Heart rate monitor for aerosol delivery device

Abstract

An aerosol delivery device is provided that includes at least one housing configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition. The device includes a nebulizer and a microprocessor configured to operate in an active mode, wherein a control body is configured to control the nebulizer to activate the aerosol precursor composition and generate an aerosol. The device includes a heart rate monitor attached to the housing, the heart rate monitor including a plurality of biopotential electrodes configured to acquire biopotential measurements from a user and a signal conditioning circuit configured to generate an electrocardiogram signal from the biopotential measurements. The microprocessor is coupled to the signal conditioning circuit and is further configured to control operation of at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device based on the electrocardiogram signal or the user's heart rate calculated therefrom.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 602,932, filed May 23, 2017, entitled "A Heart Rate Monitor for an Aerosol Delivery Device", now U.S. Patent No. 10,517,330, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices such as smoking articles, and more particularly to aerosol delivery devices (e.g., smoking articles commonly referred to as electronic cigarettes) that can utilize heat generated electrically for the generation of an aerosol. The smoking article may be configured to heat an aerosol precursor, which can incorporate materials that can be manufactured from or extracted from tobacco, or otherwise incorporate tobacco, and the precursor can form an inhalable substance for human consumption.

Background Art

[0003] Over the years, many devices have been proposed as improved or alternative smoking products that require burning tobacco for use. Many of these devices are said to be designed to provide the sensations associated with cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking without generating a significant amount of incomplete combustion products and pyrolysis products resulting from the burning of tobacco. For this purpose, numerous alternative smoking products, flavor generators, and medicinal inhalers have been proposed that vaporize volatile substances, utilize electrical energy to heat, or attempt to provide the sensations of cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking to a significant degree without burning tobacco. Reference is made to the various alternative smoking products, aerosol delivery devices, and heat sources described in the background art of, for example, U.S. Patent No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 to Griffith Jr. et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0000638 to Sebastian et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 to Sears et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096782 to Ampolini et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0059780 to Davis et al., and U.S. Patent Serial No. 15 / 222,615 filed on July 28, 2016 to Watson et al., all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. Reference is also made to the various embodiments of products and heating configurations described in the background art sections of, for example, U.S. Patent No. 5,388,594 to Counts et al. and U.S. Patent No. 8,079,371 to Robinson et al., which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

Patent Document 6

Patent Document 7

Patent Document 8

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, it may be desirable to provide an aerosol delivery device with an improved electronic device that can extend the usefulness of the device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices, methods of forming such devices, and elements of such devices. The present disclosure includes, without limitation, examples of the following exemplary embodiments.

[0007] Exemplary Embodiment 1: The aerosol delivery device includes at least one housing configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition, an atomizer, and a microprocessor configured to operate in an active mode. In the active mode, the control body is configured to activate the aerosol precursor composition and control the atomizer to generate an aerosol. The microprocessor is attached to the housing and includes a plurality of biopotential electrodes configured to obtain biopotential measurement values from a user, and a signal conditioning circuit configured to generate an electrocardiogram signal from the biopotential measurement values. The microprocessor is coupled to the signal conditioning circuit and is further configured to control the operation of at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device based on the electrocardiogram signal or the user's heart rate calculated therefrom.

[0008] Exemplary Embodiment 2: The electrocardiogram signal or a sample of the electrocardiogram signal forms an identifier of the user. The microprocessor is further configured to perform biometric authentication of the user based on the identifier, and the microprocessor further configured to control the operation of at least one functional element. The microprocessor is further configured to change the locked state of the aerosol delivery device based on the biometric authentication, and includes the microprocessor of Exemplary Embodiment 1.

[0009] Exemplary Embodiment 3: The microprocessor further configured to perform biometric authentication includes at least accessing the corresponding identifier of the authenticated user, performing a comparison between the identifier and the corresponding identifier, and verifying that the user is the authenticated user when the identifier and the corresponding identifier match or at least have a threshold similarity based on the comparison. The aerosol delivery device of Exemplary Embodiment 2 is included.

[0010] Exemplary Embodiment 4: The microprocessor is further configured to operate in a registration mode to register a user for biometric authentication, and the microprocessor in the registration mode is configured to receive a baseline electrocardiogram signal of the user from a heart rate monitor and generate a corresponding identifier from the baseline electrocardiogram signal, the aerosol delivery device of Exemplary Embodiment 3.

[0011] Exemplary Embodiment 5: The aerosol delivery device of Exemplary Embodiment 4 includes a microprocessor further configured to repeat a registration mode in which the microprocessor is configured to receive an updated baseline electrocardiogram signal of the user and update a corresponding identifier from the updated baseline electrocardiogram signal.

[0012] Exemplary Embodiment 6: The aerosol delivery device of any one of Exemplary Embodiments 2 to 5 includes a microprocessor further configured to perform biometric authentication, the microprocessor being configured to at least access a corresponding identifier of an authenticated user, the corresponding identifier being formed from the respective baseline electrocardiogram signals of the authenticated user, perform a comparison between the identifier and the corresponding identifier, and verify that the user is the authenticated user when either the identifier and the corresponding identifier match or have at least a threshold similarity based on the comparison.

[0013] Exemplary Embodiment 7: The aerosol delivery device of Exemplary Embodiment 6 is further configured to operate in a registration mode in which the microprocessor is configured to receive respective baseline electrocardiogram signals from a heart rate monitor and generate corresponding identifiers from the respective baseline electrocardiogram signals.

[0014] Exemplary Embodiment 8: A microprocessor further configured to perform biometric authentication includes at least accessing a corresponding identifier of an authenticated user, the corresponding identifier being formed from each respective baseline electrocardiogram signal of each one of the authenticated users, performing a comparison between the identifier and the corresponding identifier, and based on the comparison, further configured to verify that the user is one of the authenticated users when either the identifier and the corresponding identifier match or have at least a threshold similarity. An aerosol delivery device according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments 2 to 7.

[0015] Exemplary Embodiment 9: The microprocessor is further configured to operate in a registration mode in which the microprocessor is configured to receive each respective baseline electrocardiogram signal from a heart rate monitor and generate a corresponding identifier from each respective baseline electrocardiogram signal. An aerosol delivery device according to Exemplary Embodiment 8.

[0016] Exemplary Embodiment 10: The aerosol delivery device further includes a communication interface configured to enable communication with a computing device, and the microprocessor, which is further configured to control the operation of at least one functional element when biometric authentication does not verify that the user is an authenticated user, is further configured to cause the communication interface to transmit a notification to the computing device. An aerosol delivery device according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments 2 to 9.

[0017] Exemplary Embodiment 11: The aerosol delivery device further includes a communication interface configured to enable communication with an age confirmation system configured to perform age confirmation of a user, and the microprocessor is further configured to change the locked state of the aerosol delivery device based on the age confirmation. An aerosol delivery device according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments 2 to 10.

