Consumables Identification

Abstract

To provide cost effective and simple methods for enabling an aerosol-generating device to identify consumables.SOLUTION: Instruments, devices 200, and methods are configured to be used in identifying an aerosol-producing consumable 210. The consumable comprises one or more conductive portions 212 used to identify the consumable. The one or more conductive portions may be electrically couplable with one or more pairs 202 of conductors 203 of an aerosol-generating device. The consumable may be identified based on completion of one or more circuits defined by the one or more pairs of conductors and the one or more conductive portions when the consumable is received by an interface of the device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus, device, and method for use in identifying aerosol-generating consumables. The consumables may include conductive portions that can be used by an aerosol-generating device to identify the consumable by completing one or more circuits on the aerosol-generating device. [Background technology]

[0002] Various consumables, including various aerosol-generating substrates, may be used with the same aerosol generating device. Each of the various consumables may behave differently when used with the same aerosol generating device. However, the aerosol generating device may not distinguish between the various consumables, which may result in different, and in some cases undesirable, experiences. For example, each consumable may generate aerosol more efficiently and effectively using one or more specific operating parameters, but if the aerosol generating device does not know or identify the consumable, the aerosol generating device may not be able to use the best parameters (e.g., voltage, heating time, power, amperage, etc.) to generate the aerosol using the consumable. In other words, the aerosol generating device cannot "know" specific information about the consumable from the consumable itself, which may cause operational problems.

[0003] Furthermore, a user of the aerosol generating device may not be able to learn certain information about the consumable from the consumable itself, for example, if the consumable is unmarked. Still further, some consumables may be expired or counterfeit, but the aerosol generating device or user may not be able to determine whether the consumable is expired or counterfeit.

[0004] Thus, such aerosol generating devices and consumables may provide an undesirable user experience because the aerosol generating device cannot operate most effectively or efficiently without "knowing" or having the identity of the consumable. Furthermore, because the user does not know the identity of the consumable, they may be unable to program or configure the aerosol generating device to most effectively and efficiently generate an aerosol using the consumable. Furthermore, users may find configuring or programming the aerosol generating device cumbersome and potentially error-prone. Finally, consumables may expire, and it may be difficult for users to know when the consumable has expired.

[0005] Many aerosol generators and other devices may include various devices that use various technologies to identify consumables received thereby. The devices and technologies are often overly complicated and expensive. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0123989A1 (The Safe Cig, LLC) describes a cartridge identifier module function that may be implemented via one or more resistors on the cartridge. The resistors may be interrogated by an analog-to-digital ("A / D") converter or other electronic means on the battery components, and based on an RC charging circuit within the battery, this information may be used to determine the resistor's resistance and therefore identify the cartridge. Furthermore, the cartridge may include a microchip with a wireless transceiver that, upon activation, communicates identification information to a microcontroller. Furthermore, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0284192 (SIS Resources, LTD) describes an identifier code that may be part of a removable portion of the e-cigarette. The identifier code may be a QR code, barcode, NFC tag, or RFID tag. Still further, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005 / 0118048 (Carl Zeiss Surgical GMBH) may describe a tubular cartridge for engaging a cartridge-receiving portion of an instrument. The tubular cartridge may include a resistor, RFID, or barcode for identifying the tubular cartridge. Still further, for example, U.S. Patent No. 6,217,168 (Hewlett-Packard Company) may describe a printhead cartridge including memory elements (e.g., resistor patterns), each of which contains information about the cartridge, such as type and a unique identifier. When a cartridge is installed, a control system reads the information stored in the associated memory element, for example, to ensure that the cartridge is the appropriate type for the particular printer. As noted, such instruments and techniques can be complex, cumbersome, and expensive.

[0006] One object of the present invention is to identify consumables received by an aerosol generating device in a simple, low-cost manner. For example, complex methods for identifying consumables can be error-prone and expensive, and the invention described herein is non-complex or simple, which can make the invention less error-prone and less expensive than conventional solutions.

[0007] One object of an embodiment of the present invention is to alter operating characteristics or parameters of an aerosol generating device in response to identification of a consumable item.

[0008] One object of an embodiment of the present invention is to transmit identification information obtained from a consumable item to one or more other devices to further display or record information about the consumable item. Summary of the Invention

[0009] In various embodiments, consumables, devices, and methods for identifying a consumable use one or more conductive portions that are part of the consumable. The conductive portions may or may not complete one or more circuits in an aerosol generation device within which the consumable interfaces for the generation of an aerosol. The identity of the consumable may be determined based on the completion of one or more circuits using the conductive portions when the consumable interfaces with the device. An exemplary consumable may be used in an aerosol generation device to generate or produce an aerosol. The consumable may include an aerosol-generating substrate and one or more conductive portions that identify the consumable. The one or more conductive portions may be used to complete one or more circuits in the aerosol generation device such that the aerosol generation device may identify the consumable.

[0010] In various aspects, an exemplary aerosol generating device may include an interface for receiving at least a portion of an exemplary consumable and one or more pairs of conductors defining at least a portion of one or more circuits. The one or more pairs of conductors may be selectively electrically coupleable with one or more conductive portions of the consumable when the consumable is received by the interface. The exemplary aerosol generating device may further include a controller comprising one or more processors and operably coupled to the one or more pairs of conductors. The controller may be configured to identify the consumable when the consumable is received by the interface based on completion of one or more circuits defined by the one or more pairs of conductors and the one or more conductive portions. Thus, the consumables, devices, and methods described herein may provide a cost-effective and simple method for identifying consumables.

[0011] In various aspects, an exemplary method for identifying a consumable may include receiving an exemplary consumable using an interface of an exemplary aerosol generation device, and identifying the consumable based on completion of one or more circuits defined by one or more pairs of conductors of the aerosol generation device and one or more conductive portions of the consumable when the consumable is received by the interface of the aerosol generation device.

[0012] Various aspects of the devices, apparatus, and methods according to the present invention may provide one or more advantages over currently available aerosol-generating articles and related systems. The exemplary devices, apparatus, and methods may provide a more desirable user experience because consumables may be efficiently and conveniently identified. Furthermore, the exemplary aerosol-generating device may alter operating characteristics or parameters based on the identification of the consumable to efficiently and effectively generate aerosol using the consumable. Efficient and effective generation of aerosol may enhance the user experience because aerosol may be optimally generated, thereby providing a satisfying aerosol delivery experience. In other words, the identification information may be used by the device to adjust one or more operating characteristics of the device.

[0013] Additionally, consumable identification may enable the exemplary devices and instruments to determine various information about the consumable that may be advantageous. For example, whether the consumable is an authentic consumable, when the consumable expires, and where the consumable was manufactured may be determined. Thus, a user does not unintentionally utilize fraudulent consumables, expired consumables, or consumables from unwanted manufacturers. Still further, consumable identification may enable the exemplary devices and instruments to maintain records of consumables used by a user in a user-friendly and convenient manner. Additionally, identification information may be transmitted or communicated to an instrument other than the aerosol generating device to log or display information about the identified consumable.

[0014] As used herein, "aerosol-generating substrate" refers to any material capable of releasing volatile compounds when heated, thereby forming an aerosol. The aerosol generated from an aerosol-generating substrate according to the present disclosure may be visible or invisible and may include vapor (e.g., tiny particles of a gaseous material that are normally liquid or solid at room temperature), as well as liquid droplets of gas and condensed vapor.

[0015] A "consumable," as used herein, is any disposable product that can include (e.g., hold, contain, possess, store, etc.) an aerosol-generating substrate and can removably interface with or dock with an aerosol-generating device such that the aerosol-generating device can generate an aerosol from the aerosol-generating substrate. A consumable may be a container that contains a liquid containing the aerosol-generating substrate. A consumable may also be a solid-containing aerosol-generating substrate.

[0016] "Aerosol-generating device," as used herein, is any device that uses or is configured to utilize an aerosol-generating substrate that emits a volatile compound to form an aerosol that can be inhaled by a user. The aerosol-generating device may interface with a consumable product that includes the aerosol-generating substrate.

[0017] The term "conductive portion" means any conductive element operable to complete a circuit by the transmission of electricity therethrough. A conductive portion may include one or more metallic or non-metallic materials capable of conducting electricity.

