Methods and systems

Abstract

To provide a method and device for providing feedback related to the use of an aerosol delivery device (hereinafter referred to as "device") to a user.SOLUTION: A method for storing information related to the use of a device on a memory of the device when using the device includes the steps of: creating a packet including information related to the use of the device, using a wireless communication interface; transmitting the packet to a remote wireless device through Bluetooth (R) protocol via the wireless communication interface; processing the information from the device on the remote wireless device; and providing feedback related to the use of the device in a graphical user interface displayed on a display device.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to data communications, and particularly, but not exclusively, to methods and apparatus for communicating from an aerosol delivery device using connectionless communication link packets. [Background technology]

[0002]

[0002] When using an aerosol delivery device, such as an electronic nicotine delivery device (sometimes called an e-cigarette), there may be information collected by the device regarding the status of the device. This information may be useful to a user of the aerosol delivery device, such as an electronic nicotine delivery (END) device, related to information such as battery charge level or information regarding the level of the remaining nicotine supply, such as the number of puffs (one puff is one inhalation) and / or total puff duration values. In addition, information such as error codes may be generated by the device. Furthermore, the information may be useful to a user seeking to control their nicotine addiction. Such information may also be useful to some form of administrative entity, which may, for example, be able to record the number and type of error occurrences. The inventors have devised an approach to access such information in an energy-efficient and uninterrupted manner.

[0003]

[0003] Methods of data transfer using low-power communication protocols such as Bluetooth® or Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) (also known as Bluetooth Smart) often involve establishing a partnership, bonding, pairing, or other connection-based channel between two entities to facilitate information transmission via the protocol.

[0004]

[0004] US Patent Application Publication No. 20161 / 84635 describes a method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving data using Bluetooth.

[0005]

[0005] US Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 065584 describes low-power beacon encoding.

[0006]

[0006] TW201513524A describes a physiological information monitoring system that complies with the Bluetooth low energy protocol.

[0007]

[0007] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015319555 describes a method and apparatus for Bluetooth-based Wi-Fi synchronization.

[0008]

[0008] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 172391 describes a method, apparatus and computer program product for network discovery.

[0009]

[0009] US Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 029149 describes a low-power, short-range wireless communication system.

[0010]

[0010] WO 16 / 037012A describes measuring health and fitness data using proximity sensors and mobile technology.

[0011]

[0011] US Patent Application Publication No. 20168021448 describes field management using Bluetooth low energy.

[0012]

[0012] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 312858 describes a method and apparatus for generating Bluetooth low energy data packets containing an audio payload.

[0013]

[0013] US Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 037566 describes a method and apparatus for optimized Bluetooth low energy communication.

[0014]

[0014] US Patent Application Publication No. 2011 / 021142 describes a method and apparatus for a dual-mode Bluetooth low energy device.

[0015]

[0015] US Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 178160 describes a system and related method for facilitating wireless communication.

[0016]

[0016] WO 16 / 108646A describes a method and apparatus for controlling devices using Bluetooth LE technology.

[0017]

[0017] WO 16 / 017909A describes a method and apparatus for controlling electronic devices in a wireless communication system that supports Bluetooth communication.

[0018]

[0018] CN104664605A describes an intelligent electronic cigarette with wireless Bluetooth low-power communication function. Summary of the Invention

[0019]

[0019] Particular aspects and embodiments are set out in the accompanying independent and dependent claims.

[0020]

[0020] In one aspect, a method and apparatus can be provided for communicating from an electronic nicotine delivery device using connectionless communication link packets.

[0021]

[0021] In a particular approach, a method for an aerosol delivery device can be provided. The method can include storing, in a memory of the aerosol delivery device, information recording usage characteristics of the aerosol delivery device when the aerosol delivery device is in use. The method can further include generating, using a wireless communication interface of the aerosol delivery device, a connectionless state advertisement packet including information related to the identification and advertisement state of the aerosol delivery device and a first set of information from the memory recording usage characteristics of the aerosol delivery device, and transmitting the advertisement packet via the wireless communication interface. The method can further include receiving, via the wireless communication interface, a connectionless state request packet from a remote wireless device, and, in response to receiving the request packet, generating, using the wireless communication interface, a connectionless state response packet including a second set of information from the memory recording usage characteristics of the aerosol delivery device. As a result, the aerosol delivery device can be provided operable to interact with a data collection or logging entity to enable usage information to be collected and used, for example, for preventative and / or predictive interaction with the device or user regarding potential or anticipated problems. Other analytical purposes are also possible.

[0022] In some examples, the aerosol delivery device is an electronic nicotine delivery device, and as a result, electronic nicotine delivery devices and users can benefit from the techniques described herein.

[0023] In some examples, the wireless communication interface utilizes an IEEE 802.11 or IEEE 802.15-derived wireless communication protocol. In one example, the wireless communication interface is a Bluetooth or BTLE interface. As a result, this approach can provide the techniques described herein using commonly adopted communication technologies using standardized communication interfaces and modules.

