosol generating system in an unlocked state, in which the aerosol generating system is capable of generating aerosols. The method includes determining whether at least one unlocking condition is met, and, if it is positively confirmed that the unlocking condition is met, maintaining the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state.

[0100] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a method for controlling and / or operating an aerosol generating system in an unlocked state, in which the aerosol generating system is capable of generating aerosols. The method includes maintaining the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state based on detecting the presence of one or more external computing devices within the communication range of the aerosol generating system.

[0101] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for controlling and / or operating an aerosol generating system in an unlocked state, in which the aerosol generating system is capable of generating aerosols. The method includes maintaining the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state based on determining whether at least one unlocking condition is met, the at least one unlocking condition relating to the presence of one or more external computing devices within the communication range of the aerosol generating system.

[0102] Any feature, function and / or process described herein with respect to one or more methods for controlling an aerosol generating system may also be a feature or function of the aerosol generating system, and vice versa.

[0103] A further aspect of this disclosure relates to a computer program that, when performed by an aerosol generating system, instructs an aerosol generating system to perform steps of one or more methods of controlling the aerosol generating system described herein.

[0104] A further aspect of this disclosure relates to a computer-readable medium, for example, a non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed by an aerosol generating system, instructs the aerosol generating system to perform steps of one or more methods for controlling the aerosol generating system described herein.

[0105] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computing device is provided which generates a ciphered value by applying a cipher function to a clear value and authorizes a user of an aerosol generating system to operate the aerosol generating system based on transmitting the ciphered value to the aerosol generating system.

[0106] As described above, computing devices may be, for example, mobile devices, smart devices, smartphones, Bluetooth devices, servers, tablets, or personal computers.

[0107] The computing device may be configured to transmit ciphered values ​​to the aerosol generating system using connectionless communication, such as connectionless BLE communication. Optionally, the computing device may be further configured to generate ciphered values ​​based on receiving requests from the aerosol generating system.

[0108] The computing device may be further configured to enforce UAP and / or YAP controls or policies on the aerosol generating system based on requiring users of the aerosol generating system who are in an unlocked state of the aerosol generating system to authorize or identify on the computing device.

[0109] The computing device may be further configured to send messages to an aerosol generating system, the messages may include ciphered values. Alternatively or additionally, the computing device may be configured to send messages to an aerosol generating system, the messages may include ciphered values ​​and clear values. For example, the computing device may be configured to broadcast messages having ciphered values ​​to an aerosol generating system using connectionless communication, preferably Bluetooth Low Energy communication.

[0110] Alternatively or additionally, the computing device may be configured to receive one or more of the following: time information, counter information, and numerical values ​​generated by the aerosol generating system, and to calculate a ciphered value based on these. If necessary, the computing device may be configured to cipher the received values ​​using a cipher function shared between the aerosol generating system and the computing device.

[0111] Furthermore, if necessary, the computing device may be configured to transform the received values ​​based on applying a correction function, preferably a correction function shared between the aerosol generation system and the computing device.

[0112] The computing device may also be configured to generate ciphered values ​​using a secret shared between the aerosol generating system and the computing device, preferably based on data uniquely associated with the aerosol generating system and / or data uniquely associated with the computing device. For example, the computing device may be configured to retrieve data uniquely associated with the aerosol generating system from the aerosol generating system and / or a server. Alternatively or additionally, the computing device may be configured to retrieve a secret for generating ciphered values ​​from a server database. Alternatively or additionally, the computing device may be configured to generate a secret for a cipher function based on data uniquely associated with the computing device and, if necessary, send the secret to the aerosol generating system.

[0113] Furthermore, the computing device may be configured to transmit one or more of the following to the aerosol generating system: a modification function, a cipher function, a secret, and data uniquely associated with the computing device.

[0114] In one embodiment, a computing device may be configured to generate ciphered values ​​using dedicated background tasks, processes, and / or applications.

[0115] Furthermore, while the user identification information of a computing device can be accurately verified at least once, for example, when purchasing it at a retail store, the means of user identification and authorization for a computing device may depend on the user's personal rules and preferences. For example, some users may decide not to restrict access to the computing device or the apps on it at all. Other users may restrict access to the computing device via an unlock code that can be very basic or very complex, and / or additional identification means, such as a biometric sensor, may be used. Therefore, depending on the user's specific rules and settings, an unauthorized user, such as a minor, may be able to access the computing device and the apps running on it, potentially authorizing inappropriate users to use the aerosol generating system. In other words, even if an app on a smartphone or computing device controls the aerosol generating system, unlocks it, and allows the initiation of a usage session according to, for example, a UAP or YAP policy, lax permission for launching such an app, and consequently the initiation of a usage session, could weaken the actual UAP or YAP policy.

[0116] Therefore, a computing device can be configured to perform a user authentication process before launching an app used to generate or transmit ciphered values. If the user authentication process fails, the computing device can be configured to prevent the app from launching. If the user authentication process passes successfully, the computing device can be configured to allow the app to launch or to launch the app automatically.

[0117] In another embodiment, the computing device may be configured to periodically apply a correction function and / or cipher function and periodically provide the aerosol generating system with updated ciphered values ​​based thereon. For example, the computing device may be configured to periodically generate and / or transmit updated ciphered values ​​based on the computing device's time information or counter information.

[0118] Another aspect of this disclosure relates to a method for operating a computing device. The method includes generating a ciphered value by applying a cipher function to a clear value, and authorizing a user of an aerosol generating system to operate the aerosol generating system, based on transmitting the ciphered value to the aerosol generating system.

[0119] Another aspect of this disclosure relates to a computer program, which, when executed by a computing device, instructs the computing device to perform steps of a method for operating the computing device described herein.

[0120] Another aspect of this disclosure relates to a computer-readable medium, for example, a non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing a computer program, wherein the computer program, when executed by a computing device, instructs the computing device to perform steps of the method for operating the computing device described herein.

[0121] As used herein, the term “acquisition” may include, for example, receiving from another system, device, or process; receiving through interaction with a user; loading or acquiring from a storage device or memory; and measuring or capturing using a sensor or other data acquisition device.

[0122] The indefinite articles "a" or "an" do not exclude the plural. In addition, as used herein, the articles "a" and "an" should generally be interpreted as meaning "one or more" unless otherwise specified or unless the context makes it clear that they refer to a singular form.

[0123] Unless otherwise specified or as is evident from the context, the phrases “one or more of A, B, and C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, and / or C” as used herein are intended to mean all possible substitutions for one or more of the listed items. That is, the phrase “A and / or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B), while the phrase “A, B, and / or C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C).

[0124] The term “to prepare” does not exclude other elements or processes. Furthermore, terms such as “to prepare,” “to include,” and “to have” may be used interchangeably in this specification. [Examples]

[0125] The present invention is defined in the claims. However, a non-exclusive list of non-limiting embodiments is provided below. One or more features of these embodiments may be combined with one or more features of other embodiments, forms, or aspects described herein.