[0018] A "display," as used herein, is any device or apparatus capable of displaying information to a user to implement the exemplary functions, methods, or logic described herein, e.g., using a graphical user interface, such as, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic light emitting diode screen, a touch screen, a cathode ray tube display, or the like.

[0019] The terms "controller" and "processor" refer to any device or apparatus that can provide suitable computing and control capabilities, such as, for example, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), equivalent discrete or integrated logic circuitry, or any combination thereof, and can provide suitable data storage capabilities, including any medium containing digital bits (e.g., coded binary, ternary, etc.) that can be written and read (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory, magnetic recording media such as CD-ROM, disk or tape, etc.).

[0020] The term "communication interface" refers to any device or apparatus capable of providing suitable data communication capabilities between the aerosol generating device and user interface devices, such as various telemetry circuits and antennas, and may use one or more wired or wireless (e.g., radio frequency) interfaces, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, any protocol in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) band, any protocol in the centimeter wave (SHF) band, low frequency, or a combination thereof.

[0021] The present invention relates to the identification of consumables for use in aerosol-generating devices configured to generate an aerosol-containing particulate matter, such as nicotine, using an aerosol-generating substrate (e.g., comprising a nicotine-containing material) from the consumable. As described herein, the consumables can include liquid- or solid-containing aerosol-generating substrates. For example, depending on the nature of the device, the consumables can range from cartridges that hold a supply of liquid aerosol-forming substrates, to e-liquid storage bottles (which can be used to fill the e-liquid reservoir of the device), to sticks comprising sensory material (e.g., sticks comprising tobacco cast leaf).

[0022] The consumable product may include a container for containing the aerosol-generating substrate. The container may be wrapping paper wrapped around a solid consumable product (e.g., a heat stick). Furthermore, the container may be a bottle or container containing a liquid containing the aerosol-generating substrate. Furthermore, wrapping paper may be wrapped around the bottle or container. The outer part of the consumable product may be described as the container.

[0023] The consumable may include one or more conductive portions that can be used to identify the consumable. For example, the one or more conductive portions may define different sizes and be located at different locations around the consumable to be used to identify the consumable. The different sizes and locations of the one or more conductive portions may be used to complete one or more circuits of the exemplary aerosol generating device, which may then be used to identify the consumable as further described herein.

[0024] Preferably, the one or more conductive portions are located on or are part of the container of the consumable. For example, the one or more conductive portions may be attached to or coupled to a wrapper located on the exterior of the consumable. In at least one embodiment, the one or more conductive portions are "printed" onto the container.

[0025] The conductive portion may include any conductive material, such as a metal or metallic or semi-metallic material. The conductive portion may include (e.g., be formed from) iron, tin, steel, lead, aluminum, gold, nickel, bismuth, antimony, indium, silver, germanium, platinum, and combinations or alloys thereof.

[0026] The consumable may further include or define an interface configured to interface within the aerosol generation device to enable the aerosol generation device to identify the consumable using the one or more conductive portions. Furthermore, the interface may further enable the aerosol generation device to receive an aerosol-generating substrate from the consumable. In other words, the consumable may include a contact zone configured to be coupled or attached to the aerosol generation device that positions one or more conductive portions of the consumable to enable the aerosol generation device to identify the consumable using the one or more conductive portions. As further described herein, the aerosol generation device may also include or define an interface or contact zone configured to interface with the interface or contact zone of the consumable. The contact zone of the consumable may contact the contact zone of the aerosol generation device when the consumable and the aerosol generation device are interfaced or docked together. In at least one embodiment, the aerosol generation device may define a recess for receiving the consumable. The recess may define an interface or contact zone of the aerosol-generating device such that when the consumable is received within the recess, the interface or contact zone of the aerosol-generating device may interface with the interface or contact zone of the consumable for identification purposes and delivery of the aerosol-generating substrate.

[0027] The aerosol-generating device may further include a heater configured to heat the aerosol-generating substrate to generate an aerosol. The aerosol-generating device may include a power source that powers (e.g., provides electricity to) at least the heater and may also be configured to interface with or be operably coupled to a host device. The host device may include an interface that interfaces with or is operably coupled to the aerosol-generating device and that charges at least the power source of the aerosol-generating device.

[0028] The aerosol generating device may include a controller with one or more processors (e.g., microprocessors) and a communication interface (e.g., a wireless communication interface, such as a Bluetooth wireless protocol interface) for transferring data to and from the user interface device. The one or more processors may operate with associated data storage, or memory, to access processing programs or routines and one or more types of data that may be used to execute the exemplary methods. For example, the processing programs or routines stored in the data storage may include programs or routines for analyzing circuits, measuring or sensing electrical properties (such as resistance, voltage, and current), circuit analysis logic, matrix calculations, standardization algorithms, comparison algorithms, or any other processes used to implement one or more of the exemplary methods and steps described herein. Furthermore, for example, the processing programs or routines stored in the data storage may include steps and functions for wirelessly transferring data and commands between the aerosol generating device, the user interface device, and one or more of a remote device or server. The data storage, or memory, may be further configured to store data related to one or more types of consumables, one or more types of aerosol-generating substrates, one or more types of aerosol-generating devices, aerosol generation or generation parameters related to one or more types of aerosol-generating consumables, substrates, and devices, such as power values, data and formulas related to the generation of particulate matter using the consumables, substrates, and devices, and any other data or formulas necessary to perform the processes and methods described herein. The aerosol-generating device may be configured to communicate with a user interface device, for example, using a communications interface, to transmit data representing identified consumables or values ​​associated therewith.

[0029] The aerosol generating device may further include a display for displaying information about the identified consumable to a user, for example, the aerosol generating device may display the identification of the consumable, various other information about the consumable, and any other information that may be encoded within one or more conductive portions of the consumable.

[0030] In one or more embodiments, the aerosol generating device may be described as being implemented using one or more computer programs running on one or more programmable processors including processing capabilities (e.g., microcontrollers, programmable logic devices, etc.), data storage (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory or storage elements), input devices, and output devices. The program code or logic described herein may be applied to input data to perform the functions described herein and generate desired output information. The output information may be applied as input to one or more other devices or processes described herein, or may be applied in a known manner.

[0031] Computer program products used to implement the steps described herein may be provided using any programmable language, e.g., a high-level procedural or object-oriented programming language, suitable for communicating with a computer system. Such program products may be stored, for example, on any suitable device, e.g., a storage medium readable by a general-purpose or application-specific program, a controller device for configuring and operating a computer when read by a suitable device to implement the procedures described herein. In other words, in at least one embodiment, a user interface device may be implemented using a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured with a computer program, where the storage medium is configured to cause a computer to operate in a specific and predetermined manner to implement the functions described herein.

[0032] The exact configuration of the aerosol generating device controller is not limited; essentially, any device capable of providing adequate computing and control capabilities to implement the exemplary methods described herein may be used. In light of the above, it should be readily apparent that the functionality described in one or more embodiments according to the present invention may be implemented in any manner known to those skilled in the art. Thus, the computer language, controller, or any other software / hardware used to implement the steps described herein is not intended to limit the scope of the systems, steps, or programs described herein (e.g., the functionality provided by such steps or programs). The methods and steps or components described in this disclosure, including those resulting from the present systems, may be implemented, at least in part, in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. For example, various aspects of the present technology may be implemented within one or more microprocessors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs, CPLDs, microcontrollers, or any other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry, as well as any combination of such components. When implemented in software, the functionality of the disclosed systems, apparatus, and methods may be embodied as instructions on a computer-readable medium such as RAM, ROM, NVRAM, EEPROM, FLASH memory, magnetic data storage media, optical data storage media, and the like. The instructions may be executed by one or more processors to support one or more aspects of the functionality.

[0033] The aerosol generation device may further include one or more pairs of conductors. Each pair of conductors may be configured to be "shorted" or "open" by a conductive portion of the consumable, and completion of the circuit defined by the pair of conductors may be used to determine or identify the consumable. For example, the one or more pairs of conductors may be described as being selectively electrically coupleable with one or more conductive portions of the consumable when the consumable is received by the interface of the aerosol generation device.

