Aerosol Delivery System

Abstract

A method for managing a supply of aerosolizable material for a non-flammable aerosol delivery system includes receiving one or more characteristics related to usage of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system. The method also includes predicting an amount of time remaining until the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted based on the one or more characteristics related to usage and an initial supply of aerosolizable material. The method further includes taking preemptive action before the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001]

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of aerosol delivery systems. More particularly, but not exclusively, this disclosure relates to managing a supply of aerosolizable material for non-flammable aerosol delivery systems. [Background technology]

[0002]

[0002] A "non-flammable" aerosol delivery system is one in which the aerosol-generating materials comprising the aerosol delivery system (or its components) are not combusted or burned to facilitate delivery of at least one substance to a user.

[0003]

[0003] The non-combustible aerosol delivery system may be an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device or an electronic nicotine delivery system (END), although it should be noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol-generating material is not a requirement.

[0004]

[0004] A non-combustion aerosol delivery system may be an aerosol-generating material heating system, also known as a non-combustion heating system. One example of such a system is a tobacco heating system.

[0005]

[0005] The non-combustible aerosol delivery system may be a hybrid system that generates the aerosol using a combination of aerosol-forming materials, where one or more of the materials may be heated. Each of the aerosol-forming materials may be, for example, in solid, liquid, or gel form and may or may not contain nicotine. The hybrid system may include a liquid or gel aerosol-forming material and a solid aerosol-forming material. The solid aerosol-forming material may include, for example, tobacco or a non-tobacco product.

[0006] Typically, a non-flammable aerosol delivery system may include a non-flammable aerosol delivery device and a consumable item for use with the non-flammable aerosol delivery device.

[0007]

[0007] The non-combustible aerosol delivery system, e.g., the non-combustible aerosol delivery device, may include a power source and a controller. The power source may be, for example, an electrical power source or a heat source. The heat source includes a carbon substrate that can be energized to provide power in the form of heat to an aerosolizable material or a heat transfer material proximate to the heat source.

[0008] The non-flammable aerosol delivery system may include an area for receiving a consumable, an aerosol generator, an aerosol-generating area, a housing, a mouthpiece, a filter, and / or an aerosol modifier.

[0009]

[0009] Consumables for use in non-flammable aerosol delivery devices may include aerosol generating materials, aerosol generating material storage areas, aerosol generating material transfer components, aerosol generators, aerosol generating areas, housings, wrappers, filters, mouthpieces, and / or aerosol modifiers.

[0010]

[0010] Known approaches are described in International Publication No. WO 2014199233, International Publication No. WO 2015128665, US Patent Application Publication No. 2017027229, International Publication No. 2015138589, International Publication No. 2019060305, US Patent Application Publication No. 20140246035, International Publication No. 2014058678, International Publication No. 2012027350, European Patent Application Publication No. 3210481, International Publication No. 2020229045, U.S. Patent No. 9877505, and U.S. Patent No. 9888725. Summary of the Invention

[0011]

[0011] In a first aspect, there is provided a method for managing a supply of aerosolizable material for a non-flammable aerosol delivery system, the method comprising the steps of receiving one or more characteristics related to use of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; predicting the amount of time remaining until the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted based on the one or more characteristics related to use and an initial supply of aerosolizable material; and taking preemptive action before the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted.

[0012]

[0012] In a second aspect, a user device is provided comprising a receiver / transmitter element for receiving one or more characteristics related to the use of a non-flammable aerosol delivery system, and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to predict the amount of time remaining until the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted based on the one or more characteristics related to the use and the initial supply of aerosolizable material, and to take preemptive action before the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted.

[0013]

[0013] In a third aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit of a computing device, cause the computing device to receive one or more characteristics related to use of a non-flammable aerosol delivery system, predict the amount of time remaining until the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted based on the one or more characteristics related to use and the initial supply of aerosolizable material, and take preemptive action before the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted.

[0014]

[0014] Embodiments and examples of the inventive approach will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a non-flammable aerosol delivery system. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a user device. [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for tracking inventory of aerosolizable materials for a non-flammable aerosol delivery system. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for responding to an inventory of aerosolizable material falling below a threshold. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for tracking inventory of aerosolizable material in which a storage element on a pod is updated. [Figure 6] 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method for managing a supply of aerosolizable material for a non-flammable aerosol delivery system. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a method for tracking the use of aerosolizable material for a non-flammable aerosol delivery system. [Figure 8A] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary inventory of aerosolizable materials. [Figure 8B] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary inventory of aerosolizable materials. [Figure 8C] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary inventory of aerosolizable materials. [Figure 8D] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary inventory of aerosolizable materials. [Figure 8E] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary inventory of aerosolizable materials. [Figure 9A] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a user interface used in managing a supply of aerosolizable material for a non-flammable aerosol delivery system. [Figure 9B] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a user interface used in managing a supply of aerosolizable material for a non-flammable aerosol delivery system. [Figure 9C] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a user interface used in managing a supply of aerosolizable material for a non-flammable aerosol delivery system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016]

[0024] While the approach described herein is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description are not intended to limit the scope to the particular forms disclosed; on the contrary, the scope is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives included within the spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims.

[0017]

[0025] The non-combustible aerosol delivery system is used with a consumable aerosol-generating material, referred to herein as an aerosolizable material, which can be provided to the non-combustible aerosol delivery system in a number of ways, but typically the non-combustible aerosol delivery system is used with a pod that contains the aerosolizable material, which itself can be disposable or refillable.

[0018]

[0026] However, the aerosolizable material is provided in a non-combustible aerosol delivery system, and the aerosolizable material is consumed through use of the system. Because the aerosolizable material is consumed in this manner, a user's supply of aerosolizable material may be depleted over time, and when this supply is exhausted, the user may be unable to use the non-combustible aerosol delivery system until the supply is replenished.

[0019]

[0027] To reduce the likelihood of running out of aerosolizable material, the technology described herein allows users to manage their supply of aerosolizable material by tracking their inventory of aerosolizable material in various ways, determining whether a user's supply of aerosolizable material is sufficient for use, and / or recording and monitoring how a user is using the non-flammable aerosol delivery system.

[0020]

[0028] In this way, the user is provided with a greater degree of control over their supply of aerosolizable material, reducing the likelihood that the supply will be depleted. The technology described herein also provides a convenient mechanism for the user to order additional aerosolizable material or otherwise take preemptive action to prevent running out of aerosolizable material.

[0021]

[0029] It will be appreciated that the present approach involves transmitting data to and from the non-flammable aerosol delivery system, as well as processing data stored and / or received by the non-flammable aerosol delivery system. The present approach also requires that a user device be capable of communicating with the non-flammable aerosol delivery system. Such a user device may also be capable of communicating with other services or systems. Accordingly, to illustrate suitable devices for providing such functionality, an exemplary non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 and an exemplary user device 40 are shown with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively.