[0018] Exemplary Embodiment 12: A control body for an aerosol delivery device, the control body comprising a housing and a microprocessor configured to operate in an active mode, wherein in the active mode, the microprocessor is configured to activate an aerosol precursor composition and control a nebulizer to generate an aerosol, and a plurality of biopotential electrodes attached to the housing and configured to acquire biopotential measurement values from a user, and a heart rate monitor including a signal conditioning circuit configured to generate an electrocardiogram signal from the biopotential measurement values, the microprocessor being coupled to the signal conditioning circuit and further configured to control the operation of at least one functional element of the control body or the aerosol delivery device based on the electrocardiogram signal or the user's heart rate calculated therefrom. A control body for an aerosol delivery device.

[0019] Exemplary Embodiment 13: The electrocardiogram signal or a sample of the electrocardiogram signal forms a user identifier, and the microprocessor is further configured to perform user biometric authentication based on the identifier, and the microprocessor further configured to control the operation of at least one functional element, the microprocessor further configured to change the locked state of the control body based on the biometric authentication. The control body of Exemplary Embodiment 12 including a microprocessor.

[0020] Exemplary Embodiment 14: The microprocessor further configured to perform biometric authentication further includes accessing at least a corresponding identifier of the authenticated user, performing a comparison with the corresponding identifier, and verifying that the user is the authenticated user when the identifier and the corresponding identifier match or have at least a threshold similarity based on the comparison. The control body according to Exemplary Embodiment 13.

[0021] Exemplary Embodiment 15: The microprocessor is further configured to operate in a registration mode to register a user for biometric authentication. The microprocessor in the registration mode receives the user's baseline electrocardiogram signal from the heart rate monitor and is configured to generate a corresponding identifier from the baseline electrocardiogram signal, the control body of Exemplary Embodiment 14.

[0022] Exemplary Embodiment 16: The microprocessor is further configured to force re-registration of the user and includes a microprocessor further configured to repeat the registration mode. The microprocessor receives the user's updated baseline electrocardiogram signal and is further configured to repeat the registration mode configured to update the corresponding identifier from the updated baseline electrocardiogram signal, the control body of Exemplary Embodiment 15.

[0023] Exemplary Embodiment 17: The microprocessor further configured to perform biometric authentication at least accesses the corresponding identifier of the authenticated user, the corresponding identifier being formed from each baseline electrocardiogram signal of the authenticated user, performs a comparison between the identifier and the corresponding identifier, and based on the comparison, further configured to verify that the user is the authenticated user when either the identifier and the corresponding identifier match or have at least a threshold similarity, the control body of any of Exemplary Embodiments 13 to 16.

[0024] Exemplary Embodiment 18: The microprocessor is further configured to operate in a registration mode in which the microprocessor receives each baseline electrocardiogram signal from the heart rate monitor and is configured to generate a corresponding identifier from each baseline electrocardiogram signal, the control body of Exemplary Embodiment 17.

[0025] Exemplary Embodiment 19: A microprocessor further configured to perform biometric authentication includes at least accessing a corresponding identifier of an authenticated user, where the corresponding identifier is formed from the respective baseline electrocardiogram signal of each one of the authenticated users, performing a comparison between the identifier and the corresponding identifier, and based on the comparison, further configured to verify that the user is one of the authenticated users when either the identifier and the corresponding identifier match or have at least a threshold similarity. The control body of any one of Exemplary Embodiments 13 to 18.

[0026] Exemplary Embodiment 20: The microprocessor is further configured to operate in a registration mode in which the microprocessor receives the respective baseline electrocardiogram signals from the heart rate monitor and generates the corresponding identifiers from the respective baseline electrocardiogram signals. The control body of Exemplary Embodiment 19.

[0027] Exemplary Embodiment 21: The control body further includes a communication interface configured to enable communication with a computing device. When the biometric authentication does not verify that the user is an authenticated user, the microprocessor, which is further configured to control the operation of at least one functional element, is further configured to cause the communication interface to transmit a notification to the computing device. The control body of any one of Exemplary Embodiments 13 to 20.

[0028] Exemplary Embodiment 22: The control body further includes a communication interface configured to enable communication with an age confirmation system configured to perform age confirmation of the user. The microprocessor is further configured to change the locked state of the control body based on the age confirmation. The control body of any one of Exemplary Embodiments 13 to 22.

[0029] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below. The present disclosure includes any combination of two, three, four, or more features or elements described herein, whether or not such features or elements are explicitly combined or merely enumerated in a particular exemplary embodiment described herein. The present disclosure is intended to be read as a whole such that any separable features or elements of the present disclosure are combinable in any of its aspects and exemplary embodiments, unless the context of the disclosure clearly indicates otherwise.

[0030] Accordingly, it will be understood that the summary of the invention is provided for the sole purpose of providing a basic understanding of some aspects of the present disclosure by summarizing some exemplary embodiments. Thus, it will be understood that the above exemplary embodiments are merely examples and should in no way be construed as narrowing the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. Other exemplary embodiments, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the principles of some of the described exemplary embodiments.

[0031] Having thus described aspects of the present disclosure in general terms, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0032]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0033] The present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to its exemplary embodiments. These exemplary embodiments are described so that the present disclosure is thorough and complete and fully conveys the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. In fact, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will meet the applicable legal requirements. As used in this specification and the appended claims, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, the "or" of a set of operands is "inclusive or" such that, in contrast to an "exclusive or" which is false when all of the operands are true, it is true when one or more of the operands is true and only in that case. Thus, for example, "[A] or [B]" is true when [A] is true, or [B] is true, or both [A] and [B] are true. Singular forms such as "a," "an," "the," etc. include plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Further, although this specification may refer to quantitative measures, values, geometric relationships, etc., unless otherwise specified, all or any one or more of these, even if not all, may be absolute values or may be approximations to account for possible variations such as technical tolerances.

[0034] As described below, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to aerosol delivery devices. Some aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure use electrical energy to heat a material (preferably without burning the material to a significant extent) to form an inhalable substance, and the components of such a system most preferably have the form of an article that is compact enough to be considered a handheld device. That is, the use of the components of a preferred aerosol delivery device does not result in the generation of smoke in the sense that the aerosol mainly results from the by-products of tobacco combustion or pyrolysis. Rather, the use of such a preferred system results in the generation of vapor resulting from the volatilization or vaporization of the specific components incorporated therein. In some exemplary embodiments, the components of the aerosol delivery device may be characterized as electronic cigarettes, and these electronic cigarettes most preferably incorporate tobacco and / or tobacco-derived components and thus deliver tobacco-derived components in aerosol form.

[0035] The aerosol-generating components of certain preferred aerosol delivery devices can provide many of the sensations of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe (e.g., inhalation and exhalation actions, types of taste or flavor, sensory effects, physical sensations, usage actions, visual cues such as those provided by the visible aerosol) without causing any significant degree of combustion of any of its components. For example, a user of an aerosol delivery device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can hold and use the components in the same manner as a smoker uses a conventional type of smoking article, suck on one end of the components for inhalation of the aerosol generated by the components, and can puff or inhale at selected time intervals, etc.

[0036] This system is generally described herein in terms of embodiments related to aerosol delivery devices such as so-called "electronic cigarettes," "tobacco heating products," etc., but it should be understood that the mechanisms, components, features, and methods may be embodied in many different forms and may be associated with a variety of articles. For example, the descriptions provided herein may be employed in connection with embodiments of related packaging for any of traditional smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.), non-combustion heated cigarettes, and the products disclosed herein. Accordingly, the descriptions of the mechanisms, components, features, and methods disclosed herein are presented by way of example only in terms of embodiments related to aerosol delivery devices, and it should be understood that they may be embodied and used in a variety of other products and methods.

