Electronic aerosol delivery system and method

Abstract

To provide improved electronic aerosol provision systems such as nicotine delivery systems (e.g., electronic cigarettes).SOLUTION: There is provided a system comprising an electronic aerosol provision device 10 for selectively providing an aerosol to a user of the electronic aerosol provision device, a computer device configured to communicate with the electronic aerosol provision device to exchange operating data associated with operation of the electronic aerosol provision device, and a biometric sensor configured to measure a biometric parameter of the user of the electronic aerosol provision device and to communicate with the computer device to exchange sensor data indicating a measurement of the biometric parameter. The computer device is further configured to control an aspect of its operation relating to the electronic aerosol provision device in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to electronic aerosol delivery systems, such as nicotine delivery systems (e.g., e-cigarettes), and related features. [Background technology]

[0002] Electronic aerosol delivery devices, such as electronic cigarettes, typically include a container of a raw formulation. A typical raw formulation is a nicotine-containing liquid, also called e-liquid, from which an aerosol is generated, for example, by heating and vaporization. Thus, an aerosol source for an aerosol delivery device may include a heater having a heating element configured to receive the raw liquid from a container, for example, by wicking / capillary action. While the user inhales on the device, power is supplied to the heating element, and the raw liquid near the heating element is vaporized to generate an aerosol that is inhaled by the user. In some cases, the amount of power supplied to the heating element may be varied to control the aerosol generation. Typically, the device is provided with one or more intake holes located away from the mouthpiece end of the system. When the user inhales on a mouthpiece connected to the mouthpiece end of the system, air is drawn through the intake holes and through the aerosol source, vapor from the aerosol source is entrained in the airflow, and the resulting aerosol is inhaled by the user. The act of inhaling vaporized liquid in this manner is commonly known as vaping.

[0003] The e-cigarette may have an interface to facilitate external data communication. The interface may be used, for example, to communicate with a computing device running a software application related to the use of the e-cigarette. For example, the computing device may include a smartphone or tablet computer running an application ("app") provided to facilitate user interaction with the e-cigarette. The communication interface may be used, for example, to load control parameters and / or updated software to the e-cigarette. Alternatively or additionally, the interface may be utilized to download data from the e-cigarette to the computing device, for example, for display to a user via a user interface of an application running on the computing device. The downloaded data may represent, for example, usage parameters of the e-cigarette, fault conditions, etc. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, many other forms of data may be exchanged between the e-cigarette and one or more external devices. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In a first aspect of a particular embodiment, a system is provided that includes an electronic aerosol delivery device for selectively delivering an aerosol to a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device, a computer device configured to communicate with the electronic aerosol delivery device to exchange operational data related to operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device, and a biometric sensor configured to measure a biometric parameter of the user of the electronic aerosol delivery device and communicate with the computer device to exchange sensor data indicative of the measured value of the biometric parameter, wherein the computer device is configured to control an operational status of the computer device associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor.

[0005] In another aspect of certain embodiments, an electronic aerosol delivery device of the first aspect is provided.

[0006] In another aspect of certain embodiments, a method is provided for operating a system including an electronic aerosol delivery device, a computer device configured to communicate with the electronic aerosol delivery device to exchange operational data related to operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device, and a biometric sensor configured to measure a biometric parameter of a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device and to communicate with the computer device to exchange sensor data indicative of a measured value of the biometric parameter, the method including the biometric sensor measuring a biometric parameter of a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device and communicating sensor data indicative of a measured value of the biometric parameter with the computer device, and the computer device controlling an aspect of the operation of the computer device associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor.

[0007] Another aspect of a particular embodiment provides a computer device configured to communicate with an electronic aerosol delivery device to exchange operational data related to operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device and to communicate with a biometric sensor to receive sensor data from the biometric sensor indicative of a measurement of a biometric parameter of a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device, and the computer device is further configured to control an operational aspect of the computer device associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor.

[0008] Another aspect of a particular embodiment provides a method for operating a computer device configured to communicate with an electronic aerosol delivery device and exchange operational data related to operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device, the method including communicating with a biometric sensor to receive sensor data from the biometric sensor indicative of a measurement of a biometric parameter of a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device, and controlling an operational aspect of the computer device associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor.

[0009] In another aspect of a particular embodiment, a computer program product is provided that includes computer readable instructions that, when executed on a computing device, cause the computing device to communicate with an electronic aerosol delivery device to exchange operational data related to operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device, communicate with a biometric sensor to receive sensor data from the biometric sensor indicative of a measurement of a biometric parameter of a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device, and control an operational aspect of the computing device associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor.

[0010] In another aspect of a particular embodiment, a system is provided that includes an electronic aerosol delivery means for selectively delivering aerosol to a user of the electronic aerosol delivery means, a computer means for communicating with the electronic aerosol delivery means to exchange operational data related to operation of the electronic aerosol delivery means, and a biometric sensor means for measuring a biometric parameter of the user of the electronic aerosol delivery means and for communicating with the computer means to exchange sensor data indicative of the measured value of the biometric parameter, wherein the computer means controls an operational state of the computer means associated with the electronic aerosol delivery means in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor means.

[0011] Naturally, the features and aspects of the invention described above in relation to the first and other aspects of the invention apply equally to embodiments of the invention according to the other aspects of the invention and may be combined with those embodiments as appropriate, without being limited to the specific combinations set out above.

[0012] Further and respective aspects and features of the present disclosure are defined in the appended claims. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Figure 1]1 is a schematic (exploded view) of an electronic cigarette according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the main electrical and electronic components of the electronic cigarette of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic diagram of a processor of the electronic cigarette of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system that supports wireless communication between an e-cigarette, a mobile communication device, and a biometric sensor. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing further details of the biometric sensor of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing further details of the mobile communication device of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram that generally illustrates a method of operation of the system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments are described and explained herein. Although some aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments may be implemented in a conventional manner, for the sake of brevity, they will not be described or explained in detail. Thus, it will be understood that aspects and features of the apparatus and methods described herein that are not described in detail may be implemented in accordance with any conventional technique for implementing the aspects and features.