[0034] The controller of the aerosol generation device may be operably coupled to the one or more pairs of conductors and configured to identify the consumable based on completion of one or more circuits defined by the one or more pairs of conductors and the one or more conductive portions when the consumable is received by the interface. Thus, an example method of identifying the consumable using an aerosol generation device and a consumable may include receiving the consumable using an interface of the aerosol generation device, and identifying the consumable based on completion of one or more circuits defined by the one or more pairs of conductors of the aerosol generation device and the one or more conductive portions of the consumable when the consumable is received by the interface of the aerosol generation device.

[0035] More specifically, each of the one or more circuits can be checked for completion. Depending on the type and configuration of the one or more circuits, a controller or another device may repeatedly check each circuit or may determine which of the one or more circuits is "open" or "closed" depending on one or more electrical parameters or characteristics measured therefrom. For example, various voltages and resistances can be measured from one or more nodes of the one or more circuits to determine which of the one or more circuits is "open" or "closed." Further, for example, an aerosol generating device can include electrical circuitry that can switch between one or more circuits and analyze each of the one or more circuits individually or together.

[0036] As described herein, the number (e.g., quantity), location, size, and even configuration of one or more conductive portions of a consumable may determine which of one or more circuits of an aerosol generation device is "open" or "closed" when the consumable interfaces with the aerosol generation device. Furthermore, different consumables may have different numbers (e.g., quantity), locations, sizes, and even configurations of their one or more conductive portions so that each consumable can be distinguished by its own one or more conductive portions. In other words, the one or more conductive portions may be positioned at different locations around the consumable, having different sizes, etc., depending on the type of consumable, so that the one or more conductive portions complete different ones of the one or more circuits when the consumable is received by the interface. Thus, each consumable may have different conductive portion configurations (e.g., different quantity or number of conductive portions, different locations of conductive portions, different sizes of conductive portions, etc.) so that each consumable can be distinguished by its different conductive portion configurations.

[0037] In one embodiment, the aerosol generating device can include an electrical circuit that applies a voltage to a first conductor of each of one or more pairs of conductors and grounds a second conductor of each of the one or more pairs of conductors. When a consumable is received by the interface, completion of one or more circuits defined by the one or more pairs of conductors and the one or more conductive portions can be determined when a voltage sensed on the first conductor changes state. In this manner, each pair of conductors, and therefore the circuit defined thereby, can be tested either simultaneously or repeatedly.

[0038] In another example, the conductive portions of the consumable complete a circuit defined by pairs of conductors, thereby bypassing a resistance located within the circuit, and an electrical characteristic or value of the circuit can be analyzed to determine whether the circuits are "open" or "closed." For example, an aerosol generation device may include an electrical circuit that applies a resistance between a first conductor and a second conductor of each of one or more pairs of conductors. When the consumable is received by the interface, completion of one or more circuits defined by one or more pairs of conductors and one or more conductive portions may bypass the resistance applied between the first conductor and the second conductor of the circuit.

[0039] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the electrical circuit may define or apply a different resistance between the first and second conductors of each of one or more pairs of conductors, and the resistance applied between each of the one or more pairs and the first and second conductors of each pair may be electrically coupled in series, extending from a first node to a second node. A voltage may be applied to the first node and measured at the second node to determine which of the one or more circuits is completed by one or more conductive portions when the consumable is received by the interface. For example, a total resistance may be determined along the series circuit defined by the pairs of conductors, and because a different resistance is applied between each pair of conductors, the total resistance may be used to determine which of the pairs of conductors is "open" or "closed." For example, a table or formula stored in memory may be used to determine which of the pairs of conductors is "open" or "closed" based on the total resistance. Still further, in another embodiment, each of the one or more pairs of conductors and a resistance applied between the first conductor and the second conductor of each pair may be electrically coupled in series and extend from a first node to a second node, and a voltage may be applied to the first node and a voltage measured at the second conductor of each pair of the one or more pairs of conductors to determine which of the one or more circuits is completed by the one or more conductive portions when the consumable is received by the interface.

[0040] In any of these embodiments, or other examples described herein, some of the conductor pairs may share a conductor. For example, an exemplary aerosol generating device may include two pairs of conductors, each of which may include one shared conductor.

[0041] Additionally, the interface between the consumable and the aerosol generation device can be "keyed" or "non-keyed." In a "keyed" interface, the consumable may only interface with the aerosol generation device in a specific orientation or position such that an area or location where one or more conductive portions of the consumable may be located is aligned with the location of one or more pairs of conductors on the aerosol generation device for consumable identification. A "keyed" interface on an aerosol generation device may be defined by one or more connecting elements corresponding to the consumable, and may position at least a portion of the consumable in a single position relative to the aerosol generation device when the consumable is received by the interface.

[0042] In a "non-keyed" interface, the consumable may interface with the aerosol generation device in any orientation or position to locate or align the regions or locations where one or more conductive portions of the consumable may be located and the locations of one or more pairs of conductors on the aerosol generation device for consumable identification. The "non-keyed" interface of the aerosol generation device may define a multi-position connector to allow at least a portion of the consumable to be positioned in multiple different positions relative to the aerosol generation device when the consumable is received by the interface.

[0043] To facilitate use of a "non-keyed" interface when identifying a consumable based on one or more conductive portions, one or more conductors and one or more conductive portions of the aerosol generation device may define various characteristics, such as position, length, and size, that allow the conductive portions to "open" or "close" various pairs of conductors of the aerosol generation device regardless of their orientation in the "non-keyed" interface. In other words, the position of the consumable relative to the aerosol generation device in the "non-keyed" interface does not affect the identification of the consumable because the one or more conductors of the aerosol generation device and one or more conductive portions of the consumable are configured to overcome the various orientations provided by the "non-keyed" interface.

[0044] In one or more embodiments, a conductor spacing distance may be defined between a first conductor and a second conductor of each pair of one or more conductors in the aerosol generating device, and a pair spacing distance may be defined between pairs of one or more conductors. Each of the one or more conductive portions may extend along a length of the conductive portion that is equal to or greater than the sum of three conductor widths, two conductor spacing distances, and pair spacing distances of the one or more conductor pairs, for example, to overcome the various positioning provided by a "non-keyed" interface.

[0045] In one or more embodiments, the consumable may include a heating element (opposite the aerosol generation device or together with the aerosol generation device) to generate an aerosol from the aerosol-generating substrate. In this embodiment, a power source of the aerosol generation device may be operably coupled to the heating element of the consumable and provide power to the heating element via at least one pair of conductors when the consumable is received by the interface. A controller of the aerosol generation device may be configured to identify the heating element of the consumable based on completion of one or more circuits defined by one or more pairs of conductors and one or more conductive portions when the consumable is received by the interface.

[0046] In one example, one or more conductive portions may be repeatedly tested or analyzed to determine which of the conductive portions are electrically coupled to the heater of the consumable, and once it is determined which of the conductive portions are electrically coupled to the heater, such conductive portions may be electrically coupled to a power source to transmit electricity to the heater for use in generating an aerosol. In one example, and more specifically, the power source may be selectively electrically coupled to the first conductor of each of the pairs of conductors. The aerosol generation device may include an electrical circuit that sequentially electrically couples the power source to the first conductors of the pairs of conductors to apply a voltage to each of the first conductors of the pairs of conductors. When the consumable is received by the interface, completion of one or more circuits defined by one or more pairs of conductors and one or more conductive portions may be determined when a voltage sensed on the second conductor of each of the pairs of conductors changes state.

[0047] In another case, and more specifically, a power source can be selectively electrically coupled to each first conductor of the pair of conductors. The aerosol generating device can include an electrical circuit that sequentially electrically couples the power source to each first conductor of the pair of conductors to apply a voltage to the first conductors. When a consumable is received by the interface, completion of one or more circuits defined by one or more pairs of conductors and one or more conductive portions can be determined when a voltage sensed on the second conductor of the second conductor changes state.

[0048] Once the consumable is identified, the aerosol generating device may perform one or more steps or operations. For example, one or more operating characteristics of the aerosol generating device may be selected or modified based on the identified consumable to, for example, generate an aerosol according to the consumable's specifications for effective and efficient aerosol generation. Furthermore, based on the identification, the aerosol generating device may determine various information about the consumable, such as one or more of authenticity information, expiration date, and manufacturing location.