[0037] The aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure may also be characterized as vapor-generating articles or drug-delivery articles. Thus, such articles or devices can be adapted to provide one or more substances (e.g., flavorants and / or pharmaceutically active ingredients) in an inhalable form or state. For example, the inhalable substance can be in a substantially vapor form (i.e., a substance in the gas phase at a temperature below the critical point). Alternatively, the inhalable substance may be in the form of an aerosol (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or droplets in a gas). For simplicity, the term "aerosol" as used herein is meant to include vapors, gases, and aerosols in a form or type suitable for human inhalation, whether visible or not, and whether or not it can be regarded as resembling smoke.

[0038] In use, the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may be subject to many of the physical actions an individual takes when using traditional types of smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, or pipes that are utilized by lighting tobacco and inhaling the tobacco). For example, a user of the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may hold the article in a manner very similar to traditional types of smoking articles, draw on one end of the article for inhalation of the aerosol generated by the article, and puff or inhale at selected time intervals.

[0039] The aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure generally include several components provided within an outer housing, sometimes referred to as a body or shell. The overall design of the housing can vary, and the style or configuration of the housing that can define the overall size and shape of the aerosol delivery device can vary. Typically, an elongated body similar in shape to a cigarette or cigar can be formed from a single integrally molded housing, or the elongated housing may be formed of two or more separable bodies. For example, the aerosol delivery device can be substantially tubular in shape and thus can comprise an elongated housing that can resemble the shape of a conventional cigarette or cigar. In one example, all components of the aerosol delivery device are contained within one housing. Alternatively, the aerosol delivery device may comprise two or more housings that are joined and separable. For example, the aerosol delivery device can have a control body at one end with a housing that includes one or more reusable components (e.g., a rechargeable battery, a rechargeable supercapacitor, a solid state battery (SSB), a thin film SSB, an accumulator such as a lithium ion or hybrid lithium ion supercapacitor, and various electronic devices for controlling the operation of the article), and at the other end can have an outer body or shell that includes a disposable portion (e.g., a disposable cartridge containing flavor) that can be removably coupled thereto. The more specific styles, configurations, and arrangements of the components within a single housing type unit or within a separable housing type unit consisting of multiple parts will be apparent in light of the further disclosure provided herein. Further, considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices, the designs and component arrangements of various aerosol delivery devices can be understood.Alternative non-tubular housing form factors may also be used, including device housings having a shape and size generally similar to those of cigarette packs and form factors used, for example, in GLO(TM) by British American Tobacco and IQOS(TM) by Philip Morris International, Inc.

[0040] As will be discussed in more detail below, the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure includes a power source (i.e., an electrical power source), at least one control component (e.g., means for actuating, controlling, regulating, and stopping power for heating, such as by controlling the current flowing from the power source to other components of the aerosol delivery device), a heating element (e.g., an electrical resistance heating element or other component), or a vibrating piezoelectric mesh, which may generally be referred to as an "atomizer", either alone or in combination with one or more other elements, an aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a liquid capable of generating an aerosol when sufficient heat is applied, such as components commonly referred to as "smoke juice", "e-liquid", and "e-juice"), and any combination of a mouth end region or tip (e.g., a defined air flow path through the article through which the generated aerosol can be inhaled) to enable inhalation of the aerosol in the aerosol delivery device.

[0041] The alignment of components within the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure can vary. In certain embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition may be disposed near an end of the aerosol delivery device such that it is configured to be positioned near the user's mouth to maximize aerosol delivery to the user. However, other configurations are not excluded. Generally, the heating element can be positioned sufficiently close to the aerosol precursor composition such that heat from the heating element can volatilize the aerosol precursor (and similarly one or more flavorants, medicaments, etc. that may also be provided for delivery to the user) and form an aerosol for delivery to the user. When the heating element heats the aerosol precursor composition, an aerosol is formed, emitted, or generated in a physical form suitable for inhalation by the consumer. It should be noted that the foregoing terms, with reference to emitting, emitted, emits, or emitted, are mutually interchangeable to include forming, or generating, forming, or generating, forming, or generating, and formed, or generated. Specifically, the inhalable substance is emitted in the form of vapor or aerosol or a mixture thereof, and such terms are also used interchangeably herein unless otherwise specified.

[0042] As described above, the aerosol delivery device may incorporate a battery or other power source to supply sufficient current to provide various functionalities to the aerosol delivery device, such as power supply to the heater, power supply to the control system, power supply to the indicator, etc. The power source can take various embodiments. Preferably, the power source is capable of delivering sufficient power to rapidly heat the heating element to effect aerosol formation and supply power to the aerosol delivery device throughout the desired period of use. The power source is preferably sized to fit conveniently within the aerosol delivery device such that the aerosol delivery device can be easily handled. Further, a preferred power source is sufficiently lightweight so as not to detract from the desired smoking experience.

[0043] More specific forms, configurations, and arrangements of the components within the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure will be apparent in light of the further disclosure provided below. Further, the selection and arrangement of the components of various aerosol delivery devices can be understood in view of commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Further information regarding the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure, as well as the forms, configurations, and arrangements of the components within commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices, can be found in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 291,771 to Sur et al., filed October 12, 2016, which patent is incorporated herein by reference.

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a side view of an aerosol delivery device 100 including a control body 102 and a cartridge 104, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 1 shows a control body and a cartridge coupled to each other. The control body and the cartridge may be removably aligned in a functional relationship. Various mechanisms may connect the cartridge to the control body, resulting in, for example, screw engagement, press-fit engagement, interference fit, magnetic engagement, and the like. In some exemplary embodiments, when the cartridge and the control body are in an assembled configuration, the aerosol delivery device may be substantially rod-shaped, substantially tubular, or substantially cylindrical. The aerosol delivery device may also have a cross-section that is substantially rectangular, rhomboidal, or triangular, or may be a polyhedral shape, some of which may perhaps be useful in providing greater compatibility with a substantially flat power source, such as a flat battery, or a thin-film power source.

[0045] The control body 102 and the cartridge 104 may each include a separate housing or outer body, which may be formed from any of several different materials. The housing may be formed from any suitable structurally rigid material. In some examples, the housing may be formed from a metal or alloy such as stainless steel, aluminum. Other suitable materials include various plastics (e.g., polycarbonate), metal plating covering the plastic, ceramics, and the like.

[0046] In some exemplary embodiments, one or both of the control body 102 or the cartridge 104 of the aerosol delivery device 100 may be referred to as disposable or reusable. For example, the control body may have a replaceable battery, a rechargeable battery (e.g., a rechargeable thin-film solid-state battery) or a rechargeable supercapacitor, and thus may be combined with any type of recharge technology, including connection to a typical wall outlet, connection to an automotive charger (i.e., a cigarette lighter receptacle), connection to a computer via a universal serial bus (USB) cable or connector, connection to a solar cell (also referred to as a photovoltaic cell) or a solar panel of a solar cell, wireless connection to a radio frequency (RF), wireless connection to an induction-based charging pad or connection to an RF-DC converter. Further, in some exemplary embodiments, the cartridge may include a disposable cartridge as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,639 to Chang et al., which patent is incorporated herein by reference.