[0015] As mentioned above, the present disclosure relates to electronic vapor delivery systems, such as electronic cigarettes. Throughout the following description, the term "electronic cigarette" is used. However, this term may be used interchangeably with electronic vapor delivery systems, aerosol delivery devices, and other similar terms.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic (exploded) view (not to scale) of an electronic cigarette 10 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The electronic cigarette includes a control unit 20 and a cartomizer 30. The cartomizer 30 includes a liquid reservoir 38, which typically includes a liquid and nicotine and / or flavorings, a heater 36, and a mouthpiece 35. The electronic cigarette 10 of this example has a longitudinal or cylindrical axis that runs along the centerline of the electronic cigarette from the mouthpiece 35 at one end of the cartomizer 30 to the opposite end (commonly referred to as the tip end) of the control unit 20. This longitudinal axis is shown in FIG. 1 by the dashed line designated LA.

[0017] The cartomizer's liquid reservoir 38 may directly hold the (e)liquid in free liquid form or may utilize an absorbent structure, such as a foam matrix or cotton material, as a liquid holder. The liquid is then delivered from the reservoir 38 to the vaporizer, which includes the heater 36. For example, the liquid may flow by capillary action from the reservoir 38 through a wick (not shown in FIG. 1) to the heater 36.

[0018] Although the examples provided herein have focused primarily on electronic smoking devices that use aerosol-forming substrates in liquid form, it will be appreciated that the same principles can be applied to electronic smoking devices that use aerosol-forming substrates provided in solid form (e.g., those that include plant / plant-derived materials), and that devices that include solid aerosol-forming substrates generally do not use a wick to transport the formulation to a heater, but rather rely on a heater appropriately positioned relative to the material to properly heat and vaporize it.

[0019] The control unit 20 includes a rechargeable cell or battery 54 for powering the e-cigarette 10 and a printed circuit board (PCB) 28 and / or other electronics for overall control of the e-cigarette.

[0020] The control unit 20 and cartomizer 30 in this example are detachable from one another as shown in Figure 1, but are coupled to one another, for example by a threaded or bayonet fit, during use of the device 10. The connectors of the cartomizer 30 and control unit 20 are shown diagrammatically as 31B and 21A, respectively, in Figure 1. This connection between the control unit and the cartomizer provides mechanical and electrical connectivity between the two.

[0021] When the control unit is removed from the cartomizer, the electrical connection 21A on the control unit surface used to connect to the cartomizer may also function as a socket for connecting a charging device (not shown), the other end of which may be plugged into a USB socket to recharge the battery 54 in the control unit of the electronic cigarette. In other configurations, the electronic cigarette may be provided with a cable (for example) for a direct connection between the electrical connection 21A and a USB socket.

[0022] The control unit is provided with one or more holes for air inlet adjacent to the PCB 28. These holes are connected to an air passage through the control unit provided through the connector 21A. This then leads to an air path through the cartomizer 30 to the mouthpiece 35. It should be noted that the heater 36 and the liquid reservoir 38 are configured to provide an air flow path between the connector 31B and the mouthpiece 35. This air flow path can flow through the center of the cartomizer 30 with the liquid reservoir 38 confined to an annular region around this central path. Alternatively (or in addition), the air flow path can be located between the liquid reservoir 38 and the outer housing of the cartomizer 30.

[0023] When a user inhales through the mouthpiece 35, air is drawn into or through the control unit 20 through one or more intake ports. This airflow (or the associated change in pressure) is detected by a sensor, e.g., a pressure sensor, which activates a heater 36 to vaporize nicotine liquid provided from a reservoir 38. This airflow enters the vaporizer where it mixes with vapor generated from the heated aerosol-generating substrate, in this case liquid from a liquid container. This combination of airflow and base formulation vapor (actually an aerosol) then passes through the cartomizer 30 and out the mouthpiece 35 to be inhaled by the user. When the cartomizer 30 has run out of liquid supply, it can be removed from the control unit, disposed of, and replaced with another cartomizer.

[0024] It will be appreciated that the electronic cigarette 10 shown in FIG. 1 is presented by way of example only, and many other configurations may be employed. For example, in some configurations, the cartomizer 30 is divided into a cartridge containing the liquid reservoir 38 and a separate vaporizer portion containing the heater 36. In this configuration, the cartridge can be discarded after the liquid in the reservoir 38 is exhausted, but the separate vaporizer portion containing the heater 36 is maintained. Alternatively, the electronic cigarette may include the cartomizer 30 as shown in FIG. 1, or may be configured as a single (integral) device, but the liquid reservoir 38 is in the form of a replaceable (by the user) cartridge. Further possible variations include the heater 36 being located at the opposite end of the cartomizer 30 from that shown in FIG. 1, i.e., between the liquid reservoir 38 and the mouthpiece 35, or in the form of an annular structure in which the heater 36 is located along the central axis LA of the cartomizer and the liquid reservoir is radially outside the heater 36, etc.

[0025] Those skilled in the art will recognize numerous possible variations of the control unit 20. For example, airflow can enter the tip of the control unit, i.e., the end opposite the connector 21A, in addition to or instead of the airflow adjacent the PCB 28. In this case, the airflow is typically drawn along a passage between the battery 54 and the outer wall of the control unit toward the cartomizer. Similarly, the control unit can include a PCB located at or near the tip, e.g., between the battery and the tip. Such a PCB may be provided in addition to or instead of the PCB 28.

[0026] Additionally, e-cigarettes may support charging via a socket at the tip or elsewhere on the device in addition to or instead of charging at the connection point between the cartomizer and the control unit (of course, some e-cigarettes are provided as essentially an integrated unit, in which case the user cannot remove the cartomizer from the control unit). Other e-cigarettes may support wireless (inductive) charging in addition to (or instead of) wired charging.