[0022]

[0030] An example of a non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 is shown schematically in FIG. 1. As shown, the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 is a device that includes elements associated with aerosol generation, such as an aerosol medium container or cartridge 12 (in the case of an END device, the aerosol medium container or cartridge 12 contains nicotine or a nicotine-bearing formulation), an aerosol generation chamber 14, and an outlet 16 through which the generated aerosol can be discharged. A battery 18 may be provided to power a heat-generating element (e.g., heater 20) within (or functionally adjacent to) the aerosol generation chamber 14. The battery 18 may also power a processor / controller 22, which may serve device usage purposes, such as activating the device to generate aerosol in response to an activation trigger, as well as communication and functional control purposes. The processor / controller 22 may have access to a memory 24, which may be used to store operating instructions for the processor / controller 22. Memory 24 may also be used to store data describing the operating conditions and / or status of non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 and / or one or more of its components. Memory 24 may be internal to processor / controller 22 or may be provided as an additional, separate physical element.

[0023]

[0031] To transmit and receive data and / or messaging, the processor / controller 22 is provided with a transmitter / receiver element 26. The transmitter / receiver element 26 enables the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 to communicate with connected devices using connection technologies such as personal area network protocols. Examples of personal area network protocols include Bluetooth™, Bluetooth Low Energy™ (BLE), Zigbee™, Wireless USB, and Near Field Communication (NFC). Examples of personal area network protocols also include protocols that utilize optical communications, such as Infrared Data Association (IrDA) and Data Over Sound. Other wireless technologies, such as Wi-Fi™ technology, may also be used if the non-flammable aerosol delivery system has appropriate capabilities. In other examples, the transmitter / receiver element 26 may be configured to provide a wired communication channel between the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 and a physical port of the connected device. Such a wired communication channel may utilize a physical connection technology such as USB™, serial port, FireWire™, or other point-to-point wired connection. The remainder of this description will use the example of BLE and use the terminology of BLE technology, but it will be understood that corresponding or equivalent functionality of other personal area network technologies may be substituted. Thus, in this example, transmitter / receiver element 26 is a BLE interface element that includes or is connected to a wireless antenna for wireless communication. In other examples, such as those indicated above, it may be an interface element for an alternative wireless technology and / or a wired connection interface.

[0024]

[0032] Any communication established with a connected device may be non-permanent or temporary, in the sense that the channel may be established for as long as necessary to perform a particular function, but may be disconnected when not needed. For this reason, such connected devices are referred to herein as user devices, in the sense that the devices are likely utilized and / or controlled by a user of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 and the connected device. An example of such a user device (which may also be referred to as a remote device, in the sense that the device is remote from the non-flammable aerosol delivery system, or an intermediate device, in the sense that the device is intermediate between the non-flammable aerosol delivery system and the unlocking / age verification service) is described below with reference to FIG. 2.

[0025]

[0033] Returning to the description of FIG. 1 , the processor / controller 22 may, in one example, be an STM32 microcontroller provided by STMicroelectronics and based on the ARM™ Cortex™-M processor. In other examples, alternative microcontrollers or processors may be used, which may be based on the ARM™ and Atom™ architectures or other low-power processor technologies. Alternatively or additionally, the transmitter / receiver element 26 may, in one example, include an nRF BLE chip to cooperate with the processor / controller to provide BLE connectivity to the non-flammable aerosol delivery system. In other examples, other communication interface chips or modules may be implemented to provide connectivity services.

[0026]

[0034] As shown, the processor / controller 22 may be connected to, for example, the aerosol medium container or cartridge 12, the aerosol generation chamber 14, and the battery 18. The connections may be to interface connections or outputs from some of the components and / or to sensors located on or within some of the components. These connections allow the processor to access properties of the respective components. For example, the battery connection may be used to control activation of a non-flammable aerosol delivery system for aerosol generation.

[0027]

[0035] Further functionality of the processor / controller 22 and / or memory 24 is described below with reference to examples of this approach.

[0028]

[0036] An example of a user device 40 is shown schematically in FIG. 2. The user device may be a device such as a mobile phone (cell phone) or tablet of a user (and / or owner) of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10. As shown, the user device 40 includes a receiver-transmitter element 42 for communicating with the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10. As such, the receiver-transmitter element 42 is configured to use the same connections, protocols, etc. as the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 with which it interacts in any given implementation. Thus, in this example, the receiver-transmitter element 42 is a BLE interface element that includes or is connected to a wireless antenna for wireless communication. In other examples, as indicated above, this may be an interface element for an alternative wireless technology and / or a wired connection interface.

[0029]

[0037] The receiver-transmitter element 42 is connected to a processor or controller 44 that can receive and process data or messaging received from the non-flammable aerosol delivery system. The processor or controller 44 can access a memory 46 that can be used to store program information and / or data. The user device 40 may also include an additional data transmission interface 48. This interface may provide one or more interface functions for wired connections, such as a wired local area network, and / or wireless connections, such as a wireless local area network and / or cellular data services. This interface may be used, for example, to send and receive messaging to and from various other devices, computer systems, and / or computer services, as required by any particular implementation. Additionally or alternatively, this interface may be used for communications related to other functions of the user device 40 unrelated to operation of or interaction with the non-flammable aerosol delivery system.

[0030]

[0038] The user device 40 also includes user interface elements, including output devices 50 (which may include one or more of a display, an audio output, and a tactile output) and input devices 52 (which may include one or more of buttons, keys, a touch-sensitive display element, or a mouse / trackpad).

[0031]

[0039] The user device 40 may be pre-programmed or configured to provide functionality according to the approaches described below. Alternatively or additionally, the user device may store (e.g., in memory 46) software such as an app that, when executed, causes the processor or controller 44 to have those functions. Thus, the user device may be a multi-purpose device that has the described functionality when the app is executed.

[0032]

[0040] Software for programming a user device with the techniques described herein may be embodied or encoded in a computer-readable medium, such as a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions. The instructions embodied or encoded in the computer-readable medium, when executed, may cause a programmable processor or other processor to perform the method, for example. Computer-readable media may include non-transitory computer-readable storage media and transitory communication media, such as carrier wave signals and transmission media. Computer-readable storage media may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, hard disk, CD-ROM, floppy disk, cassette, magnetic medium, optical medium, or other computer-readable storage medium. The term "computer-readable storage medium" refers to a physical storage medium. Transient communication media may occur between components of a single computing system (e.g., on an internal link or bus, e.g., between memory and a processor) or between separate computing systems (e.g., via a network or other connection between computing devices), and may include transmission signals, carrier waves, etc.

[0033]

[0041] Such software may be loaded directly onto the user device 40 from a computer-readable medium, or may be loaded onto the user device by connecting the user device to another computing device (e.g., a desktop computer, a laptop computer, etc.) and using software on the other computing device to control the loading of the software onto the user device.