[0047] Figure 2 shows the aerosol delivery device 100 in more detail according to some exemplary embodiments. As seen in the cutaway view shown therein, again, the aerosol delivery device can comprise a control body 102 and a cartridge 104, each including several respective components. The components shown in FIG. 2 are representative of the components that may be present within the control body and the cartridge, and are not intended to limit the scope of the components encompassed by the present disclosure. As shown, for example, the control body can be formed from a control body shell 206 that can include a control component 208 (e.g., a microprocessor individually or as part of a microcontroller), a flow sensor 210, a power source 212, and one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) 214, quantum dot LEDs, etc., and such components can be variably aligned. The power source can include, for example, a battery (disposable or rechargeable), a rechargeable supercapacitor, a rechargeable solid state battery (SSB), a rechargeable lithium ion battery (LiB), etc., or combinations thereof. Some examples of suitable power sources are provided in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 918,926 to Sur et al., filed October 21, 2015, which patent is incorporated herein by reference. Other examples of suitable power sources are provided in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0283855 to Hawes et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0014125 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0243410 to Nichols et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0313901 to Fernando et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0230117 to Fernando et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0048] LED 214 can be an example of a suitable visual indicator that can be equipped on the aerosol delivery device 100. In addition to, or as an alternative to, visual indicators such as LEDs and quantum dot LEDs, other indicators such as audio indicators (e.g., speakers) and tactile indicators (e.g., vibration motors) can also be included.

[0049] The cartridge 104 can surround a reservoir 218 configured to hold the aerosol precursor composition and can be formed of a cartridge shell 216 that includes a heater 222 (sometimes referred to as a heating element). In various configurations, such a structure may sometimes be referred to as a tank, and thus, terms such as "cartridge", "tank", etc. may be used interchangeably to refer to a shell or other housing that surrounds a reservoir for the aerosol precursor composition and includes a heater.

[0050] As shown, in some examples, the reservoir 218 may be in fluid communication with a liquid transport element 220 adapted to draw, or otherwise transfer, the aerosol precursor composition stored within the reservoir housing to the heater 222. In some examples, a valve may be disposed between the reservoir and the heater and may be configured to control the amount of aerosol precursor composition passed, or delivered, from the reservoir to the heater.

[0051] Various exemplary materials configured to generate heat when an electric current is applied may be employed to form the heater 222. The heater in these examples can be a resistive heating element such as a wire coil, a microheater, or the like. Examples of materials that can form the heating element include Kanthal (FeCrAl), nichrome, stainless steel, molybdenum disilicide (MoSi2), molybdenum silicide (MoSi), aluminum-doped molybdenum disilicide (Mo(Si,Al)2), graphite and graphite-based materials (e.g., carbon-based foams and threads), and ceramics (e.g., ceramics with positive or negative temperature coefficients). Exemplary embodiments of heaters or heating members useful in the aerosol delivery device according to the present disclosure are further described below and can be incorporated into devices as described herein.

[0052] An opening 224 may be present in the cartridge shell 216 (e.g., at the mouth end) to allow for the discharge of the formed aerosol from the cartridge 104.

[0053] The cartridge 104 may also include one or more electronic components 226 that can include integrated circuits, memory components (e.g., EEPROM, flash memory), sensors, and the like. The electronic components may be adapted to communicate with the control component 208 and / or an external device by wired or wireless means. The electronic components may be positioned anywhere within the cartridge or its base 228.

[0054] Although the control component 208 and the flow sensor 210 are shown separately, it is understood that various electronic components including the control component and the flow sensor may be combined on an electronic printed circuit board (PCB) that supports and electrically connects the electronic components. Further, the PCB may be positioned horizontally with respect to the figure of FIG. 1 in that it may be parallel in the longitudinal direction with respect to the central axis of the control body. In some examples, the air flow sensor may include its own PCB or other base element to which it can be attached. In some examples, a flexible PCB may be utilized. The flexible PCB may be configured in various shapes including a substantially tubular shape. In some examples, the flexible PCB may be combined with, laminated on, or form part or all of the heater substrate.

[0055] The control body 102 and the cartridge 104 may include components adapted to facilitate fluid engagement therebetween. As shown in FIG. 2, the control body may include a coupler 230 having a cavity 232 therein. The base 228 of the cartridge may be adapted to engage the coupler and may include a protrusion 234 adapted to fit into the cavity. Such engagement facilitates a stable connection between the control body and the cartridge and can establish an electrical connection between the power source 212 and the control component 208 within the control body and the heater 222 within the cartridge. Further, the control body shell 206 may include an air intake 236, which may be a notch within the shell, in which case it is connected to the coupler and allows ambient air to pass from around the coupler into the shell and then through the cavity 232 of the coupler and through the protrusion 234 and into the cartridge.

[0056] Couplers and bases useful in accordance with the present disclosure are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0261495 to Novak et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, a coupler 230, such as that seen in FIG. 2, may define an outer periphery 238 configured to mate with an inner periphery 240 of a base 228. In one example, the inner periphery of the base may define a radius that is substantially equal to, or slightly larger than, the radius of the outer periphery of the coupler. Further, the coupler may define on the outer periphery one or more protrusions 242 configured to engage one or more recesses 244 defined in the inner periphery of the base. However, various other examples of structure, shape, and components may be utilized to couple the base to the coupler. In some examples, the connection between the base of the cartridge 104 and the coupler of the control body 102 may be substantially permanent, while in other examples the connection therebetween may be releasable, such that, for example, the control body may be reusable with one or more additional cartridges that may be disposable and / or refillable.

[0057] The reservoir 218 shown in FIG. 2 may be a container, or in some cases, a fibrous reservoir, as presently described. For example, in this example, the reservoir may include one or more layers of non-woven fibers substantially formed in the shape of a tube surrounding the interior of the cartridge shell 216. An aerosol precursor composition can be retained within the reservoir. For example, the liquid component can be retained in an adsorptive manner by the reservoir. The reservoir can be in fluid communication with a liquid transport element 220. The liquid transport element can transport the aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir, by capillary action, to a heater 222, which in this example is in the form of a metal wire coil. Thus, the heater is in a heating configuration with the liquid transport element.

[0058] In some examples, the microfluidic chip may be embedded in the reservoir 218, and the amount and / or mass of the aerosol precursor composition delivered from the reservoir may be controlled by a micropump, such as one based on microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology. The heater 222 may be configured to perform radio frequency-based heating of the aerosol precursor composition without physical contact with the wick or the aerosol precursor composition, as described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 934,763 to Davis et al. filed on November 6, 2015, which is incorporated by reference. Other exemplary embodiments of reservoirs and transport elements useful in the aerosol delivery device according to the present disclosure are further described below, and such reservoirs and / or transport elements can be incorporated into devices as described herein. In particular, certain combinations of heating members and transport elements as further described below may be incorporated into devices as described herein.