[0049] In another example, such information may be coded into the size, arrangement, and configuration of one or more conductive portions of the consumable. In other words, in addition to or instead of identification, it may be determined from one or more conductive portions. Thus, the aerosol generating device may be configured to determine various information about the consumable, such as authenticity information, expiration date, and place of manufacture, based on one or more circuits completed using one or more conductive portions of the consumable. Furthermore, once the consumable is identified, the aerosol generating device may communicate the identification of the consumable or the identified consumable to a user interface device.

[0050] The present invention may include a user interface device. Preferably, the user interface device is a mobile phone. In another embodiment, the user interface device is a smartwatch. In general, a user interface device can be described as any electronic device including a display that provides a graphical user interface that can be interacted with by a user. The user interface device includes a communication interface, e.g., at least telemetry circuitry and an antenna, for bidirectional communication with the aerosol generating device, other devices such as servers, network devices, personal computers, and the like, and other networks such as the Internet and the like. More specifically, data and commands can be transmitted and received during uplink or downlink telemetry between the user interface device and other devices or networks using the communication interface. In at least one embodiment, the communication interface is a wireless interface using one or more wireless (e.g., radio frequency) data transmission protocols, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, any protocol in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) band, any protocol in the centimeter wave (SHF) band, low frequency, etc. The controller and communication interface device of the user interface device may be similar to those of the aerosol generating device described herein. In other words, the electronic intelligence may be part of either or both the user interface device and the aerosol generating device.

[0051] The user interface device may further include a display operably coupled to the controller for output of data via the display. The display may further be configured to describe and be used as a user-interactive graphical user interface. The graphical user interface and the display may comprise a touch screen. The graphical user interface may be described as user-interactive because the graphical user interface may be configured to allow a user to view and manipulate data on the display, allowing the user to interact with the user interface device, and to allow the user to interact with the aerosol generation device, and the like.

[0052] The aerosol generating device may communicate with a user interface device to transmit information about the identified consumable to the user interface device. For example, the aerosol generating device may transmit the identification of the consumable to the user interface device. The user interface device may then display information about the identified consumable for viewing by the user. Additionally, the user interface device may record and monitor use of the aerosol generating device and the amount and type of consumable used by the aerosol generating device.

[0053] The user interface device may also request information about the consumable from another computing device (e.g., a server) over a network, such as the Internet. For example, the aerosol generating device may transmit an identification of the consumable to the user interface device, which may then request further information about the consumable from a server over the Internet. Upon receiving such information, the user interface device may display the information for the user's review.

[0054] The identification of the consumable may be used to perform one or more steps, such as, for example, adapting the power of the aerosol-generating device to the specific characteristics of the aerosol-forming substrate (e.g., some substrates may use a specific heat curve to generate the aerosol, reach a specific temperature to deliver the aerosol, should not be overheated, etc.) or to the characteristics of the consumable itself (e.g., the size of the consumable, how many heaters may be used, etc.), displaying or transmitting information about the consumable aerosol-forming substrate to the aerosol-generating device or other electronic devices linked to the aerosol-generating device (e.g., recording user consumption / preferences in the case of consumable testing, transmitting information to the user's mobile phone to remember / identify the aerosol-forming substrate, etc.), and checking information about the consumable (e.g., to prevent counterfeit products, check the expiration date of the aerosol-forming substrate, etc.).

[0055] One embodiment can be described as including an aerosol generation device and a consumable that can be connected together such that there is at least one electronic circuit within the aerosol generation device that includes its battery and major electronic components. When the consumable is connected to the aerosol generation device, the at least one electronic circuit can have at least one of its conductors closed by one or more conductive portions on the consumable. Furthermore, the at least one electronic circuit can determine which of its conductors are closed by one or more conductive portions on the consumable and transmit this information to the aerosol generation device, which can be used to identify the consumable or a characteristic of the consumable.

[0056] The present invention may further be described as allowing one or more characteristics or values ​​of the consumable to be coded using one or more conductive portions on the consumable, such that when the aerosol generation device and consumable are plugged together, the aerosol generation device can read which of the conductors in the aerosol generation device's circuit are closed by the conductive portions of the consumable, and thereby determine the characteristic value of the consumable. The coded information may then be used to adapt the functionality of the aerosol generation device to the consumable, transmit information related to the consumable, etc.

[0057] In one or more embodiments, the overall structure of the present invention may be described as follows: When the aerosol generation device and the consumable are inserted together, there may be a zone of the aerosol generation device and a zone of the consumable that are "in contact," which may be referred to as a "contact" zone. Such a contact zone may be, for example, the inner surface of the end of the aerosol generation device and the outer surface of the end of the consumable device in an embodiment where the end of the aerosol generation device overlaps the end of the consumable device when the consumable device is inserted into the aerosol generation device. The contact zone of the aerosol generation device and the contact zone of the consumable device may be made of a non-conductive material, for example, a material with dielectric properties.

[0058] The contact zone shown on the aerosol generation device may include an array of pairs or sets of bonding regions, and at least one electronic circuit on the aerosol generation device may include an array of pairs or sets of electrically coupled conductors associated with the bonding regions. Furthermore, these bonding regions may be configured such that each region can be described as a location where each pair of conductors terminates or where each conductor is interrupted so that it is discontinuous at the contact zone on the aerosol generation device. Still further, the at least one electronic circuit on the aerosol generation device may be capable of determining, for each pair of conductors, whether the pair of conductors is connected together. Similarly, the contact zone on the consumable has an array of conductive portions such that each conductive portion is associated with one or more pairs of bonding regions on the aerosol generation device, the bonding regions associated with pairs of conductors on the aerosol generation device are covered by and connected to conductive portions on the consumable, and the number of conductive portions is equal to the number of pairs of bonding regions on the aerosol generation device. In one or more embodiments, for one or more of the aerosol generation device and the consumable, one or more of the conductive portions or bonding regions may be or define a square surface. Additionally, in one or more embodiments, the length of the edge of the bonding region may be equal to the smallest dimension between the length and width of the conductive portion (so that the bonding region is covered by the conductive portion).

[0059] Furthermore, when the aerosol generation device and the consumable are connected, the coupling region of the aerosol generation device and the coupling region of the consumable are said to contact and overlap. In such a configuration, when the aerosol generation device and the consumable are connected, and if there is at least one conductive portion on the consumable, the conductive portion can close at least one pair of conductors on the side of the aerosol generation device.

[0060] All scientific and technical terms used herein have meanings commonly used in the art unless otherwise specified. The definitions provided herein are provided to facilitate understanding of certain terms used frequently herein. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include embodiments with plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. When used herein, "or" is generally used in the sense of including "and / or" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, "have," "having," "include," "including," "comprise," "comprising," and the like are used in an open-ended sense and generally mean "including, but not limited to." It will be understood that "consisting essentially of," "consisting of," and the like are encompassed by "comprising" and the like. The words "preferred" and "preferably" refer to embodiments of the invention that may offer certain advantages, under certain circumstances. However, other embodiments may also be preferred, under the same or other circumstances. Moreover, the recitation of one or more preferred embodiments does not imply that other embodiments are not useful, and is not intended to exclude other embodiments from the scope of the present disclosure, including the claims.