[0034]

[0042] The foregoing describes a non-combustible aerosol delivery system and user device that can interact to provide a user of the user device with many additional functions of the non-combustible aerosol delivery system, examples of which are described below.

[0035]

[0043] FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for tracking inventory of aerosolizable materials for a non-flammable aerosol delivery system.

[0036]

[0044] A user's inventory of aerosolizable material refers to the amount of aerosolizable material available to the user. In some cases, this is the total amount of aerosolizable material owned by the user, which may be split across several pods of aerosolizable material. In this case, the inventory may identify the level of aerosolizable material in each pod, or it may identify the total amount of aerosolizable material across a series of pods without any indication of which pod the material is in. In some examples, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 operates with refillable pods, and the inventory represents the amount of refill liquid. In yet other examples, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 includes a reservoir for storing aerosolizable material, such that the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 can operate without the use of pods at all. In such examples, the inventory may represent the total amount of fluid (aerosolizable material) the user has in the reservoir and the fluid (aerosolizable material) separately stored to refill the reservoir. The inventory of aerosolizable materials is described in more detail below with reference to Figures 8A-8E.

[0037]

[0045] 3, in step S31, input is received that indicates a change in the user's inventory of aerosolizable materials. This input can take many forms and may vary depending on the cause of the change in the user's inventory.

[0038]

[0046] In some examples, the input is a user input, e.g., entered at user device 40, indicating a change in the user's inventory. For example, a user may input at user device 40 the number of pods of aerosolizable material purchased. This therefore corresponds to an increase in the user's inventory of aerosolizable material. The user input may also indicate a decrease in the inventory of aerosolizable material. For example, a user may specify that the currently indicated inventory of aerosolizable material is too high and should be revised downward, e.g., if the user has given away / lost a pod or used a pod in another device. By supporting user input in this manner, user device 40 can maintain an accurate inventory that reflects the user's actual inventory, which may not be possible if only automated means for detecting inventory changes are used. That is, while automated techniques for detecting changes in a user's supply of aerosolizable material can often provide seamless tracking of inventory, there are some events that may lead to inventory changes that cannot always be adequately detected using such automated techniques. Thus, by supporting user input to indicate inventory changes, a user can maintain an accurate indication of the amount of aerosolizable material available.

[0039]

[0047] Alternatively or additionally, the input indicative of a change in the user's inventory received in step S31 may be received from the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 itself. Because the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 causes consumption of aerosolizable material, the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 may be able to track that consumption and indicate the change to the user device. For example, the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 may identify the amount of aerosolizable material consumed based on usage by the user and communicate this to the user device 40 as an input indicative of the change. In some examples, the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 itself calculates the change in the inventory of aerosolizable material by calculating the amount of aerosolizable material consumed based on the length / number of puffs on the non-combustible aerosol delivery system and identifying a change in the level of aerosolizable material in the pod. Such an identified change in the level of aerosolizable material in the pod may be applied to a known, detected, or estimated previous level of aerosolizable material in the pod to calculate the remaining level.

[0040]

[0048] Similarly, the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 may provide details regarding the use of the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 to the user device 40, from which the user device 40 itself may determine changes in inventory. For example, the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 may determine the length of one or more puffs at the user device, the number of puffs, and / or the heater power level at which the puffs were performed. Based on this data, the user device 40 may be able to calculate changes in the user's inventory. Again, the determined changes in the remaining level of aerosolizable material may be applied to known, detected, or estimated previous levels to calculate the remaining level.

[0041]

[0049] By utilizing input from the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 in this manner, the user device 10 may be able to automatically track changes in the supply of aerosolizable material as the user uses the device, without manual intervention by the user to specify the amount of material used.

[0042]

[0050] In some examples, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 can operate in an “auto-draw” mode of operation, where the auto-draw function is additionally used to notify the user of an input indicating a change in the user's inventory in step S31. In this auto-draw mode, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 is configured to detect one or more puffs on the device and, based on the puff(s), control the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 to generate aerosol for consumption by the user. The puff(s) may be detected by using a pressure sensor in the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 to compare the pressure in the mouthpiece of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 to ambient pressure. When a user puffs on the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10, the pressure in the mouthpiece decreases, which can be detected as a pressure difference between the ambient pressure and the pressure in the mouthpiece. The one or more puffs may also be detected by a flow sensor that detects the flow of air through the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 caused by the user's puffs.

[0043]

[0051] In the automatic puff mode, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 controls the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 to generate aerosol in response to the detection of puff(s). This control may include providing a way for the user to signal the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 when the user desires to use the device by initiating aerosol generation when a puff is detected. However, in some examples, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 further controls parameters related to how the aerosolizable material is aerosolized based on the characteristics of the puff. For example, a deeper puff (which may be detected by a greater difference between mouthpiece pressure and ambient pressure) may cause the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 to operate the heater 20 at a higher power level and / or continue generating aerosolizable material for a longer period of time. In this manner, the user can intuitively control the operation of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 by varying the way the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 puffs.

[0044]

[0052] Characteristics of the user's one or more puffs (e.g., puff length, flow rate during the puff, and / or pressure differential) may be used as input indicative of a change in the user's inventory. That is, the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 may provide this information to the user device 40, which may then be able to determine the amount of aerosolizable material consumed during its use of the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10. The non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 may alternatively or additionally provide details about how the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 was controlled in response to the puffs (e.g., the heater power level used or the amount of time the heater 20 operated), which information is used by the user device 40 to determine the amount of aerosolizable material consumed. In yet another example, the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 calculates the amount of aerosolizable material consumed during operation in response to the user's puff(s), and this amount is communicated to the user device as an input indicative of a change in the user's inventory of aerosolizable material in step S31.

[0045]

[0053] Another possible form of input that can be received in step S31 is an indication that a pod for use in non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 has been replaced (e.g., removed or inserted). Based on this information, user device 40 may infer that all of the aerosolizable material in the pod has been consumed. Alternatively, in instances where the inventory separately indicates the amounts of different types of aerosolizable material, an indication that a pod has been replaced may be useful to indicate that a different type of material has been consumed.

[0046]

[0054] It will be appreciated that user device 40 may be able to modify the inventory indication in a number of different ways in response to two or more of the various types of input described herein, thereby enabling user device 40 to better respond to changes in the inventory of aerosolizable material that occur for a variety of reasons and to increase the accuracy of the stored indication of the inventory.

[0047]

[0055] Upon receiving input indicating a change in the user's inventory, the user device 40 updates its stored indication of the inventory of aerosolizable material based on the input. The inventory indication may be stored on the user device 40 itself, on a remote server accessible to the user device 40, and / or on the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 itself. Regardless of the form of the indication, the received inventory change is reflected in an update to the stored indication. For example, if the input includes a user input indicating that a pod has been lost / given away, the user device 40 is configured to adjust the inventory indication downward by one pod (or an equivalent amount of aerosolizable material). On the other hand, if the input comes from the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 and reflects aerosolizable material consumed during use of the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10, the change in aerosolizable material may be less than an entire pod, and therefore the user device 10 is configured to change its stored indication of the inventory to reflect that a portion of the pod has been used.