[0027] The above description of possible variations of the electronic cigarette shown in Figure 1 is by way of example. Those skilled in the art will recognize additional possible variations (and combinations of variations) of the electronic cigarette 10.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the major functional components of the electronic cigarette 10 of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that FIG. 2 is primarily concerned with electrical connectivity and functionality, and is not intended to detail the physical dimensions of the different components, or their physical location within the control unit 20 or the cartomizer 30. It should be understood that at least some of the components shown in FIG. 2 located within the control unit 20 may be mounted on the circuit board 28. Alternatively, one or more of such components may be housed in the control unit so as to operate in conjunction with the circuit board 28, but are not physically mounted on the circuit board itself. For example, these components may be located on one or more additional circuit board surfaces, or may be located separately (e.g., battery 54). More generally, it should be understood that although the various elements of the electronic cigarette 10 are shown in FIG. 2 as separate elements for ease of illustration, in some implementations, the functionality of one or more of these parts may be provided by a single element, such as a suitably programmed processor element.

[0029] 2 and described above, the cartomizer includes a heater 310 that receives power through connector 31B. The control unit 20 includes an electrical socket or connector 21A for connecting to a corresponding connector 31B (possibly a USB charging device) of the cartomizer 30, thereby providing electrical connectivity between the control unit 20 and the cartomizer 30.

[0030] The control unit 20 further includes a sensor arrangement 61 located in or near an air path through the control unit 20 from one or more air inlets to an air outlet (through connector 21A to cartomizer 30). The sensor arrangement includes a pressure sensor 62 and a temperature sensor 63 (also in or near the air path). The control unit further includes a capacitor 220, a processor 50, a field effect transistor (FET) switch 210, a battery 54, and input / output devices 59 and 58.

[0031] The operation of the processor 50 and other electronic components, such as the pressure sensor 62, is typically controlled at least in part by software programs running on the processor (or other components). Such software programs may be stored in non-volatile memory, such as a ROM, which may be integrated into the processor 50 itself, or may be provided as separate components. The processor 50 may access the ROM to load and execute individual software programs as required. The processor 50 also includes suitable communication facilities, such as pins or pads (and corresponding control software) for communicating with other devices within the control unit 20, such as the pressure sensor 62, as appropriate.

[0032] The one or more output devices 58 may provide visual, audio and / or tactile output. For example, the one or more output devices may include a speaker 58, a vibrator and / or one or more light sources. Light is typically provided in the form of one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) which may be the same or different colors (or multicolor). In the case of multicolor LEDs, the various colors are obtained by illuminating different color LEDs, e.g., red, green or blue LEDs, optionally with different relative intensities to obtain corresponding relative color changes.

[0033] Outputs from the output device, such as a low battery warning, may be used to inform the user of various states and conditions within the e-cigarette. Different output signals may be used to inform the user of various states or conditions. For example, if the output device 58 is an audio speaker, different states or conditions may be represented by beeps or beeps of different pitches and / or durations, and / or by providing multiple such beeps or beeps. Alternatively, if the output device 58 includes one or more light sources, different states or conditions may be represented using different colors, pulsed or continuous illumination of light, different pulse durations, etc. For example, one indicator light may be used to indicate a low battery warning, while another indicator light may be used to indicate that the liquid container 58 is nearly empty. Of course, a given e-cigarette may include output devices that support multiple different output modes (sound, visual), etc.

[0034] The one or more input devices 59 may be provided in a variety of forms. For example, the one or more input devices may be implemented as buttons on the exterior of the e-cigarette, e.g., mechanical, electrical, or capacitive (touch) sensors. Some devices may support puffing on the e-cigarette as one input mechanism (which may be sensed by a pressure sensor 62, which also functions as a form of input device 59), and / or support connection / disconnection of the cartomizer 30 and control unit 20 as another form of input mechanism. Again, it will be appreciated that a given e-cigarette may include input devices 59 that provide multiple different input modes.

[0035] As described above, the electronic cigarette 10 provides an air path from an air inlet through the electronic cigarette, past the pressure sensor 62 and the heater 310 in the cartomizer 30 (or through an opening to the air path that leads to the pressure sensor) to the mouthpiece 35. Thus, when a user takes a puff on the mouthpiece of the electronic cigarette, the processor 50 detects the puff based on information from the pressure sensor 62. In response to such detection, the CPU provides power from the battery 54 to the heater, thereby heating and vaporizing nicotine from the liquid reservoir 38 for inhalation by the user.

[0036] In the particular configuration shown in FIG. 2, a FET 210 is connected between the battery 54 and the connector 21A. This FET 210 functions as a switch. The processor 50 is connected to the gate of the FET to operate the switch, which enables the processor to switch on and off the flow of power from the battery 54 to the heater 310 depending on the detected airflow conditions. Of course, the heater current will be relatively large, for example in the range of 1-5 amps, so the FET 210 should be implemented to assist in such current control (as well as other forms of switches that may be used in place of the FET 210).

[0037] To provide finer control over the amount of power flowing from the battery 54 to the heater 310, a pulse width modulation (PWM) scheme may be employed. The PWM scheme may be based on a repetition period of, for example, 1 ms. Within each such period, the switch 210 is turned on for a portion of the period and turned off for the remainder of the period. This is parameterized by a duty cycle, whereby a duty cycle of 0 indicates that the switch is off for all of each period (i.e., essentially permanently off), a duty cycle of 0.33 indicates that the switch is on for 1 / 3 of each period, a duty cycle of 0.66 indicates that the switch is on for 2 / 3 of each period, and a duty cycle of 1 indicates that the FET is on for the entire period (i.e., permanently on). Of course, these are merely example settings for the duty cycle, and intermediate values ​​may be used as appropriate.

[0038] The use of PWM provides an effective power to the heater given by the nominal available power (based on battery output voltage and heater resistance) times the duty cycle. The processor 50 may, for example, utilize duty cycle 1 (i.e., full power) at the beginning of draw to bring the heater 310 up to its desired operating temperature as quickly as possible. Once this desired operating temperature is achieved, the processor 50 may reduce the duty cycle to some appropriate value to provide the desired operating power to the heater 310.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 2, the processor 50 includes a communication interface 55 for supporting wireless communication, in particular Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) communication.

