Aerosol delivery device with integrated wireless connectivity for temperature monitoring

Abstract

To provide an aerosol delivery device with improved electronics such as may extend usability of the device.SOLUTION: An aerosol delivery device 100 includes a heating element 222, and a temperature sensor that measures a temperature of the heating element or measures a property of the temperature sensor from which the temperature of the heating element is determinable. The aerosol delivery device also includes a microcontroller unit (MCU) coupled to the temperature sensor and including a built-in communication interface to enable connection to a wireless local area network WLAN, and communication with a service platform over at least one network including the WLAN. The MCU is configured to communicate with the service platform to enable a computing device in communication with the service platform to remotely receive and provide a user-perceptible feedback that indicates the temperature of the heating element measured by the temperature sensor or determined from the property measured by the temperature sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] 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 e-cigarettes) that may utilize electrically generated heat for the generation of an aerosol. The smoking article may be configured to heat an aerosol precursor, which may be made from tobacco, derived from tobacco, or may otherwise incorporate materials that may incorporate tobacco, and the precursor can form an inhalable substance for human consumption. [Background technology]

[0002] Many devices have been proposed over the years as an improvement or replacement for smoking products that require the burning of tobacco for use. Many of these devices are designed to purportedly provide the sensation associated with smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, but without delivering significant amounts of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products resulting from the burning of tobacco. For this purpose, many alternative smoking products, flavor generators, and medicinal inhalers have been proposed that utilize electrical energy to vaporize or heat volatile materials or attempt to provide the sensation of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe without significantly burning tobacco. See, for example, the various alternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and heat sources described in the background art set forth in 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 Application No. 15 / 222,615 to Watson et al., filed July 28, 2016, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. See also, for example, the various embodiments of products and heating configurations described in the background sections of U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,594 to Counts et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 8,079,371 to Robinson et al., which are incorporated by reference. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 8,881,737 [Patent Document 2] US Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 [Patent Document 3] US Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0000638 [Patent Document 4] US Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 [Patent Document 5] US Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096782 [Patent Document 6] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0059780 [Patent Document 7] U.S. Patent No. 5,388,594 [Patent Document 8] U.S. Patent No. 8,079,371 Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] However, it may be desirable to provide an aerosol delivery device with improved electronics that may extend the usefulness of the device.

[0005] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices, methods of forming such devices, and elements of such devices. The present disclosure includes, but is not limited to, the following exemplary embodiments.

[0006] Exemplary embodiment 1: 1. An aerosol delivery device comprising: at least one housing enclosing a reservoir configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition; a heating element controllable to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition; a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the heating element or to measure a characteristic of the temperature sensor from which the temperature of the heating element can be determined; and a microcontroller unit (MCU) coupled to the temperature sensor and including an integrated communications interface configured to enable connection to a wireless local area network (WLAN) and communication with a service platform over at least one network including the WLAN, wherein the MCU is configured to communicate with the service platform to enable a computing device communicating with the service platform to remotely receive and provide user-perceptible feedback indicating the temperature of the heating element measured by the temperature sensor or determined from the characteristic measured by the temperature sensor.

[0007] Exemplary embodiment 2: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, including wherein the MCU is configured to communicate with the service platform to further enable the computing device to remotely control at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device.

[0008] Exemplary embodiment 3: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, wherein controlling at least one functional element includes controlling at least one functional element to change a power state or a lock state of the aerosol delivery device.

[0009] Exemplary embodiment 4: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, wherein controlling at least one functional element to change the power state or lock state includes controlling at least one functional element to change the power state or lock state based on the temperature of the heating element.

[0010] Exemplary embodiment 5: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, including wherein the service platform includes a database and the MCU is configured to communicate with the service platform is further configured to enable storage of the temperature in the database and analysis of the temperature therefrom.

[0011] Exemplary embodiment 6: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, wherein the aerosol delivery device further comprises a motion sensor configured to detect motion of the aerosol delivery device, and wherein the MCU is also coupled to the motion sensor and configured to communicate with the service platform to enable the computing device to remotely receive and provide user-perceptible feedback indicating the motion detected by the motion sensor.

[0012] Exemplary embodiment 7: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, wherein the MCU is further configured to control an indicator to provide user-perceivable feedback indicative of the temperature of the heating element.

[0013] Exemplary embodiment 8: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, wherein the MCU is further configured to control at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to change a power state or lock state of the aerosol delivery device based on the temperature of the heating element.

[0014] Exemplary embodiment 9: The aerosol delivery device of any of the preceding exemplary embodiments, or combinations of any of the preceding exemplary embodiments, wherein the aerosol delivery device further includes a motion sensor configured to detect motion of the aerosol delivery device, and wherein the MCU is also coupled to the motion sensor and configured to control an indicator to provide user-perceivable feedback indicating the motion detected by the motion sensor.

[0015] Exemplary embodiment 10: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, wherein the aerosol precursor composition comprises glycerin and nicotine.

[0016] Exemplary embodiment 11: a control body coupled or connectable to a cartridge to form an aerosol delivery device, the cartridge comprising: a reservoir configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition; a heating element controllable to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition; and a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the heating element or a characteristic of the temperature sensor from which the temperature of the heating element can be determined; a control body comprising a housing; and a microcontroller unit (MCU) within the housing, coupled to the temperature sensor when the control body is coupled to the cartridge, the microcontroller unit (MCU) including an integrated communication interface configured to enable connection to a wireless local area network (WLAN) and communication with a service platform over at least one network including the WLAN, the MCU being configured to communicate with the service platform to enable a computing device communicating with the service platform to remotely receive and provide user-perceptible feedback indicative of the temperature of the heating element measured by the temperature sensor or determined from a characteristic measured by the temperature sensor;

[0017] Exemplary embodiment 12: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, including wherein the MCU is configured to communicate with the service platform to further enable the computing device to remotely control at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device.

[0018] Exemplary embodiment 13: The control body of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or of any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, wherein the control of the at least one functional element includes control of at least one functional element to change the power state or lock state of the aerosol delivery device.