[0059] In use, when the user inhales on the aerosol delivery device 100, an air flow is detected by the flow sensor 210 and the heater 222 is activated to vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition. Inhaling at the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device causes ambient air to enter the air inlet 236 and pass through the cavity 232 of the coupler 230 and the central opening of the protrusion 234 of the base 228. Inside the cartridge 104, the inhaled air combines with the formed vapor to form an aerosol. The aerosol is removed from, drawn by, or otherwise withdrawn from the heater and exits through the opening 224 at the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device.

[0060] In some examples, the aerosol delivery device 100 may include some additional software control functions. For example, the aerosol delivery device may include a power protection circuit configured to detect a power input, a load on the power terminals, and a charging input. The power protection circuit may include short-circuit protection, under-voltage lockout and / or over-voltage charging protection, and battery temperature compensation. The aerosol delivery device may also include components for ambient temperature measurement, and its control component 208 may be configured to control at least one functional element to prohibit power charging of any battery, especially when the ambient temperature is below a specific temperature (e.g., 0 °C) before or during charging, or above a specific temperature (e.g., 45 °C).

[0061] Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the control component 208 may include a microprocessor with an embedded analog-to-digital converter (ADC) useful for measuring the temperature of the heater 222. More specifically, for example, the microprocessor may be programmed to pass a fixed current through the heater and measure the voltage across the heater. In this case, the microprocessor may be configured to calculate the resistance of the heater (R = V / I), which varies with temperature from the current and voltage. Then, the resistance may be used to determine the temperature of the heater from a known relationship between the resistance and the temperature of the heater material. This relationship may be expressed in various ways, such as a look-up table.

[0062] Power delivery from power source 212 can vary over the course of each puff in device 100 according to a power control mechanism. The device may include a "long puff" safety timer such that if the user, or a component failure (e.g., flow sensor 210), attempts to continuously puff the device, control component 208 can control at least one functional element to automatically end the puff after a short period (e.g., 4 seconds later). Further, the time between puffs in the device may be limited to be shorter than a specific period (e.g., 100 seconds). A watchdog safety timer can automatically reset the aerosol delivery device if the control component, or the software being executed, becomes unstable and does not service the timer within an appropriate time interval (e.g., 8 seconds). If there is a defect in flow sensor 210, or if it otherwise fails, additional safety protection may be provided, such as permanently disabling the aerosol delivery device to prevent inadvertent heating. In the case where a pressure sensor fails and the device is continuously activated without stopping even after the maximum puff time of 4 seconds has passed, a puff limit switch can stop the operation of the device.

[0063] Aerosol delivery device 100 may include a puff tracking algorithm configured to lock out the heater when a defined number of puffs for an attached cartridge are achieved (based on the available number of puffs calculated relative to the charge of e-liquid in the cartridge). The aerosol delivery device may include a sleep, standby, or low power mode function, whereby power delivery can be automatically cut off after a defined period of non-use. Additional safety protection may be provided in that all charge / discharge cycles of power source 212 can be monitored by control component 208 over its lifespan. After the power source reaches an equivalent level of a predetermined number (e.g., 200) of full discharge and full recharge cycles, it may be declared spent, and the control component can control at least one functional element to prevent further charging of the power source.

[0064] The various components of the aerosol delivery device according to the present disclosure can be selected from components that are described and commercially available in the art. Examples of batteries that can be used in accordance with the present disclosure are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,484,155 to Peckerar et al., which patent is incorporated herein by reference.

[0065] The aerosol delivery device 100 can incorporate a sensor 210 or other sensor or detector for controlling the supply of power to the heater 222 when aerosol generation is desired (e.g., during inhalation in use). Thus, for example, a method or way is provided to turn off the power to the heater when the aerosol delivery device is not being inhaled during use, and to turn on the power to activate or trigger heat generation by the heater during inhalation. Additional representative types of sensing or detection mechanisms, their structures and configurations, their components, and their general methods of operation are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,261,424 to Sprinkel, Jr., U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., and International Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 003480 pamphlet to Flick, all of these patents being incorporated herein by reference.

[0066] The aerosol delivery device 100 most preferably incorporates a control component 208 or other control mechanism for controlling the amount of power to the heater 222 during inhalation. Representative types of electronic components, their structures and configurations, their characteristics, and their general methods of operation are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,947,874 to Brooks et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,205,622 to Pan, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 8,881,737 to Collet et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,423,152 to Ampolini et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,439,454 to Fernando et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0257445 to Henry et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0067] Representative types of substrates, reservoirs or other components for supporting the aerosol precursor are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,528,569 to Newton, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0261487 to Chapman et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0059780 to Davis et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0216232 to Bless et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Further, various wicking materials and the configuration and operation of those wicking materials within certain types of electronic cigarettes are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,640 to Sears et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0068] An aerosol precursor composition, also referred to as a vapor precursor composition, can include various components including, by way of example, polyhydric alcohols (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol or mixtures thereof), nicotine, tobacco, tobacco extracts and / or flavorants. Representative types of aerosol precursor components and formulations are also described and characterized in U.S. Patent No. 7,217,320 to Robinson et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,254,002 to Chong et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 0008457 to Zheng et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0020823 to Lipowicz et al., and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0020830 to Koller, as well as International Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 182736 pamphlet to Bowen et al., and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 222,615 to Watson et al. filed July 28, 2016, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other aerosol precursors that can be used include those incorporated in the VUSE(R) product by R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company, the BLU(TM) by Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, the MISTIC MENTHOL product by Mistic Ecigs, and the VYPE product by CN Creative. Also desirable are so-called "smoke juice" for electronic cigarettes available from Johnson Creek Enterprises LLC.

[0069] Embodiments of the foaming material can be used with the aerosol precursor and are described, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0055494 to Hunt et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Further, the use of the foaming material is described, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 4,639,368 to Niazi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,178,878 to Wehling et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,223,264 to Wehling et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,974,590 to Pather et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,381,667 to Bergquist et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,424,541 to Crawford et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,627,828 to Strickland et al., and U.S. Patent No. 9,307,787 to Sun et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0018539 to Brinkley et al., and International Patent Application Publication No. 97 / 06786 Pamphlet to Johnson et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Further description of embodiments of the aerosol precursor composition, including descriptions of tobacco or tobacco-derived components contained therein, is provided in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 216,582 and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 216,590 to Davis et al., respectively, each filed on July 21, 2016, which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0070] Additional representative types of components that provide visual cues or indicators, such as visual indicators and related components, audio indicators, tactile indicators, etc., may be employed in the aerosol delivery device 100. Examples of suitable LED components, as well as their construction and method of use, are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,499,766 to Newton, U.S. Patent No. 8,539,959 to Scatterday, and U.S. Patent No. 9,451,791 to Sears et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0071] Other features, control devices or components that can be incorporated into the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,934,289 to Watkins et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,365,742 to Hon, U.S. Patent No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005 / 0016550 to Katase, U.S. Patent No. 8,689,804 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0192623 to Tucker et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,427,022 to Leven et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0180553 to Kim et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0000638 to Sebastian et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0261495 to Novak et al., and U.S. Patent No. 9,220,302 to DePiano et al., and all of these patents are hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.