[0048]

[0056] By receiving input indicating changes in the user's inventory and updating the inventory of aerosolizable material in this manner, the user device can maintain an up-to-date indication of the amount of aerosolizable material available to the user.

[0049]

[0057] The user device 40 may also be able to handle situations where a user has two or more non-flammable aerosol delivery systems. In this case, the method may further include receiving second usage information from the second non-flammable aerosol delivery system indicating an amount of aerosolizable material used and updating the stored indication of the inventory of aerosolizable material. This allows for accurate inventory tracking when a user owns two or more non-flammable aerosol delivery systems and use of any of the systems may result in inventory changes. In this case, the inventory may include a combined inventory of both / all of the non-flammable aerosol delivery systems, for example, if the aerosolizable material is compatible and can be used in both systems. However, if the non-flammable aerosol delivery systems are not compatible with the same type of aerosolizable material, the user device 40 may also be able to support an inventory including two or more different types of aerosolizable material.

[0050]

[0058] Returning to FIG. 3 , another way in which the inventory of aerosolizable material may change is by the user purchasing additional aerosolizable material. As shown in step S35, the user device 40 may detect such a purchase of aerosolizable material. This may occur because the purchase was made in the same software or related software on the device (e.g., the user ordered additional pods through an app on the user device), or because the software automatically detected an automatic purchase of additional aerosolizable material when supplies were low. In some examples, the purchase of aerosolizable material is detected based on the user's account linked to the user device 40. Thus, a user's purchase of aerosolizable material may be linked to an account registered with the user device 40, even if the purchase was made on another device. In a further example, the purchase of aerosolizable material is detected based on a purchase confirmation being received in the user's email application (or other messaging application).

[0051]

[0059] In response to detecting a purchase of additional aerosolizable material, in step S37, the amount of aerosolizable material purchased is determined, and in step S39, the stored indication of inventory is updated based on the amount of aerosolizable material purchased. For example, a user may order a set of 10 replacement pods of aerosolizable material through an app on user device 40 that detects the purchase. Based on determining that 10 replacement pods have been ordered, user device 40 updates the inventory to include the additional 10 pods. This provides a convenient way for users to manage their inventory without having to manually indicate the additional aerosolizable material.

[0052]

[0060] While the inventory indication can be used in many ways, in the example shown in Figure 3, the calculated indication of the inventory of aerosolizable material is displayed to the user in step S41 using output device 50 of user device 40. Thus, an accurate indication of the amount of aerosolizable material available is provided to the user.

[0053]

[0061] The indication of the inventory of aerosolizable material may be presented to the user as an amount corresponding to a percentage of a full pod, such that a 50% inventory indicates that the user has half a pod of aerosolizable material remaining, and a 200% inventory indicates that the user has two pods (or the equivalent of two pods) of aerosolizable material remaining.

[0054]

[0062] Additionally or alternatively, the inventory of aerosolizable material can be indicated by displaying an icon, symbol, or color corresponding to the amount of inventory. For example, inventory levels can be categorized into different colors, e.g., red indicating fewer than two pods remaining in the inventory, orange indicating two to four pods, and green indicating the user has four or more pods worth of aerosolizable material remaining. An appropriate color, icon, or symbol corresponding to the remaining amount of aerosolizable material may be displayed to the user to indicate the inventory. The mapping between inventory levels and colors, icons, or symbols may be predetermined and set, for example, by the manufacturer or by default, or may be set by the user based on user preferences and / or the inventory level the user wishes to maintain. In some examples, for example, the mapping between colors, icons, or symbols is set based on the observed consumption rate of the aerosolizable material, such that each color, icon, or symbol represents the amount of aerosolizable material predicted to be consumed within a specific time period.

[0055]

[0063] Thus, an approach has been described for tracking the quantity of aerosolizable material remaining in a user's inventory for a non-flammable aerosol delivery system.

[0056]

[0064] In addition to or instead of displaying an indication of the user's inventory, the method may include checking whether the inventory is sufficient for the user's needs by comparing the inventory to a threshold, as shown in Figure 4.

[0057]

[0065] In step S39 of FIG. 4 (corresponding to step S39 of FIG. 3), the stored indication of the inventory of aerosolizable material is updated (which may correspond, for example, to one or both of steps S33 and S39). This updated inventory is then compared to a threshold. The threshold may be predetermined and set as a default, for example, by the manufacturer, or may be set by the user based on the inventory level the user wishes to maintain. In some examples, the threshold is calculated based on the observed rate of consumption of the aerosolizable material by the user, such that the threshold level corresponds to usage over a predetermined period of time. For example, the threshold level may be set to correspond to daily usage of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10.

[0058]

[0066] If step S42 detects that the inventory of aerosolizable material is below a threshold level, user device 40 is configured to take preemptive action in step S43. By applying a threshold in this manner and taking preemptive action rather than waiting for the user to respond after running out of aerosolizable material, this approach prevents the user from abandoning non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 by reducing the likelihood that the user will run out of aerosolizable material. Instead, by predicting the depletion of the supply, additional aerosolizable material can be purchased or the rate of use of aerosolizable material can be slowed to avoid running out of aerosolizable material.

[0059]

[0067] The preemptive action can take many forms, as described in more detail in connection with step S61 of FIG. 7, but in some examples, the preemptive action includes one of notifying the user, prompting the user to order additional aerosolizable material, ordering additional aerosolizable material on behalf of the user, and transitioning the non-flammable aerosol delivery system into an aerosolizable material conserving mode.

[0060]

[0068] The techniques described herein may be implemented using many forms of non-combustible aerosol delivery systems that can operate with a range of different mechanisms for providing aerosolizable material. As discussed above, pods of aerosolizable material may be inserted into the non-combustible aerosol delivery system to provide the aerosolizable material to the system. In some cases, the non-combustible aerosol delivery system may not be able to distinguish between pods, so rather than identifying the level of aerosolizable material within a particular pod, an inventory is maintained that indicates the total level of aerosolizable material across a potential number of pods.

[0061]

[0069] However, in some examples, non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 is operable with a pod that includes a memory element that stores data describing the supply level of aerosolizable material for the pod. The memory element may include, for example, a flash memory capable of storing information that may be readable and modifiable by non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 while the pod is inserted into non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10.

[0062]

[0070] The foregoing describes an approach that can automatically initiate and / or take action based on detected changes in a user's inventory of aerosolizable materials for a non-flammable aerosol delivery system, particularly when some degree of depletion of that inventory is detected.