[0019] Exemplary embodiment 14: The control body of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or of any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, wherein controlling at least one functional element to change a power state or lock state includes controlling at least one functional element to change a power state or lock state based on a temperature of a heating element.

[0020] Exemplary embodiment 15: The control body of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or of any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, including wherein the service platform includes a database and the MCU is configured to communicate with the service platform to further enable storage of the temperature in the database and analysis of the temperature therefrom.

[0021] Exemplary embodiment 16: The control body of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiments, wherein the control body further includes a motion sensor configured to detect motion of the control body, and the MCU is also coupled to the motion sensor and configured to communicate with the service platform to enable the computing device to remotely receive and provide user-perceivable feedback indicative of the motion detected by the motion sensor.

[0022] Exemplary embodiment 17: The control body of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or of any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiments, wherein the MCU is further configured to control an indicator to provide user-perceivable feedback indicative of the temperature of the heating element.

[0023] Exemplary embodiment 18: The control body of any of the preceding exemplary embodiments, or of any combination of any of the preceding exemplary embodiments, wherein the MCU is further configured to control at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to change a power state or a lock state based on the temperature of the heating element.

[0024] Exemplary embodiment 19: The control body of any of the preceding exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the preceding exemplary embodiments, wherein the control body further includes a motion sensor to detect motion of the aerosol delivery device, and the MCU is also coupled to the motion sensor and configured to control an indicator to provide user-perceivable feedback indicating the motion detected by the motion sensor.

[0025] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description 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 in this disclosure, regardless of whether such features or elements are explicitly combined or otherwise recited in a specific exemplary embodiment described herein. The present disclosure is intended to be read as a whole such that any separable features or elements of the disclosure appear combinable, in any of its aspects and exemplary embodiments, unless the context of the disclosure clearly dictates otherwise.

[0026] It will therefore be understood that this summary is provided only for purposes of summarizing some exemplary embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it will be understood that the exemplary embodiments described above are merely examples, and should not be construed in any way as narrowing the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. Other exemplary embodiments, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of some described exemplary embodiments.

[0027] The present disclosure having been described in general terms above, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a side view of an aerosol delivery device including a cartridge coupled to a control body according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1A-1C are partial cutaway views of aerosol delivery devices according to various exemplary embodiments. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates a system including an aerosol delivery device in wireless communication with a computing device, according to various exemplary embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The present disclosure will now be more fully described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof. These exemplary embodiments are described so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Indeed, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," "the," and the like, include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, while reference may be made herein to quantitative measures, values, geometric relationships, and the like, unless otherwise stated, any one or more, if not all, of these may be absolute or approximate, to account for possible permissible variations, such as those due to technical tolerances.

[0030] As described below, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to aerosol delivery devices. Aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure use electrical energy to heat a material (preferably without significantly burning the material) to form an inhalable substance. Components of such systems most preferably have the form of items small enough to be considered portable devices. That is, the use of preferred aerosol delivery device components does not produce smoke, in the sense that the aerosol is primarily generated from by-products of tobacco combustion or pyrolysis; rather, the use of these preferred systems results in the production of vapor due to the volatilization or evaporation of certain components incorporated therein. In some exemplary embodiments, the aerosol delivery device components may be characterized as electronic cigarettes, which most preferably incorporate tobacco and / or tobacco-derived components and thereby deliver the tobacco-derived components in aerosol form.

[0031] The aerosol-generating components of certain preferred aerosol delivery devices may provide many of the sensations (e.g., inhalation and exhalation patterns, types of tastes or flavors, sensory stimulating effects, physical sensations, modes of use, visual cues such as those provided by a visible aerosol, etc.) of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe used by lighting and burning tobacco (and thus inhaling tobacco smoke) without substantially burning any of its components. For example, a user of an aerosol-generating component of the present disclosure may hold and use the component, draw on one end of the component to inhale the aerosol generated by the component, and puff at selected time intervals, in the same way that a smoker uses a conventional type of smoking article.

[0032] Although the systems are generally described herein with respect to embodiments relating to aerosol delivery devices, such as so-called "electronic cigarettes," it should be understood that the features, components, features, and methods may be embodied in many different forms and relate to a variety of articles. For example, the description provided herein may be used in combination with embodiments of traditional smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.), heat-not-burn cigarettes, and related packaging for any of the products disclosed herein. Accordingly, it should be understood that the description of the features, components, features, and methods disclosed herein are discussed with respect to embodiments relating to aerosol delivery devices by way of example only, and may be embodied in and used in a variety of other products and methods.

[0033] The aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure can also be characterized as a vapor-generating article or a drug delivery article. Accordingly, such articles or devices can be adapted to provide one or more substances (e.g., flavors and / or active pharmaceutical ingredients) in an inhalable form or state. For example, the inhalable substance can be substantially in vapor form (i.e., a substance in the gas phase at a temperature below its critical point). Alternatively, the inhalable substance can be in aerosol form (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas). For clarity, the term "aerosol" as used herein is meant to include vapors, gases, and aerosols in any form or type suitable for human inhalation, whether or not they are visible and whether or not they are in a form that can be considered smoky.

[0034] In use, the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure can undergo many of the physical actions employed by an individual when using a traditional type of smoking article (e.g., a cigarette, cigar, or pipe used by lighting and inhaling tobacco. For example, a user of the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure can hold the article much like a traditional type of smoking article, draw on one end of the article to inhale the aerosol generated by the article, puff at selected time intervals, etc.