[0061] Reference will now be made to the drawings, which depict one or more embodiments described in the present disclosure. However, it will be understood that other embodiments not depicted in the drawings are within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Like numbers used in the figures refer to like components, steps, and the like. However, it will be understood that the use of one number to refer to a component in a given figure is not intended to limit the same numbered component in another figure. Additionally, the use of different numbers to refer to components in different figures is not intended to indicate that the differently numbered components cannot be the same or similar to the other numbered components. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0062] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary aerosol generating device 100. [Figure 2] 2A-2B are schematic cross-sectional views of an exemplary aerosol generating device 200 interfacing with a consumable item 204. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram of an exemplary circuit 250 of an aerosol generating device for use in identifying consumable products. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram of another exemplary circuit 270 of an aerosol generating device for use in identifying consumables. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a table 280 illustrating exemplary total resistance values ​​corresponding to pairs of conductors in the circuit of FIG. 4 for use in consumable identification. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram of another exemplary circuit 290 of an aerosol generating device for use in identifying consumables. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of an exemplary aerosol generating device 300 interfacing with a consumable item 310. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary aerosol generating device 300 interfacing with a consumable item 310. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a side perspective view of an exemplary aerosol generating device 300 interfacing with a consumable item 310. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view of an exemplary aerosol generating device 400 interfacing with a consumable item 410 . [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram of an exemplary circuit 430 of an aerosol generating device 400 for use in identifying consumable items. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram of another exemplary circuit 431 of an aerosol generating device 400 for use in identifying consumable items. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 500 for use in identifying consumables used by an aerosol generating device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0063] As shown, the exemplary aerosol generating device 100 may include a recess 132 for receiving a consumable 104, such as a heat stick and heater 134, configured to provide a heat source to the consumable 104 to generate an inhalable aerosol. In other words, the aerosol generating device 100 may include a "blade" 134 that can be inserted into the consumable 104, which is a stick having a tobacco compound therein. The aerosol generating device 100 further includes a controller 128 having one or more processors and associated memory. The controller 128 may be operatively coupled to the heater 134 to operate the heater. The controller 128 may further include a communication interface, such as a wireless communication interface, for communicating with a user interface device. The communication interface of the controller 128 may preferably include a Bluetooth interface. The aerosol generating device 100 may further include a power source 126. The aerosol generating device 100 may further include a display 112 operatively coupled to the controller 128 to display graphical information viewable by a user. The display 112 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD) that displays various information regarding the consumable 104. Additionally, the display 112 may include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) that display various information regarding the consumable 104.

[0064] While this exemplary aerosol generating device 100 is a device configured to use a solid consumable, such as a heat stick, it is understood that any aerosol generating device configured to generate an aerosol using an aerosol-generating substrate may use or be used with the invention described herein. Many other embodiments of aerosol generating devices may be usable with the invention, such as devices that use consumables with a liquid reservoir for a liquid aerosol-generating substrate. Furthermore, for example, the device need not be a smoking device. Still further, the aerosol-generating substrate may be in the form of other substrates, such as a gas substrate. Still further, the heating element may take any suitable form to provide for the generation or generation of aerosol from a selected form or type of aerosol-generating substrate. Still further, the overall shape and size of the housing may vary, the housing may include a separable shell and mouthpiece, and other variations are possible.

[0065] Exemplary aerosol generation devices, exemplary consumables, and their components are depicted and illustrated in Figures 2-12. In Figures 2A-2B, an exemplary aerosol generation device 200 interfaces with a consumable 210. In Figure 2A, the aerosol generation device 200 and the consumable 210 are spaced apart, and the contact zone 201 of the aerosol generation device 200 and the contact zone 211 of the consumable 210 are depicted as planar surfaces. As shown, the aerosol generation device 200 includes a pair 202 of three conductors 203. Each of the conductors 203 includes a bonding region 204 located within the contact zone 201. In other words, one may describe an array of conductive lines or conductors 203 and an array of bonding regions 204. The conductors 203 may be connected to an electronic circuit 209, extending therefrom to the bonding regions 204.

[0066] The consumable 210 has one or more conductive portions 212 on its contact zone 211. Each of the conductive portions 212 may include a bonding region 215 that may or may not be bonded by a conductive line 214. As shown, the contact region 215 of the consumable 210 may be aligned with the bonding region 204 of the aerosol generation device 200 such that the bonding region 215 of the consumable may contact or touch the bonding region 204 of the aerosol generation device 200 when the consumable 210 interfaces with the aerosol generation device 200, as shown in FIG. 2B .

[0067] 2B, two of the pairs 202 of conductors 203 of the aerosol generation device 200 are electrically coupled by the conductive portion 212 of the consumable 210. In other words, the aerosol generation device 200 and the consumable 210 are connected and the contact zones 201, 211 overlap such that the conductive portion 212 of the consumable 210 overlaps with the coupling region 204 of some of the conductors 203 of the aerosol generation device 200, connecting the two pairs 202 of conductors 203, which can be detected by the circuit 209.

[0068] In this or other embodiments, the electronic circuitry 209 of the aerosol generation device 200 can determine which pairs 202 of conductors 203 have their wires connected together and can use this information as a characteristic value of the consumable 210. Depending on the configuration of the aerosol generation device 200, this information may then be used directly by the electronic circuitry 209 (e.g., if the information relates to the heating temperature of the consumable 210 and the electronic circuitry 209 controls the heating process of the consumable 210), or may be transmitted over the bus to another electronic component of the aerosol generation device 200 for use (e.g., if the information is displayed on an exterior surface of the aerosol generation device 200 or on a mobile phone wirelessly connected to the aerosol generation device 200).

[0069] An exemplary circuit 250 for use in identifying a consumable is illustrated in Figure 3. As shown, the aerosol generation device's electronic circuitry 250 may include a microcontroller 252 that checks the levels of its input / output conductors or wires 254, 255, 256, and 257. While there are four I / O conductors or wires 254, 255, 256, and 257 shown, it is understood that this number may vary depending on the embodiment. When no consumables are connected to the aerosol generation device, these I / O conductors 254, 255, 256, and 257 are at voltage V+.

[0070] Each I / O conductor 254, 255, 256, 257 has a pair or set of discontinuous conductors 264, 265, 266, 267 associated therewith that are included within electronic circuit 250. For example, pair conductors 265 are associated with or related to I / O conductor 255. Each I / O conductor 254, 255, 256, 257 goes from a high state to a low state in the event of a short circuit across its associated conductor pair 264, 265, 266, 267 (e.g., due to a conductive portion of a consumable), and this state change can be monitored by microcontroller 252.

[0071] Thus, when a consumable is received by the interface of the aerosol generating device, a conductive portion of the consumable may contact and electrically couple with one or more of pairs 264, 265, 266, 267 of circuit 250, and microcontroller 252 may determine which of pairs 264, 265, 266, 267, and then I / O conductors 254, 255, 256, 257, are "live" so that information can be determined from the consumable.

[0072] Another exemplary circuit 270 of an aerosol generating device for use in consumable identification is illustrated in FIG. 4. As shown, a microcontroller 272 is connected to several resistors R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 electrically coupled in series. In practice, the V+ wire connecting resistors R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 may be connected to a power source through a transistor and the microcontroller 272. In this case, the microcontroller 272 may be able to cut off the current in these wires when measurements are not needed, reducing power consumption. While four pairs or sets of conductors 274, 275, 276, and 277 are illustrated in this embodiment, it is understood that the number of conductor pairs may vary while using the same type of embodiment.

[0073] A conductor or wire 279 exiting the microcontroller 272 goes downstream to resistor R5, which is connected to ground (GND), and upstream to several resistors R1, R2, R3, R4 in series, so that each of these four resistors is associated with a respective discontinuous conductor 274, 275, 276, 277. For example, resistor R1 is associated with a pair of conductors 274, such that when the pair of conductors 274 is shorted by a conductive portion of the consumable, resistor R1 is shorted.

[0074] In this diagram, microcontroller 272 may begin by measuring voltage V1 on wire 279. An option illustrated herein to limit power consumption is to have microcontroller 272 switch on transistor 284 before detection. Since the value of resistor R5 is known, the circulating current I can be determined by I=V1 / R5 (Ohm's Law). Knowing the current, the actual total upstream resistance Rt between points 285 and 286 can be determined as Rt=(V+) / I. Since Rt of series upstream resistors R1, R2, R3, and R4 is the sum of the upstream resistances, Rt for each of them is equal to the resistor value when the resistor is not shorted and equal to 0 when shorted.

[0075] By using appropriate values ​​for the four upstream resistors R1, R2, R3, and R4 (e.g., different resistance values ​​for each of resistors R1, R2, R3, and R4), knowing Rt may enable the microcontroller 272 to determine which of these four resistors R1, R2, R3, and R4 is shorted. For example, a table or formula may be used to determine which of these four resistors R1, R2, R3, and R4 is shorted. FIG. 5 illustrates a table 280 illustrating example total resistance values ​​Rt corresponding to pairs of conductors 274, 275, 276, and 277 of the circuit of FIG. 4 for use in consumable identification. As shown, table 280 may be used to determine which of the pairs of conductors is shorted depending on the calculated value Rt and using the following standard resistor values: R1=100K, R2=47K, R3=22K, and R4=10K. In the table, an "X" means no short and the absence of an "X" means a short. Thus, an "X" means that no conductive portion of the consumable is electrically coupled to the pair of conductors, and the absence of an "X" means that a conductive portion of the consumable is electrically coupled to the pair of conductors. Although table 280 illustrates only seven resistance Rt values ​​and associated shorted or non-shorted combinations, it is understood that the table may include all possible total resistance Rt values ​​and associated shorted or non-shorted combinations of pairs of conductors 274, 275, 276, 277 (as indicated by the ellipsis).