[0126] Example 1A: An aerosol generating system in an unlocked state, wherein in the unlocked state the aerosol generating system is capable of generating aerosols, and the aerosol generating system is configured to determine whether at least one unlock condition is met, and if it is confirmed that the unlock condition is met, to maintain the aerosol generating system in the unlocked state. Example 1B: An aerosol generating system in an unlocked state, in which the aerosol generating system is capable of generating aerosols, and is configured to maintain the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state or transition the aerosol generating system to an unlocked state based on the determination that at least one unlocking condition is met, wherein, if necessary, at least one unlocking condition includes or relates to the detection of the presence of one or more external computing devices within communication range, specifically within the communication range of the aerosol generating system. Example 1C: An aerosol generating system in an unlocked state, in which the aerosol generating system is capable of generating aerosols, and the aerosol generating system is configured to maintain the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state or transition the aerosol generating system to an unlocked state based on detecting the presence of one or more external computing devices within a communication range, specifically within the communication range of the aerosol generating system, preferably using connectionless communication. Example 2: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1A to 1C, configured to remain in the unlocked state initially. Example 3: The aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 2, wherein the aerosol generator is configured to remain in an unlocked state initially, which includes transitioning the aerosol generator from a locked state to an unlocked state, thereby preventing the aerosol generating system from generating aerosols in a locked state. Example 4: The aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 3, wherein the aerosol generating system is configured to repeatedly determine whether at least one unlock condition is met during the operation of the aerosol generating system when it is in an unlocked state. Example 5: The aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 4, further configured to transition to a locked state when it is determined that the unlocking condition has been violated, and in the locked state the aerosol generating system is prevented from generating aerosols. Example 6: The aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 5, further configured to transition the aerosol generating system to a locked state, in which case, if it is determined that the unlock condition has been violated a predetermined number of times, or within a predetermined period as necessary, the aerosol generating system is prevented from generating aerosols. Example 7: The aerosol generating system according to Example 6, wherein the predetermined number of times is at least two. Example 8: The aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 7, wherein the aerosol generating system is configured to repeatedly, continuously, or sequentially determine whether at least one unlocking condition is met during the operation of the aerosol generating system for generating aerosols while in an unlocked state. Example 9: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 8, wherein the aerosol generating system is configured to generate an aerosol based on heating at least a portion of an aerosol generating article connectable to the aerosol generating system, and the aerosol generating system is configured to determine whether at least one unlocking condition is met when a heating cycle is started or at the start of a heating cycle. Example 9A: The aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the aerosol generating system is configured to generate an aerosol from at least a portion of an aerosol generating article connectable to the aerosol generating system, and the aerosol generating system is configured to determine whether at least one unlocking condition is met when it starts or at the start of an aerosol generating cycle and / or a heating cycle. Example 10: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 9A, wherein the aerosol generating system is configured to determine whether at least one unlock condition is met when a usage session for generating aerosols is initiated or at the start of such a session. Example 11: The aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 10, further configured to prohibit the initiation of a heating cycle or usage session for aerosol generation if it is determined that at least one unlocking condition has been violated. Example 12: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 11, wherein the aerosol generating system is configured to generate an aerosol based on heating at least a portion of an aerosol generating article connectable to the aerosol generating system, and the aerosol generating system is configured to repeatedly, continuously, or sequentially determine whether at least one unlocking condition is met while heating at least a portion of the aerosol generating article in order to generate an aerosol. Example 12A: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 12, wherein the aerosol generating system is configured to generate an aerosol from at least a portion of an aerosol generating article connectable to the aerosol generating system, and the aerosol generating system is configured to repeatedly, continuously, or sequentially determine whether at least one unlocking condition is met while it is generating an aerosol from the aerosol generating article. Example 13: The aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 12A, wherein the aerosol generating system is further configured to turn off the aerosol generator of the aerosol generating system, or the aerosol generator is configured to enter a low-power mode in response to determining that an unlock condition has been violated. Example 14: The aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 13, further configured to reduce, limit, or shut off the energy supply to the aerosol generating system in response to a determination that an unlock condition has been violated. Example 15: an aerosol generating system wherein at least one unlocking condition is - A specified period and, - The number of consecutive smoking sessions that are permitted, - The amount of energy available to generate aerosols, - The number of usage sessions in which the aerosol generating system can generate aerosols, - The number of aerosol generating articles usable in the aerosol generating system, - The presence of one or more computing devices in the vicinity of the aerosol generation system, - There must be one or more computing devices within the communication range of the aerosol generation system, - The distance between one or more computing devices and an aerosol generating system, - The distance between the aerosol generator and the companion device in the aerosol generation system, - The presence of a companion device near the aerosol generator of the aerosol generation system, - Establishing communication with one or more external computing devices or companion devices, - Establishing connectionless communication with one or more external computing devices or companion devices, - Receiving one or more messages from at least one external computing device, -Detecting at least one external computing device known or trusted by the aerosol generation system, - Confirmation that a user of at least one external computing device within the communication range of the aerosol generating system has authorized to operate the aerosol generating system in order to generate aerosols, - An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 14, relating to or indicating one or more of the user's identification information. Example 16: Aerosol generation system, - The time the aerosol generating system was operated by the user, - The number of consecutive inhalations performed by the user, - The amount of energy used to generate aerosols, The number of usage sessions in which the aerosol generation system operates and generates aerosols, - The number of aerosol generating articles used in the aerosol generating system to generate aerosols in one or more usage sessions, - The presence of one or more computing devices in the vicinity of the aerosol generation system, - There must be one or more computing devices within the communication range of the aerosol generation system, - The distance between one or more computing devices and an aerosol generating system, - The distance between the aerosol generator and the companion device in the aerosol generation system, - The presence of a companion device near the aerosol generator of the aerosol generation system, - Establishing communication with one or more external computing devices or companion devices, - Establishing connectionless communication with one or more external computing devices or companion devices, - Receiving one or more messages from at least one external computing device, - The aerosol generating system includes at least one known or trusted external computing device, - Authorization of a user of at least one external computing device within the communication range of the aerosol generating system to operate the aerosol generating system in order to generate aerosols, - An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 15, further configured to detect one or more of the following: user identification information. Example 17: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 16, configured to determine whether at least one unlocking condition related to the presence of an external computing device is met. Example 18: The aerosol generation system An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 17, configured to repeatedly determine whether an external computing device is within the communication range of the aerosol generating system, and to maintain the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state based on the confirmation of the presence of the external computing device. Example 19: The aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 18, wherein the aerosol generating system is configured to repeatedly determine whether at least one unlock condition is met based on the aerosol generating system communicating with an external computing device using connectionless communication when unlocked. Example 20: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 19, wherein the aerosol generating system includes a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication with an external computing device. Example 21: Aerosol generating system according to Examples 1-20, wherein the wireless communication circuit is configured for Bluetooth Low Energy, BLE, communication. Example 22: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 21, wherein the aerosol generating system is configured to remain unlocked based on receiving one or more messages from an external computing device, preferably via connectionless communication. Example 23: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 22, further configured to determine whether the user of the aerosol generating system is authorized to generate aerosols, based on determining whether an external computing device is associated with the aerosol generating system. Example 24: The aerosol generating system according to Example 23, further configured to receive confirmation from a server or external computing device that the external computing device is associated with the aerosol generating system. Example 25: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 24, further configured to obtain a device identifier of an external computing device and to determine, based on the obtained device identifier, whether the external computing device is associated with the aerosol generating system. Example 26: The aerosol generating system according to Example 25, further configured to determine whether an external computing device is associated with the aerosol generating system based on comparing the acquired device identifier with a reference identifier stored in the data storage of the aerosol generating system. Example 27: The aerosol generating system according to Example 26, wherein the device identifier represents one or more of the following of an external computing device: a unique device identifier, device name, communication address, MAC address, network name, SSID, device code, device certificate, and software application identifier. Example 28: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 27, further configured to keep the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state based on detecting at least one external computing device known or trusted to the aerosol generating system. Example 29: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 28, further configured to receive one or more messages from an external computing device, preferably as broadcast messages via connectionless communication. Example 30: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 29, wherein the received message includes at least one ciphered value. Example 31: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 30, wherein the ciphered value includes one or more of time information, counter information, and numerical values ​​generated by the aerosol generating system. Example 32: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 31, wherein the ciphered value includes one or more of time information, sensor values, counter information, and numerical values ​​generated by an external computing device. Example 33: The aerosol generating system described in any one of Examples 1 to 32, wherein the received message is encrypted. Example 34: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 33, configured to detect the presence of an external computing device based on successfully decoding ciphered values ​​received from a computing device. Example 35: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 34, configured to detect the presence of an external computing device based on calculating a ciphered value of a value stored in the aerosol generating system, and, if necessary, on comparing the calculated ciphered value with a ciphered value received from an external computing device. Example 36: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 35, configured to detect the presence of an external computing device based on the periodic or regular reception of messages from the external computing device. Example 37: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 36, configured to detect the presence of an external computing device based on the periodic or regular reception of messages from the external computing device, including changes in content, specifically including updated ciphered values. Example 38: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 37, configured to detect the presence of an external computing device based on receiving a series of messages at predetermined time intervals. Example 39: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 38, further configured to generate a ciphered value by applying a cipher function based on a value received from an external computing device or a value stored in the aerosol generating system, and to verify that a received message has been ciphered by an external computing device using the same cipher function. Example 40: The aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 39, further configured to apply a correction function to at least one value contained in a message received from an external computing device or stored in the aerosol generating system, wherein the correction function preferably includes the conversion of at least one value to a numerical value. Example 41: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 40, further configured to recursively apply a correction function according to the counter value of an external computing device or a counter of the aerosol generating system. Example 42: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 41, wherein a message received from an external computing device includes a clear value and a ciphered value, and the aerosol generating system is configured to compare the received ciphered value with a ciphered value generated by the aerosol generating system based on the received clear value to verify that the same cipher function is applied in the aerosol generating system and the external computing device. Example 43: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 42, further configured to calculate one or more values ​​ciphered using a cipher function or modified using a modification function, based on one or more of the following: time information of the aerosol generating system, time information received from an external computing device, values ​​received from an external computing device, and values ​​generated by the aerosol generating system. Example 44: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 43, further configured to confirm the presence of an external computing device based on receiving a value from a computing device and applying a cipher function to the received value using a secret shared between the aerosol generating system and the external computing device. Example 45: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 44, configured to repeatedly verify the presence of an external computing device based on the verification of the successful application of a cipher function to a value received from the external computing device or to a value stored in the aerosol generating system, using a secret shared between the aerosol generating system and the external computing device. Example 46: The aerosol generation system according to Example 45, wherein the cipher function is hash-based or cryptography-based, specifically using symmetric encryption, and optionally the cipher function includes a one-time password. Example 47: An aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 1 to 46, wherein the secret is based on a near-random generation process, specifically by applying a hash-based key derivation function. Example 48: The secret is an aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 47, based on a near-random generation process using a seed that shows data uniquely associated with the aerosol generating system. Example 49: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 48, based on a near-random generation process using a seed that indicates data uniquely associated with an external computing device. Example 50: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 49, wherein the secret is generated on an external computing device and the aerosol generating system is configured to retrieve the secret from the external computing device. Example 51: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 50, further configured to transmit one or more of the following data to an external computing device: time information, counter information, numerical values, sensor values, and data uniquely associated with or linked to the aerosol generating system. Example 52: The aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 51, further configured to determine the reception of a predetermined number of messages from an external computing device within a predetermined period of time in order to confirm the presence of an external computing device within the communication range of the aerosol generating system. Example 53: The aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 52, further configured to transition to a locked state if no message is received for a predetermined period or a predetermined number of time intervals. Example 54: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 53, configured to generate a nicotine-containing aerosol. Example 55: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 54, comprising one or more of an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol and a companion device for housing and / or charging the aerosol generator. Example 56: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 55, further comprising an aerosol generating article. Example 57A: A method for controlling an aerosol generating system in an unlocked state, wherein in the unlocked state the aerosol generating system is capable of generating aerosols, the method includes determining whether at least one unlocking condition is met, and, if it is positively confirmed that the unlocking condition is met, maintaining the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state. Example 57B: A method for controlling an aerosol generating system in an unlocked state, wherein in the unlocked state the aerosol generating system is capable of generating aerosols, and the method includes maintaining the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state or transitioning the aerosol generating system to an unlocked state based on determining whether at least one unlocking condition is met, wherein, optionally, at least one unlocking condition is related to the presence of one or more external computing devices within the communication range of the aerosol generating system. Example 57C: A method for controlling an aerosol generating system in an unlocked state, wherein in the unlocked state the aerosol generating system is capable of generating aerosols, and the method includes maintaining the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state based on the detection of the presence of one or more external computing devices within the communication range of the aerosol generating system. Example 58: A computer program, when performed by an aerosol generating system, that instructs the aerosol generating system to perform the steps of any one of Examples 57A to 57C. Example 58: A non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing the computer program described in Example 58. Example 59: A computing device, By applying the cipher function to the clear value, a ciphered value is generated. A computing device configured to authorize the user of an aerosol generating system to operate the aerosol generating system based on the transmission of ciphered values ​​to the aerosol generating system. Example 60: The computing device according to Example 59, further configured to transmit ciphered values ​​to an aerosol generating system using connectionless communication. Example 61: A computing device according to Examples 59-60, further configured to generate ciphered values ​​based on receiving requests from an aerosol generating system. Example 62: The computing devices described in Examples 59-61 are further configured to enforce a youth access prevention policy on the aerosol generating system, based on requiring the user of the aerosol generating system to authorize or identify with a computing device while the system is unlocked. Example 63: A computing device according to Examples 59-62, further configured to send a message to an aerosol generating system, the message containing a ciphered value. Example 64: The computing device according to Examples 59-63, further configured to send messages to an aerosol generating system, the messages including ciphered values ​​and clear values. Example 65: The computing device according to Examples 59-64, further configured to broadcast a message having a ciphered value to an aerosol generating system using connectionless communication, preferably using Bluetooth Low Energy communication. Example 66: The computing device according to Examples 59-65, further configured to receive one or more of time information, counter information, and numerical values ​​generated by an aerosol generating system, and to calculate a ciphered value based thereon. Example 67: The computing devices according to Examples 59-66 are further configured to transform received values ​​based on applying a correction function, preferably a correction function shared between the aerosol generation system and the computing device. Example 68: The computing devices according to Examples 59-67, further configured to cipher received values ​​using a cipher function shared between the aerosol generation system and the computing device. Example 69: The computing device according to Examples 59-68, further configured to generate ciphered values ​​using a secret shared between the aerosol generating system and the computing device, wherein the secret is based on data uniquely associated with the aerosol generating system and / or data uniquely associated with the computing device. Example 70: The computing device described in Examples 59-69, further configured to retrieve data uniquely associated with the aerosol generating system from the aerosol generating system and / or server. Example 71: The computing device described in Examples 59-70 is further configured to retrieve secrets from a server database for generating ciphered values. Example 72: The computing devices described in Examples 59-71 are further configured to generate secrets for a cipher function based on data uniquely associated with the computing device, and to transmit the secrets to an aerosol generating system as needed. Example 73: The computing devices described in Examples 59-72 are further configured to transmit one or more of the following to an aerosol generating system: a modification function, a cipher function, a secret, and data uniquely associated with the computing device. Example 74: The computing devices described in Examples 59–73, further configured to generate ciphered values ​​using a dedicated background task. Example 75: A computing device according to Examples 59–74, further configured to periodically apply a correction function and / or cipher function and periodically provide updated ciphered values ​​based thereon. Example 76: The computing device according to Examples 59-75, further configured to periodically generate and / or transmit updated ciphered values ​​based on time information or counter information of the computing device. Example 77: The computing device according to Examples 59-76, wherein the computing device is a mobile device, smart device, Bluetooth device, server, tablet, or personal computer. Example 78: A method for operating a computing device, Applying a cipher function to a clear value generates a ciphered value, A method comprising authorizing the user of an aerosol generating system to operate the aerosol generating system based on transmitting ciphered values ​​to the aerosol generating system. Example 78: A computer program, when executed by a computing device, that instructs the computing device to perform the steps of the method described in Example 77. Example 79: A non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing the computer program described in Example 78.