[0035] The aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure generally includes multiple components disposed within an outer body or shell, which may be referred to as a housing. The overall design of the outer body or shell can vary, and the type or configuration of the outer body can vary, which can define the overall dimensions and shape of the aerosol delivery device. Typically, an elongated body resembling the shape of a cigarette or cigar can be formed from a single, integral housing, or the elongated housing can be formed from two or more separable bodies. For example, the aerosol delivery device can include an elongated shell or body that can be substantially tubular in shape and thus resemble the shape of a traditional cigarette or cigar. In one example, all components of the aerosol delivery device are contained within a single housing. Alternatively, the aerosol delivery device can include two or more housings that are joined and separable. For example, an aerosol delivery device can have at one end a control body comprising a housing containing one or more reusable components (e.g., a storage battery, such as a rechargeable battery and / or a rechargeable supercapacitor, and various electronics for controlling the operation of the item), and at the other end an outer body or shell containing a disposable portion (e.g., a disposable flavor-containing cartridge) removably connectable thereto. More specific formats, configurations, and arrangements of components within a single-housing type unit or a multi-part separable-housing type unit will become apparent in light of the further disclosure provided herein. Additionally, various aerosol delivery device designs and component arrangements can be understood in light of commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices.

[0036] The aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure most preferably comprises some combination of a power source (i.e., an electrical power source), at least one control component (e.g., a means for activating, controlling, regulating, and terminating electrical power for heat generation, such as by controlling the flow of current from the power source to other components of the article (e.g., a microprocessor, either individually or as part of a microcontroller)), a heater or heat-generating member (e.g., an electrical resistance heating element or other component, which, alone or in combination with one or more additional elements, may commonly be referred to as an "atomizer"), an aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a liquid that can generally generate an aerosol upon application of sufficient heat, such as ingredients commonly referred to as "smoke juice," "e-liquid," and "e-juice"), and a mouth-end region or tip that allows the aerosol delivery device to be drawn upon for aerosol inhalation (e.g., a defined air flow path through the article so that the generated aerosol may be drawn by inhalation).

[0037] The positioning of components within the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure can vary. In certain embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition can be placed near an end of the aerosol delivery device that can be configured to be placed in close proximity to the user's mouth to maximize aerosol delivery to the user, although other configurations are not excluded. Generally, the heating element is positioned sufficiently close to the aerosol precursor composition so that heat from the heating element can volatilize the aerosol precursor (as well as one or more flavorings, medicaments, etc. that may be provided for delivery to the user) to form an aerosol for delivery to the user. When the heating element heats the aerosol precursor composition, an aerosol is formed, released, or generated in a physical form suitable for inhalation by the consumer. It should be noted that the foregoing terms mean that references to release, releasing, releases, or released can be interpreted to include form or generate, forming or generating, forms or generates, and formed or generated. Specifically, inhalable substances are released in the form of vapors or aerosols or mixtures thereof, and such terms are used interchangeably herein unless otherwise specified.

[0038] As described above, the aerosol delivery device may incorporate a battery or other power source to provide sufficient current to provide various functions for the aerosol delivery device, such as powering a heater, powering a control system, powering an indicator, etc. The power source can take a variety of embodiments. Preferably, the power source is capable of delivering sufficient power to rapidly heat the heating element to provide aerosol formation and power the aerosol delivery device throughout use for a desired duration. The power source is preferably sized to fit conveniently within the aerosol delivery device so that the aerosol delivery device can be easily handled. Additionally, preferred power sources are sufficiently lightweight so as not to detract from the desired smoking experience.

[0039] More specific forms, configurations, and arrangements of components within the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure will become apparent in light of the further disclosure provided below. Additionally, the selection and arrangement of components in various aerosol delivery devices can be understood in light of commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Additionally, the arrangement of components within an aerosol delivery device can also be understood in light of commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Examples of commercially available products whose components, method of operation, materials contained therein, and / or other attributes may be included in the devices of the present disclosure include ACCORD® by Philip Morris Incorporated, ALPHA™, JOYE 510™, and M4™ by InnoVapor LLC, CIRRUS™ and FLING™ by White Cloud Cigarettes, BLU™ by Lorillard Technologies, Inc., COHITA™, COLIBRI™, ELITE CLASSIC™, MAGNUM™, PHANTOM™, and SENSE™ by Eupuffer® International Inc., DUOPRO™, STORM™, and VAPORKING® by Electronic Cigarettes, Inc., EGAR™ by Egar Australia, eGo-C™ and eGo-T™ by Joyetech, Elusion UK Ltd, ELUSION(TM), EONSMOKE(R) by Eonsmoke LLC, FIN(TM) by FIN Branding Group, LLC, SMOKE(R) by Green Smoke Inc.USA, GREENARETTE(TM) by Greenarette LLC, HALLIGAN(TM), HENDU(TM), JET(TM), MAXXQ(TM), PINK(TM) and PITBULL(TM) by Smoke Stik(R), Philip Morris International,Inc.HEATBAR™ by Rakuten, HYDRO IMPERIAL™ and LXE™ by Crown7, LOGIC™ and THE CUBAN™ by LOGIC Technology, LUCI® by Luciano Smokes Inc., METRO® by Nicotek, LLC, NJOY® and ONEJOY™ by Sottera, Inc., NO.7™ by SS Choice LLC, PREMIUM ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE™ by PremiumEstore LLC, RAPP E-MYSTICK™ by Ruyan America, Inc., RED DRAGON™ by Red Dragon Products, LLC, RUYAN® by Ruyan Group (Holdings) Ltd., SF® by Smoker Friendly International, LLC, GREEN SMART SMOKER® by The Smart Smoking Electronic Cigarette Company Ltd., SMOKE by Coastline Products LLC ASSIST®, SMOKING EVERYWHERE® by Smoking Everywhere, Inc., V2CIGS™ by VMR Products LLC, VAPOR NINE™ by VaporNine LLC, VAPOR4LIFE® by Vapor 4 Life, Inc., VEPPO™ by E-CigaretteDirect, LLC, AVIGO, VUSE, VUSE CONNECT, VUSE FOB, VUSE HYBRID, ALTO, ALTO+, MODO, CIRO, FOX+FOG and SOLO+ by RJ Reynolds Vapor Company, MISTIC MENTHOL by Mistic Ecigs and CN Creative Ltd.Still other electrically powered aerosol delivery devices, particularly those characterized as so-called electronic cigarettes, are commercially available under the trade names COOLER VISIONS™, DIRECT E-CIG™, DRAGONFLY™, EMIST™, EVERSMOKE™, GAMUCCI®, HYBRID FLAME™, KNIGHT STICKS™, ROYAL BLUES™, SMOKETIP®, and SOUTH BEACH SMOKE™.