[0076] Suitable values ​​for the group of upstream resistors R1, R2, R3 and R4 are those that allow the value of each W(i) to be known by knowing the sum S of all R(i)*W(i), where R(i) is the upstream resistance of resistor i and W(i) is a weight randomly equal to 0 or 1. For example, if R(i+1)=2*R(i), then the value of all W(i) is obtained by knowing the sum S of all R(i)*W(i). If W(i) is equal to 0, then the associated resistor is shorted.

[0077] Additionally, in this embodiment, consecutive pairs of conductors 274, 275, 276, 277 may share conductors due to the serially connected nature of circuit 270. For example, the last wire of an upstream pair 274, 275, 276, 277 may be fused with the first wire of the next downstream pair 274, 275, 276, 277. For example, conductor 281 of pair 274 may be fused with conductor 282 of pair 275, which may help create a compact circuit 270 on the device.

[0078] Another exemplary circuit 290 of an aerosol generating device for use in consumable identification is illustrated in FIG. 6. As shown, circuit 290 is illustrated as a variation of circuit 270 of FIG. 4, in which conductors or wires 291, 292, and 293 exit microcontroller 272 and proceed to the upstream resistor path, directly evaluating the voltage difference between each of resistors R1, R2, R3, and R4. If the voltage difference is zero, it means that the resistor, and therefore its associated pair of conductors, is shorted. For example, if the voltage difference between conductors 279 and 293 is null, it means that the pair or set of wires 277 is shorted. In such an embodiment, having resistors with different values ​​is not necessary, since the short is determined by a direct evaluation of the voltage across the resistors, rather than by the sum of their resistances.

[0079] Exemplary aerosol generation devices and consumables can have a "keyed" or "non-keyed" connection. In a "keyed" connection configuration, the consumable can only be connected / inserted into the aerosol generation device one way. In such a "keyed" configuration, when the aerosol generation device and the consumable are connected, the location of the bonding area of ​​the conductive portion of the consumable is predetermined and known so that it will contact the bonding area of ​​the aerosol generation device.

[0080] For example, if there are four pairs of coupling regions C1, C2, C3, and C4 on a consumable and four pairs of conductors L1, L2, L3, and L4 on four aerosol-generating devices, when the consumable is inserted into the aerosol-generating device, the conductive wire between two of the coupling regions in some of the consumable's coupling regions is in a short circuit as determined by the conductor pairs in the aerosol-generating device. In this case, there are 2 exp(4) = 16 possible combinations of the four conductor pairs in the aerosol-generating device (each of which may or may not be shorted), and therefore 16 different pieces of information may be determined by the aerosol-generating device from the conductive portions of the consumable to identify the characteristics of the consumable.

[0081] A partial perspective view of an exemplary aerosol generation device 300 interfacing with a consumable 310 is illustrated in FIG. 7. As illustrated, the aerosol generation device 300 may be an "electronic cigarette," and the consumable 310 may be an e-liquid-filled cartridge that can be inserted into the aerosol generation device 300 so that the e-liquid inside the cartridge can be heated. The consumable 310 may have or define a keyed connection with the aerosol generation device 300, and is adapted or configured to be inserted into the aerosol generation device 300 so that the contact zone 301 of the aerosol generation device 300 and the contact zone 311 of the consumable 310 are contacting and coupled together such that the conductive portion of the consumable 310 can contact one or more conductors of the aerosol generation device 300. More specifically, an outer surface of the contact zone 311 of the consumable 310 may be contacting and coupled to an inner surface of the contact zone 301 of the aerosol generation device 300.

[0082] Further, in this embodiment, the consumable 310 includes three conductive portions 312, 313, 314 on the sides of the contact zone 311, which can short-circuit three pairs of conductors 302, 303, 304 on the contact zone 301 of the aerosol generating device 300 out of the four pairs of conductors available on the aerosol generating device 300.

[0083] In embodiments where the consumable and aerosol generation device do not have a keyed connection, it may not be possible to determine in advance which areas of the aerosol generation device and which areas of the consumable will overlap in the contact zone when the aerosol generation device and the consumable are plugged together. In such embodiments, in a preferred embodiment, the pairs of conductors on the aerosol generation device may be arranged in a regular pattern along the periphery of the contact zone of the aerosol generation device, so that for every pair of conductors, the spacing between two pairs of wires is equal to L1, the spacing between two conductors of the same conductor pair is equal to L2, and the width of the conductor is equal to L3. In this way, to connect the two conductors of a conductor pair and only these two conductors, the conductive portion on the consumable has a length L = L1 + (2 x L2) + (3 x L3), which applies to any final position of the consumable relative to the aerosol generation device when the aerosol generation device and the consumable are plugged together, as shown below. In such embodiments, the length of the conductive portion can be L or a multiple of L. If the length of the conductive portion is nxL, then there are n pairs of conductors in the aerosol generator that can be shorted by the conductive portion of the consumable.

[0084] 8, the aerosol generation device 300 and the consumable 310 are slightly spaced apart, and the contact zone 301 of the aerosol generation device 300 and the contact zone 311 of the consumable 310 are depicted as planar surfaces. On the contact zone 301 of the aerosol generation device 300 are arrays of pairs of conductive wires 302, 303, 304, having dimensions L1, L2, and L3 as shown herein. On the contact zone 311 of the consumable 310 are arrays of conductive portions or wires 312, such that some of the wires have a length L=L1+(2×L2)+(3×L3), which allows them to short out at least one of the conductor pairs 302, 303, 304, regardless of the position of the consumable 310 relative to the aerosol generation device 300 when engaged. In other words, in any final position, the consumable 310 and the aerosol generating device 300 are opposed to each other when joined together such that their contact zones 301, 311 contact and interlock, and only two conductors of the same pair of conductors on the aerosol generating device 300 can be shorted.

[0085] In such an embodiment, the electronic circuitry of the aerosol generation device 300 can count the number of shorted conductor pairs, which is information that can be used to read a characteristic value (e.g., the identity of the consumable) of the consumable 310. If the conductive portions or wires of the consumable 310 all have the same length L, the number of closed conductor pairs on the aerosol generation device 300 can be equal to the number of conductive portions on the consumable 310. Some different possible pieces of information (e.g., identifiers) that can be read in this manner relate to the dimensions of the contact zone and the dimensional tolerances of the conductive portions, which can vary depending on the materials used and the nature of the aerosol generation device and consumable.

[0086] Some examples of this type of embodiment in which there is no keyed connection between the aerosol generator and the consumable are as follows: In a first example, the aerosol generator article may be a device for heating a blade, which is inserted into a tobacco stick that serves as a consumable. In this example, the tobacco stick is tubular and may be inserted onto the blade after any type of rotation along its longitudinal axis, so that the stick does not have a keyed connection with the aerosol generator. In such cases, the type of embodiment shown may be applied, which includes conductive portions or wires located on the outer surface of the stick (e.g., on the stick's wrapping paper that serves as the consumable container) and an array of pairs of conductors on the inner surface of the aerosol generator. In such an embodiment, the conductors on the aerosol generator may be thickened to increase contact with the tobacco stick, the outer surface of which may be slightly flexible.

[0087] An exemplary aerosol generating device 300 interfaced with a consumable 310 is illustrated in FIG. 9 . As illustrated, the aerosol generating device 300 has or defines an opening 309 into which the consumable 310 (e.g., a tobacco stick) can be inserted and heated by a blade. The consumable 310 can include wrapping paper 319 on its outer surface, which serves as a container, and conductive portions or wires 318 on the wrapping paper 319 that can short pairs of conductors 308 on the inner surface of the opening 309 of the aerosol generating device 300. These conductive portions 318 have the characteristics noted above for non-keyed connections. The number of shorted pairs of conductors 308, as read by the electronic circuitry of the aerosol generating device 300, can provide the aerosol generating device 300 with information about the consumable 310.