[0127] The present invention may include one or more embodiments, examples, or features, individually or in combination, whether disclosed specifically in combination or individually. Any optional feature or sub-embodiment of one of the above embodiments may be appropriately applied to any of the other embodiments.

[0128] A detailed explanation will be provided, albeit only as an illustration, while referring to the attached drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0129] [Figure 1] Figure 1 illustrates an aerosol generating system and a computing device that can be used in accordance with the systems and methods disclosed herein. [Figure 2] Figure 2 illustrates an aerosol generating system and computing device that can be used in accordance with the systems and methods disclosed herein. [Figure 3] Figure 3 illustrates an aerosol generating system and computing device that can be used in accordance with the systems and methods disclosed herein. [Figure 4] Figure 4 illustrates an aerosol generating system and computing device that can be used in accordance with the systems and methods disclosed herein. [Figure 5] Figure 5 illustrates an aerosol generating system and computing device that can be used in accordance with the systems and methods disclosed herein.

[0130] The diagrams are schematic and not to exact scale. As a general rule, identical or similar parts, elements, and / or processes are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals in the diagrams. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0131] Figure 1 shows an exemplary aerosol generating system 1000 having an aerosol generator 100. The aerosol generating system 1000 in Figure 1 exemplifies optional components, such as an aerosol generating article 200 that can be at least partially inserted into the aerosol generator 100, and a companion device 300 configured to house and / or charge the aerosol generator 100. Furthermore, Figure 1 schematically illustrates a computing device 400, shown exemplifyingly in Figure 1 in the form of a mobile device 400 or smartphone 400.

[0132] The aerosol generator 100 includes one or more energy storage units 102 for storing electrical energy and / or providing electrical energy for generating aerosols. One or more energy storage units 102 may be one or more batteries (e.g., lithium-ion batteries) or accumulators. If the energy storage unit 102 is a battery, the cathode material may include lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), lithium manganese oxide (LMO), lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium phosphate (LFP), and / or lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA). The anode material may include carbon (e.g., graphite), silicon, and / or lithium titanate (LTO).

[0133] The exemplary aerosol generator 100 shown in Figure 1 includes at least a portion of a heating circuit 104 having at least one heating element 106 for heating at least a portion of an aerosol generating article 200 that can be connected to the aerosol generator 100. Naturally, the heating circuit 104 and heating element 106 are optional. Alternatively or additionally, at least a portion or all of the heating circuit 104, heating device 104, and / or heating element 106 may be integrated or disposed within the aerosol generating article 200.

[0134] Furthermore, it should be noted that the heating element 106 shown in Figure 1 is for illustrative purposes only and is configured as an induction coil configured to inductively heat at least a portion of the aerosol generating article 200, for example, a susceptor material placed within the aerosol generating substrate 202 of the aerosol generating article 200. Alternatively or additionally, at least one heating element 106 may be configured for one or more of resistance heating and microwave heating. In another embodiment, the aerosol generating device 100 generates aerosols using a non-thermal aerosol generating arrangement or aerosol generator, such as an ultrasonic aerosol generating arrangement or aerosol generator.

[0135] Furthermore, it should be noted that the aerosol generating article 200, as having a rod-like or tubular shape and being at least partially insertable through the opening 105 of the housing 107 of the aerosol generating device 100, for example, into the heating chamber 109 of the aerosol generating device 100, is merely illustrative and not limited to the aerosol generating article 200. In other exemplary designs, the aerosol generating article 200 may be shaped as a container or cartridge that is fixedly integrated into the aerosol generating device 100 or can be connected to the device 100.