[0040] Additional manufacturers, designers, and / or assignees of components and related technology that may be employed in the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure include Shenzhen Jieshibo Technology of Shenzhen, China, Shenzhen First Union Technology of Shenzhen, China, Safe Cig of Los Angeles, California, Janty Asia Company of the Philippines, Joyetech Changzhou Electronics of Shenzhen, China, SIS Resources, B2B International Holdings of Dover, Delaware, Evolv LLC of Ohio, Montrade of Bologna, Italy, Shenzhen Bauway Technology of Shenzhen, China, Global Vapor Trademarks Inc. of Pompano Beach, Florida, Vapor Corp. of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nemtra GMBH of Raschau-Markersbach, Germany, Perrigo L.Co. of Allegan, Michigan, Needs Co., Ltd., Smokefree Innotec of Las Vegas, Nevada, McNeil AB of Helsingborg, Sweden, Chong Corp, Alexza of Mountain View, California. Pharmaceuticals, BLEC, LLC of Charlotte, North Carolina, Gaitrend Sarl of Rohrbach-les-Bitsche, France, FeelLife Bioscience International of Shenzhen, China, Vishay Electronic BMGH of Selb, Germany, and Shenzhen Smaco Technology Ltd of Shenzhen, China., Vapor Systems International of Boca Raton, Florida, Exonoid Medical Devices of Israel, Shenzhen Nowotech Electronic of Shenzhen, China, Minilogic Device Corporation of Hong Kong, China, Shenzhen Kontle Electronics of Shenzhen, China, Fuma International, LLC of Medina, Ohio, 21st Century Smoke of Beloit, Wisconsin, and Kimree Holdings (HK) Co. Limited of Hong Kong, China.

[0041] In various examples, the aerosol delivery device can include a reservoir configured to hold the aerosol precursor composition. The reservoir can be formed, inter alia, from a porous material (e.g., a fibrous material) and therefore may be referred to as a porous substrate (e.g., a fibrous substrate).

[0042] Fibrous substrates useful as reservoirs in aerosol delivery devices can be woven or nonwoven materials formed from a plurality of fibers or filaments, and can be formed from one or both of natural and synthetic fibers. For example, the fibrous substrate can comprise a glass fiber material. In certain instances, a cellulose acetate material can be used. In other exemplary embodiments, a carbon material can be used. The reservoir can be substantially in the form of a container and can include a fibrous material contained therein.

[0043] 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 the control body and cartridge coupled to one another. The control body and cartridge may be removably aligned in a functional relationship. Various mechanisms may connect the cartridge to the control body to provide a threaded engagement, a press-fit engagement, an interference fit, a magnetic engagement, or the like. In some exemplary embodiments, when the cartridge and 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 be substantially rectangular or diamond-shaped in cross section, which may provide excellent compatibility with substantially flat or thin-film power sources, such as those including flat batteries. The cartridge and control body may include separate, respective housings or outer bodies, which may be formed from any of a number of different materials. The housings may be formed from any suitable, structurally stable material. In some examples, the housings may be formed from a metal or alloy, such as stainless steel, aluminum, or the like. Other suitable materials include various plastics (eg, polycarbonate), metal plating on plastic, ceramics, and the like.

[0044] In some exemplary embodiments, one or both of the control body 102 or 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 or rechargeable battery and may therefore be combined with any type of recharging technology, including connection to a typical wall outlet, connection to an automobile charger (i.e., cigarette lighter socket), connection to a computer via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable or connector (e.g., USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, USB Type-C), etc., connection to a photovoltaic or solar panel, which may also include GaAs photovoltaic cells (sometimes called solar cells) with 28% efficiency, or connection to an RF-DC converter. Furthermore, in some exemplary embodiments, the cartridge may comprise a disposable cartridge such as that disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,639 to Chang et al., incorporated herein by reference.

[0045] FIG. 2 further illustrates an aerosol delivery device 100 according to some exemplary embodiments. As can be seen in the cutaway view shown therein, the aerosol delivery device can again include a control body 102 and a cartridge 104, each containing a number of respective components. The components shown in FIG. 2 are representative of components that may be present within the control body and cartridge and are not intended to limit the scope of 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, either individually or as part of a microcontroller), a flow sensor 210, a power source 212, and one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 214, with such components being variably aligned. The power source can include, for example, a battery (disposable or rechargeable), a lithium-ion battery (LiB), a solid-state battery (SSB), a rechargeable thin-film SSB, a rechargeable supercapacitor, or the like, or some combination thereof. Some examples of suitable power sources are provided in U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 918,926 to Sur et al., filed October 21, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference. An LED may be one example of a suitable visual indicator that may be equipped on the aerosol delivery device. In addition to or in place of visual indicators such as LEDs, quantum dot enabled LEDs, etc., other indicators may be included, such as audio indicators (e.g., speakers), tactile indicators (e.g., vibration motors), etc.

[0046] The cartridge 104 can be formed from a cartridge shell 216 that encloses a reservoir 218 configured to hold the aerosol precursor composition and includes a heater 222 (sometimes called a heating element). In various configurations, this structure may be referred to as a tank; thus, the terms "cartridge," "tank," and the like can be used interchangeably to refer to a shell or other housing that encloses a reservoir of the aerosol precursor composition and includes a heater.

[0047] As shown, in some examples, reservoir 218 may be in fluid communication with a liquid transport element 220 configured to siphon or otherwise transport the aerosol precursor composition stored within the reservoir housing to a heater 222. In some examples, a valve may be disposed between the reservoir and the heater and configured to control the amount of aerosol precursor composition pumped or delivered from the reservoir to the heater.