[0088] In a second example, the consumable may use e-liquid from a bottle that serves as a container, and the aerosol generator may have a specific tank that the e-liquid is poured into. In such a case, which has e-liquid but no cartridge, for example, the connection between the aerosol generator and the consumable to automatically find the best heating profile for the e-liquid may be made by having a specific area on the aerosol generator (e.g., the opening for the e-liquid) that can be connected / plugged onto a part of the consumable bottle, such as the bottle opening or bottle cap (e.g., both of which are usually round, so a non-keyed embodiment may be used with the aerosol generator).

[0089] In other embodiments in which the consumable is heated by a component inside the consumable's container and is powered by the aerosol generation device, including a keyed or non-keyed connection between the aerosol generation device and the consumable, at least one of the conductive portions on the consumable may be electrically coupled to a component that serves as a heater for the aerosol-forming substrate of the consumable. Such a component may be, for example, a Joule's law / resistance mesh heater. In such embodiments, the overall function of the aerosol generation device does not change (e.g., the aerosol generation device may provide power to heat the consumable component), but the heater may also be part of the consumable identification process when using the instruments, devices, and methods described herein.

[0090] In one or more such embodiments, all conductors in the array of conductor pairs in the aerosol generation device may be dedicated "power lines" (e.g., conductors configured to transmit electricity to deliver power to a powered device, such as a heater) that may heat the consumable using at least one heater connected to at least one conductive portion of the consumable. In one or more embodiments, conductive portions of the consumable that are not connected to a heater may or may not be shorted for identification purposes, and at least one of the conductive portions may be coupled to conductors in the aerosol generation device to carry power from the aerosol generation device to the heater. In other words, conductive portions of the consumable that are connected to at least a heater may generate a voltage on the aerosol generation device conductor pairs connected to them. Such voltages may be detected by the aerosol generation device's electronic circuitry, the value of which may also be involved in identifying the consumable. Identification of the consumable (or its characteristics) may be completed by checking for shorted aerosol generation device conductor pairs, conductor pairs having a voltage between them (e.g., indicating one or more heaters and, in some cases, a voltage value), and disconnected pairs of conductors.

[0091] Such configurations may be designed such that the overall architecture of such smoking articles may already have one or more heaters within the consumable that may use power from the aerosol-generating device. In this manner, the heaters, while functioning as intended (e.g., to heat the consumable), may also function to transmit information about the consumable to the aerosol-generating device.

[0092] In another embodiment with a heater as part of the consumable and a keyed connection between the consumable and the aerosol generation device, two conductors of a pair of conductors in the aerosol generation device may be fused, and the bonding regions of the conductive portions of the consumable may be fused, so that when the aerosol generation device is connected to the consumable, at least one heater component of the consumable may connect at least one conductor of the aerosol generation device to another conductor of the aerosol generation device. Because the location of this at least one heater component may vary depending on the consumable (e.g., container and vessel), the heater location, as indicated by the connected pair of conductors of the aerosol generation device (and detectable by the electronic circuitry of the aerosol generation device), may serve as an identification of the consumable while the heater heats the consumable as expected from them.

[0093] A partial perspective view of an exemplary aerosol generation device 400 interfacing with a consumable 410 is illustrated in Figure 10. As shown, the consumable 410 is an e-liquid-filled cartridge that has a keyed connection to the aerosol generation device 400, and the consumable 410 is fabricated to interface with or be inserted into the aerosol generation device 400 so that the contact zone 401 of the aerosol generation device 400 and the contact zone 411 of the consumable 410 can contact and bond together. This illustration shows four power conductors or wires, two of which are labeled 403 and 405 on the aerosol generation device 400, although other embodiments may have more or fewer power conductors.

[0094] As shown, the consumable 410 has two conductive portions or coupling regions 412, 413 electrically connected to the heater 440, which may be electrically coupled to and contact two power conductors 403, 405 of the aerosol generation device 400 when the consumable 410 is inserted into the aerosol generation device 400. In doing so, the power conductors 403, 405 of the aerosol generation device 400 may provide energy to the heater 440 via the conductive portions 412, 413 of the consumable 410, and the voltage generated by the heater 440 on the power conductors 403, 405 relative to the other power lines of the aerosol generation device 400, which are open, may enable the aerosol generation device 400 to identify the location of the heater 440, which may be used as identification of the consumable 410.

[0095] A diagram of an example circuit 430 of an aerosol generation device 400 for use in identifying a consumable 410 is shown in Figure 11. As shown, the circuit 430 of the aerosol generation device 400 includes four power conductors 402, 403, 404, 405, and a heater 440 connected to two of these power conductors (indicated by the dotted lines connecting the heater 440 to conductors 403, 405) when the aerosol generation device 400 is connected to a consumable 410, which in this embodiment includes a heater 440.

[0096] When checking the position of the heater 440, the microcontroller 408 of the aerosol generating device 400 may use transistors T1, T2, T3, and T4 to sequentially activate the power conductors or wires 402, 403, 404, and 405, two at a time, while checking the voltage of the activated wires. The circuitry 430 may further include I / O wires 422, 423, 424, and 425 for each of the power conductors or wires 402, 403, 404, and 405. The I / O wires 422, 423, 424, and 425 may be electrically coupled to each of the conductors or wires 402, 403, 404, and 405 and to the microcontroller 408. The microcontroller 408 may use the I / O wires 422, 423, 424, and 425 to determine when the power wires 402, 403, 404, and 405 are connected to the heater 440. For example, when activating conductors 403, 405 and checking their voltage through their I / O wires 423, 425, microcontroller 408 may detect a voltage difference corresponding to heater 440 because conductors 403, 405 are electrically coupled to heater 440, as shown using dotted lines in this figure. Microcontroller 408 may use the location of heater 440, indicated by which of power lines 402, 403, 404, 405 heater 440 is connected to, as an identification of consumable 410.

[0097] Another exemplary circuit diagram 431 of an aerosol generating device 400 for use in identifying a consumable 410 is shown in FIG. 12, which shows another method of detecting a heater 440 by evaluating the resistance between two endpoints of power lines 402, 403, 404, 405.

[0098] As shown, one side of heater 440 may be connected to device ground (GND), while the other side of heater 440 may be selectively connected to one of power conductors or wires 402, 403, 404, and 405. In this illustration, heater 440 is connected to conductor 403, as indicated by the dotted line. This variation provides the advantage that the electronic circuitry avoids any sequence of T1, T2, T3, and T4 from detecting the contact position of heater 440. In this case, microcontroller 408 can switch all transistors "on" to power heater 440 and directly measure the voltage on wires 422, 423, 424, and 425 to identify which of conductors 402, 403, 404, and 405 is connected to heater 440. Thus, the heater's position can be identified essentially as soon as power is transferred and aerosol generation begins.

[0099] Another application may be in an aerosol-generating device that is an accessory to a smoking article, where the smoking article does not have an internal electronic circuit but uses a consumable, or where the smoking article itself is a consumable (e.g., a smoking article that uses a heat source). In such an embodiment, the aerosol-generating device may have one of the electronic circuits shown and a shape that allows the consumable to be inserted into it. The aerosol-generating device may also be self-activated, or may be pluggable into another electronic device, such as a mobile phone, that reads and registers information about the consumable as read on the consumable's container. For example, it may be used to indicate consumer usage or selection on a social network via the user's mobile phone.

[0100] Referring to FIG. 13 , an exemplary system 500 according to the present invention is illustrated. System 500 includes a user interface device 501 and an aerosol generation device 600. User interface device 501 includes a controller 502 and associated data storage 503. Data storage 503 includes programs and routines 504, such as programs and routines for transmitting information related to the aerosol generation device 600 and the consumables used thereby, acquiring data representative of consumables interfacing with the aerosol generation device 600, and any other programs or routines for performing the exemplary methods and processes described herein. Data storage 503 further includes data 505, such as data regarding the consumables, data linking the serial number of the consumables to additional information, information about consumables linked to various types of consumables, etc. User interface device 501 further includes a display 506 with a graphical user interface with which a user can interact.