[0040] If desired, the heater 310 may be utilized as an antenna for use with the communication interface 55 to transmit and receive wireless communications. One motivation for this is that the control unit 20 may have a metal housing 202, while the cartomizer portion 30 may have a plastic housing 302 (reflecting the fact that the control unit 20 is advantageously more durable since it is retained, whereas the cartomizer 30 is disposable). The metal housing acts as a shield or blockage that affects the operation of an antenna located within the control unit 20 itself. However, utilizing the heater 310 as an antenna for wireless communications helps to avoid this metal shielding due to the plastic housing of the cartomizer, but does not add additional components or complexity (or cost) to the cartomizer. Alternatively, a separate antenna (not shown) may be provided, or a portion of the metal housing may be used.

[0041] 2, the processor 50, and more specifically the communication interface 55, may be coupled to the power line from the battery 54 to the heater 310 (through connector 31B) by a capacitor 220. This capacitive coupling is downstream of the switch 210 (described in more detail below) since wireless communication may operate when the heater is not powered for heating. Of course, the capacitor 220 prevents the power supply from the battery 54 to the heater 310 from being fed back to the processor 50.

[0042] It should be noted that the capacitive coupling may be implemented using a more complex LC (inductor-capacitor) network that can also provide impedance matching with the output of the communications interface 55 (which, as known to those skilled in the art, helps to facilitate proper transmission of signals between the communications interface 55 and the heater 310 acting as an antenna, rather than reflecting such signals back along the connection).

[0043] In some configurations, the processor 50 and communications interface are implemented using a Dialog DA14580 chip from Dialog Semiconductor PLC of Reading, UK. Further information (and a datasheet) for this chip is available at http: / / www.dialog-semiconductor.com / products / bluetooth-smart / smartbond-da14580.

[0044] 3 shows a high-level simplified overview of this chip 50, including a communications interface 55 to support Bluetooth® Low Energy. This interface includes, among other things, a radio transceiver 520 that performs signal modulation and demodulation, link layer hardware 512, and advanced encryption functions (128 bit) 511. The output from the radio transceiver 520 is connected to an antenna (e.g., heater 310 acting as an antenna via capacitive coupling 220 and connectors 21A and 31B).

[0045] The processor 50 includes a general purpose processing core 530, a RAM 531, a ROM 532, a one-time programming (OTP) unit 533, a general purpose I / O system 560 (for communicating with other components on the PCB 28), a power management unit 540, and a bridge 570 for connecting the two busbars. Software instructions stored in the ROM 532 and / or the OTP unit 533 may be loaded into the RAM 531 (and / or memory provided as part of the core 530) for execution by one or more processing units in the core 530. These software instructions cause the processor 50 to perform the functions described herein, such as interfacing with the sensor unit 61 and controlling the heater accordingly. Although the device shown in FIG. 3 functions both as a communication interface 55 and as a general control unit for the electronic vapor delivery system 10, in other embodiments, these two functions may be split into two or more different devices (chips). For example, one chip may function as the communication interface 55 and another chip may function as a general control unit for the electronic vapor delivery system 10.

[0046] In some embodiments, the processor 50 may be configured to prevent wireless communication when the heater is being used to evaporate liquid from the reservoir 38. For example, wireless communication may be interrupted, terminated, or prevented from starting when the switch 210 is powered on. Conversely, if wireless communication is in progress, activation of the heater may be prevented, for example, by ignoring detection of airflow from the sensor device 61 and / or by not operating the switch 210 to turn on power to the heater 310 while wireless communication is in progress.

[0047] In some embodiments, one reason for preventing simultaneous operation of the heater 310 for both heating and wireless communication is to avoid possible interference from PWM control of the heater. This PWM control, although typically much lower than the frequency used for wireless communication, has its own frequency (based on the pulse repetition frequency) and the two can interfere with each other. In some circumstances, such interference does not in fact pose any problems and simultaneous operation of the heater 310 for both heating and wireless communication is tolerated (if so desired). This may be facilitated by techniques such as, for example, appropriate selection of signal strength and / or PWM frequency, providing appropriate filtering, etc.

[0048] 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system 600 facilitating low power Bluetooth communication between an e-cigarette 10, a smartphone 400, and a biometric sensor 800 configured to measure a biometric parameter, such as a heart rate, of a user of the e-cigarette. This particular example is presented in the context of a smartphone running an application that aids in a user's interaction with the e-cigarette 10 and the biometric sensor 800, although it will be appreciated that other computing devices (e.g., tablets, laptop computers, smart watches, smart TVs, etc.) having suitable communications capabilities may be used as well. In accordance with certain example embodiments of the present disclosure, as described in more detail below, the smartphone 400 further aids in wireless communication with the biometric sensor 800 to obtain information regarding measurements of a biometric parameter of a user of the e-cigarette.

[0049] Communication between the e-cigarette 10 and the smartphone / computer device 400 can be used to provide a wide range of functionality (e.g., updating the firmware of the e-cigarette 10, reading usage and / or diagnostic data from the e-cigarette 10, resetting or unlocking the e-cigarette 10, managing the settings of the e-cigarette, etc.).

[0050] Typically, when the e-cigarette 10 is powered on, for example, by using the input device 59 or, in some cases, by connecting the cartomizer 30 to the control unit 20, the e-cigarette 10 will begin advertising Bluetooth® Low Energy communications. When this outgoing communication is received by the smartphone 400, the smartphone 400 will request a connection to the e-cigarette 10. The e-cigarette may notify the user of this request via the output device 58 and wait for the user to accept or reject the request via the input device. Assuming the request is accepted, the e-cigarette 10 may further communicate with the smartphone 400. It should be noted that the e-cigarette stores the identity of the smartphone 400 and can automatically accept future connection requests from the smartphone. Once a connection is established, the smartphone 400 and the e-cigarette 10 operate in a client-server mode, with the smartphone acting as a client initiating and sending requests to the e-cigarette, which in turn acts as a server (serving requests as necessary).