[0048] Various example materials configured to generate heat upon application of an electric current may be used to form the heater 222. These example heaters may be resistive heating elements such as wire coils, microheaters, carbon-based heaters, etc. Examples of materials from which the heating element may be formed include Kanthal (FeCrAl), nichrome, stainless steel, molybdenum disilicide (MoSi), molybdenum silicide (MoSi), aluminum-doped molybdenum disilicide (Mo(Si,Al)), graphite and graphite-based materials (e.g., carbon-based foams and yarns), and ceramics (e.g., positive temperature coefficient ceramics or negative temperature coefficient ceramics). Examples of suitable carbon-based heaters are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 133,916 to Sur et al., filed April 20, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference. Exemplary embodiments of heaters or heating elements useful in aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure are further described below and can be incorporated into devices such as those shown in FIG. 2, described herein.

[0049] An opening 224 may be present in the cartridge shell 216 (eg, at the mouth end) to allow the formed aerosol to be released from the cartridge 104 .

[0050] The cartridge 104 may also include one or more electronic components 226, which may include integrated circuits, memory components (e.g., EEPROM, flash memory), sensors, etc. For example, the cartridge may include an analog or digital temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the heater 222 or to measure a characteristic of the temperature sensor so that the temperature of the heater can be determined from the characteristic of the temperature sensor. Examples of suitable temperature sensors are thermistors, thermocouples, resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), silicon bandgap temperature sensors, etc. More specific examples are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 349,619 to Davis et al., filed November 11, 2016, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The electronic components may be adapted to communicate with the control component 208 and / or external devices via wired or wireless means. The electronic components may be located anywhere within the cartridge or its base 228.

[0051] While the control component 208 and the flow sensor 210 are shown separately, it should be 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. Furthermore, the PCB may be oriented horizontally relative to the view of FIG. 1 , in that the PCB may be longitudinally parallel 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 may be mounted. 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.

[0052] The control body 102 and cartridge 104 may include components configured to facilitate fluid engagement therebetween. As shown in FIG. 2 , the control body may include a coupler 230 having a cavity 232 therein. The cartridge base 228 may be configured to engage with the coupler and may include a protrusion 234 configured to fit within the cavity. Such engagement may facilitate a stable connection between the control body and the cartridge and establish an electrical connection between the power source 212 and control component 208 in the control body and the heater 222 in the cartridge. Additionally, the control body shell 206 may include an air inlet 236, which may be a notch in the shell that connects to the coupler, allowing ambient air around the coupler to pass into the shell, then through the coupler cavity 232, and into the cartridge through the protrusion 234.

[0053] Useful couplers and bases according to 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, as seen in FIG. 2 , coupler 230 may define an outer periphery 238 configured to mate with an inner periphery 240 of base 228. In one example, the inner periphery of the base may define a radius substantially equal to or slightly greater than the radius of the outer periphery of the coupler. Additionally, the coupler may define one or more protrusions 242 on its outer periphery configured to engage with one or more recesses 244 defined in the inner periphery of the base. However, various other example structures, shapes, and components may be used to couple the base to the coupler. In some examples, the connection between the base of cartridge 104 and the coupler of control body 102 may be substantially permanent, while in other examples, the connection therebetween may be releasable, e.g., allowing the control body to be reused with one or more additional cartridges, which may be disposable and / or refillable.

[0054] In some examples, the aerosol delivery device 100 may be substantially rod-shaped, or substantially tubular, or substantially cylindrical in shape. Other examples include additional shapes and dimensions, such as rectangular or triangular cross-sections, polyhedral shapes, etc.

[0055] The reservoir 218 shown in FIG. 2 may be a container or a fibrous reservoir as described herein. For example, in this example, the reservoir may comprise one or more layers of nonwoven fibers substantially formed in the shape of a tube that surrounds the interior of the cartridge shell 216. The aerosol precursor composition may be held within the reservoir. For example, the reservoir may adsorb and hold a liquid component. The reservoir may be fluidly connected to a liquid transport element 220. In this example, the liquid transport element may transport the aerosol precursor composition stored within the reservoir by capillary action to a heater 222 in the form of a metal wire coil. As such, the heater is in a heating arrangement with the liquid transport element. Exemplary embodiments of reservoirs and transport elements useful in aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure are described further below, and such reservoirs and / or transport elements may be incorporated into devices such as those shown in FIG. 2 described herein. In particular, certain combinations of heating elements and transport elements described further below may be incorporated into devices such as those shown in FIG. 2 described herein.

[0056] In use, when a user draws on the aerosol delivery device 100, airflow is detected by the flow sensor 210, activating the heater 222 to vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition. When the user draws on the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device, ambient air enters the intake port 236 and passes through the cavity 232 in the coupler 230 and the central opening in the protrusion 234 of the base 228. In the cartridge 104, the drawn-in air combines with the formed vapor to form an aerosol. The aerosol is blown, inhaled, or otherwise drawn through the heater and exits through the opening 224 in the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device.

[0057] In some examples, the aerosol delivery device 100 may include a number of additional software control functions. For example, the aerosol delivery device may include a power protection circuit configured to detect the power input, the load on the power terminals, and the charging input. The power protection circuit may include short-circuit protection, undervoltage lockout and / or overvoltage charging protection, battery temperature compensation, and battery electrolyte compensation. The aerosol delivery device may also include a component for measuring ambient temperature, and its control component 208 may be configured to control at least one functional element to inhibit charging of the power source (particularly of any battery) if the ambient temperature falls below a certain temperature (e.g., 0°C) or exceeds a certain temperature (e.g., 45°C) before or during charging.

[0058] Power delivery from the power source 212 may vary over the course of each puff with the device 100 according to a power control mechanism. The device may include a “long puff” safety timer so that if a user or component (e.g., flow sensor 210) failure causes the device to attempt continuous puffs, the control component 208 may control at least one functional element to automatically terminate puffs after some period of time (e.g., 4 seconds). Additionally, the time between puffs with the device may be limited to less than a certain period of time (e.g., 100 seconds). A watchdog safety timer may automatically reset the aerosol delivery device if its control component or software running on the aerosol delivery device becomes unstable and does not service the timer within an appropriate time interval (e.g., 8 seconds). Further safety protection may be provided in the event of a defect or otherwise failure of the flow sensor 210, such as by permanently disabling the aerosol delivery device to prevent inadvertent heating. A puff limit switch may shut down the device if the pressure sensor fails, allowing continuous activation without shutting down the device after the maximum puff time of 4 seconds.