[0063]

[0071] 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for tracking an inventory of aerosolizable material in which a memory element on a pod is updated. As shown in FIG. 5, in step S45, insertion of a pod into the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 is detected. This may occur, for example, because the pod's electrical contacts complete a circuit and are detected by the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10, because the pod's electrical resistance is detected, because the pod depresses a contact switch when inserted, or because RFID / NFC communication with the pod is detected. In response to detecting the insertion of the pod, the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 reads an initial supply from the pod's memory element corresponding to the amount of aerosolizable material initially stored in the pod. This reading may be based on a physical electrical connection between the non-combustible aerosol delivery system and the pod and / or a wireless (e.g., RFID or NFC) connection between the non-combustible aerosol delivery system and the pod. For new pods, the initial supply may be set when the pod is first filled and may indicate that the pod is full, and may also indicate the volume and / or contents of the pod (e.g., type / flavor of aerosolizable material). For pods that have already been used, the initial supply may be written into the pod and, after a period of use, may reflect changes in the pod's level as a result of that use.

[0064]

[0072] Once the pod is inserted, the user can begin using the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10, which then generates an aerosol using the aerosolizable material from the pod. Thus, the level of aerosolizable material in the pod decreases. In step S47, an input is received indicating a change in the supply of aerosolizable material. This change in supply may be measured by the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 itself by monitoring the amount of aerosolizable material drawn from the pod or calculated based on the usage characteristics of the device. For example, the amount of aerosolizable material may be calculated (by the non-combustible aerosol delivery system or the user device) based on the number of puffs taken by the user, the heater power level of the non-combustible aerosol delivery system, the length of the puffs taken by the user, and any other relevant factors that affect the consumption of aerosolizable material.

[0065]

[0073] Based on this change in the supply of aerosolizable material, the stored indication of the maintained inventory can be updated in step S48 (corresponding to step S39 in FIGS. 3 and 4). Additionally or alternatively, in step S49, the updated level of aerosolizable material in the pod can be written back to the pod's storage element. By updating the pod's storage element in this manner with the new level of aerosolizable material, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 can maintain an accurate indication of the level of aerosolizable material in the pod on the storage element. This can be useful in managing a user's inventory of aerosolizable material, especially when pods are used across multiple devices.

[0066]

[0074] In step S51, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 detects the removal of a pod, as shown in Figure 5. This may be accomplished, for example, by a break in the circuit completed by the pod, a change in resistance, or a contact switch.

[0067]

[0075] If a pod capable of storing the current level of aerosolizable material is used, an additional safety feature may be provided to detect whether a non-refillable pod has been refilled. This feature utilizes both details of the pod's current level of aerosolizable material and a unique identifier that allows the pod to be individually identified relative to all other pods in the user's inventory. Inventory tracking can keep track of the inventory quantity (i.e., the last read or written current level of aerosolizable material in the pod) specific to that particular pod identifier, so that a refill operation may be detected if, on a future occasion, the amount of aerosolizable material remaining exceeds the previously read or written current level of aerosolizable material in that pod. If a refill operation of a non-refillable pod is detected, the user may be warned, or the non-flammable aerosol delivery system may prevent use of the pod, for safety reasons.

[0068]

[0076] Thus, an approach has been described in which a pod having a value stored therein representing the remaining amount of aerosolizable material can be read to find an initial amount of aerosolizable material, and then (after the amount of aerosolizable material remaining in the pod has been reduced through use of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system into which the pod is inserted) an updated amount of aerosolizable material is written to the pod. Thus, pod-level inventory tracking can be performed, and the inventory of an individual pod can be tracked as representative of the total inventory under consideration or as part of broader inventory tracking based on multiple pods in the inventory.

[0069]

[0077] 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for managing a supply of aerosolizable material for a non-flammable aerosol delivery system. As used herein, supply may refer to a user's inventory of aerosolizable material (e.g., the amount of aerosolizable material stored across multiple pods, the number of pods of aerosolizable material, or the amount of aerosolizable material available for use in a refillable pod). In some cases, the supply of aerosolizable material may relate to other quantities of aerosolizable material, such as the level of aerosolizable material remaining in a particular pod, or the amount of aerosolizable material currently available to the user (e.g., the amount the user is carrying, although the inventory may also include aerosolizable material the user has elsewhere).

[0070]

[0078] 6, characteristics related to the use of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 are received. These characteristics may be received from the user themselves through user input specifying the characteristics. For example, the user may input at the user device a change in the supply of aerosolizable material, which may represent one or more pods that the user has given up / lost, a modification to the stored indication of the user's supply of aerosolizable material, or an amount of aerosolizable material consumed during a session of use.

[0071]

[0079] Usage characteristics can also be provided by non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10. This can be convenient because it relieves the user from having to track their usage. For example, non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 may detect one or more puffs on the non-combustible aerosol delivery system and collect usage characteristics of the one or more puffs, such as the length of the puff, the number of puffs taken, and / or the heater power level of non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10. Non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 can then provide these characteristics to user device 40 for use in predicting the amount of time remaining before the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted.

[0072]

[0080] In some examples, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 can operate in the automatic suction mode described above and provide features related to the use of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10, such as details of detected puffs, the amount of aerosolizable material consumed when operating in response to those puffs, or operational parameters of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 set based on those puffs.

[0073]

[0081] Upon receiving the characteristics, in step S53, the amount of time remaining until the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted is calculated. The calculation performed depends on the received characteristics, but may include, for example, determining an average consumption rate of the aerosolizable material over a recent period of time and projecting this consumption rate into the future to determine the amount of time remaining. This calculation may also take into account other factors, such as heater power level. Because the heater power level may be related to the rate at which the aerosolizable material is consumed, a more accurate prediction of the amount of time remaining may be obtained by further considering the current heater power setting.

[0074]

[0082] In some examples, the prediction of the amount of time remaining also takes into account the user's usage patterns of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system based on the user's past usage, meaning that the prediction can be tailored to the user and take into account individual differences in how the device is used.

[0075]

[0083] In some cases, this may involve detecting and utilizing the user's average puff duration, the average number of puffs the user takes during a session, the user's typical heater power level selection, and / or the number of sessions performed in a given period. By utilizing the user's typical values ​​for these quantities, a more accurate prediction of the time remaining before the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted can be obtained.

[0076]

[0084] The method may take into account a user's usage patterns by creating a profile of the user's usage throughout the day or week. For example, usage characteristics may indicate that a user tends to use non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 lightly in the morning but heavily in the afternoon. By incorporating this information into the prediction, the prediction can take into account variations in a user's typical consumption throughout the day.

[0077]

[0085] As described above, the usage characteristics are used to calculate the predicted amount of time remaining in step S53. This calculation further depends on the initial supply of aerosolizable material, along with the usage characteristics used to determine the expected time until the supply is depleted. The initial supply can come from several sources, but in some instances the initial supply is entered by a user, read from a memory element on the pod, or obtained from stored instructions in the supply.