[0136] The aerosol generator 100 further comprises a control circuit 110 or device control circuit 110 operably connected to the energy storage unit 102. The control circuit 110 may include one or more processors 112 for data processing. The control circuit 110 may also include a microcontroller comprising a processor, memory, and input / output means.

[0137] Furthermore, if necessary, the aerosol generator 100 and / or control circuit 110 may include data storage 114 for storing data, such as one or more unlock conditions, as described in more detail above and below in this specification.

[0138] Alternatively or additionally, software instructions may be stored in data storage 114, which, when executed by control circuit 112, instruct the aerosol generator 100 to perform one or more functions of the device 100, as described above and below herein. The aerosol generator 100 optionally includes a user interface 120 for receiving one or more user inputs from a user, for example, for operating the aerosol generator 100 to generate aerosols. The user interface 120 is exemplified as buttons in Figure 1. Any other type of user interface 120, such as an acoustic interface, a haptic interface, a touch interface, a display, or an arrangement of one or more LEDs, may optionally be included in the aerosol generator 100, either alternatively or additionally.

[0139] Furthermore, if necessary, the aerosol generator 100 may include a communication interface or circuit 130 for communicatingly connecting the aerosol generator 100 to one or more arbitrary components of the aerosol generation system 1000, specifically one or more of the companion devices 300 and / or computing devices 400.

[0140] One or more communication interface types or communication protocols may be implemented in the aerosol generator 100 and its communication interface or circuit 130. Specifically, the communication interface or circuit 130 may be configured for one or both wired and wireless communication with one or more of the computing devices 400 and companion devices 300. For example, the communication interface 130 may be based on one or more of the following: BUS communication, cable communication, Bluetooth® communication, wireless local area network communication, infrared communication, short-range communication, Internet communication, or any other suitable type of communication or communication protocol.

[0141] The aerosol generator 100 may optionally be at least partially inserted into the companion device 300 for charging the energy storage unit 102 and / or for storing the aerosol generator 100. Charging may be based, for example, on inductive charging or via an electrical connection.

[0142] The aerosol generator 100 and / or control circuit 110 are configured to supply electrical energy to at least one heating element 106 to heat at least a portion of the aerosol generating article 200.

[0143] The companion device 300 of the aerosol generating system 1000 may include at least one control circuit 310, one or more energy storage units 320, and one or more communication interfaces 330. The functions and components of the control circuit 310 of the companion device 300 may correspond to the functions and components described above with respect to the control circuit 110 of the aerosol generator 100. Alternatively or additionally, the functions and components of the energy storage unit 320 of the companion device 300 may correspond to the functions and components described above with respect to the energy storage unit 120 of the aerosol generator 100. Alternatively or additionally, the functions and components of the communication interface 330 of the companion device 300 may correspond to the functions and components described above with respect to the communication interface of the aerosol generator 100.

[0144] The computing device 400 may also include at least one control circuit 410, one or more energy storage units 420, and one or more communication interfaces 430 for communicating with the companion device 300 and / or the aerosol generator 100, and optionally memory and input / output means.

[0145] The aerosol generator 100 is in an unlocked state, and in the unlocked state, the aerosol generating system is able to generate aerosols. The aerosol generating system 1000, the aerosol generator 100 and / or companion device 300 are configured to determine whether at least one unlocking condition is met, and if it is confirmed that the unlocking condition is met, they are configured to maintain the aerosol generating system 100, the aerosol generator 100 and / or companion device 300 in an unlocked state while the unlocking condition is met and / or as long as it is met.

[0146] Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generator 100 may be in an unlocked state in which the aerosol generating system is able to generate aerosols, and the aerosol generating system 1000, the aerosol generator 100 and / or companion device 300 may be configured to maintain the aerosol generating system 100, the aerosol generator 100 and / or companion device 300 in an unlocked state or to transition the aerosol generating system 1000, the aerosol generator 100 and / or companion device 300 to an unlocked state based on the determination that at least one unlocking condition is met, the at least one unlocking condition including or relating to the detection of the presence of one or more external computing devices 400 within communication range.

[0147] Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generator 100 may be in an unlocked state, in which case the aerosol generating system is capable of generating aerosols, and the aerosol generating system 1000, the aerosol generator 100 and / or companion device 300 may be configured to maintain the aerosol generating system in an unlocked state or transition the aerosol generating system to an unlocked state based on the detection of the presence of one or more external computing devices 400 within communication range, specifically using connectionless communication via the communication interface 130 of the aerosol generator 100 and / or the communication interface 330 of the companion device 300 and the communication interface 410 of the computing device 400.

[0148] For example, the aerosol generating system 1000 may be configured to repeatedly, continuously, or sequentially determine whether at least one unlock condition is met during the operation of the aerosol generating system 1000, specifically during the operation to generate an inhalable aerosol, for example, during one or more use sessions. The aerosol generating system 1000 may also be configured to transition to a locked state, in which case, if it is determined that the unlock state has been violated, the aerosol generating system 1000 is prevented from generating aerosols for a predetermined number of times as necessary, and for a predetermined period as necessary.

[0149] Furthermore, upon detecting a violation of at least one unlocked state, the aerosol generating system 1000 may be configured to prohibit the initiation of a heating cycle or usage session for aerosol generation. For example, in response to a determination that an unlocked state has been violated, the aerosol generating system 1000 may be configured to turn off the aerosol generating device 100 or enter a low-power mode. Alternatively or additionally, in response to a determination that an unlocked state has been violated, the aerosol generating system 1000 may be further configured to reduce, limit, or shut off the energy supply to the aerosol generating system 1000, the aerosol generating device 100, and / or the companion device 300.

[0150] As described above, at least one unlock condition can be performed in various forms. For example, at least one unlock condition is a predetermined period of time, a number of allowed consecutive inhalations, the amount of energy available to generate an aerosol, the number of usage sessions in which the aerosol generating system 1000 can operate to generate an aerosol, the number of aerosol generating articles 200 available in the aerosol generating system 1000, the presence of one or more computing devices 400 in the vicinity of the aerosol generating system 1000, the presence of one or more computing devices 400 within the communication range of the aerosol generating system 1000, the distance between one or more computing devices 400 and the aerosol generating system 1000, the distance between the aerosol generator 100 and the companion device 300 of the aerosol generating system 1000, and the presence of one or more computing devices 400 in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 100 of the aerosol generating system 1000. The presence of a companion device 300, establishing communication with one or more external computing devices 400 or companion devices 300, establishing connectionless communication with one or more external computing devices 400 or companion devices 300, receiving one or more messages from at least one external computing device 400, detecting at least one external computing device 400 known or trusted by the aerosol generating system 1000, confirming authorization from a user of at least one external computing device 400 within the communication range of the aerosol generating system 1000 to operate the aerosol generating system 1000 for aerosol generation, and user identification information may be associated with or indicate one or more of these.

[0151] Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generating system may, for example, detect whether a computing device 400 is within the communication range of the aerosol generating system 1000 by considering the time the aerosol generating system 100 has been operated by the user, the number of consecutive inhalations performed by the user, the amount of energy used to generate aerosols, the number of use sessions in which the aerosol generating system 1000 has operated to generate aerosols, the number of aerosol generating articles 200 used by the aerosol generating system 1000 to generate aerosols in one or more use sessions, the presence of one or more computing devices 400 in the vicinity of the aerosol generating system 1000, the presence of one or more computing devices 400 within the communication range of the aerosol generating system 1000, the distance between one or more computing devices 400 and the aerosol generating system 1000, and the companion devices of the aerosol generating device 400 and the aerosol generating system 1000. The system can be configured to determine one or more of the following: the distance to 300, the presence of a companion device 300 in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 100 of the aerosol generating system 1000, establishing communication with one or more external computing devices 400 or companion devices 300, establishing connectionless communication with one or more external computing devices 400 or companion devices 300, preferably receiving one or more messages from at least one external computing device 400 using connectionless communication, authorization of a user of at least one external computing device 400 that is known to, associated with, or thereby trusted by the aerosol generating system 1000, authorization to operate the aerosol generating system 1000 to generate aerosols, and user identification information.

[0152] In exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the aerosol generating system 1000, the aerosol generating device 100 and / or the companion device 300 may utilize one or more of the following to detect the presence of the computing device 400: the communication address of the communication interface 430 of the computing device 400, the MAC address of the communication interface 430 of the computing device 400, the network name, and the SSID of the network provided by the computing device 400 acting as a WiFi access point.