[0024] In some examples, the connectionless state advertisement packet comprises a payload including a first set of information recording usage characteristics, wherein the first set of information recording usage characteristics comprises one or more values selected from the group consisting of a battery characteristic, an aerosol generation characteristic, an aerosol medium characteristic, an aerosol generation event characteristic, and an error or abnormal behavior characteristic. As a result, this technique can be used to base data logging, reporting, and / or predictive actions on particular measurable indicative characteristics of a particular aerosol delivery device.

[0025] In some examples, the connectionless status response packet comprises a payload including a second set of information recording usage characteristics, wherein the second set of information recording usage characteristics comprises one or more values selected from the group consisting of a battery characteristic, an aerosol generation characteristic, an aerosol medium characteristic, an aerosol generation event characteristic, and an error or abnormal behavior characteristic. As a result, the technique can be used to base data logging, reporting, and / or predictive actions on particular measurable indicative characteristics of a particular aerosol delivery device.

[0026] In some examples, the connectionless status response packet further includes information related to the identity of the aerosol delivery device, so that logging, reporting, and / or predictive operations can be personalized to a particular device.

[0027] In some examples, at least one of the first set of information recording usage characteristics and the second set of information recording usage characteristics is arranged in the payload according to a predefined schema that defines the order and size of values included in the payload, such that the technique may be able to communicate in a standardized manner that facilitates efficient data communication with minimal overhead.

[0028]

[0028] In another particular approach, an aerosol delivery device can be provided that includes a memory configured to store information recording usage characteristics of the aerosol delivery device when the aerosol delivery device is in use, and a wireless communication interface configured to transmit a connectionless state advertisement packet including information related to the identification and advertisement status of the aerosol delivery device and a first set of information recording usage characteristics of the aerosol delivery device from the memory. The wireless communication interface can be further configured to receive a connectionless state request packet from a remote wireless device and to transmit a connectionless state response packet including a second set of information from the memory recording usage characteristics of the aerosol delivery device. As a result, the aerosol delivery device can be provided that is operable to interact with a data collection or logging entity to enable usage information to be collected and used, for example, for preventative and / or predictive interaction with the device or user regarding potential or anticipated problems. Other analytical purposes are also possible.

[0029]

[0029] Such a device may include elements or components that enable it to operate according to the various example methods outlined above.

[0030] In a further particular approach, a system can be provided that includes the aerosol delivery device as outlined above and a remote wireless device, the remote wireless device can include a wireless communication interface configured to receive connectionless state advertisement packets, send connectionless state request packets, and receive connectionless state response packets from the aerosol delivery device.

[0031]

[0031] Embodiments of the present teachings will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an advertising protocol.

[0033] [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary device environment.

[0034] [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating messages between devices.

[0035] [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a message.

[0036] [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a message payload.

[0037] [Figure 6a] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a first message schema.

[0038] [Figure 6b] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second message schema.

[0039] [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol delivery device.

[0040] [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a logging device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0041] While the techniques described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description are not intended to limit the scope to the particular forms disclosed, but rather, the scope is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims.

[0042]

[0042] The present disclosure relates to a form of modified wireless communication behavior in which devices may be configured to use BTLE or BTLE-like communication protocols to achieve connectionless sharing of information related to the status and / or usage of END devices.

[0043]

[0043] In this example, the aerosol delivery device uses BTLE, but the present teachings can be utilized with other Bluetooth or Bluetooth-like protocols. Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard for short-range communication between appropriately enabled devices. BTLE is a variant of the original Bluetooth technology designed to provide extended battery life and / or low power consumption for small battery applications. Both Bluetooth and BTLE operate in the 2.4-2.485 GHz UHF radio industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band and are designed to create so-called wireless personal area networks (PANs) for interconnecting devices over short distances. BTLE uses a modified version of the Bluetooth stack for communication, such that BTLE devices and legacy Bluetooth devices are not directly compatible unless one device implements both protocols. Both the Bluetooth and BTLE standards are maintained by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). This disclosure is provided in the context of a BTLE implementation using portions of the Bluetooth v4 specification related to BTLE. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the present teachings may also be applied to other Bluetooth approaches, such as the so-called Classic Bluetooth provisions, which are also described in the Bluetooth v4 specification. It should be further understood that the present teachings may also be applied to technologies that do not follow the full Bluetooth specification but still behave like Bluetooth.