[0051] The Bluetooth® Low Energy link (also known as Bluetooth Smart®) implements the IEEE 802.15.1 standard and operates at frequencies between 2.4 and 2.5 GHz, corresponding to a wavelength of approximately 12 cm, with a data transfer rate of up to 1 Mbit / s. The connection setup time is less than 6 ms and the average power consumption is very low, less than 1 mW. The Bluetooth® Low Energy link may extend up to approximately 50 m. However, in the situation shown in FIG. 4, the electronic cigarette 10 and the smartphone 400 usually belong to the same person and are therefore very close to each other (e.g. 1 m). More information about Bluetooth® Low Energy can be found at the following URL: http: / / www.bluetooth.com / Pages / Bluetooth-Smart.aspx

[0052] Of course, the electronic cigarette 10 may support other communication protocols for communicating with the smartphone 400 (or any other suitable device). Such other communication protocols may be used instead of or in addition to Bluetooth® Low Energy. Examples of such other communication protocols include Bluetooth® (not the low energy one, see, for example, www.bluetooth.com), Near Field Communication (NFC) according to ISO 13157, and WiFi®, etc. NFC communication operates at a much lower wavelength than Bluetooth® (13.56 MHz) and generally has a much shorter range (e.g., less than 0.2 m). However, this short range is compatible with most used scenarios, such as that shown in FIG. 4. Meanwhile, low-power WiFi® communication, such as IEEE802.11ah, IEEE802.11v, etc., may be adopted between the electronic cigarette 10 and the remote device. In either case, a suitable communication chipset may be included in the PCB 28 as part of the processor 50 or as a separate component. Those skilled in the art will be aware of other wireless communication protocols that may be used with the electronic cigarette 10.

[0053] In this manner, as already described above, the electronic cigarette 10 can communicate with the mobile communications device 400, for example by pairing the devices using the low power Bluetooth® protocol, thereby providing additional functionality to the user of the electronic cigarette 10 and smartphone 400 by providing appropriate software instructions (e.g. in the form of an application) that run on the smartphone.

[0054] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the main functional components of the biometric sensor 800 of FIG. 4. In this example, it is assumed that the biometric sensor 800 is a heart rate monitor configured to measure the user's heart rate. In other examples, the biometric sensor may alternatively or additionally include a blood pressure sensor to measure the user's blood pressure, a respiration rate sensor to measure the user's respiration rate, and / or a user activity sensor to measure the user's activity status. The biometric sensor 800 may be based on conventional biometric sensor hardware that may be adapted to operate in a system providing the functionality described herein. Of course, the elements shown in the biometric sensor 800, and indeed all other figures described herein, may actually include additional components (e.g., power sources) that are not specifically shown or described herein for the sake of brevity. For example, the biometric sensor 800 includes a biometric sensing element 802, a central processing unit (CPU) 808, a transceiver 804, and an antenna 806. The CPU 808 is configured to communicate with the biometric sensing element 802 and the transceiver 804 via a conventional communication bus.

[0055] The biometric sensing element 802 is adapted to measure a biometric parameter of the user (i.e., heart rate in this example), which may be done by conventional techniques. For example, the biometric sensor 800 may include a watch-type device worn on the user's wrist and having heart rate measurement capabilities. In this regard, the biometric sensor 800 may use similar technology to that used in conventional heart rate monitors supporting wireless communication capabilities. The CPU 808 is configured to receive measurements of the user's heart rate from the biometric sensing element 802 and control the transceiver 804 to wirelessly transmit an indication of the biometric measurement to the smartphone 400 using the antenna 806. In this regard, communication between the biometric sensor 800 and the smartphone 400 may be configured and operated according to conventional wireless communication techniques (e.g., according to one or more of the many established protocols for wireless communication, such as the above-mentioned Bluetooth (standard or low power), short-range wireless communication, WiFi, as well as telephony communication such as 2G, 3G, and / or 4G).

[0056] Thus, in the case of the electronic cigarette 10, the biometric sensor 800 can communicate with the mobile communication device 400, for example by pairing using the low power Bluetooth® protocol, so that by providing appropriate software instructions (e.g. in the form of an application) that run on a smartphone, additional functionality can be provided to the system that takes into account the biometric measurements of the user of the electronic cigarette 10 and smartphone 400.

[0057] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the major functional components of smartphone 400 of Figure 4 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Of course, Figure 6 does not detail the physical size of the various components or their relative physical placement with respect to other figures described herein. Smartphone 400 may include conventional smartphone hardware configured to operate to provide the functionality described herein by executing appropriately programmed software applications (apps).

[0058] Thus, the smartphone 400 includes a central processing unit (CPU) (410), which may communicate with components of the smartphone either directly or, if available, through an I / O bridge 414 and / or a bus 430.

[0059] In the example shown in Figure 6, the CPU communicates directly with memory 412. This memory 412 may include persistent memory, such as flash memory, for storing the operating system and applications (apps), and volatile memory, such as RAM, for holding data currently being used by the CPU. Typically, but not necessarily, the persistent memory and the volatile memory are formed by physically distinct units (not shown). Additionally, the memory may comprise separate plug-in memory, such as a microSD card, and subscriber information data on a subscriber information module (SIM) (not shown).

[0060] The smartphone may also include a graphics processing unit (GPU) 416. The GPU may communicate directly with the CPU or through an I / O bridge, or may be part of the CPU. The GPU may share RAM with the CPU or may have its own dedicated RAM (not shown), and may be connected to the mobile phone's display 418. The display is typically a liquid crystal (LCD) or organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, but may be any suitable display technology, such as electronic ink. Optionally, the GPU may be used to drive one or more loudspeakers 420 of the smartphone.

[0061] Separately, a speaker may be connected to the CPU via an I / O bridge and busbars. Other components of the smartphone may be similarly connected via busbars, including a touch surface 432, such as a capacitive touch surface overlaid on the screen for providing touch input to the device, a microphone 434 for receiving audio from a user, one or more cameras 436 for capturing images, a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit 438 for obtaining an estimate of the smartphone's geographic location, and wireless communication means 440 (i.e., transceiver).

[0062] The wireless communication means 440, in turn, may include several separate wireless communication systems conforming to different standards and / or protocols, such as Bluetooth® (standard or low energy variants), the aforementioned near field communications and WiFi®, as well as telephone-based communications such as 2G, 3G and / or 4G.