[0072] As noted above, control component 208 includes several electronic components and, in some examples, may be formed from a PCB. The electronic components may include a microprocessor or processor core, and memory. In some examples, the control component may include a microcontroller having an integrated processor core and memory, and may further include one or more integrated input / output peripherals. In some examples, the control component may be coupled to communication interface 246 to enable (wired or wireless) communication with one or more networks, computing devices, or other suitably enabled devices. Examples of suitable communication interfaces are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0261020 to Marion et al., the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Another example of a suitable communication interface is the CC3200 single-chip wireless microcontroller unit (MCU) manufactured by Texas Instruments. Examples of suitable methods according to which the aerosol delivery device can be configured to communicate wirelessly are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0007651 to Ampolini et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0219933 to Henry, Jr. et al., each of these patents being incorporated herein by reference.

[0073] As further shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, according to some exemplary embodiments, control body 102 includes a heart rate monitor 248 attached to shell 206 (housing) and configured to obtain biopotential measurements from a user. This may include, for example, two or three biopotential electrodes that obtain biopotential measurements from a user who contacts the biopotential electrodes by hand. The biopotential electrodes may be any of many different types of electrodes capable of obtaining biopotential measurements representative of the activity of the heart, which manifests its function through electrical activity.

[0074] The heart rate monitor 248 also includes a signal conditioning circuit 252 configured to generate an electrocardiogram signal from the biopotential measurement values. An example of a suitable signal conditioning circuit is implemented in an integrated circuit (IC) such as the Analog Devices model AD8233 heart rate monitor.

[0075] In some examples, the control component 208 (microprocessor) is coupled to the signal conditioning circuit 252 and is further configured to control the operation of at least one functional element of the control body 102 or the aerosol delivery device 100 based on the electrocardiogram signal or the user's heart rate calculated therefrom. This may include a control component configured to calculate the user's heart rate from the electrocardiogram signal and to control the operation of the functional element(s) based on the calculated heart rate. The heart rate may be calculated in any suitable manner and may be expressed in beats per minute (bpm).

[0076] The functional element(s) of the control body 102 or the aerosol delivery device 100 may be controlled in any of several different ways based on the electrocardiogram signal or the heart rate. For example, the indicator 254 (e.g., visual indicator, audible indicator, tactile indicator) may be controlled to provide feedback perceptible to the user (e.g., visual feedback, audio feedback, tactile feedback). The feedback may include, for example, a visual readout of the electrocardiogram signal or the heart rate. Additionally or alternatively, for example, the feedback may include visual, audible, and / or tactile notifications that the heart rate is above, below, or within or outside a pre-defined threshold or range. In these cases, the indicator may provide feedback perceptible to the user, such as an alarm, buzzer, vibration, or visual indicator (e.g., LED).

[0077] Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, an electrocardiogram signal or heart rate may be used for user biometric authentication. In these examples, an electrocardiogram signal or a sample of the electrocardiogram signal can form a user identifier. In the context of an electrocardiogram examination, for example, the identifier may be or may include a series of calculated intervals, axes, or other measurable parameters such as the PR interval, QT interval, PR axis, and QRS axis.

[0078] In these examples, the control component 208 may be further configured to perform user biometric authentication based on the identifier. The control component may then be configured to control the operation of at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device 100 or the control body 102 based on the biometric authentication, such as to change the locked state of the aerosol delivery device or its control body. In this regard, the aerosol delivery device or its control body may be locked, whereby the device / control body, more specifically one or more of its components (e.g., the nebulizer) may be disabled, and the control component may unlock the device / control body when the user is authenticated.

[0079] Biometric authentication may be performed in several different ways. For example, the control component 208 may be configured to access the corresponding identifier of the authenticated user, such as from a memory mounted on the control component or more generally on the aerosol delivery device 100. The control component may perform a comparison of the identifier with the corresponding identifier and, based on the comparison, verify that the user is the authenticated user when the identifier and the corresponding identifier match or have at least a threshold similarity. In some examples, when verified as the authenticated user, the control component may then unlock the aerosol delivery device 100 or its control body 102.

[0080] In some examples, the aerosol delivery device 100, or more specifically its control body 102, may be adapted to a plurality of authenticated users. Additionally or alternatively, there may be a plurality of corresponding identifiers of the authenticated users, which may represent the electrocardiogram signals of the authenticated users exposed to different stress factors. The electrocardiogram signal represents the electrical activity of the heart, and thus it will be understood that the electrocardiogram signal (or more specifically, the pattern of the electrocardiogram signal) can vary depending on various stress factors that cause stress to the user. An example of a stress factor is physical activity such as exercise that can cause an increase in heart rate.

[0081] In some examples where there are a plurality of authenticated users, the control component 208 may be configured to access the corresponding identifier of the authenticated user, perform a comparison with the corresponding identifier, and verify that the user is one of the authenticated users when either the identifier and the corresponding identifier match or have at least a threshold similarity. Similarly, in some examples where there are a plurality of corresponding identifiers of the authenticated users, the control component may be configured to access the corresponding identifier of the authenticated user, perform a similar comparison, and verify that the user is an authenticated user when either the identifier and the corresponding identifier match or have at least a threshold similarity.

[0082] To enable biometric authentication, the control component 208 may be further configured to operate in a registration mode to register the user for biometric authentication. In this mode, the biopotential electrodes 250 of the heart rate monitor 248 can acquire biopotential measurements from the user over a period such as 30 seconds. The signal conditioning circuit 252 can generate a baseline electrocardiogram signal from the biopotential measurements. The control component may then be configured to receive the user's baseline electrocardiogram signal from the heart rate monitor and generate a corresponding identifier from the baseline electrocardiogram signal.

[0083] In some examples, the control component 208 may be further configured to re-register the user. This can include a control component configured to repeat the registration mode, in which the control component is configured to receive an updated baseline electrocardiogram signal of the user and update the corresponding identifier from the updated baseline electrocardiogram signal. This re-registration may be repeated on demand, or the control component may be configured to force the user to re-register regularly, such as at intervals that occur periodically or irregularly. In some specific examples, the control component can force re-registration weekly, monthly, or annually. Additionally or alternatively, for example, re-registration may be forced each time the control body 102 is coupled to the cartridge 104. In some further examples, the control component may erase the corresponding identifier from the aerosol delivery device 100, thereby potentially requiring re-registration for biometric authentication. This may be triggered on demand, regularly at intervals that occur periodically or irregularly, or automatically when the aerosol delivery device has been left inactive for a particular period of time.

[0084] When biometric authentication fails to verify that the user is the authenticated user, the control component 208 can respond in any of several different ways. The control component can repeat the biometric authentication to retry verifying the user. The control component may be set to allow a certain number of repeated attempts before requiring a different type of authentication to unlock the aerosol delivery device 100. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the control component may communicate a notification to a computing device, which may be associated with the registered owner of the aerosol delivery device as further described below.

[0085] FIG. 3 shows a system 300 that includes an aerosol delivery device 100 that wirelessly communicates with a computing device 302 (external computing device) that is external to the aerosol delivery device. This computing device may be embodied as any of several different devices, such as any of several different mobile computers. More detailed examples of suitable mobile computers include portable computers (e.g., laptops, notebooks, tablet computers), mobile phones (e.g., cell phones, smartphones), wearable computers (e.g., smartwatches), and the like. In other examples, the computing device may be embodied as other than a mobile computer, such as in the form of a desktop computer, a server computer, and the like.