[0044] For example, it would be possible to deploy the techniques of the present teachings with a non-Bluetooth system that still uses an advertising configuration based on the BTLE Generic Access Profile (GAP) and thus has an advertising configuration substantially as shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 illustrates one advertising configuration according to which a peripheral (or slave, or remote, or secondary) device advertises its availability as a peripheral (or slave, or remote, or secondary) device during one advertising period, with these advertising periods separated by advertising intervals. An advertisement may include data to transmit, an indication that data is available for transmission, or no data reference at all. To receive advertisements, a central (or primary or control) device scans for advertisements during a scan window. Multiple scan windows are separated by scan intervals. The relative durations of the scan interval and the advertising interval can be varied by determining that one device type's interval is constant and the other is variable, or by determining that both are variable; this determination can be set by standards or rules established to implement the advertising protocol. By providing this relative variation of the scan interval and the advertisement interval, it is realized that even if the initial advertisement period does not overlap with the initial scan window, after several advertisement and scan intervals, an advertisement period will occur that overlaps with the scan window so that a connection can be initiated between the central device and the peripheral device.

[0045] A first example of a device environment 10 in which the present teachings can be utilized is shown in Figure 2. In this example, an aerosol delivery device 12 is operable to communicate with a logging device 16 via a communication channel 14. Additionally, in some examples, the logging device 16 may be operable to communicate with a remote network service 20 via a communication channel 18.

[0046] As discussed above, the aerosol delivery device 12 can be an END device. The logging device 16 can be any suitable device compatible with the wireless communication channel 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the logging device 16 includes one or more communication access points, such as a base station or similar device for the wireless communication channel 14. The logging device 16 can also, or alternatively, include a computing device, such as a tablet computer, smartphone, portable computer, desktop computer, server, or other general-purpose computing device, that includes or is attached to an interface for the wireless communication channel 14.

[0047]

[0047] In this example, the wireless communication channel 14 is a BTLE or BTLE-like channel that transmits data packets between the aerosol delivery device 12 and the logging device 16 using a connectionless state of the communication protocol or a connectionless communication protocol.

[0048] The communication channel 18 between the logging device 16 and the remote network service 20 may be a wired and / or wireless channel and may use the same or different network protocols as the wireless communication channel 14. In this example, the communication channel 18 may be a conventional network data connection, such as a WI-FI (IEEE 802.11x) or Ethernet-based connection, using conventional network transport and data protocols such as TCP / IP, Fiberchannel, and Infiniband.

[0049]

[0049] The remote network service 20 can be accessed via a public or private network, such as a WAN or the Internet. The remote network service 20 may be provided as a public or private cloud service, on dedicated or shared network resources.

[0050] 2, the aerosol delivery device 12 can provide various usage and / or status data about the device to one or more logging devices 16 using a connectionless transmitter, i.e., without formal bonding, pairing, or other connection establishment processes. This can facilitate direct, uninterrupted data collection from the aerosol delivery device 12. Thus, the aerosol delivery device can automatically collect and collate usage / status data before providing it to the logging device, which identifies and extracts the data from the aerosol delivery device and, if necessary, processes the data into an information format used for data logging and / or analysis. The data from the aerosol delivery device can be further forwarded / uploaded to a remote network service for centralized processing of the information carried by the data.

[0051]

[0051] A technique for transmitting and receiving data packets between the elements shown in Figure 2 is shown in Figure 3. In Figure 3, the aerosol delivery device 12 is shown sending out an advertisement packet, identified in Figure 3 as ADV_IND (in BTLE terminology, devices listening to the advertisement packet are called "peripheral" devices). The ADV_IND packet is not directed to any other device in particular, but can be received and read by any device within transmission range that is listening to the advertisement packet (in BTLE terminology, devices listening to the advertisement packet are called "center" devices). This packet provides the sending device's advertisement function, describing enough identifying details of the sending device that a receiving device can construct a response packet, which identifies the sending device such that the sending device understands that the receiving device is the intended recipient of the response packet. The ADV_IND packet is also connectable, in the sense that it can be used as the first step in a process to establish a connection (such as a bonding or pairing connection) between a sending device and a receiving device. However, in this example, such connectable functionality is not utilized to facilitate transmission of aerosol delivery device status / usage data.

[0052]

[0052] When logging device 16 receives the ADV_IND packet from aerosol delivery device 12, it uses the identifying information from the ADV_IND packet to send a response to aerosol delivery device 12 in the form of a request packet, identified as SCAN_REQ in Figure 3, which requests further information from the aerosol delivery device.

[0053]

[0053] When the aerosol delivery device 12 receives the SCAN_REQ packet, the aerosol delivery device 12 then generates and transmits a response packet, identified in Figure 3 as SCAN_RSP, toward the logging device 16. From the aerosol delivery device 12's perspective, the logging device 16 can be considered a remote wireless device, since the aerosol delivery device 12 may be uncertain regarding the exact nature of any other devices with which it exchanges advertising packets. Optionally, there may be onward transmission by the logging device 16 of status / usage data received from the aerosol delivery device. This onward transmission may be directed to the remote network service 20, and is indicated in Figure 3 as [Upload].