[0078]

[0086] In some instances, a supply is considered depleted when there is no more aerosolizable material, i.e., the depletion of the supply corresponds to using up all of the material. However, in some instances, the aerosolizable material may be considered depleted at a different level, for example, when the level of aerosolizable material reaches a threshold level.

[0079]

[0087] The predicted amount of time remaining may be displayed to the user at this point or used to notify the user of other calculations. However, in the example of Figure 6, in step S55 it is determined that additional aerosolizable material has been ordered. This determination may be made based on a direction from the user, an order placed within an app on the user device, detection that an account associated with the user has been used to order additional aerosolizable material, or may be made in response to an automatic ordering of aerosolizable material by user device 40.

[0080]

[0088] Then, in step S57, it is determined when more aerosolizable material will be available to the user, for example, by determining an estimated delivery date for the order.

[0081]

[0089] Following this, in step S59, the predicted amount of time remaining is compared to a threshold amount of time. The additional aerosolizable material ordered and the time when this material will be available may be used to set the threshold level. For example, if the amount of time remaining with the current supply of aerosolizable material is long enough before the additional aerosolizable material arrives, it may be determined that the supply of aerosolizable material is sufficient.

[0082]

[0090] It will be appreciated that in some cases, no further aerosolizable material may be ordered (thus skipping optional steps S55 and S57), and therefore this additional factor is not used when comparing the predicted time remaining to the threshold. Instead, a threshold time may be set below which a preemptive measure is invoked in step S61. If the amount of predicted time remaining is below the threshold time length (e.g., if the supply of aerosolizable material is not sufficient to last the day / week), this preemptive measure may be invoked to reduce the likelihood of running out of aerosolizable material or to warn the user.

[0083]

[0091] Preemptive action can take many possible forms, depending on the perceived severity of the amount of time remaining falling below a threshold, the capabilities of the user device and non-flammable aerosol delivery system, and the user's preferences.

[0084]

[0092] For example, preemptive action may include notifying a user of non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 that the predicted amount of time remaining is below a threshold. The user can then take appropriate action, such as, for example, reducing consumption or obtaining additional aerosolizable material. Notifying the user may include issuing a notification via output device 50 of the user device. Similarly, preemptive action may include displaying the predicted amount of time remaining to the user (e.g., on output device 50 of user device 40).

[0085]

[0093] In some examples, to extend the amount of time remaining before the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted, the preemptive measure includes transitioning the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 into an aerosolizable material conserving mode, in which aerosolizable material is consumed at a slower rate than in one or more other modes of the system. This approach therefore extends the amount of time remaining before the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted, and in some cases provides sufficient time to obtain additional aerosolizable material. Examples of operating properties of the non-combustible aerosol delivery system that can be modified to implement the aerosolizable material conserving mode include heater power settings and puff duration limits, thereby reducing the rate at which aerosolizable material is depleted while the aerosolizable material conserving mode is in effect.

[0086]

[0094] Other preemptive actions that may be taken include ordering additional aerosolizable material. This may be done automatically in response to the amount of time remaining falling below a threshold, or the user may be prompted to order additional aerosolizable material. This prompt may be issued to the user in combination with notifying the user that the amount of time remaining is below a threshold, as shown in and described in more detail with reference to FIG. 9B.

[0087]

[0095] It will be appreciated that more than one of these preemptive actions may be taken (e.g., notifying the user and ordering additional aerosolizable material), which may reduce the likelihood that the user will run out of aerosolizable material and be unable to use the device, and allows the user to control and monitor their supply of aerosolizable material.

[0088]

[0096] Thus, an approach has been described that tracks the time remaining until a user's inventory (or indeed a single pod) is depleted of aerosolizable material, and can take one or more appropriate actions in response to such depletion reaching a threshold. In this manner, near real-time updates of the remaining inventory can be provided, e.g., to enable user notification and / or other appropriate actions to be taken without delay, e.g., to avoid complete depletion of the inventory before the next inventory replenishment event.

[0089]

[0097] 7 illustrates a method for tracking the use of aerosolizable material for a non-flammable aerosol delivery system. As shown in FIG. 7, in step S71, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 detects a puff or a session including one or more puffs on the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10. This may serve as a trigger for the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 to collect usage characteristics in step S73 that indicate how the user is using the device. The usage characteristics may include the duration of a puff taken on the non-flammable aerosol delivery system, the number of puffs taken during a session of use before the user stops using the device for an extended period of time, the amount of aerosolizable material consumed when using the non-flammable aerosol delivery system, the time of day the non-flammable aerosol delivery system was used, and / or an identifier for the type / properties of pods present in the non-flammable aerosol delivery system. Additionally or alternatively, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 may be operable in the auto-puff mode described above. In this case, the usage characteristics may include details of the detected puffs, the amount of aerosolizable material consumed when operating in response to those puffs, or operational parameters of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 that were set based on those puffs.

[0090]

[0098] After collecting information regarding these characteristics, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 communicates the usage characteristics to the user device 40 (e.g., via Bluetooth™ or other suitable connection protocol). The non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 may provide the usage characteristics to the user device 40 as the characteristics are recorded to provide the user device 40 with up-to-date information regarding usage of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system. However, in some examples, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 reduces power consumption associated with maintaining communication between the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 and the user device 40 by collecting a set of usage characteristics (e.g., corresponding to a session of use or a particular period of time) and providing the collected usage characteristics together to the user device 40.

[0091]

[0099] Upon receiving the usage characteristics in step S79, the user device is configured to calculate a usage summary based at least in part on the usage characteristics. The usage summary may be provided to the user to give the user insight into how they are using the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10, or may be used, for example, to determine a consumption rate of the aerosolizable material.

[0092]

[0100] The usage summary can take various forms and may vary depending on the usage characteristics provided. However, in one example, the usage characteristics indicate the time of day the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 was used, from which the user device 40 can determine a usage summary that indicates the user's typical usage profile throughout the day. This may be useful for understanding when and how the user tends to use the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10. For example, if the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 is capable of operating with different types of pods and the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10 is capable of distinguishing between pod types, the usage summary may indicate the type of pod the user typically uses during a particular time of day (e.g., mint-flavored pods in the morning and mango-flavored pods in the afternoon).

[0093]

[0101] Similarly, if the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 is capable of operating at multiple heater power levels, the usage summary may indicate which heater power levels the user is using at different times of day. In another example, the usage summary may identify how the typical number of puffs taken by a user during a session of use varies at various times of day. In this way, the user can track whether they are using the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 more at some times than at other times.

[0094]

[0102] Other useful metrics for tracking usage of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 may include how the duration of puffs taken by a user varies with the heater power level of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10. If the usage characteristics identify the duration of one or more puffs on the non-flammable aerosol delivery system and the heater power level, the usage summary may show the average duration of puffs for each of multiple heater power levels as a typical usage profile.