[0063] These systems are typically powered by a rechargeable battery (not shown) via a power input (not shown) which may be part of a data link such as USB (not shown).

[0064] Of course, different smartphones may include different features (eg, a compass or buzzer) and may omit some of those listed above (eg, a touch surface).

[0065] Thus, more generally, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a computing device such as smartphone 400 may include a CPU and memory for storing and executing applications to provide functionality in accordance with the principles described herein.

[0066] Thus, as described above and illustrated in the schematic diagram of FIG. 4, in certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a system is provided that includes an electronic aerosol delivery device (e.g., an electronic cigarette) for selectively delivering aerosol to a user, a biometric sensor (e.g., a heart rate monitor) for measuring a biometric parameter (e.g., heart rate) of a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device, and a computing device (e.g., a smartphone) configured to communicate with the electronic aerosol delivery device and the biometric sensor.

[0067] The computing device may execute a software program (i.e., application / app) that configures the computing device to communicate with the electronic aerosol delivery device to exchange operational data related to the operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device. The operational data related to the aerosol delivery device may include, for example, usage statistics related to the use of the aerosol delivery device transferred from the aerosol delivery device to the computing device. This usage data may be presented to a user via a user interface of an application running on the computing device. Alternatively, or in addition, the operational data may include control (setting) information transferred from the computing device to the aerosol delivery device to control aspects of the operation of the aerosol delivery device. For example, the control information may be configured to change an operational setting of the aerosol delivery device, e.g., the amount of power provided to a heater of the aerosol device. The control information transferred from the computing device to the aerosol device may be created in response to a user's input via a user interface of the computing device and / or may be created automatically by the computing device itself in response to certain conditions.

[0068] According to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a software program / application operating on the computing device and configuring the computing device to facilitate communication with the electronic aerosol delivery device further configures the computing device to facilitate communication with a biometric sensor, in particular enabling the computing device to receive and process sensor data from the biometric sensor including an indication of one or more measurements of one or more biometric parameters of a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device. The computing device in this example is further configured to control aspects of the operation of the computing device, in particular aspects of its operation related to the electronic aerosol delivery device, in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor.

[0069] FIG. 7 is a flow chart that generally illustrates steps in a method of operating the system 600 of the schematic of FIG. 4 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0070] In step S101, a software application (app) associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device is launched on the computing device. The application may be provided by the manufacturer / distributor of the electronic aerosol delivery device or may be provided independently by another party. The application may provide various functions associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device, such as functions of the type provided by known applications associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device. For example, in some implementations, the application may provide a user interface on the computing device. Through the user interface, a user may view operational data associated with the aerosol delivery device, such as frequency and duration of use over a previous period of time, as well as status information for the aerosol delivery device, such as battery level or power settings. Additionally, the application may provide a user with control over one or more operational aspects of the electronic aerosol delivery device, such as setting the apparent power to the heater of the device, through the user interface provided by the computing device. It will be appreciated that the application may be written / created using conventional programming techniques to provide the functionality described herein.

[0071] 7, operational data associated with the operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device is communicated from the electronic aerosol delivery device to the computing device for display to a user through a user interface provided by an application running on the computing device. As discussed above, this operational data may include, for example, a representation of prior use and / or status information associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device.

[0072] In step S103, a biometric sensor measures a biometric parameter of the user of the electronic aerosol delivery device, such as heart rate. As described above, this may be performed according to conventional biometric sensing techniques.

[0073] At step S104, the biometric sensor communicates sensor data indicative of a measurement of an associated biometric parameter to the computing device. It will be appreciated that the communication and data encoding protocols associated with the transfer of information between the various elements of the system may be performed in accordance with established wireless communication techniques.

[0074] In step S105, after receiving an indication of the measured value of the biometric parameter from the biometric sensor, the computing device is configured to control an aspect of the operation of the computing device associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device in response to the sensor data.

[0075] There are a variety of different ways in which a computing device can control aspects of its operation in response to sensor data.

[0076] For example, in one implementation, the computing device controlling the context of its operation may include the computing device updating a user interface that provides the user with information regarding the measurement of the biometric parameter associated with the sensor data (i.e., providing the user with feedback related to the biometric measurement). For example, the computing device may be configured to include a display of the measurement of the associated biometric parameter via a user interface presented to the user in association with the aerosol delivery device. Thus, the user may observe any effect of use of the electronic aerosol delivery device on the associated biometric parameter. This may be of general interest to the user, and further, the user may be able to consider the measurement of the biometric parameter in deciding how to proceed with the use of the electronic aerosol delivery device. For example, if the user notices that the sensor data indicates a high heart rate, the user may choose to limit use of the aerosol system for a period of time. This may be done by the user ceasing use or by reducing the amount of aerosol generated by the aerosol delivery device during use, for example, by limiting power to a heater in the aerosol delivery device. In this regard, control may be provided by user input via a user interface of the computing device. In some implementations, the computing device may be configured to present the user with a value that directly corresponds to the measurement of the biometric parameter, for example, a value for the user's heart rate in beats per minute. In another implementation, instead of or in addition to presenting a specific value, the computing device may be configured to present an indication to the user via a user interface as to whether the biometric parameter is within a particular predefined range, such as a preferred range or a less preferred range. Of course, the inclusion of a preferred range or a less preferred range may be based on established medical opinion regarding the relevant biometric parameter. Thus, for example, if sensor data from a biometric sensor indicates that the user's heart rate is outside of a predefined preferred range, an indication may be provided in the user interface.This indication may be done in a number of ways, for example by sounding an audio signal, by changing the appearance of the indication, for example by changing colour or including a particular logo.

[0077] In another implementation, the computing device may be configured to communicate an indication of the sensor data / biometric parameter reading to the electronic aerosol delivery device such that the electronic aerosol delivery device can control operation in response to the sensor data. For example, the aerosol delivery device may include an indicator, such as a light emitting diode, that can be used to indicate whether the sensor data indicates that the associated biometric parameter is within a predetermined range (i.e., a range defined by two endpoints or greater or less than a single value).