[0059] The aerosol delivery device 100 may include a puff tracking algorithm configured to lock out the heater once a defined number of puffs has been achieved for the attached cartridge (based on the number of available puffs calculated in light of the e-liquid charge in the cartridge). The aerosol delivery device may include a sleep, standby, or low-power mode function, whereby power delivery may be automatically shut off after a defined period of non-use. In these modes, a quiescent (Iddq) supply current, which may be in the milliamp or microamp range, enables power backup for the aerosol delivery device. Further safety protection may be provided in that every charge / discharge cycle of the power source 212 may be monitored by the control component 208 over its lifetime. After the power source reaches a predetermined number (e.g., 200) equivalent of full discharge and full recharge cycles, the power source may be declared depleted, and the control component may control at least one functional element to prevent the power source from being further charged.

[0060] The various components of the aerosol delivery device according to the present disclosure can be selected from those currently described in the art and commercially available. An example of a battery that can be used according to the present disclosure is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0028766 to Peckerar et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0061] Aerosol delivery device 100 can incorporate sensor 210 or another sensor or detector for controlling the supply of power to heater 222 when aerosol generation is desired (e.g., when inhalation occurs during use). Thus, for example, a manner or method is provided for turning off power to the heater when the aerosol delivery device is not being inhaled during use, and turning on power to activate or trigger heat generation by the heater during inhalation. Additional representative types of sensing or detection mechanisms, their structure and configuration, their components, and their general methods of operation are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,424 to Sprinkel, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al.; and PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2010 / 003480 to Flick, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0062] Most preferably, the aerosol delivery device 100 incorporates a control component 208 or another control mechanism for controlling the amount of power to the heater 222 during inhalation. Representative types of electronic components, their structure and configuration, their characteristics, and their general method of operation are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,874 to Brooks et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,622 to Pan, U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2009 / 0230117 to Fernando et al., U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014 / 0060554 to Collet et al., U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014 / 0270727 to Ampolini et al., and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015 / 0257445 to Henry et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0063] Representative types of substrates, reservoirs, or other components for supporting aerosol precursors 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. Additionally, various wicking materials and the configuration and operation of those wicking materials within particular types of electronic cigarettes are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0209105 to Sears et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0064] The aerosol precursor composition, also referred to as a vapor precursor composition, may comprise a variety of components including, for example, a polyhydric alcohol (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol, or mixtures thereof), nicotine, tobacco, tobacco extract, and / or flavorants. Representative types of aerosol precursor components and formulations are also described and characterized in U.S. Pat. No. 7,217,320 to Robinson et al., U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2013 / 0008457 to Zheng et al., U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2013 / 0213417 to Chong et al., U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2014 / 0060554 to Collett et al., U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2015 / 0020823 to Lipowicz et al., and U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2015 / 0020830 to Koller, as well as WO 2014 / 182736 to Bowen et al. and U.S. Pat. Application 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 may be used include the aerosol precursors incorporated in VUSE® products by RJ Reynolds Vapor Company, BLU™ products by Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, MISTIC MENTHOL products by Mistic Ecigs, and VYPE products by CN Creative Ltd. Also desirable are so-called "smoke juices" for e-cigarettes available from Johnson Creek Enterprises LLC.

[0065] Embodiments of the foamable 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 foamable materials is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,368 to Niazi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,878 to Wehling et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,264 to Wehling et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,974,590 to Pather et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,381,667 to Bergquist et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,424,541 to Crawford et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 8,627,828 to Strickland et al., as well as U.S. Pat. Publication Nos. 2010 / 0018539 to Brinkley et al. and 2010 / 0170522 to Sun et al., and PCT Publication No. WO 97 / 06786 to Johnson et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Additional description of embodiments of aerosol precursor compositions, including descriptions of tobacco or tobacco-derived components contained therein, is provided in U.S. Patent Application Nos. 15 / 216,582 and 15 / 216,590, both to Davis et al., filed July 21, 2016, and incorporated herein by reference.

[0066] Additional representative types of components or indicators that provide a visual cue, such as visual and related components, audio indicators, and tactile indicators, may be used in aerosol delivery device 100. Examples of suitable LED components and their construction and 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 Application Publication No. 2015 / 0216233 to Sears et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0067] Still other features, controls, or components that can be incorporated into the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,289 to Watkins et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,365,742 to Hon, U.S. Pat. No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al., U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2005 / 0016 to Katase, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. 550 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0163063 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0192623 to Tucker et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0298905 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 Application Publication No. 2014 / 0261408 to DePiano et al.

[0068] As indicated above, the control component 208 includes numerous 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 with 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 a communication interface 246 to enable wireless communication with one or more networks, computing devices, or other appropriately enabled devices. An example of a suitable communication interface is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 638,562, filed March 4, 2015, to Marion et al., the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. In some examples, the control component includes a microcontroller unit (MCU) with a built-in communication interface. One example of a suitable MCU with an integrated communication interface is the CC3200 single-chip wireless MCU manufactured by Texas Instruments. Examples of suitable manners in which an aerosol delivery device may 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 which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0069] 3 illustrates a system 300 including an aerosol delivery device 100 that communicates wirelessly with a computing device 302 (external computing device) external to the aerosol delivery device 100, according to various exemplary embodiments. The computing device may be embodied as any of several different devices, such as any of several different mobile computers. More specific 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., smart watches), etc. In other examples, the computing device may be embodied as something other than a mobile computer, such as in the form of a desktop computer, server computer, etc.

[0070] In some examples, the communication interface 246 of the aerosol delivery device 100 is configured to enable 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 or defined by the IEEE 802.15 standard, including Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE), ZigBee, infrared (e.g., IrDA), radio frequency identification (RFID), wireless USB, etc. Other examples of suitable WPAN technologies include Wi-Fi Direct, as well as other specific technologies based on or defined by the IEEE 802.11 standard that support direct device-to-device communication.