[0054]

[0054] The exchange of packets between the aerosol delivery device 12 and the logging device 16 is complete when the SCAN_RSP packet is received by the logging device 14. At this point in the technique, this process can be completed because the aerosol delivery device usage / status data is actually provided in the ADV_IND and SCAN_RSP packets.

[0055]

[0055] In this example, each of the ADV_IND and SCAN_RSP packets has a packet structure that includes space for payload information. This payload information space is used by the present technique to transport usage / status data for the aerosol delivery device. While detailed examples of packet structures are described herein with reference to BTLE packets, it should be understood that other transmission protocols or stacks that result in similar advertisement packet sequences with capacity for advertisement and response packet payloads can also be used to achieve the results of the present teachings.

[0056]

[0056] The packet structure used in the ADV_IND packet and SCAN_RSP packet discussed with respect to Figure 3 includes a preamble, an access address, a packet data unit, and an error check code. A typical example structure is shown in Figure 4. According to the normal BTLE packet structure, the preamble has a size of 1 byte and is used for internal protocol management. The access address has a size of 4 bytes and is set to a default value for advertisement packets. The packet data unit (PDU) is payload space that can be used to carry additional information and has a size ranging from 2 to 39 bytes. The error check code (ECC) is used as error check coding and is usually based on a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) calculated from other bits of the packet.

[0057]

[0057] The structure of a packet data unit is shown in Figure 5. As shown, a PDU header and a payload are provided. The PDU header has a length of 2 bytes and contains details of the packet type (i.e. in this example the packet type identifiers used are the ADV_IND, SCAN_REQ and SCAN_RSP identifiers). The header may also contain details of the payload length, as the payload can have a variable length.

[0058]

[0058] In that case, the actual data payload is contained in a payload that can have a size of up to 37 bytes. This payload contains the address of the sending device (the aerosol delivery device 12 in the case of the ADV_IND and SCAN_RSP packets). This payload occupies a maximum payload size of 6 bytes. The payload may also contain a destination address, if applicable (e.g., in SCAN_RSP, the address of the logging device 16 that sent the SCAN_REQ), which is also expected to occupy a maximum payload size of 6 bytes.

[0059]

[0059] The remaining bytes of the payload space of the ADV_IND packet (up to 31 bytes, since the other 6 bytes of the maximum PDU size are used for the sending device's address) may typically be used to contain advertising data from the advertiser's host, such as the names of advertising services and useful devices. In this approach, instead of advertising data about the advertiser, the remaining payload space is controlled to carry data collected from the device in use, which data describes the use and / or status of the aerosol delivery device. Thus, this usage / status information can be transported without the need to establish a formal connection (such as a pairing or bonding connection) between the aerosol delivery device and the logging device. The payloads of both the ADV_IND and SCAN_RSP can be controlled in this manner.

[0060]

[0060] Various examples of data fields relating to an aerosol delivery device 12, such as an END device, that may have utility in managing or receiving reports from the aerosol delivery device 12 by a logging device 16 and / or a remote network service 20 are now described. - Puff count (the number of aerosol delivery actions performed by the device, which can be defined as the total number of actions on the device or the total number of actions since a replacement event, such as a new aerosol content cartridge being inserted) - puff duration (average or total duration of aerosol delivery action, usually over a duration equal to the number of puffs); - Battery Charges (number of battery charge / discharge cycles performed on the device) - Average battery percentage before charging (displays the average battery percentage value when charging starts) - Thermal protection (number of times the thermal protection function has been used on the device) - Error Codes (any error codes currently displayed by the device and / or the device's error code history) - too short puff (indicating an aerosol delivery attempt that does not meet the threshold duration to ensure that the aerosol contents are actually delivered) - Cartomizer used (display of the aerosol content cartridge currently installed in the device) - puffs per power profile (e.g., number of aerosol delivery operations for each of several different power profiles: high, medium, and low) - Current Power Setting (display of the current power setting currently set to be used in the next aerosol delivery operation) - Charge duration (indication of the length of time the device has had sufficient charge for aerosol delivery operation) - Pre-charge battery threshold (indication of remaining battery charge expressed as a percentage, standby time, and / or number of aerosol delivery operations at the current power setting, etc.) - Boot / Uptime duration(s) (indicating the number of power-on cycles and / or duration of power-on state) - Product Type (identifier of the device's product type) - Batch Number (device batch number identifier) - Serial Number (Device serial number identifier) - Device On Time Duration (Displays the duration of the power-on state) - Device off time duration (displays the duration of the power off state) - Device / Coil Temperature (display of current and / or past device temperature and / or heater coil temperature used for aerosol generation)