[0078] In another implementation, the computing device may be configured to control the operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device based on the sensor data. For example, the application may configure the computing device to compare the measurement of the biometric parameter with a predefined range that is considered to be a preferred value for the relevant parameter, for example, based on established medical opinion. If the sensor data indicates that the biometric parameter measurement is outside the preferred range, the computing device may communicate control data to the aerosol delivery device to modify the operation of the aerosol delivery device, for example, by providing instructions to stop or limit the generation of aerosol by the aerosol delivery device for a certain period of time. This may be accomplished, for example, by stopping or reducing the amount of power provided to a heater of the aerosol delivery device to generate aerosol from the aerosol-generating substrate / aerosol precursor.

[0079] The system of the present invention may be configured such that the biometric sensor 800 provides sensor data indicative of a biometric parameter measurement to the computing device according to a predetermined schedule and / or the biometric sensor is configured to communicate sensor data to the computing device in response to a request received from the computing device. Thus, the computing device may be configured to receive operational data from the electronic aerosol delivery device indicative of vapor generation to a user using the electronic aerosol delivery device, and in response thereto may communicate with the biometric sensor 800 to request sensor data indicative of a biometric parameter measurement.

[0080] Of course, there are many different approaches and modifications that can be made in accordance with the general principles set forth above in accordance with different embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0081] For example, it will be appreciated that a measurement of a biometric parameter by a biometric sensor may include one of the individual measurements or may include a measurement derived from multiple individual measurements. For example, the sensor data may include an indication of a measurement that is an average, minimum or maximum of multiple individual measurements of the biometric parameter made by the biometric sensor, or some other statistically derived parameter.

[0082] It will be appreciated that while the above examples have focused on measuring heart rate, similar principles can be applied to other biometric parameters, for example any measurable aspect of a user that may change during use of the electronic aerosol delivery device.

[0083] It should also be appreciated that while the above examples have focused on implementations in which the electronic aerosol delivery device, the computing device, and the biometric sensor are separate components in wireless communication, other implementations may combine two or more of these components into a single device. For example, the electronic aerosol delivery device and the biometric sensor may be combined into a single device, for example, by providing a biometric sensor for measuring the user's heart rate on a portion of the aerosol delivery device that is typically in contact with the user, such as the aerosol delivery device body that is typically held by the user, or on the mouthpiece that typically contacts the user's lips during use. However, in practice the biometric sensor is more likely to be a separate device from the electronic aerosol delivery system, since such biometric sensors are already widely available and used, for example in "health management" watches.

[0084] Additionally, some or all of the functionality of the computing device of the above-described implementations may itself be provided by the e-cigarette in some implementations.

[0085] Thus, a system has been described that includes an electronic aerosol delivery device for selectively delivering aerosol to a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device, a computing device configured to communicate with the electronic aerosol delivery device to exchange operational data related to operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device, and a biometric sensor configured to measure a biometric parameter of the user of the electronic aerosol delivery device and to communicate with the computing device to exchange sensor data indicative of a measurement of the biometric parameter, the computing device further configured to control an aspect of the operation of the computing device associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor.

[0086] It will also be appreciated that any and all of the methods described herein may be implemented in conventional hardware suitably configured for use with software instructions or by substituting or replacing dedicated hardware.

[0087] Thus, the necessary adaptation to existing portions of a conventional equivalent device may be embodied in the form of a computer program product including processor-implementable instructions stored on a tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable medium (such as a floppy disk, optical disk, hard disk, PROM, RAM, flash memory, or any combination of these or other storage media), or may be realized in hardware as an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), FPGA (field programmable gate array), or other configurable circuitry suitable for adapting a conventional equivalent device. Alternatively, such a computer program may be transmitted over a data signal in a network, such as an Ethernet, a wireless network, the Internet, or any combination of these other networks.

[0088] Furthermore, while the above embodiments have been described in some respects with a focus on some specific example aerosol delivery devices, it will be appreciated that the same principles are applicable to aerosol delivery devices using other technologies, i.e., the specific manner in which the various aspects of the aerosol delivery device function is not directly related to the principles underlying the examples described herein.

[0089] To address various problems and advance the art, the present disclosure illustrates various embodiments in which the claimed invention may be practiced. The advantages and features of the present disclosure are a representative sample of embodiments only and are not exhaustive or exclusive. They are presented solely to aid in the understanding and teaching of the claimed invention. The advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and / or other aspects of the present disclosure should not be considered as limitations on the disclosure or the equivalent limitations of the claims as defined by the claims, and modifications may be made using other embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims. Various embodiments may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of various combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc., other than those specifically described herein, and it is to be understood that the features of the dependent claims may be combined with the features of the independent claims in other combinations than those expressly set forth therein. The present disclosure may include other inventions not currently claimed but which may be claimed in the future.

Claims

1. an electronic aerosol delivery device for selectively delivering aerosol to a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device; a computing device configured to communicate with the electronic aerosol delivery device to exchange operational data related to operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device; a biometric sensor configured to measure a biometric parameter of the user of the electronic aerosol delivery device and to communicate with the computing device such that the computing device receives sensor data indicative of the measurement of the biometric parameter, the computing device is configured to communicate with the biometric sensor to request sensor data from the biometric sensor in response to receiving operational data from the electronic aerosol delivery device, the operational data including usage data indicating that the electronic aerosol delivery device was used to deliver aerosol to the user; the computing device is configured to control aspects of operation of the computing device associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor; and The system is configured to provide operational data to the electronic aerosol supplying device in response to the sensor data, the operational data including control information for controlling operational aspects of the electronic aerosol supplying device by controlling operational aspects of the computer device that are information related to the electronic aerosol supplying device and related to the sensor data.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein controlling an aspect of the operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device includes setting a display of the electronic aerosol delivery device to display information related to the sensor data.

3. 3. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein controlling an aspect of the operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device includes limiting the ability of the electronic aerosol delivery device to deliver aerosol to the user.

4. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the electronic aerosol delivery device includes a heater for heating an aerosol precursor to deliver an aerosol to the user, and limiting the ability of the electronic aerosol delivery device to deliver an aerosol to the user includes turning off or limiting the power supply to the heater for a certain period of time.