[0071] 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) 304. Examples of suitable WLAN technologies include those based on or defined by the IEEE 802.11 standard and commercially available as Wi-Fi. A WLAN includes suitable networking hardware, some of which may be integrated and others of which may be separate and interconnected. As shown, for example, the WLAN includes a wireless access point 306 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 308, such as a residential gateway, configured to connect the WLAN to an external computer network 310, 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. A WLAN may also include other integrated or separate connected network hardware, such as a network switch, hub, digital subscriber line (DSL) modem, cable modem, etc.

[0072] In some examples, system 300 further includes a service platform 312, which may be embodied as a computer system accessible by WLAN 304 (as shown) or external network 310. The service platform may include one or more servers, such as may be provided by one or more blade servers, a cloud computing infrastructure, etc. In some examples, the service platform is embodied as a distributed computing device including multiple computing devices, such as may be used to provide a cloud computing infrastructure. And in these examples, the computing devices forming the service platform may communicate with each other over a network, such as an external network.

[0073] In some examples, service platform 312 is accessible by aerosol delivery device 100 over WLAN 304 and external network 310 and is configured to provide one or more services to the aerosol delivery device, and possibly to other aerosol delivery devices. For example, the service platform may be operated by a manufacturer of the aerosol delivery device, a vendor of the aerosol delivery device, or another entity interested in the manufacture, distribution, or maintenance of aerosol delivery devices. The service platform may enable users to access and use various functions, such as functions for management of aerosol delivery devices, such as those described below.

[0074] Similar to the aerosol delivery device 100, in some examples, the service platform 312 is accessible by the computing device 302 over the WLAN 304 and the external network 310, although the WLAN or external network may differ between the aerosol delivery device and the computing device. The computing device may include an installed application or provide another interface accessible by the service platform 114. This application or other interface may be or be provided by a sync client and / or other client application, 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 app, installed on a computing device embodied as a mobile computing device.

[0075] In at least some examples where the control component 208 includes an MCU with a built-in communications interface, the MCU is coupled to a temperature sensor (electronic component 226), and the built-in communications interface is configured to enable connection to a WLAN 304 and to communicate with a service platform 312 over at least one network including the WLAN (e.g., the WLAN and external network 310). In these examples, the MCU is configured to communicate with the service platform to enable a computing device 302 in communication with the service platform to remotely receive and provide user-perceptible feedback indicative of the temperature of the heater 222 measured by the temperature sensor or determined from a characteristic measured by the temperature sensor.

[0076] In some examples, user-perceptible feedback (e.g., visual, auditory, tactile feedback) is provided by an indicator 314 (e.g., a visual indicator, an audio indicator, a tactile indicator) of the computing device. The feedback may include, for example, a visual, auditory, and / or tactile notification of the temperature of the heater 222 or whether the temperature of the heater is above or below a threshold temperature that defines an acceptable upper limit. If the amount exceeds the threshold temperature, the indicator may provide user-perceptible feedback, such as an alarm, buzzer, vibration, or visual indicator (e.g., an LED), to alert the user.

[0077] In some examples, the MCU (control component 208) is configured to communicate with the service platform to not only enable sensory perceptible feedback by a remote user, but also to enable the computing device 302 to remotely control at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device 100. For example, controlling the functional element includes controlling the functional element to change a power state or lock state of the aerosol delivery device, either based on or independent of the temperature of the heater 222. This may include, for example, turning the aerosol delivery device on or off, or unlocking (enabling) or locking (disabling) the operation of the aerosol delivery device. Thus, if the temperature of the heater exceeds a threshold temperature, a user of the computing device takes control of the computing device, or the computing device automatically operates to remotely turn off or lock the operation of the aerosol delivery device.

[0078] In some examples, the service platform 312 includes a database 316 (an organized collection of data). In these examples, the MCU (control component 208) may be configured to communicate with the service platform to further enable storage of temperatures in the database and analysis of the temperatures therefrom. For example, temperatures can be processed using Java, Structured Query Language (SQL), etc. for appropriate data structuring. Tools can be run to perform statistical analysis on the temperature data, such as to analyze the power supplied to the heater 222, characterize the wicking material in the aerosol delivery device 100, etc.

[0079] While the aerosol delivery device 100 described above includes a temperature sensor (electronic component 226) that enables monitoring of the temperature at the computing device 302, it should be understood that other sensors may be included to enable other similar functions. Returning momentarily to FIG. 2 , in some examples, the control body 102 further includes a motion sensor 248 configured to detect motion of the aerosol delivery device 100, or more specifically, the control body. Examples of suitable motion sensors include single or combinations of tilt sensors, single-axis or multi-axis accelerometers, gyroscopes, and the like, any one or more of which may be constructed using microelectromechanical systems-based (MEMS) technology. In at least some of these examples, the MCU (control component 208) is also coupled to the motion sensor and configured to communicate with the service platform 312 to enable the computing device to remotely receive and provide user-perceivable feedback indicative of the motion detected by the motion sensor. This may be useful for many different purposes, such as providing an alarm, buzzer, vibration, or visual indicator (e.g., an LED) to alert a user of the computing device that the aerosol delivery device has been moved from its desired position.

[0080] It should also be understood that while certain functions may be enabled in the computing device 302, similar functions may additionally or alternatively be enabled in the aerosol delivery device 100 itself. In some examples, the MCU (control component 208) is further configured to control an indicator 250 (e.g., a visual indicator, an audio indicator, a tactile indicator) to provide user-perceptible feedback (e.g., visual, audible, tactile feedback) indicative of the temperature of the heater 222. The indicators and feedback may be similar to those described above with respect to the indicator 314 of the computing device.

[0081] In addition to, or instead of, controlling indicator 250, in some examples, MCU (control component 208) is further configured to control at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to change a power state or lock state of the aerosol delivery device based on the temperature of heater 222. As before, this may include turning the aerosol delivery device on or off, or unlocking (enabling) or locking (disabling) operation of the aerosol delivery device, such as when the temperature of the heater exceeds a threshold temperature.