[0153] In embodiments using communications or MAC addresses, the aerosol generating system 1000, aerosol generating device 100, and / or companion device 300 monitor or "sniff" network traffic for at least one packet or message from a specific communications or MAC address, e.g., a packet or message from a computing device 400, in order to keep the aerosol generating system 1000 in an unlocked state. Thus, in this embodiment, connectionless communications are implemented using network sniffing, i.e., packet analysis. The discovery of the MAC address indicates that the computing device 400 is close enough to the aerosol generating system 1000 to ensure that the aerosol generating system can be kept in an unlocked state. MAC addresses unique to each TCP / IP device may be pre-stored in the aerosol generating system 1000 for this purpose. In this way, a packet or message containing the MAC address of an authorized user's computing device 400 can be taken as an implicit permission to keep the aerosol generating system 1000 in an unlocked state.

[0154] In this embodiment, the aerosol generating system 1000 is configured to use WiFi communication, i.e., communication based on the IEEE 802.11 standard family. Such communication typically involves a centralized access point (AP) that coordinates all communications, and WiFi-enabled devices need to be associated with the AP in order to receive packets from it. In this embodiment, the aerosol generating system 1000 is configured to receive MAC addresses using connectionless communication by operating its WiFi-enabled communication interface 130 in supervisory mode, in which case the aerosol generating system 1000 receives all packets within a given frequency range. In supervisory mode, the aerosol generating system 1000 can monitor the MAC addresses of devices currently communicating with the AP, even if the aerosol generating system 1000 itself is not associated with the AP.

[0155] If necessary, the aerosol generating system 1000 may enforce a minimum signal strength (of the signal including the pre-stored MAC address) to ensure that the authorized user's computing device 400 is close enough. Since multiple WiFi channels may exist, the aerosol generating system 1000 may be configured to continuously monitor them for a predetermined period (e.g., 100 ms) in order to detect pre-registered MAC addresses.

[0156] In this way, the aerosol generation system 1000 can implement UAP and / or YAP using proximity or presence detection without requiring user intervention or application installation.

[0157] The use of MAC addresses is explained for illustrative purposes only, and it should be understood that any address, data, or code that uniquely identifies and indicates proximity to an authorized user's computing device 400 may be used instead of, or in addition to, a MAC address, such as a device identifier used in Bluetooth.

[0158] In an embodiment where the presence of a computing device is detected using a network name or SSID, the aerosol generating system 1000 can be configured to monitor the presence of nearby access points or communication networks by monitoring the SSID of the network. Thus, connectionless communication can be performed in this embodiment using network sniffing, i.e., packet analysis, and / or detection of broadcast or provided SSIDs by one or more access points, for example by the computing device 400.

[0159] Figure 2 illustrates an aerosol generating system 1000 and a computing device 400 that can be used according to the systems and methods disclosed herein. Specifically, the computing device 400 is illustrated as a block diagram on the left side of Figure 2, and the aerosol generating system 1000 is illustrated as a block diagram on the right side of Figure 2.

[0160] In general, this disclosure relates to, or describes, a “continuous” control process in which the aerosol generating system 1000 (or any device generally having BLE capabilities) must remain within the communication range (or BLE range) of the aerosol generating system 1000 in order to keep at least one of the functions of the aerosol generating system running, without requiring pairing of the computing device 400 with the aerosol generating system 1000. This allows, for example, the owner of the computing device 400 to notice unauthorized use of the aerosol generating system 1000 if the owner of the smartphone or computing device 400 keeps their smartphone nearby. The “continuous” process may run for at least a certain period of time.

[0161] As described above, with respect to the aerosol generating system 1000, one or more of the aerosol generating device 100 and the companion device 300 may provide BLE functionality and be equipped with corresponding communication interfaces 130, 330. Functions that are activated or suppressed depending on whether the computing device 400 is within the communication range of the aerosol generating system 1000 may be aerosol generating functions (for example, a heating function of the aerosol generating system 1000 for heating at least a portion of the aerosol generating article 200 to generate aerosols). Generally, the activation of the heating function of the aerosol generating system 1000 may be considered to have been confirmed (or not confirmed) by UAP / YAP control, for example, while purchasing the system 100 at a retail store.

[0162] The aerosol generating system 1000 may be configured to repeatedly, continuously, or continuously control the heating function and / or heating circuit 104 of the aerosol generating system 100 during a usage session that is authorized (or not authorized) to be started by the UAP / YAP policy. For simplicity, when an action or function performed by the computing device 400 is described, this means an action performed by an app running on the computing device 400. Similarly, when an action or function performed by the aerosol generating system 1000 is described, this means an action performed by a process of the aerosol generating system 1000.

[0163] The aerosol generating system 1000 and the computing device 400 may have BLE functionality or corresponding communication interfaces 430, 130, both of which can use central and peripheral roles or modes (also known as central or peripheral GAP roles).

[0164] If necessary, for example, in a process or procedure for the exchange and / or sharing of parameters, settings, or information, which is referred to herein as the “P-secret process”, the aerosol generating system 1000 and the computing device 400 may share a secret S, which is, for example, a random 32-byte value; a function C, which ciphers, for example hashing or encrypts, the value using the secret S; a time interval T, which may be relatively short relative to the duration of the usage session, for example, 30 seconds; and a modification function F, which is applied to modify the value to which the cipher function is applied. By sharing these values, the aerosol generating system 1000 and the computing device 400 can be associated with, linked, trusted, and / or known to one another. However, other methods are possible for associating the computing device 400 and the aerosol generating system 1000, for example, based on the sharing of device names, interface addresses, and the like, as described herein. The sharing of the above parameters or information may be performed only once during the usage period of the aerosol generating system 1000. The sharing of parameters or information can be precisely controlled by UAP / YAP.

[0165] Furthermore, in another optional process or procedure referred to herein as the “P-setting process,” the actual presence of the computing device 400 within the communication range of the aerosol generating system 100 can be detected based on the sharing of a value V between the aerosol generating system 1000 and the computing device 400, as illustrated in Figure 2.

[0166] Figure 2 illustrates an example of detecting the presence of a computing device 400 within the communication range of an aerosol generating system 1000. Unless otherwise noted, the aerosol generating system 1000 and computing device 400 in Figure 2 have the same functions, features, and elements as the aerosol generating system 1000 and computing device 400 described with reference to Figure 1.

[0167] As described above, the aerosol generation system 1000 and the computing device 400 can share a secret S, a cipher function C, duration or time information T, and a modification function F.

[0168] The aerosol generation system 1000 may operate in BLE central role or mode. The computing device 400 may have an internal clock, and each time the clock enters a new time interval T, the computing device 400 may generate a value V' obtained from the application of ciphering or cipher function C, using secret S if necessary, and applying a modification function F to the value V if necessary. The value V may be shared between the aerosol generation system 1000 and the computing device 400, or the aerosol generation system 100 may determine the value V using its own time of the internal clock of the aerosol generation system 100. Note that the application of the modification function is entirely optional.

[0169] The computing device 400 can operate in a peripheral role or mode and broadcast or send a message containing V' using advertisements for a peripheral GAP (Generic Access Profile) or BLE role. The computing device 400 may then set V to F(V) by applying a modification function F to V, thereby leaving the peripheral role or entering the central role.

[0170] If the aerosol generating system 1000 does not receive a new value V' each time its clock enters a new time interval T, the aerosol generating system 1000 may consider the associated computing device 400 to be out of communication range, and may accordingly transition the aerosol generating system 100 to a locked state.

[0171] When the aerosol generating system 100 receives V', the system checks, if necessary, whether V' matches the result of applying its ciphering or cipher function C to the same value V, using secret S as needed (V''=C(F(V)). If so, the aerosol generating system 1000 can set V to F(V) and consider the associated computing device 400 to be within communication range, and can maintain the aerosol generating system 1000 in an unlocked state. Otherwise, the aerosol generating system 1000 may consider the associated computing device 400 to be out of communication range and may transition to a locked state.

[0172] If necessary, if the aerosol generating system 1000 determines that the associated computing device 400 is out of communication range for a certain number of times, the aerosol generating system 1000 may stop the heating process, heating cycle, or usage session and / or transition to a locked state. Otherwise, the aerosol generating system 1000 may continue the heating process, heating cycle, or usage session and / or maintain an unlocked state.

[0173] The following summarizes various examples of this disclosure. The cipher function C may be a known symmetric encryption method, such as AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), which can encrypt / decrypt messages using the secret S as a key or seed. If necessary, an application running on computing device 400 may require user authentication (e.g., fingerprint, biometric sensor, and / or additional code) before computing device 400 allows the application to launch. This improves overall security and UAP / YAP control. If necessary, an application running on computing device 400 may be stopped after a few minutes corresponding to the estimated maximum duration of the usage session, for example, after 3 to 10 minutes, or for example, after 5 minutes.

[0174] The process running on the aerosol generating system 1000 is preferably started when a function controlled by the aerosol generating system 1000, in this case when heating of the heating element is initiated. If necessary, the application running on the computing device 400 can be started by performing user authentication or precise user UAP / YAP control (e.g., fingerprint, biometric sensor, YAP / additional code provided only to authorized users, etc.). If necessary, the application running on the computing device 400 may be started by a signal emitted by the aerosol generating system 1000 when initiating a heating cycle, or the application may run continuously on the computing device 400.