[0095]

[0103] Thus, from one perspective, the usage summary can be thought of as representing a typical usage profile. Such a profile may take into account a wide range of possible data regarding the use of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system. Where the approach relates to multiple non-flammable aerosol delivery systems of a user, the usage profile may be made applicable to just one or a subset of the user's non-flammable aerosol delivery systems, or to all of the user's non-flammable aerosol delivery systems.

[0096]

[0104] Based on the usage summary, the user device 40 may calculate, in step S83, an expected amount of aerosolizable material to be used during the next interval. Basing this calculation on the usage summary determined for the usage characteristics improves the accuracy of the calculation by providing an adjusted estimate of the expected amount of aerosolizable material that takes into account how the user is using the non-flammable aerosol delivery system.

[0097]

[0105] In a similar manner as described above, the calculation of the expected amount of aerosolizable material consumed can be used to calculate a predicted inventory of aerosolizable material after the next time period, as shown in step S85 of Figure 7. This may be displayed to the user to inform the user of how the inventory of aerosolizable material is expected to change. However, as shown in Figure 7, in step S87, the predicted inventory is compared to a threshold, and if the predicted level of inventory is below the threshold, preemptive action is taken in step S89.

[0098]

[0106] As discussed above, preemptive action can take a variety of forms, such as notifying the user, prompting the user to order additional aerosolizable material, ordering additional aerosolizable material on the user's behalf, or transitioning the non-flammable aerosol delivery system into an aerosolizable material conserving mode.

[0099]

[0107] The foregoing describes an approach that can monitor the use of one or more non-combustible aerosol delivery systems to provide either or both a detailed summary of usage and more accurate tracking of consumption of aerosolizable materials (e.g., pods, other consumables, and / or refill stocks) of the non-combustible aerosol delivery systems.

[0100]

[0108] 8A-8E show an exemplary inventory of aerosolizable materials and corresponding indications of the inventory that may be maintained in accordance with the techniques described herein.

[0101]

[0109] As shown in FIG. 8A , the user's inventory includes three pods 62, 64, and 66 of aerosolizable material that are indistinguishable from one another. That is, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 cannot individually identify the three pods. In this case, one pod 62 is 50% full, and the other two pods 64 and 66 are full. Because the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 cannot individually distinguish between the pods, an indication of the inventory (or supply of aerosolizable material) is maintained that indicates the total amount of aerosolizable material across all pods available to the user. Thus, in this case, the inventory includes 2.5 pods' worth of aerosolizable material. Here, pod volume is used as a unit of measurement for the quantity of aerosolizable material, although it will be understood that the inventory may be expressed in other ways (e.g., milliliters).

[0102]

[0110] FIG. 8B shows another example of a user's inventory in which two types of pods are present. In this example, the pod types represent different flavors of aerosolizable material, namely, mint and mango. As shown in FIG. 8B, the inventory includes three mint pods 68, 70, 72, one of which is 50% full and the other is full, and two mango pods 74, 76, one of which is 70% full and the other is full. The non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 can distinguish between these different pod types and, therefore, assign separate supply levels to each pod type. Thus, as shown, the inventory indicates that there are 2.5 pods of mint aerosolizable material and 1.7 pods of mango aerosolizable material. As will be appreciated, other specific types of pods may be detected with this configuration. An example of how the pod type may be identifiable is where each pod has a detectable pod type characteristic that can be read by the non-flammable aerosol delivery system when the pod is inserted into the non-flammable aerosol delivery system, for example, due to the pod's electrical contacts completing a circuit and being detected by the non-flammable aerosol delivery system, and / or by information provided by the pod being capable of RFID / NFC communication.

[0103]

[0111] As shown in FIG. 8C , all of the pods can be individually identifiable by the non-combustible aerosol delivery system 10, thereby maintaining an individual indication of the amount of aerosolizable material in each pod. In this example, pod 1 78 is 80% full, pod 2 80 is full, and pod 3 82 is 30% full. Maintaining an individual indication of each pod's supply in this manner may allow a user to have a more complete or accurate understanding of their inventory at a more detailed level. An example of how each pod may be individually identifiable is when each pod has a unique pod characteristic that can be read by the non-combustible aerosol delivery system when the pod is inserted into the non-combustible aerosol delivery system. For example, this may be due to electrical contact providing a specific electrical response when connected to the non-combustible aerosol delivery system and / or information provided by RFID / NFC communication capabilities with the pod.

[0104]

[0112] Figure 8D shows an example in which refillable pods of aerosolizable material are used. In this case, refillable pod 84 stores aerosolizable material that can be replenished from a refill material reservoir 86. In this case, inventory may track the amount of aerosolizable material in refillable pod 84 and reservoir 86. As shown in Figure 8D, this corresponds to a total of five refills of the refillable pod.

[0105]

[0113] If refillable pods are used, the techniques described herein may be used to track the lifespan of the pods. Refillable pods may have associated with them a maximum number of refill cycles before the pod needs to be replaced, so by tracking the amount of aerosolizable material consumed from the pod, the number of refills of the pod can be estimated. Thus, if the number of refills exceeds the allowed number of refill cycles, a warning can be issued to the user, or the non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 may prevent use of the pod for safety reasons.

[0106]

[0114] 8E illustrates an example in which more than one inventory is maintained. In this example, three separate indications of inventory are maintained, representing the user's total supply of aerosolizable material, the supply of aerosolizable material the user carries while traveling, and the supply of aerosolizable material the user has at home (or stores elsewhere, e.g., in a car or at work). As shown, a separate indication of inventory is maintained for each of these three inventories. To maintain inventory in this manner, non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 and / or user device 40 may respond to an input indicating an amount (or change in amount) of aerosolizable material by identifying which inventory the input relates to and then updating the associated inventory. Maintaining more than one inventory in this manner provides increased flexibility by allowing the user to track more than one supply of aerosolizable material when not all inventory is available to the user at the same time (e.g., when some supplies are with the user while traveling and some are left at home). As will be appreciated, either or both of the "travel" and "home" inventories may be managed according to the approach shown in any of Figures 8A, 8B, 8C, or 8D, depending on the extent to which the pods are individually identifiable.

[0107]

[0115] 9A-9C are schematic diagrams illustrating user interfaces used in managing a supply of aerosolizable material for a non-flammable aerosol delivery system.

[0108]

[0116] 9A shows a user interface 100 that includes supply / inventory instructions 102 for displaying to a user the amount of available supply / inventory. For example, the instructions 102 may indicate to the user that a given number of pods remain, or that the pods currently in use are at a given percentage of full.

[0109]

[0117] User interface 100 also includes elements 104, 106 that allow a user to input a supply of aerosolizable material or a change in the supply of aerosolizable material, which user input is used to update the stored indications of the supply. User interface 100 further includes an element 108 that indicates an estimated time remaining until the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted, and a heater power level element 110 that displays the current heater power level and allows a user to select a heater power level for non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10.