5. The system of any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the biometric sensor is selected from the group including a heart rate sensor for measuring a user's heart rate, a blood pressure sensor for measuring a user's blood pressure, a respiration rate sensor for measuring a user's respiration rate, and a user activity sensor for measuring a user's activity status.

6. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic aerosol delivery device and the biometric sensor are integrated into a single device.

7. 1. An electronic aerosol delivery device for selectively delivering aerosol to a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device, comprising: the electronic aerosol delivery device is configured to communicate with a computing device to exchange operational data related to operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device; the computing device is configured to communicate with a biometric sensor configured to measure a biometric parameter of a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device and to receive sensor data indicative of the measured value of the biometric parameter; the computing device is configured to communicate with the biometric sensor to request sensor data from the biometric sensor in response to receiving operational data from the electronic aerosol delivery device, the operational data including usage data indicating that the electronic aerosol delivery device was used to deliver aerosol to the user; the computing device is configured to control aspects of operation of the computing device associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor; and The electronic aerosol supplying device, wherein the computer device is configured to provide operational data to the electronic aerosol supplying device, the operational data including control information for controlling operational aspects of the electronic aerosol supplying device by controlling operational aspects of the computer device, the operational aspects being information related to the electronic aerosol supplying device and related to the sensor data, in response to the sensor data.

8. The electronic aerosol delivery device of claim 7 , wherein the electronic aerosol delivery device includes a biometric sensor.

9. an electronic aerosol delivery device; a computing device configured to communicate with the electronic aerosol delivery device to exchange operational data related to operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device; a biometric sensor configured to measure a biometric parameter of a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device and in communication with the computing device such that the computing device receives sensor data indicative of the measured value of the biometric parameter, the method comprising: a biometric sensor measuring a biometric parameter of a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device and communicating sensor data indicative of the measured biometric parameter to the computing device; in response to the computing device receiving operational data from the electronic aerosol delivery device, the operational data including usage data indicating that the electronic aerosol delivery device was used to deliver aerosol to the user, communicating with the biometric sensor to request sensor data from the biometric sensor; and controlling an aspect of the operation of the computing device associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device in response to the sensor data received by the computing device from the biometric sensor; A method of operating a system, wherein the computer device is configured to provide operational data to the electronic aerosol supplying device, the operational data including control information for controlling operational aspects of the electronic aerosol supplying device by controlling operational aspects of the computer device, the operational aspects being information related to the electronic aerosol supplying device and related to the sensor data, in response to the sensor data.

10. a computing device configured to communicate with an electronic aerosol delivery device to exchange operational data related to operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device, and to communicate with a biometric sensor to receive sensor data from the biometric sensor indicative of a measurement of a biometric parameter of a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device, the computing device is configured to communicate with the biometric sensor to request sensor data from the biometric sensor in response to receiving operational data from the electronic aerosol delivery device, the operational data including usage data indicating that the electronic aerosol delivery device was used to deliver aerosol to the user; the computing device is further configured to control aspects of operation of the computing device associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor; and The computer device is configured to provide operational data to the electronic aerosol supplying device in response to the sensor data, the operational data including control information for controlling operational aspects of the electronic aerosol supplying device by controlling operational aspects of the computer device that are information related to the electronic aerosol supplying device and related to the sensor data.

11. 1. A method of operating a computing device configured to communicate with an electronic aerosol delivery device to exchange operational data related to operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device, comprising: The method includes communicating with a biometric sensor to receive sensor data from the biometric sensor indicative of a measurement of a biometric parameter of a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device; in response to receiving operational data from the electronic aerosol delivery device, the operational data including usage data indicating that the electronic aerosol delivery device was used to deliver aerosol to the user, communicating with the biometric sensor to request sensor data from the biometric sensor; and controlling an aspect of operation of the computing device associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor; A method of operating a computer device, wherein the computer device is configured to provide operational data to the electronic aerosol supplying device, the operational data including control information for controlling operational aspects of the electronic aerosol supplying device, the operational aspects being information related to the electronic aerosol supplying device and related to the sensor data, in response to the sensor data.

12. 1. A computer program product comprising computer readable instructions that, when executed on a computing device, cause the computing device to communicate with an electronic aerosol delivery device to exchange operational data related to operation of the electronic aerosol delivery device, communicate with a biometric sensor to receive sensor data from the biometric sensor indicative of a measurement of a biometric parameter of a user of the electronic aerosol delivery device, and control aspects of operation of the computing device associated with the electronic aerosol delivery device in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor, the computing device is configured to communicate with the biometric sensor to request sensor data from the biometric sensor in response to receiving operational data from the electronic aerosol delivery device, the operational data including usage data indicating that the electronic aerosol delivery device was used to deliver aerosol to the user; and The computer program product is configured to provide operational data to the electronic aerosol supplying device in response to the sensor data, the operational data including control information for controlling operational aspects of the electronic aerosol supplying device by controlling operational aspects of the computer device that are information related to the electronic aerosol supplying device and related to the sensor data.

13. an electronic aerosol delivery means for selectively delivering aerosol to a user of the electronic aerosol delivery means; computer means for communicating with said electronic aerosol delivery means to exchange operational data related to the operation of said electronic aerosol delivery means; and biometric sensor means for measuring a biometric parameter of a user of the electronic aerosol delivery means and for communicating with the computer means such that the computer means receives sensor data indicative of the measured value of the biometric parameter, the computer means is configured to communicate with the biometric sensor means to request sensor data from the biometric sensor means in response to receiving operational data from the electronic aerosol delivery means, the operational data including usage data indicating that aerosol was delivered to the user using the electronic aerosol delivery means; the computer means configured to control aspects of operation of the computer means associated with the electronic aerosol delivery means in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor means; and The system, wherein the computer means is configured to provide operational data to the electronic aerosol supply means, the operational data including control information for controlling operational aspects of the electronic aerosol supply means by controlling operational aspects of the computer means which are information related to the electronic aerosol supply means and related to the sensor data, in response to the sensor data.

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