[0175] If necessary, the aerosol generating system 1000 may have rules regarding the number of out-of-range events it can accept before ceasing its function, and how a computing device can cancel / suppress previous out-of-range events in the case of an in-range event. These rules can be set, for example, by the user within the app, on the manufacturer's website for the aerosol generating system 1000, or via the communication interface 130 of the aerosol generating system 1000.

[0176] Alternatively, instead of using a smartphone or computing device 400, a simple, standalone Bluetooth authentication device that generates advertising can be used as the computing device 400.

[0177] The cipher function C may be a HOTP cipher function (for example, providing a one-time password based on a Hash-based Message Authentication Code (HMAC), i.e., "HMAC-based One Time Password, HOTP," which uses SHA-1 as the hash function), and can generate a code of a predetermined number of digits from a numerical input value using a secret S, for example, the number of digits may be a parameter of HOTP. The predetermined number of digits may be 3 or more, 5 or more, preferably 5 to 10 digits.

[0178] Various different modifications of the concepts described herein, particularly with reference to Figure 2, can be effectively used to detect the presence of a computing device 400 within the communication range of an aerosol generating system 1000 using connectionless communication. Three exemplary modifications are described below with reference to the figures.

[0179] Figure 3 illustrates an aerosol generating system 1000 and computing device 400 that can be used according to the systems and methods disclosed herein. Unless otherwise stated, the aerosol generating system 1000 and computing device 400 in Figure 3 have the same functions, features, and elements as the aerosol generating system 1000 and computing device 400 described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

[0180] In one modified example, the computing device 400 may be in a peripheral role and can broadcast only the ciphered value of F(V), i.e., the value obtained by applying the cipher function C to the result of applying the modification function F to the value V, in an advertisement packet. Furthermore, the computing device 400 can send the advertisement packet to only one of the aerosol generating systems 1000 to which it is associated.

[0181] Here, the secret S may be determined by the manufacturer of the aerosol generating system 1000. The secret can be generated using a random generation process, for example, an HKDF (hash-based key derivation function), in which unique data associated with the aerosol generating system 1000, for example, a DUSN (device-specific serial number), and / or other seeds kept secret by the manufacturer of the aerosol generating system 1000 may be used as seeds. During manufacturing, the secret for the aerosol generating system 1000 is generated and subsequently incorporated into (and kept secret) the data storage 120 of the aerosol generating system 1000, making its firmware accessible.

[0182] The secret S can be sent to an application on the computing device 400, for example, an application that runs a P-secret process. The initiation of such a process should be strictly controlled by UAP / YAP. This process, for example, connects to the web server of the manufacturer of the aerosol generating system 1000 and provides the DUSN of the aerosol generating system. To do this, the DUSN of the aerosol generating system may be embedded in a QR code® on the aerosol generating system 1000, which can be flashed or captured by the computing device 400 (or it may be a code entered manually). This QR code® may further include an identification code of the manufacturer of the aerosol generating system 1000. The application can use this data to first identify the web server of the manufacturer of the aerosol generating system 1000 and then send the DUSN to it. Next, the manufacturer of the aerosol generating system 1000, upon purchase of the aerosol generating system 1000, can, after verifying that all required UAP / YAP control policies have been implemented for the identified aerosol generating system 1000, extract the secret associated with DUSN from its database and send it to the app using secure transmission.

[0183] There are various possible embodiments of the "P-secret" process and the application running on the computing device 400. For example, the P-secret process may belong to an application created by the manufacturer of the aerosol generating system 1000, or it may be a third-party application. The P-secret can be executed only once, and there may be a secure process that allows the application on the aerosol generating system 1000 to communicate with the application on the computing device 400 process. As a result, ciphering of the value F(V) can be achieved either by the secret being communicated between both applications, or by the value F(V) being provided by the aerosol generating system 1000 to the computing device and receiving a cipher value of F(V) in return, while the secret may remain held within the application running the P-secret process.

[0184] In one embodiment, the secret can be determined by the manufacturer of the aerosol generating system 1000, and the "P-secret" process may be part of an app for a third-party app, such as a BLE one-time password app. Furthermore, age control can be advanced by providing a PIN code to the user of the computing device 400. This PIN code may be required (or not required) to download the BLE one-time password app. Once completed, the user of the computing device 400 can verify their age by scanning a QR code (registered trademark) on the aerosol generating system 1000 containing the device's DUSN and manufacturer code, and then entering a previously received UAP / YAPPIN code. The app then contacts the app provider, who identifies the manufacturer of the aerosol generating system 1000 and then sends the DUSN to the manufacturer of the aerosol generating system 1000. Alternatively, and when purchasing the aerosol generating system 1000, after confirming that the UAP / YAP is running correctly and a PIN code has been provided, the manufacturer of the aerosol generating system 1000 may provide the secret of the aerosol generating system 1000 to the computing device 400 corresponding to DUSN, thereby allowing presence detection to be performed by the aerosol generating system 1000, for example, as described with reference to Figure 2.

[0185] To detect the presence of a computing device 400 within the communication range of the aerosol generating system 1000, the initial broadcast time may be used as an initial value V, which may preferably be determined by the aerosol generating system 1000 associated with the computing device 4000, for example, using a P-setting process or similar, as described above. Such a process may be initiated by the aerosol generating system 1000, which may enable the aerosol generating system 1000 to transmit the initial value V to the computing device 400, to which a correction function F may then be continuously applied for each duration T. This initial value V, determined on the aerosol generating system 1000 side, may be a counter value, sensor value, counter information of the aerosol generating system 1000, or the current time. For example, a sensor value, such as a temperature value, measured by one or more sensors of the aerosol generating system 1000 may be used as the initial value V. Therefore, the initial value V may be received by the computing device 400 via connectionless communication and / or without pairing the aerosol generating system 1000 with the computing device 400.

[0186] The aerosol generating system 1000 can transmit its unique ID, such as its DUSN, to the computing device 400. The computing device 400 may be associated with several aerosol generating systems 1000, and their DUSNs may be recorded. However, knowing which aerosol generating system 1000 is activated allows the computing device 400 to use the secret associated with the DUSN for ciphering and to address the aerosol generating system 1000 using the DUSN in advertisement packets.

[0187] The P-setting process can further enable setting the initial broadcast time to the computing device 400 and the aerosol generating system 1000 to the time when the "P-setting" occurs, so this initial time may be determined by the aerosol generating system 1000.

[0188] Preferably, P-setting can be initiated each time the aerosol generating system 100 starts a heating process, cycle, or usage session.

[0189] After the initial P-setting, there is no need to restart P-setting as long as the aerosol generating system 1000 and the computing device 400 remain synchronized. However, if the aerosol generating system 1000 starts a new heating process or cycle, restarting P-setting can give the computing device 400 a time frame, for example, the maximum estimated time of the usage session, during which the computing device 400 should broadcast advertisements about the aerosol generating system 1000, and then the computing device 400 should stop advertising, for example, to conserve battery power.

[0190] Such a P-setting process can be transmitted to the computing device 4000, which is in most cases in central mode, by the aerosol generating system 1000 entering peripheral mode, without BLE pairing between the aerosol generating system 1000 and the computing device 400, in which case the payload may include a specific agreed code indicating that it is a P process, an initial value V, and its DUSN.

[0191] Regarding the size of this signal, the maximum size of a typical advertisement payload is 31 bytes, and DUSN is usually around 10-15 bytes. Therefore, there is more than 15 bytes of free space for the agreed code indicating the initial value and the P process, and this capacity should be more than sufficient, assuming that the size of the large counter that loops every 1000 years if it increases every second is less than 5 bytes.

[0192] The time of this broadcast will be used as the initial broadcast time. The aerosol generation system 1000 may then be switched to central mode and remain in central mode, and the computing device 400 may begin advertising the ciphering value of F(V) at a time obtained by adding a time interval T to this initial broadcast time.

[0193] Then, this P-setting allows the launch of an application to run on the computing device 400 to begin.

[0194] After the P-setting process, the computing device 400 may periodically enter the peripheral role and broadcast, for example, the ciphering value of F(V) and the ID of the aerosol generating system 1000, such as its DUSN. Furthermore, among the multiple aerosol generating systems 1000 activated in the central role that read this advertisement broadcast, only the aerosol generating system 1000 with the same ID or DUSN will read this ciphering value and verify whether the F(V) it ciphered matches the broadcasted ciphering value.

[0195] Therefore, in this situation or its variations, only the aerosol generating system 1000 identified by the broadcast from computing device 400 can attempt and succeed at decryption. This is because the ciphering by computing device 400 uses a secret S associated with a specific aerosol generating system 1000.

[0196] A variation of the above is illustrated in Figure 3, which shows a smartphone 400 or computing device 400 broadcasting an advertisement that includes a ciphering value of a timestamp and a DUSN associated with an aerosol generating system 1000, the secret being used to cipher the value associated with the DUSN.