[0101] The aerosol generating device 600 may transmit information regarding the consumables used by it to the user interface device 501. For example, the aerosol generating device 600 may transmit one or more of the serial number, type, expiration date, etc. of one or more consumables used by it to the user interface device 501. In one embodiment, the aerosol generating device 600 may transmit such information to the user interface device 501 in response to interfacing with the consumables and identifying the consumables using the apparatus and processes described herein. Additionally, the user interface device 501 may transmit information regarding the aerosol generating device 600 and the consumables to other devices or apparatus, for example, over the Internet (e.g., an external database server 650). The database server 650 may transmit information regarding the consumables and the aerosol generating device 600 to the user interface device 601.

[0102] For example, a consumable may interface with the aerosol generating device 600, which may identify the type of consumable using the equipment and processes described herein. The aerosol generating device 600 may then upload or transmit the type of consumable being used by the aerosol generating device 600 to the user interface device 501, which may perform one or more actions on such data. Various information about the consumable, such as the type of consumable and other information stored in memory by the user interface device 501, such as ideal power settings, flavors, nicotine strength, etc., may be displayed on the user interface 506 of the user interface device 501. Additionally, the user interface device 501 may not have information about the identified consumable stored in memory and therefore may consult the database server 650. For example, the user interface device 501 may transmit the type of consumable to the database server 650, and the database server 650 may return information about the consumable to the user interface device 501.

[0103] Thus, an apparatus, device, and method for use in identifying aerosol-generating consumables is described. Various modifications and variations of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Although the present invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the present invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of the described methods for carrying out the invention that are obvious to those skilled in the art of computer technology, electronic technology, aerosol-generating device manufacturing, or related fields are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An aerosol generating device, comprising: an interface for receiving at least a portion of a consumable, the consumable including an aerosol-generating substrate and one or more conductive portions that identify the consumable; one or more pairs of conductors defining at least a portion of one or more circuits, the one or more pairs of conductors being selectively electrically coupleable with the one or more conductive portions of the consumable when the consumable is received by the interface; a controller including one or more processors and operably coupled to the one or more pairs of conductors, the controller configured to identify the consumable when the consumable is received by the interface based on completion of the one or more circuits defined by the one or more pairs of conductors and the one or more conductive portions; the aerosol generating device includes an electrical circuit for applying a voltage to a first conductor of each of the one or more pairs of conductors and for grounding a second conductor of each of the one or more pairs of conductors, and when the consumable is received by the interface, completion of the one or more circuits defined by the one or more pairs of conductors and the one or more conductive portions is determined when the voltage sensed on the first conductor changes state; An aerosol generating device, wherein the one or more conductive portions are positioned at different positions around the consumable depending on the type of the consumable so as to complete different ones of the one or more circuits when the consumable is received by the interface.

2. 2. The aerosol generating device of claim 1, wherein the consumable further comprises a container for holding the aerosol-generating substrate, and the one or more conductive portions are coupled to the container.

3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least two pairs of the one or more pairs of conductors share a conductor.

4. An aerosol generating device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the interface defines one or more connection elements corresponding to the consumable item so that when the consumable item is received by the interface, at least a portion of the consumable item is positioned at a single position relative to the aerosol generating device.

5. An aerosol generating device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the interface defines a multi-position connector to enable at least a portion of the consumable to be positioned in a plurality of different positions relative to the aerosol generating device when the consumable is received by the interface.

6. The aerosol generating device of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the aerosol generating device comprises two or more pairs of conductors, a conductor spacing distance is defined between the first and second conductors of each pair of the two or more pairs of conductors, a pair spacing distance is defined between pairs of the two or more pairs of conductors, and each of the one or more conductive portions extends along a length of the conductive portion that is greater than the sum of the widths of the three conductors of the two or more pairs of conductors, two of the conductor spacing distances, and the pair spacing distances.

7. 7. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, further comprising at least a heater that heats the aerosol generating substrate to generate an aerosol when the consumable is received by the interface.

8. An aerosol generating device as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the consumable further comprises a heating element that heats the aerosol generating substrate to generate an aerosol, and the aerosol generating device further comprises a power source that is operably connectable to the heating element and that supplies power to the heating element via at least one pair of the one or more pairs of conductors when the consumable is received by the interface.

9. The aerosol generating device of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to identify the heating element of the consumable based on the completion of the one or more circuits defined by the one or more pairs of conductors and the one or more conductive portions when the consumable is received by the interface.

10. An aerosol generating device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the controller is further configured to modify one or more operating characteristics of the aerosol generating device based on the identified consumable item.

11. The aerosol generating device of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the controller is further configured to communicate the identified consumable to a user interface device.

12. An aerosol generating device as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the controller is further configured to determine information about the consumable based on the completion of the one or more circuits defined by the one or more pairs of conductors and the one or more conductive portions when the consumable is received by the interface.

13. 13. The aerosol generating device of claim 12, wherein the information about the consumable product includes one or more of authenticity information, expiration date, and place of manufacture.

14. 14. An aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate comprises a nicotine-containing material.

15. 1. A method for identifying a consumable product, comprising: receiving a consumable using an interface of an aerosol-generating device including an electrical circuit for applying a voltage to a first conductor of each of one or more pairs of conductors defining one or more circuits and for grounding a second conductor of each of the one or more pairs of conductors, the consumable including an aerosol-generating substrate and one or more conductive portions identifying the consumable; and identifying the consumable based on completion of one or more circuits defined by one or more pairs of conductors of the aerosol generation device and one or more conductive portions of the consumable when the consumable is received by the interface of the aerosol generation device, wherein completion of the one or more circuits defined by the one or more pairs of conductors and the one or more conductive portions when the consumable is received by the interface is determined when the state of the voltage sensed on the first conductor changes, and the one or more conductive portions are positioned at different positions around the consumable depending on the type of the consumable so as to complete different ones of the one or more circuits when the consumable is received by the interface.

16. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the consumable further comprises a container for holding the aerosol-generating substrate, and the one or more conductive portions are coupled to the container.

17. 17. The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein at least two pairs of the one or more pairs of conductors share a conductor.

18. The method of any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the interface defines one or more connection elements corresponding to the consumable item, such that when the consumable item is received by the interface, the at least a portion of the consumable item is positioned at a single position relative to the aerosol generating device.

19. 19. The method of any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the interface defines a multi-position connector to enable the at least a portion of the consumable to be positioned in a plurality of different positions relative to the aerosol generating device when the consumable is received by the interface.

20. 20. The method of claim 15, wherein the aerosol generating device comprises two or more pairs of conductors, a conductor spacing distance is defined between a first conductor and a second conductor of each pair of the two or more pairs of conductors, a pair spacing distance is defined between pairs of the two or more pairs of conductors, and each of the one or more conductive portions extends along a length of the conductive portion that is greater than the sum of the widths of three conductors of the two or more pairs of conductors, two of the conductor spacing distances, and the pair spacing distances.

21. 21. The method of any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein the aerosol-generating device further comprises at least a heater that heats the aerosol-generating substrate to generate an aerosol when the consumable is received by the interface.

22. 22. The method of claim 15, wherein the consumable further comprises a heating element that heats the aerosol-generating substrate to generate an aerosol, and the aerosol-generating device further comprises a power source operably connectable to the heating element and that supplies power to the heating element via at least one pair of the one or more pairs of conductors when the consumable is received by the interface.

23. 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising identifying the heating element of the consumable when the consumable is received by the interface based on completion of the one or more circuits defined by the one or more pairs of conductors and the one or more conductive portions.

24. A method according to any one of claims 15 to 23, further comprising modifying one or more operational characteristics of the aerosol generating device based on the identified consumable item.

25. The method of any one of claims 15 to 24, further comprising communicating the identified consumable to a user interface device.

26. 26. The method of any one of claims 15 to 25, wherein information about the consumable is determined based on completion of the one or more circuits defined by the one or more pairs of conductors and the one or more conductive portions when the consumable is received by the interface.

27. 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the information about the consumable product includes one or more of authenticity information, expiration date, and manufacturing location.

28. A method according to any one of claims 15 to 27, wherein the aerosol-forming substrate comprises a nicotine-containing material.

29. 29. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed on a programmable electrical circuit, causes the programmable electrical circuit to perform the method of any one of claims 15 to 28.

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