[0061] As will be appreciated, a wide variety of such fields related to the current and past use / status of the device may be generated and used depending on the requirements of the aerosol delivery device, the logging device, and / or the remote network service. For example, in a configuration where the application provided in the logging device and / or the remote network service is concerned with providing successful operation of the device and error feedback to a user or administrator, fields related to error codes, physical status (temperature, battery, uptime, etc.), and device identification information (product, batch, serial, etc.) may be emphasized. In a configuration where the application provided in the logging device and / or the remote network service is concerned with analyzing usage statistics, fields related to aerosol delivery operation (puff count, puff duration, puffs per watt, charge duration, etc.) may be emphasized. However, to enable applications with a range of content targets and emphasis to operate successfully with an aerosol delivery device without introducing the requirement for detailed data requests of the type that facilitate or require a connection to be established to the aerosol delivery device, the aerosol delivery device may be pre-configured to provide any or all possible data fields when advertising using an ADV_IND packet and when responding to a SCAN_REQ packet with a SCAN_RSP packet (e.g., by a user interface provided by the application that connects with the device using a connection-based exchange of configuration information at the time of manufacture, at the time of sale, or after sale).

[0062]

[0062] Therefore, the present teachings also provide such fields to be transmitted in the combined ADV_IND and SCAN_RSP packets. An example of one possible schema for including device status / usage fields in the payload of the ADV_IND and SCAN_RSP packets is shown in Figures 6a and 6b. In Figure 6a, the ADV_IND payload content starts with a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier). Each device subscribing to a communication protocol (BTLE in this example) has an identifier that identifies that device separately from all others. In this example (consistent with the BTLE definition), the UUID has a length of 128 bits, thereby creating a maximum pool of 2128 possible unique devices. In this case, the payload of the ADV_IND packet contains seven fields, each up to two bytes in length. In one example, these fields can be assigned as follows: A for product / batch ID, B for puff count, C for error code, D for puffs at high power, E for puffs at medium power, and G for puffs at low power.

[0063] 6a, the SCAN_RSP payload content includes seven other fields, which are shown to have variable lengths. In one example, these fields can be assigned as follows: H=total battery charge, I=average battery percentage before charging, J=time since last charge, K=time since last power-on cycle, L=puff duration, M=time spent charging, and N=total overheat events. Additionally, some space is shown as reserved (i.e., not used in this example schema) but could be used in alternative schemas.

[0064]

[0064] By predefining the schema for field transmission in the ADV_IND and SCAN_RSP packets, the receiving logging device can interpret the meaning of the data by its location within the packet payload. This allows for efficient use of the limited data space within the packet. This schema may be fixed for the life of the device, or it may be modifiable by the system implementer or user.

[0065] It should be understood that the present approach involves transmitting data from the aerosol delivery device 12 to the logging device 16. Accordingly, to illustrate suitable devices for performing such data transmission, an exemplary aerosol delivery device and an exemplary logging device are described with reference to Figures 7 and 8, respectively.

[0066]

[0066] An example of an aerosol delivery device 12 is shown schematically in Figure 7. As shown, the aerosol delivery device 12 is a device that contains elements related to aerosol generation, such as an aerosol medium container or cartridge 30 (in the case of an END device, the aerosol medium container or cartridge 30 contains nicotine or a nicotine-containing formulation), an aerosol generation chamber 31, and an outlet 32 through which the generated aerosol can be released. A battery 33 can be provided to power a heat generator element (such as a heater coil 34) within the aerosol generation chamber 31. The battery 33 can also power a power processor / controller 35, which can serve device usage purposes, such as activating the device to generate aerosol in response to an activation trigger, and for device monitoring and reporting purposes. The processor / controller 35 has access to a memory 36, which can store data collected or determined by the processor / controller until transmission. The memory 36 can be internal to the processor / controller or provided as an additional, separate physical element. To transmit the data stored in memory 35, the processor / controller includes a transmitter / receiver element 37. In this example, this transceiver element is a BTLE interface element that includes a radio antenna for wireless communication.

[0067] As shown, the processor 35 may be connected to, for example, the aerosol medium container or cartridge 30, the aerosol generation chamber 31, and the battery 33. This connection may lead to an interface connection or an output from one of the components and / or to a sensor located on one of the components. These connections allow the processor to access characteristics of each component. For example, a battery connection may provide an indication of the current charge level of the battery 33. By measuring the battery charge level over a period of time, the controller / processor 35 may determine and store values for any or all of the following data fields: the current (i.e., most recent) battery level, the average lowest charge level reached before a recharge event, the low battery condition, and the total number of recharge events. As another example, a connection to the aerosol medium container or cartridge may enable the controller / processor 35 to determine and store values for any or all of the following data fields: the identifier of the currently installed container or cartridge, and the current level of aerosol medium remaining when a container or cartridge change occurs. As another example, connection to the aerosol-generating chamber may enable the controller / processor 35 to determine and store values for any or all of the data fields, including coil overtemperature events, coil activation events (representing puff events), coil activation durations (representing puff durations), etc. Additionally, the processor / controller 35 may use an internal or external clock to reference events over a period of time, thereby determining and storing data fields related to measurements over a period of time, and / or determining and storing data fields related to the duration of individual events, and comparing such durations to thresholds to detect aerosol-generating events of excessive or insufficient duration. Furthermore, the processor / controller 35 may already know and store information such as a device identifier, serial number, and even the current power level setting to be applied to the aerosol-generating event.The processor / controller 35 can also recognize currently defined data transmission schemas so that the processor / controller can package that data into a configuration for transmission. Thus, the aerosol delivery device 12 in this example determines and stores various data related to current and past uses of the aerosol delivery device, then packages that data into a predetermined data payload schema and includes such packaged data in advertising messages and response messages, allowing the data to be communicated to the logging device 16.