[0197] Upon receiving such a broadcast, the aerosol generating system 1000 having a DUSN will continue its heating process, heating cycle, and / or maintain an unlocked state if the ciphering of its own timestamp matches the ciphering value of the broadcast. Conversely, if there is no broadcast of an advertisement containing that DUSN, or if there is no match in the ciphering values, the aerosol generating system 1000 will transition to a locked state and stop its heating process.

[0198] Figure 3 illustrates two aerosol generating systems, both located near (or within the communication range of) computing device 400. Each of the aerosol generating systems stores a unique DUSN and a unique secret code. As described above, computing device 400 broadcasts a signal containing the DUSN and the unique secret code. Only aerosol generating systems that store a DUSN and a unique secret code are unlocked by the signal broadcast by computing device 400. Aerosol generating systems with a DUSN or unique secret code that does not match the corresponding DUSN or unique secret code broadcast by computing device 400 remain locked or are not unlocked. In other words, both the DUSN and the unique secret code stored in aerosol generating system 1000 must match the respective DUSN and unique secret code broadcast by computing device 400 in order for the aerosol generating system to be unlocked, remain unlocked, or transition to an unlocked state. If the DUSN stored in the aerosol generation system 1000 does not match the DUSN broadcast by the computing device 400, the aerosol generator 1000 remains in a locked state or transitions to a locked state. If the unique secret code stored in the aerosol generation system 1000 does not match the unique secret code broadcast by the computing device 400, the aerosol generator 1000 remains in a locked state or transitions to a locked state.

[0199] In any other modification, the computing device 400 may use a timestamp as V, and the aerosol generating system 1000 may receive information about the current time at least from time to time, for example, when the aerosol generating system 1000 is connected to a computer via USB to recharge its battery, it may be connected to the internet. In such a case, the aerosol generating system 1000 can calculate the ciphering value of its own timestamp and check whether this ciphering value matches the ciphering value broadcast by the computing device 400. However, such a correct match will only work as long as the time of the aerosol generating system 1000 is synchronized with the time of the computing device 400. The time of the aerosol generating system 1000 should then be resynchronized.

[0200] In another variation, computing device 400 may transmit a ciphering value of a counter or numeric counter that is to increase continuously, but in the absence of a P-setting process, the initial value of the counter may be unknown to the aerosol generating system 1000. In that case, the aerosol generating system 1000 must be able to decrypt the ciphering value of the computing device 400's first broadcast. Therefore, the ciphering of the value must not be a truncated hash value, but a cipher that can be decrypted, for example, by a symmetric encryption process to obtain the initial value of the counter. The aerosol generating system 1000 may then check whether the decrypted value of the counter that appears in the next broadcast has increased to this initial value.

[0201] Figure 4 illustrates an aerosol generating system 1000 and a computing device 400 that can be used according to the systems and methods disclosed herein. Unless otherwise stated, the aerosol generating system 1000 and computing device 400 in Figure 4 have the same functions, features, and elements as the aerosol generating system 1000 and computing device 400 described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. The computing device 400 is illustrated as a block diagram on the left side of Figure 4, and the aerosol generating system 1000 is illustrated as a block diagram on the right side of Figure 4.

[0202] In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the computing device 400 can determine the initial value V. The value can then be determined a number of times equal to the duration T up to the present time by applying a modification function F to this initial value. The computing device 400 can further determine the initial broadcast time. The broadcast time is then the initial time plus the number of duration T up to the present time. When in the peripheral role, the computing device 400 broadcasts a plaintext message F(V) and the ciphering value of this message, for example, a signature V', within an advertisement packet.

[0203] Any aerosol generating system 1000 associated with the computing device 400 and within the broadcast BLE communication range can read the advertisement and obtain the message from it in plaintext (F(V)) and ciphering value V', and can check whether the ciphering value V'' of F(V) that the aerosol generating system 1000 can generate matches the ciphering value V' broadcast in the advertisement. If not, the computing device 400 is considered out of range, and the aerosol generating system 1000 can enter a locked state.

[0204] In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the secret S may be a unique value generated by an app on computing device 4000, or it may be generated by an app provider and securely transmitted to the app or computing device 400 by the app provider's web server when the app is installed on computing device 400.

[0205] The secret may be a value determined by a random generation process, such as an HKDF-hash-based key derivation function, using unique data associated with the smartphone IMEI combined with the secret numerical code of the computing device 400 and / or app, for example, the app's secret, as a seed.

[0206] The same secret S can be used by all of the computing device 400 and its associated aerosol generating systems 1000. This secret needs to be securely transmitted to the aerosol generating systems 1000, for example, during the P-secret process. The P-secret process may be performed only once for each aerosol generating system 1000 associated with the computing device 400, and its activation needs to be strictly UAP / YAP controlled because, as described above, it may transmit the secret or elements that enable the generation of the secret. P-secret can use BLE communication to transmit the indicated data, for example, using pairing.

[0207] To circumvent BLE pairing, the IMEI and app secret code of the computing device 400 can be transmitted by the computing device 400 to the aerosol generating system 1000 using BLE advertisement, thereby allowing the HKDF or appropriate process in the aerosol generating system 1000 to generate the secret.

[0208] If the aerosol generating system 1000 has a numeric input interface, P-secret can also display the secret numeric code of the application and other data used as a seed for the HKDF on the computing device 400 after the user's UAP / YAP control of the computing device 400. These can then be input into the aerosol generating system 1000 via the interface 120 of the aerosol generating system 1000.

[0209] The other values, C, T, and F, can be embedded in applications of the computing device 400, as well as in similar processes performed in the aerosol generating system 1000.

[0210] The computing device 400 completely determines the broadcasted data and the broadcasting time, enabling continuous control over multiple aerosol generating systems 1000. This allows the computing device 400 to continuously broadcast continuous control signals and act as a kind of UAP / YAP beacon for the aerosol generating systems 1000.

[0211] Furthermore, plaintext messages can change every T periods according to the clock of computing device 400, according to function F. For example, T can be a duration of 30 seconds. Messages can also be the current date and time converted to numbers. In such cases, function F changes the date and time of the previous time slot to the date and time of the current time slot. Messages can also be numerical counters. In such cases, function F changes the value of the counter. For example, F can add "1" to the counter. For example, if the current date and time are used as the plaintext message, the date and time can be coded as YYYMMDDHHmmss, where, -YYY represents the current year (without millennium digits). Its value can range from 0 to 999 and can be coded using 10 bits (1024 possible values). -MM represents the current month, its value is between 1 and 12, and can be coded using 4 bits (16 possible values). -DD ​​is the current date, and its value is between 1 and 31, and can be coded with 5 bits (32 possible values). -HH represents the current time, and its value can range from 0 to 23, and can be coded using 5 bits (32 possible values). -mm represents the current minute, and its value is between 0 and 59, which can be coded using 6 bits (64 possible values). -ss represents the current second, and its value can be between 0 and 59, and can be coded using 6 bits (64 possible values).

[0212] Therefore, the entire date and time in plain text can be encoded in 36 bits, which is less than 5 bytes.

[0213] HOTP can generate a 6-digit code (0-999999) from this value that can be coded with 20 bits (1,048,576 possible values), and it is less than 3 bytes in size.

[0214] Overall, in such an embodiment, the payload size advertised by the computing device 400 can be 8 bytes, consisting of 5 bytes for the plaintext message (date and time) and 3 bytes for the code (signature), if the maximum size of the advertisement payload is approximately 31 bytes.

[0215] In such variations, several aerosol generating systems 1000 can simultaneously use the ongoing control signals of the broadcasting computing device 400. In other words, several aerosol generating systems 1000 or BLE devices can be controlled simultaneously by a single computing device 400. Furthermore, the value F(V) is in plain text in the advertisement broadcast by the computing device 400. Therefore, if an aerosol generating system 1000 loses the correct value V, it is not necessary to use a specific process ("P-setting") at some point or another to share the value V between the aerosol generating system 1000 and the computing device 400. The aerosol generating system 1000 simply reads the advertisement signal, applies a cipher function, and checks whether it can continue heating and maintain the unlocked state.

[0216] The only requirement is that consecutive values ​​of V be unique over a reasonably long period of time. This is to prevent an attacker (sometimes called a "man-in-the-middle attacker") from easily trapping a loop in the values ​​of V and exploiting the fact that T is a unit of time and V only changes every T units of time to broadcast a record of previous signals broadcast by a smartphone from an insecure BLE device. For example, if T is 30 seconds, broadcasting different values ​​of a numerical counter for a year would represent 1,051,200 different values, and the counter would be less than 3 bytes. As you can see, these values ​​could be the current date and time, and in the provided embodiment, we ensure that a different value every second for 1000 years is encoded in less than 5 bytes.