[0086] In some examples, the communication interface 246 of the aerosol delivery device 100 is configured to enable the establishment of or connection to a wireless personal area network (WPAN) 304 that includes the computing device 302. Examples of suitable WPAN technologies include those based on the IEEE 802.15 standard, such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE), ZigBee, infrared (e.g., IrDA), radio frequency identification (RFID), wireless USB, or those defined thereby. Other examples of suitable WPAN technologies include Wi-Fi Direct, as well as other specific technologies that support direct device-to-device communication based on or defined by the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0087] In some examples, the communication interface 246 of the aerosol delivery device 100 is configured to enable connection to a wireless local area network (WLAN) 306. Examples of suitable WLAN technologies include those based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, or as defined thereby and commercially available as Wi-Fi. The WLAN includes suitable networking hardware, some of which may be integrated and others separate and interconnected. As shown, for example, the WLAN includes a wireless access point 308 configured to enable wireless devices including the aerosol delivery device 100 and the computing device 302 to connect to the WLAN. Also shown, for example, the WLAN may include a gateway device 310 such as a residential gateway configured to connect the WLAN to an external computer network 312 such as a wide area network (WAN) like the Internet. In some examples, the wireless access point or gateway device may include an integrated router to which other systems or devices may be connected. The WLAN may also include other integrated networking hardware or separate connected networking hardware such as network switches, hubs, digital subscriber line (DSL) modems, cable modems, etc.

[0088] In some examples, system 300 may further include a service platform 314 that can be embodied as a computer system accessible by WLAN 306 or external network 312 (as shown). The service platform may include one or more servers that can be provided, for example, by one or more blade servers, cloud computing infrastructure, etc. In some examples, the service platform may be embodied as a distributed computing device that includes multiple computing devices, such as can be used to provide cloud computing infrastructure. And in these examples, the computing devices that form the service platform may communicate with each other via a network such as an external network.

[0089] In some examples, service platform 314 is accessible on WLAN 306 and external network 312 by aerosol delivery device 100 and is configured to provide one or more services to the user of this aerosol delivery device and, in some cases, to the users of other aerosol delivery devices. For example, the service platform may be operated by a medical professional, a health, activity or fitness tracking company or organization, etc. The service platform enables users to access and use various functions, such as the function of monitoring or tracking the electrocardiogram signal and / or heart rate of the users of the aerosol delivery device.

[0090] Similar to the aerosol delivery device 100, in some examples, the service platform 314 is accessible by the computing device 302 over the WLAN 306 and the external network 312, although the WLAN or the external network may be different between the aerosol delivery device and the computing device. The computing device may include installed applications or provide other interfaces through which the service platform is accessible. This application or other interface may be or be provided by a sink client and / or other client applications, such as a web browser application through which a web page (e.g., a service portal) provided by the service platform is accessible. As another example, the application or other interface may be or be provided by a dedicated application such as a mobile application installed on a computing device embodied as a mobile computing device.

[0091] In some examples, the control component 208 is configured to wirelessly communicate an electrocardiogram signal or a heart rate to the communication interface 246 for the computing device 302 and / or the service platform 314 configured to control at least one operation of each functional element based on the electrocardiogram signal or the heart rate. In a more detailed example, the communication interface can wirelessly communicate an electrocardiogram signal. In these examples, the computing device and / or the service platform may calculate the user's heart rate from the electrocardiogram signal and control the operation of each functional element(s) based on the heart rate so calculated.

[0092] Similar to the aerosol delivery device 100, the functional elements of the computing device 302 and / or the service platform 314 may also be controlled in any of several different ways based on the electrocardiogram signal or heart rate. For example, the computing device may provide feedback (e.g., visual feedback, audible feedback, tactile feedback) perceptible to the user, such as a visual readout of the electrocardiogram signal or heart rate, and / or visual, audible, and / or tactile notifications that the heart rate is above, below, or within or outside a pre-defined threshold range. The indicator 316 (e.g., visual indicator, audio indicator, tactile indicator) may be controlled accordingly. In another example, the service platform may include a database 318 that is controlled to store the electrocardiogram signal and / or heart rate for subsequent acquisition, analysis, and / or display by the user and / or a medical professional authorized access by the user. This may also trigger other actions, such as dispatching an ambulance or calling an emergency contact when the heart rate exceeds or falls below a pre-defined threshold.

[0093] In some examples where the electrocardiogram signal or heart rate is used for user biometric authentication, when the biometric authentication fails to verify that the user is an authenticated user, the control component 208 may be configured to cause the communication interface 246 to transmit a notification to the computing device 302 (either directly or via the service platform 314). Examples of suitable notifications may include push notifications, text messages, etc., which may be presented as feedback perceptible to the user by the indicator 316.

[0094] Additionally or alternatively, computing device 302 may be configured to remotely control aerosol delivery device 100 (either directly or via service platform 314). For example, the computing device may remotely control the aerosol delivery device to lock or otherwise remotely lock the aerosol delivery device. In another example, the computing device may cause the aerosol delivery device to remotely provide a user-perceptible feedback (e.g., visual feedback, audible feedback, tactile feedback) to the user, which may enable the user to locate the aerosol delivery device.

[0095] In some examples, system 300 may further include an age verification system that may be provided by service platform 314 or another service platform. In some of these examples, communication interface 246 of aerosol delivery device 100 may enable communication with the age verification system. The age verification system may be configured to perform user age verification, and control component 208 may be configured to change the locked state of the aerosol delivery device or its control body 102 based on the age verification. Similar to the foregoing, the aerosol delivery device or its control body may be locked, whereby the device / control body, or more specifically one or more of its components (e.g., the nebulizer) may be disabled, and the control component may unlock the device / control body when the user's age is verified. This may be in addition to or instead of the biometric authentication described above. Further information regarding suitable techniques for performing age verification may be found in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 415,444 to Daugherty et al., U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 415,460 to Hubbard et al. and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 415,477 to Hubbard et al., all of which were filed on May 17, 2019, and all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Suitable techniques for performing age verification may be found in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 441,903 to Hubbard et al. and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16 / 441,937 to Hubbard et al., both of which were filed on June 14, 2019, and both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

[0096] The foregoing description of the use of the article(s) can be applied to the various exemplary embodiments described herein through minor modifications that may be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the further disclosure provided herein. However, the foregoing description of the use is not intended to limit the use of the article, but is provided to meet all the necessary requirements of the disclosure of the present disclosure. Some of the elements shown in the articles(s) shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 or otherwise described above may be included in the aerosol delivery device according to the present disclosure.