[0082] Furthermore, in at least some examples where the control body 102 includes a motion sensor 248, the MCU (control component 208) is also coupled to the motion sensor and configured to control the indicator 250 or another indicator to provide user-perceivable feedback indicative of the motion detected by the motion sensor. Again, this can be useful for many different purposes, such as providing an alarm, buzzer, vibration, or visual indicator (e.g., an LED) to alert a user who is sufficiently near the aerosol delivery device that the aerosol delivery device has moved from its desired location.

[0083] Although not separately shown, the cartridge 104 may also include a temperature sensor, and possibly a motion sensor and / or indicator, in addition to or instead of the control body 102. The temperature sensor, motion sensor, and indicator in the cartridge may be similar to those found in the control body as described herein.

[0084] The foregoing description of the use of the article may be apparent to one skilled in the art in light of the further disclosure provided herein and may be applied to the various exemplary embodiments described herein through minor modifications. However, the above description of use is not intended to limit the use of the article, but is provided to fulfill all necessary requirements of the present disclosure. Any element shown in Figures 1 through 3 or otherwise depicted in the article(s) described above may be included in an aerosol delivery device according to the present disclosure.

[0085] Many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure described herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the associated drawings. It is, therefore, understood that the disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, while the foregoing description and the associated drawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certain exemplary combinations of elements and / or functions, it is understood that different combinations of elements and / or functions may be provided in alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, various combinations of elements and / or functions other than those expressly described above are also contemplated, for example, as set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

1. 1. A system comprising: at least one housing configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition; a controllable heating element to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition; a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the heating element or to measure a characteristic from which the temperature of the heating element can be determined; a microcontroller unit (MCU) coupled to the temperature sensor and configured to provide user-perceptible feedback indicative of the temperature of the heating element measured by the temperature sensor or determined from a characteristic measured by the temperature sensor; an aerosol delivery device; a service platform including a database and in communication with the aerosol delivery device via at least one network; a computing device in communication with the service platform via at least one network, the computing device being remote from the MCU and configured to remotely receive a signal indicating whether a temperature of the heating element is above, at, or below a threshold temperature defining an acceptable upper limit, and to provide user-perceptible feedback based on the received signal; The system, wherein the MCU is configured to respond to and be remotely controlled by a signal received from the computing device to control at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device, and the control of the at least one functional element by the MCU includes changing a lock state of the aerosol delivery device based on the temperature of the heating element.

2. the aerosol delivery device further comprising an integrated communication interface configured to enable connection of the aerosol delivery device to at least one network, including a wireless local area network (WLAN), and communication with the service platform; The system of claim 1, wherein the aerosol delivery device is configured to communicate with a service platform via an integrated communication interface to enable storage of data indicating the temperature of the heating element in a database and analysis of the data indicating the temperature of the heating element from the database.

3. the aerosol delivery device further comprising an indicator circuit operably coupled to the MCU; the MCU is configured to provide feedback perceptible to the user via the indicator circuit; 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicator circuitry is configured to provide user-perceptible feedback using visual, auditory, or tactile feedback based on input received from the MCU.

4. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the visual, audible, or tactile feedback comprises a visual, audible, or tactile notification indicating the temperature of the heating element or whether the temperature of the heating element is above, at, or below a threshold temperature defining an upper acceptable limit.

5. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein when the temperature of the heating element exceeds the threshold temperature, the user-perceptible feedback provided by the indicator circuit includes an alarm, buzzer, vibration, or visual indicator to alert a user of the aerosol delivery device that the temperature of the heating element has exceeded the threshold temperature.

6. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is of a type selected from the group consisting of a thermistor, a thermocouple, a resistance temperature detector (RTD), and a silicon bandgap temperature sensor.

7. 1. A system comprising:

1. A control body for an aerosol delivery device coupled or connectable with a cartridge to form an aerosol delivery device, the cartridge comprising: a first housing configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition; a heating element controllable to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition; and a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the heating element or to measure a characteristic from which the temperature of the heating element can be determined; the control body comprising: a second housing coupled or connectable to the first housing; a control body comprising a microcontroller unit (MCU) coupled to a temperature sensor when the control body is coupled to the cartridge, the MCU configured to provide user-perceptible feedback indicative of a temperature of the heating element measured by the temperature sensor or determined from a characteristic measured by the temperature sensor; a service platform including a database and in communication with the aerosol delivery device via at least one network; a computing device in communication with the service platform via at least one network, the computing device being remote from the MCU and configured to remotely receive a signal indicating whether a temperature of the heating element is above, at, or below a threshold temperature defining an acceptable upper limit, and to provide user-perceptible feedback based on the received signal; The system, wherein the MCU is configured to respond to and be remotely controlled by a signal received from the computing device to control at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device, and the control of the at least one functional element by the MCU includes changing a lock state of the aerosol delivery device based on the temperature of the heating element.

8. the control body further comprises an integrated communication interface configured to enable connection to at least one network, including a wireless local area network (WLAN), and communication of the aerosol delivery device with a service platform; 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the control body is configured to communicate with a service platform via an integrated communication interface to enable storage of data indicative of the temperature of the heating element in a database and analysis of the data of the temperature of the heating element from the database.

9. the control body further comprises an indicator circuit operably coupled to the MCU; the MCU is configured to provide feedback perceptible to the user via the indicator circuit; 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the indicator circuitry is configured to provide user-perceptible feedback using visual, auditory, or tactile feedback based on input received from the MCU.

10. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the visual, audible, or tactile feedback comprises a visual, audible, or tactile notification indicating the temperature of the heating element or whether the temperature of the heating element is above, at, or below a threshold temperature defining an upper acceptable limit.

11. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein when the temperature of the heating element exceeds the threshold temperature, the user-perceptible feedback provided by the indicator circuit includes an alarm, buzzer, vibration, or visual indicator to alert a user of the control body that the temperature of the heating element has exceeded the threshold temperature.

12. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the temperature sensor is of a type selected from the group consisting of a thermistor, a thermocouple, a resistance temperature detector (RTD), and a silicon bandgap temperature sensor.

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