[0217] There is no actual synchronization problem between the computing device 400 and the aerosol generating system 1000; the aerosol generating system 1000 only needs to confirm when an advertising signal was received, and it recognizes that the next advertising signal should arrive after a delay of T. Any new received advertising signal from the computing device 400 is used by the aerosol generating system 1000 to resynchronize the expected time of the next received message. Since the duration T is usually short (T should be reported to be shorter than the duration of the heating process of the aerosol generating system 1000), a small time tolerance of, for example, 1 second may be used, and as a result the aerosol generating system 1000 will expect the next received broadcast within T + / - 1 second.

[0218] When initiating the heating function, the aerosol generating system 1000 may wait for a maximum of T (plus a time tolerance) in anticipation of receiving the first "continue" control signal or message from the computing device 400. No other actions are expected from the aerosol generating system 1000 at this stage of the process.

[0219] If necessary, the computing device 400 can pre-calculate several consecutive values ​​of V, then cipher these values, and as a result, it can later simply switch to peripheral mode, broadcast the appropriate values, and then return to other tasks.

[0220] FIG. 5 illustrates an aerosol generation system 1000 and a computing device 400 that can be used in accordance with the systems and methods disclosed herein. Unless otherwise noted, the aerosol generation system 1000 and the computing device 400 of FIG. 5 have the same functions, features, and elements as the aerosol generation system 1000 and the computing device 400 described with reference to FIGS. 1-4. The computing device 400 is illustrated as a block diagram on the left side of FIG. 5, and the aerosol generation system 1000 is illustrated as a block diagram on the right side of FIG. 5.

[0221] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the computing device 400 can broadcast a shuffling value to a plurality of aerosol generation systems 1000 simultaneously. In this option, the computing device 400 can broadcast only the shuffling value of F(V) in an advertisement packet in a peripheral role.

[0222] Similar to the embodiment of FIG. 4, the computing device 400 can address a plurality of aerosol generation systems 1000 simultaneously, the secret S is generated by the computing device 400 and securely sent to the aerosol generation systems 1000 during the P-secret process, and the P-secret process can associate them with the computing device 400. The computing device 400 can determine an initial value V and a first broadcast time.

[0223] However, in contrast to the embodiment of FIG. 4, there is no plaintext value in the advertisement broadcast by the computing device 400. Therefore, the aerosol generation system 1000 needs to first (and sometimes) obtain the current value V that will be used by the computing device 400 in the next time slot T and calculate F(V) whose shuffling value will then be broadcast.

[0224] Subsequently, the aerosol generation system 1000, knowing F, can calculate the value of V by recursively applying F to V, and should no longer require P-setting. Such a P-setting process can, for example, use BLE communication through pairing between the RRD and a smartphone.

[0225] To avoid pairing the aerosol generating system 1000 with the computing device, the aerosol generating system 1000 can also switch to peripheral mode and send a specific signal in its payload to the computing device 400, which is in most cases in central mode, indicating that the current V value is requested. The aerosol generating system 1000 then switches to central mode and maintains it. When the computing device 400 then switches to peripheral mode, it can modify the broadcast of the next advertisement, which will include the current value F(V) in plain text along with the ciphering value of F(V), resulting in a broadcast similar to that described with reference to Figure 4. Alternatively, the computing device 400 can switch directly to peripheral mode and broadcast only the current value V, as shown in Figure 5.

[0226] In such cases, the P-setting process may be initiated by the aerosol generating system 1000, for example, when the aerosol generating system 1000 is started, or when the heating process or cycle of the aerosol generating system 1000 is started for the first time after the aerosol generating system 1000 is restarted, or when the aerosol generating system 1000 fails to decode the value broadcast by the computing device 400.

[0227] The concern with this option is that a plaintext message and its ciphering value do not exist simultaneously in the same broadcast.

[0228] The embodiments and modified examples described with reference to Figures 5 to 3 are summarized and compared below.

[0229] The computing device 400 can simultaneously address one or more aerosol generating systems 1000. Messages transmitted by the computing device 400 (referred to herein as broadcasts) may include a ciphering value and the ID of the aerosol generating system 1000 (e.g., DUSN), or alternatively, a plaintext message having its cipher signature, or alternatively, a ciphering value only.

[0230] Secret S can be generated by either the computing device 400 or the aerosol generating system 1000.

[0231] The P-secret process can be used between the computing device 400 and the server, or alternatively, between the computing device 400 and the aerosol generating system 1000. Such P-setting may not be necessary, as in the embodiment of Figure 4, or it may be used to transmit ciphered values ​​to the computing device 400. This process is preferably initiated when the aerosol generating system 1000 starts the heating process.

[0232] The present invention is illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the above description, but such illustrations and descriptions are illustrative and not limiting. The present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations of the disclosed embodiments can be understood and achieved by those skilled in the art from a study of the drawings, disclosure and appended claims.

[0233] The mere fact that certain measures are enumerated in mutually different dependent claims does not suggest that combinations of these measures cannot be used to their advantage.

[0234] No reference numeral in the claims should be construed as limiting its scope.

Claims

1. An aerosol generating system in an unlocked state, wherein in the unlocked state, the aerosol generating system is capable of generating aerosols, and the aerosol generating system Determine whether at least one unlock condition is met, An aerosol generating system configured to maintain the aerosol generating system in the unlocked state when it is confirmed that the unlocking conditions are met.

2. The aerosol generating system according to claim 1, wherein the aerosol generating system is configured to evaluate the at least one unlocking condition while it is in the unlocked state, and to confirm that the at least one unlocking condition is met.

3. The aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 1 to 2, further configured to transition the aerosol generating system to a locked state, wherein in the locked state, if it is determined that the unlocking conditions have been violated a predetermined number of times, or within a predetermined period as necessary, the aerosol generating system is prevented from generating aerosols.

4. The aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the aerosol generating system is configured to repeatedly, continuously, or sequentially determine whether the at least one unlocking condition is met during the operation of the aerosol generating system for generating an aerosol in the unlocked state.

5. The aerosol generating system is configured to determine whether the at least one unlock condition is met when it starts or at the start of a usage session for generating aerosols, and / or The aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further configured to prohibit the initiation of a heating cycle or usage session for generating an aerosol if the aerosol generating system determines that it is in violation of at least one unlocking condition.

6. The aforementioned at least one unlocking condition is, - For a specified period, - The number of consecutive smoking sessions that are permitted, - The amount of energy available to generate aerosols, - The number of usage sessions in which the aerosol generating system can generate aerosols, - The number of aerosol generating articles that can be used in the aerosol generating system, - The presence of one or more computing devices in the vicinity of the aerosol generation system, - One or more computing devices are present within the communication range of the aerosol generation system, - The distance between one or more computing devices and the aerosol generating system, - The distance between the aerosol generating device and the companion device of the aerosol generating system, - The presence of a companion device near the aerosol generator of the aerosol generation system, - Establishing communication with one or more external computing devices or companion devices, - Establishing connectionless communication with one or more external computing devices or companion devices, - Receiving one or more messages from at least one external computing device, - Detecting at least one external computing device known or trusted by the aerosol generating system, - Confirmation that a user of at least one external computing device within the communication range of the aerosol generating system has authorized to operate the aerosol generating system in order to generate aerosols, - An aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, relating to or indicating one or more of the user's identification information.

7. The aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the at least one unlocking condition indicates establishing connectionless communication with one or more external computing devices or companion devices.

8. An aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, configured to determine whether at least one unlocking condition related to the presence of an external computing device is met.

9. The aerosol generating system is configured to maintain the unlocked state based on detecting the presence of one or more external computing devices within the communication range of the aerosol generating system using connectionless communication, and / or The aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the aerosol generating system is configured to repeatedly determine whether the at least one unlock condition is met based on communication with an external computing device using connectionless communication while in the unlocked state.

10. The aerosol generating system The process involves repeatedly determining whether an external computing device is within the communication range of the aerosol generating system, The aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, configured to maintain the aerosol generating system in the unlocked state based on the presence of the external computing device.

11. The aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further configured to receive one or more messages from the external computing device as broadcast messages via connectionless communication, preferably the received messages comprising at least one ciphered value.

12. To determine whether at least one unlocking condition related to the presence of an external computing device is met, An aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, configured to detect the presence of an external computing device based on periodically receiving a message having an updated ciphered value from the external computing device.

13. The system comprises one or more of the following: an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol, and a companion device for housing and / or charging the aerosol generator. The aerosol generator or the companion device Determine whether at least one unlock condition is met, The aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein, upon confirmation that the unlocking condition has been met, the aerosol generating system is configured to maintain the unlocked state, and, if necessary, the aerosol generating system further comprises an aerosol generating article.

14. A method for operating a computing device, Applying a cipher function to a clear value generates a ciphered value, A method comprising: transmitting the ciphered value to the aerosol generating system; thereby authorizing the user of the aerosol generating system to operate the aerosol generating system.

15. A computer program, when executed by a computing device, that instructs the computing device to perform the steps of the method described in claim 14.

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