[0068]

[0068] An example of a logging device 16 is shown schematically in FIG. 8. As shown, the logging device 16 includes a transceiver element 40 for receiving advertisement packets and response packets from the aerosol delivery device and transmitting request packets to the aerosol delivery device. In examples where the aerosol delivery device uses a BTLE transmitter / receiver element, the transceiver element 40 of the logging device 16 is also a BTLE-enabled or compatible element. The transceiver element 40 is connected to a processor or controller 41 that can receive and process data received from the aerosol delivery device. The processor or controller 41 has access to a memory 42 that can be used to store program information and / or data. The logging device 16 may be a dedicated logging device configured primarily for receiving and recording data from the aerosol delivery device, such as may be referred to as a sniffing device. In such examples, any program instructions for the processor or controller 41 may be solely associated with performing the logging / sniffing function and any forwarding or transmission function. Alternatively, logging device 16 may be a base station or similar device for wireless communication channel 14, in which case the program instructions may relate to logging / detection functions as well as base station functions. In another alternative, logging device 16 may be a general-purpose computing device such as a tablet computer, smartphone, portable computer, desktop computer, server, or other multi-purpose computing device, in which case the application instructions of processor or controller 41 may be general-purpose operating system instructions and instructions for other applications installed on the device, and the logging / detection functions are provided as applications operable on the device in addition to other programmed functions.

[0069] The logging device 16 may include another data transmission interface 43. This interface may provide one or more interfacing functions with a wired connection, such as Ethernet, Infiniband, or Fiberchannel, and / or with a wireless connection, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or ZigBee, and / or any of these connections may be compatible with the communication channel 18. This interface may be used if a particular implementation requires the ability to transmit data received from the aerosol delivery device 12 onward to a remote network service 20. The logging device may also include user interface elements, such as an output device 44 (which may include one or more of a display device, an audio output device, and a tactile output device) and / or an input device 45 (which may include one or more of a button, a key, a touch-sensitive display element, or a mouse / trackpad).

[0070]

[0070] When implemented, the remote network service 20 includes an interface capable of receiving data via a selected communication channel 18. The remote network service 20 can include one or more computational resources and one or more storage resources by which the remote network service can process status / usage data of one or more aerosol delivery devices to report and / or control the aerosol delivery device status. For example, the network service can provide centralized logging of the type, frequency, and total of error codes occurring in several aerosol delivery devices of several different product types and / or batches.

[0071] Processing of data from the aerosol delivery devices can occur in either or both of the logging device 16 and the remote network service 20. Such processing can result in user-level and / or administrator-level information associated with one or more aerosol delivery devices. Such information can be provided to users and / or administrators using an appropriate user interface, such as a graphical user interface that can be displayed on a display device. User-level information can be used to provide feedback to users regarding their personal usage habits, including preferences for how many aerosol generation events occurred over a given period of time and / or at each of several power levels and / or using which aerosol media. Such information can be useful to users seeking to regulate their aerosol media intake to match (or exceed or not exceed) their personal goals or objectives. Such information can also provide users of aerosol generating devices with more information about their usage than previously available. Administrator-level information can be used for product quality / reliability reporting by allowing different products, or different batches of the same product, to be compared for undesirable usage behavior, such as overheating or other error indicators. Such information can be fed back into the product design process to optimize future device reliability. Managerial-level information can also be used to reveal market information or trends, such as usage patterns of different aerosol medium containers or cartridges in aerosol delivery devices sold to different markets.

[0072]

[0072] It can be seen from this example that information provided by the aerosol delivery device, including usage / status information, may be transmitted in the open (i.e., without any specific encryption). However, it should also be noted that this information is anonymous, in the sense that only the identifying information (UUID, product identifier, serial number, batch number, etc.) is associated with the device, not with the user. Furthermore, the data transmission schema does not require field labels to be included in the data packets, so that the packet data can actually contain only one or more values per field, such that to a casual observer, the packet data merely contains a random series of data bits. Furthermore, since the schema can, in some instances, be modified between a user and their device, each user can have a customized schema that prevents knowledge of the default schema from being able to determine the meaning of the data in the packets. Thus, it can be seen that the transmission of advertisement packets and response packets is actually secure, even though it does not necessarily include specific traditional security techniques such as encryption.