[0097] Many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure described herein will come to mind to those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains, having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the related drawings. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Further, although the foregoing description and the related drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments in the context of specific exemplary combinations of elements and / or functions, it is to be understood that alternative embodiments may provide different combinations of elements and / or functions without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, various combinations of elements and / or functions other than those explicitly described above are also contemplated, as may be described in part in the appended claims. Specific terms are used herein, but they are used only in a general and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

**Claim 1** An aerosol delivery device comprising: at least one housing configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition; an atomizer; a microprocessor configured to operate in an active mode, wherein in the active mode, the aerosol delivery device is configured to control the atomizer to activate the aerosol precursor composition to generate an aerosol; a heart rate monitor including a plurality of biopotential electrodes attached to the at least one housing and configured to acquire biopotential measurements from a user, and a signal conditioning circuit configured to generate an electrocardiogram signal from the biopotential measurements, wherein the electrocardiogram signal or a sample of the electrocardiogram signal forms an identifier of the user; and a microprocessor of the aerosol delivery device coupled to the signal conditioning circuit and further configured to control the operation of at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device based on the electrocardiogram signal or the user's heart rate calculated therefrom, perform biometric authentication of the user based on the identifier, and further configured to change the locked state of all functional elements of the aerosol delivery device other than biometric authentication based on the biometric authentication, the aerosol delivery device including a microprocessor of the aerosol delivery device. **Claim 2** The microprocessor further configured to perform biometric authentication is at least configured to: access a corresponding identifier of the authenticated user; perform a comparison between the identifier and the corresponding identifier, and based on the comparison: verify that the user is the authenticated user when the identifier and the corresponding identifier match or have at least a threshold similarity. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, including a microprocessor further configured as described above. **Claim 3** The microprocessor is further configured to operate in a registration mode to register the user for biometric authentication, and the microprocessor in the registration mode is configured to receive a baseline electrocardiogram signal of the user from the heart rate monitor and generate a corresponding identifier from the baseline electrocardiogram signal. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 2. **Claim 4** The microprocessor is further configured to enforce re-registration of the user, and further configured to repeat a registration mode in which the microprocessor receives an updated baseline electrocardiogram signal of the user and updates a corresponding identifier from the updated baseline electrocardiogram signal, the aerosol delivery device according to claim 3, comprising the microprocessor.

5. The microprocessor, further configured to perform biometric authentication, at least accesses a corresponding identifier of the authenticated user, the corresponding identifier being formed from the respective baseline electrocardiogram signals of the authenticated users, performs a comparison between the identifier and the corresponding identifier, and based on the comparison, verifies that the user is an authenticated user when either the identifier or the corresponding identifier matches or has at least a threshold similarity, the aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, comprising the microprocessor further configured as such.

6. The microprocessor is further configured to operate in a registration mode in which the microprocessor receives respective baseline electrocardiogram signals from a heart rate monitor and generates corresponding identifiers from the respective baseline electrocardiogram signals, the aerosol delivery device according to claim 5, comprising the microprocessor further configured as such.

7. The microprocessor, further configured to perform biometric authentication, at least accesses a corresponding identifier of the authenticated user, the corresponding identifier being formed from the respective baseline electrocardiogram signals of each one of the authenticated users, performs a comparison between the identifier and the corresponding identifier, and based on the comparison, verifies that the user is one of the authenticated users when either the identifier or the corresponding identifier matches or has at least a threshold similarity, the aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, comprising the microprocessor further configured as such.

8. The microprocessor is further configured to operate in a registration mode in which the microprocessor receives respective baseline electrocardiogram signals from a heart rate monitor and generates corresponding identifiers from the respective baseline electrocardiogram signals, the aerosol delivery device according to claim 7, comprising the microprocessor further configured as such.

9. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 7 further comprises a communication interface configured to enable communication with a computing device. ​ ​ A microprocessor further configured to control the operation of at least one functional element is further configured to cause a communication interface to transmit a notification to a computing device when biometric authentication fails to verify that the user is an authenticated user, the aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, comprising a microprocessor further configured as such.

10. Further comprising a communication interface configured to enable communication with an age confirmation system configured to perform age confirmation of a user, The microprocessor is further configured to change the locked state of the aerosol delivery device based on age confirmation, the aerosol delivery device according to claim 1.

11. A control body for an aerosol delivery device, the control body comprising: A housing, A microprocessor configured to operate in an active mode, and in the active mode, configured to control a nebulizer to activate an aerosol precursor composition and generate an aerosol, a microprocessor configured to operate in the active mode; A heart rate monitor including a plurality of biopotential electrodes attached to the housing and configured to acquire biopotential measurement values from a user, and a signal conditioning circuit configured to generate an electrocardiogram signal from the biopotential measurement values, wherein the electrocardiogram signal or a sample of the electrocardiogram signal forms an identifier of the user, the heart rate monitor Comprising The microprocessor is coupled to the signal conditioning circuit and is further configured to control the operation of at least one functional element of the control body or the aerosol delivery device based on the electrocardiogram signal or the user's heart rate calculated therefrom, perform biometric authentication of the user based on the identifier, and based on the biometric authentication, further configured to change the locked state of all functional elements other than biometric authentication of the control device or the aerosol delivery device, a control body for an aerosol delivery device, comprising a microprocessor configured as such.

12. A microprocessor further configured to perform biometric authentication is at least Access the corresponding identifier of the authenticated user, Perform a comparison between the identifier and the corresponding identifier, and based on the comparison, Verify that the user is an authenticated user when the identifier and the corresponding identifier match or have at least a threshold similarity The control body according to claim 11, further comprising a microprocessor configured as such.

13. The microprocessor is further configured to operate in a registration mode for registering a user for biometric authentication, and the microprocessor in the registration mode is configured to receive a baseline electrocardiogram signal of the user from a heart rate monitor and generate a corresponding identifier from the baseline electrocardiogram signal. The control body according to claim 12.

14. The microprocessor is further configured to force re-registration of the user, and the microprocessor is further configured to repeat a registration mode in which the microprocessor receives an updated baseline electrocardiogram signal of the user and updates a corresponding identifier from the updated baseline electrocardiogram signal. The control body according to claim 13, further comprising a microprocessor configured as such.

15. The microprocessor further configured to perform biometric authentication is at least access the corresponding identifier of the authenticated user, the corresponding identifier being formed from the respective baseline electrocardiogram signals of the authenticated users, perform a comparison between the identifier and the corresponding identifier, and based on the comparison, verify that the user is the authenticated user when either the identifier or the corresponding identifier matches or has at least a threshold similarity. The control body according to claim 11, further comprising a microprocessor configured as such.

16. The microprocessor is further configured to operate in a registration mode in which the microprocessor receives respective baseline electrocardiogram signals from a heart rate monitor and generates corresponding identifiers from the respective baseline electrocardiogram signals. The control body according to claim 15.

17. The microprocessor further configured to perform biometric authentication is at least access the corresponding identifier of the authenticated user, the corresponding identifier being formed from the respective baseline electrocardiogram signals of each one of the authenticated users, perform a comparison between the identifier and the corresponding identifier, and based on the comparison, verify that the user is one of the authenticated users when either the identifier or the corresponding identifier matches or has at least a threshold similarity. The control body according to claim 11, further comprising a microprocessor configured as such.

18. The control body according to claim 17, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to operate in a registration mode configured to receive respective baseline electrocardiogram signals from a heart rate monitor and generate corresponding identifiers from the respective baseline electrocardiogram signals.

19. further comprising a communication interface configured to enable communication with a computing device, The control body according to claim 11, further comprising a microprocessor configured to control the operation of at least one functional element, the microprocessor further configured to cause the communication interface to transmit a notification to the computing device when biometric authentication fails to verify that the user is the authenticated user.

20. further comprising a communication interface configured to enable communication with an age verification system configured to perform user age verification, The control body according to claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to change the locked state of the control body based on age verification.

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