[0073] However, it may be necessary to implement the present example system using data encryption (e.g., if the schema is modified to include data such as the user's personal identification data that the user of the aerosol delivery device wishes to keep protected). To do so, the aerosol delivery device and the logging device can establish a connection that can be used to exchange appropriate encryption keys for the aerosol delivery device to use when preparing the payload information for the advertisement packets and response packets. Then, even after such a connection is discontinued, the aerosol delivery device can use such encryption key to encrypt the data in the payload, while also including an identifier in the payload (using a session key or similar method) that identifies the receiving logging device details of the encryption that is used to enable the logging device to access the transmitted data using the correct encryption key.

[0074]

[0074] Thus, a complete solution has been described for collecting and providing aerosol delivery device status and / or usage information to a logging device through a connectionless exchange of data packets, where the information is conveyed using advertisement packets and response packets sent from the aerosol delivery device.

[0075]

[0075] The above describes a technique used to implement connectionless transmission of data packets, implemented using BTLE ADV_IND and SCAN_RSP packets in a BTLE communication environment. Alternative techniques can also be used to implement similar connectionless transfer of aerosol delivery device usage / status data. As will be appreciated, BTLE is a subset of the Bluetooth specification, originally defined within the IEEE 802.15 framework. Connectionless transmission of usage / status data can also be achieved using other IEEE 802.15-compliant or derived technologies (sometimes referred to as personal area network or PAN technologies), such as (non-BTLE) Bluetooth (including Bluetooth 5, which no longer uses the "LE" name), Zigbee, or Z-Wave. Additionally, connectionless transmission of usage / status data can also be achieved using other wireless technologies, such as Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) or the like.

[0076] As can be seen from the above discussion, both the aerosol delivery device 12 and the logging device 16 may need to store data associated with various usage / status fields in their respective device memories. In one embodiment, this storage is performed by defining a static framework structure of memory usage in which specific field values are stored in specific, predetermined memory locations or in specific, predetermined locations within a data file format. Such a structure may also include a label or identifier for each field within the framework structure. In an alternative embodiment, either or both of the storage devices of the aerosol delivery device 12 and the logging device 16 may be configured to store data via a dynamic allocation configuration. This avoids using memory space for specific fields that are not being used at any given time, but does require that a label or identifier for each field be used within the dynamic memory structure.

[0077]

[0077] Thus, the present teachings have presented an approach for collecting and providing data corresponding to several metrics representative of the use or status of an aerosol delivery device. This approach is achieved without requiring device pairing or connection, such that the user does not need to have pre-configuration or persistent interaction with the aerosol delivery device. The use of connectionless data transfer further avoids the need for pre-configuration or persistent interaction with the aerosol delivery device. At the same time, user configuration, where applicable, can be performed in certain embodiments.

[0078]

[0078] The various embodiments described herein are presented solely to aid in the understanding and teaching of the claimed features. These embodiments are provided only as representative examples of embodiments and are not intended to be exhaustive and / or limiting. It is understood that the advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and / or other aspects described herein should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure as defined in the claims or as a limitation to the equivalents of the claims, and that other embodiments may be used and changes may be made without departing from the scope and / or spirit of the claims. Further embodiments are described below in the numbered paragraphs. [Item 1] 1. A method for an aerosol delivery device, comprising: storing information in a memory of the aerosol delivery device upon use of the aerosol delivery device that records usage characteristics of the aerosol delivery device; generating a connectionless state advertisement packet using a wireless communication interface of the aerosol delivery device, the connectionless state advertisement packet including information related to the identification and advertisement state of the aerosol delivery device and a first set of information recording usage characteristics of the aerosol delivery device from the memory; transmitting the advertisement packet via the wireless communication interface; receiving a connectionless state request packet from a remote wireless device via the wireless communication interface; In response to receiving the request packet, generating, using the wireless communication interface, a connectionless state response packet from the memory that includes a second set of information recording usage characteristics of the aerosol delivery device. A method comprising: [Item 2] Item 1, wherein the aerosol delivery device is an electronic nicotine delivery device. [Item 3] 3. The method according to item 1 or 2, wherein the wireless communication interface uses an IEEE802.11 or IEEE802.15 derived wireless communication protocol. [Item 4] 4. The method according to item 3, wherein the wireless communication interface is a Bluetooth or BTLE interface. [Item 5] 5. The method of any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the connectionless state advertisement packet comprises a payload including the first set of information recording usage characteristics, and the first set of information recording usage characteristics comprises one or more values selected from the group consisting of battery characteristics, aerosol generation characteristics, aerosol medium characteristics, aerosol generation event characteristics, and error or abnormal behavior characteristics. [Item 6] 6. The method of any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the connectionless state response packet comprises a payload including the second set of information recording usage characteristics, and the second set of information recording usage characteristics comprises one or more values selected from the group consisting of battery characteristics, aerosol generation characteristics, aerosol medium characteristics, aerosol generation event characteristics, and error or abnormal behavior characteristics. [Item 7] 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the connectionless state response packet further includes information related to the identification information of the aerosol delivery device. [Item 8] 8. The method of any one of items 5 to 7, wherein at least one of the first set of information recording usage characteristics and the second set of information recording usage characteristics is arranged in the payload according to a predefined schema that defines the order and size of values included in the payload. [Item 9] 1. An aerosol delivery device comprising: a memory configured to store information recording usage characteristics of the aerosol delivery device when the aerosol delivery device is in use; a wireless communication interface configured to transmit a connectionless state advertisement packet including information related to the identification and advertisement state of the aerosol delivery device and a first set of information from the memory that records usage characteristics of the aerosol delivery device; Equipped with the wireless communication interface is further configured to receive a connectionless state request packet from a remote wireless device; The aerosol delivery device, wherein the wireless communication interface is further configured to transmit a connectionless state response packet from the memory including a second set of information recording usage characteristics of the aerosol delivery device. [Item 10] 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the aerosol delivery device is an electronic nicotine delivery device. [Item 11] 11. The device according to item 9 or 10, wherein the wireless communication interface utilizes an IEEE 802.11 or IEEE 802.15 derived wireless communication protocol. [Item 12] Item 12. The device according to item 11, wherein the wireless communication interface is a Bluetooth or BTLE interface. [Item 13] 13. A device as described in any one of items 9 to 12, wherein the connectionless state advertisement packet comprises a payload including the first set of information recording usage characteristics, and the first set of information recording usage characteristics comprises one or more values selected from the group consisting of battery characteristics, aerosol generation characteristics, aerosol medium characteristics, aerosol generation event characteristics, and error or abnormal behavior characteristics. [Item 14] 14. The device of any one of items 9 to 13, wherein the connectionless state response packet comprises a payload including the second set of information recording usage characteristics, and the second set of information recording usage characteristics comprises one or more values selected from the group consisting of battery characteristics, aerosol generation characteristics, aerosol medium characteristics, aerosol generation event characteristics, and error or abnormal behavior characteristics. [Item 15] Item 15. The device of item 14, wherein the connectionless state response packet further includes information related to the identification information of the aerosol delivery device. [Item 16] 16. The device of any one of items 13 to 15, wherein at least one of the first set of information recording usage characteristics and the second set of information recording usage characteristics is arranged in the payload according to a predefined schema that defines the order and size of values included in the payload. [Item 17] An aerosol delivery device according to any one of items 9 to 16, a remote wireless device, receiving the connectionless state advertisement packet from the aerosol delivery device; transmitting the connectionless state request packet; receive the connectionless status response packet a remote wireless device having a wireless communication interface configured as A system comprising:

Claims

1. 1. A method for providing feedback related to use of an aerosol delivery device, comprising: storing information relating to use of the aerosol delivery device in a memory of the aerosol delivery device upon use of the aerosol delivery device; generating a connectionless state advertisement packet using a wireless communication interface of the aerosol delivery device, the connectionless state advertisement packet including the information related to use of the aerosol delivery device; sending the connectionless state advertisement packet to a remote wireless device via the wireless communication interface and via a Bluetooth protocol without normal bonding, pairing or other connection establishment processes; processing the information from the aerosol delivery device at the remote wireless device; generating, at the remote wireless device, feedback relating to use of the aerosol delivery device using the processed information; providing the feedback related to use of the aerosol delivery device in a graphical user interface displayed on a display device of the remote wireless device; wherein the remote wireless device is a smartphone; the connectionless state advertisement packet comprises a payload containing the information related to use of the aerosol delivery device; A method wherein the information related to the use of the aerosol delivery device is arranged in the payload according to a predefined schema that defines the order and size of each field related to the information to be included in the payload.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information related to use of the aerosol delivery device includes aerosol generation event information.

3. 1. A system comprising an aerosol delivery device and a remote wireless device, the aerosol delivery device comprising: a memory configured to store information related to use of the aerosol delivery device when the aerosol delivery device is in use; a wireless communication interface configured to transmit a connectionless state advertisement packet containing the information related to use of the aerosol delivery device via a Bluetooth protocol without using a regular bonding, pairing, or other connection establishment process; Equipped with the remote wireless device comprises a wireless communication interface configured to receive the connectionless state advertisement packet from the aerosol delivery device via the Bluetooth protocol; the remote wireless device is configured to process information from the aerosol delivery device and generate feedback related to use of the aerosol delivery device using the processed information to provide the feedback related to use of the aerosol delivery device in a graphical user interface displayed on a display device of the remote wireless device, the remote wireless device being a smartphone; the connectionless state advertisement packet comprises a payload containing the information related to use of the aerosol delivery device; A system wherein the information related to the use of the aerosol delivery device is arranged in the payload according to a predefined schema that defines the order and size of each field related to the information to be included in the payload.

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