[0110]

[0118] 9B illustrates a user interface 120 having a notification 122 to the user that aerosolizable material is low. This may be displayed, for example, as a preemptive measure in response to determining that the inventory of aerosolizable material is below a threshold or that the projected time remaining until the aerosolizable material is depleted is below a threshold. As shown in FIG. 9B, the notification may inform the user of the inventory / supply status and prompt the user to either order additional aerosolizable material using order button 124 or switch non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 to an aerosolizable material conserving mode using button 126.

[0111]

[0119] 9C shows user interface 130 including an exemplary usage summary. In this example, the usage summary shows, for each of a number of heater power levels (low, medium, high), the average duration of puffs taken by the user when non-flammable aerosol delivery system 10 was operating at that level.

[0112]

[0120] The foregoing describes several user interface approaches that represent ways in which a user can interact with a user device to discover, configure, and receive notifications regarding the use of the user's non-flammable aerosol delivery system(s).

[0113]

[0121] As indicated above, the techniques described herein may be embodied in or encoded on a computer-readable medium, such as a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions. The instructions embodied in or encoded on the computer-readable medium, when executed, may cause a programmable processor or other processor to perform the method, for example. Computer-readable media may include non-transitory computer-readable storage media and transitory communication media, such as carrier wave signals and transmission media. Computer-readable storage media may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, hard disk, CD-ROM, floppy disk, cassette, magnetic medium, optical medium, or other computer-readable storage medium. The term "computer-readable storage medium" refers to a physical storage medium. Transient communication media may occur between components of a single computing system (e.g., on an internal link or bus between memory and processor) or between separate computing systems (e.g., via a network or other connection between computing devices) and may include transmission signals, carrier waves, etc.

[0114]

[0122] In this application, the phrase "configured to" is used to mean that elements of an apparatus have a configuration that allows them to perform a defined operation. In this context, "configuration" refers to an arrangement or manner of interconnection of hardware or software. For example, an apparatus may have dedicated hardware that provides the defined operation, or a processor or other processing device may be programmed to perform the function. "Configured to" does not imply that elements of an apparatus need to be modified in any way to provide the defined operation.

[0115]

[0123] The various embodiments described herein are presented solely to aid in the understanding and teaching of the claimed features. These embodiments are provided only as a representative sample of embodiments and are not intended to be exhaustive and / or exclusive. The advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and / or other aspects described herein should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention as defined by the claims or on the equivalents of the claims, and it should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. The various embodiments of the present invention may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of any suitable combination of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc., other than those specifically described herein. Furthermore, the present disclosure may include other inventions not currently claimed but that may be claimed in the future. Terms Article 1. 1. A method for tracking inventory of aerosolizable material for a non-flammable aerosol delivery system, comprising: receiving input indicating a change in a user's inventory of aerosolizable materials; updating the stored indication of the inventory of aerosolizable material based on the input indicating the change; A method comprising: Article 2. the input includes a user input indicating a change in the user's inventory of aerosolizable materials; The method described in clause 1. Article 3. the input includes usage information received from the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; 2. The method according to clause 1 or 2. Article 4. Usage information, the length of the puff made by the user; the number of puffs taken by the user, and Heater power settings for non-flammable aerosol delivery systems when single or multiple puffs are administered 4. The method of claim 3, comprising at least one of: Article 5. the input indicating that a pod of aerosolizable material for use in a non-flammable aerosol delivery system has been inserted or removed; 5. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 4. Article 6. reading an initial supply level of aerosolizable material from a memory element of the pod; writing an updated supply level of the aerosolizable material to a memory element of the pod, the updated supply level being based on an input indicating a change; 6. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 5, further comprising: Article 7. a non-flammable aerosol delivery system operable with a pod containing an aerosolizable material; the pods are indistinguishable to the non-flammable aerosol delivery system, and the stored indication of the inventory represents a total supply of aerosolizable material across one or more pods; 7. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 6. Article 8. a non-flammable aerosol delivery system operable with a pod containing an aerosolizable material; the non-flammable aerosol delivery system is capable of detecting two or more different pod types, and the usage information indicates the particular pod type in which the aerosolizable material was used; the inventory identifies, for different pod types, the levels of aerosolizable material of that type; 7. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 6. Article 9. a non-flammable aerosol delivery system operable with a pod containing an aerosolizable material; the pods are individually distinguishable to the non-flammable aerosol delivery system, and the usage information indicates the particular pod in which the aerosolizable material was used; the stored instructions in the inventory identify, for each of the plurality of pods, the level of aerosolizable material within the pod; 7. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 6. Article 10. the user input is an indication of an amount of aerosolizable material purchased by the user; 10. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 9. Article 11. detecting a purchase of an aerosolizable material by a user; Identifying the amount of aerosolizable material purchased; updating the stored indication of the inventory based on the amount of aerosolizable material purchased; 11. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 10, further comprising: Article 12. detecting that an inventory of aerosolizable material is below a threshold level; taking pre-emptive measures; 12. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 11, further comprising: Article 13. Preemptive measures, notifying the user; and prompting the user to order additional aerosolizable material; ordering additional aerosolizable material on behalf of the user; transitioning the non-flammable aerosol delivery system to an aerosolizable material-conserving mode; 13. The method of claim 12, comprising at least one of: Article 14. Displaying an indication of the inventory of aerosolizable materials to the user. 14. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 13, further comprising: Article 15. and displaying an indication of the inventory of the aerosolizable material includes displaying the indication of the inventory as a percentage of a full pod of the aerosolizable material. The method described in clause 14. Article 16. and displaying an indication of the inventory of the aerosolizable material includes displaying an icon, color, or symbol corresponding to the indication of the inventory. 16. The method according to clause 14 or 15. Article 17. receiving a second user input indicating an amount of aerosolizable material in a second inventory; maintaining a second stored indication of a second inventory of aerosolizable material; determining whether the user input and usage information relates to the inventory or the second inventory, and updating stored instructions for the inventory or second stored instructions for the second inventory based on the determination; 17. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 16, further comprising: Article 18. receiving second usage information from the second non-flammable aerosol delivery system indicating an amount of aerosolizable material used; updating the stored indication of the inventory of the aerosolizable material in response to receiving the second usage information; 4. The method of clause 3, further comprising: Article 19. receiving input indicating a change in a user's inventory of aerosolizable materials; updating the stored indication of the inventory of aerosolizable material based on the input indicating the change; 1. A user device comprising: a processor configured to execute Article 20. the input includes a user input indicating a change in the user's inventory of aerosolizable materials; User devices as described in clause 19. Article 21. the input includes usage information received from the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; A user device as described in clause 19 or 20. Article 22. Usage information, the length of the puff made by the user; the number of puffs taken by the user, and Heater power settings for non-flammable aerosol delivery systems when single or multiple puffs are administered 22. The user device of claim 21, comprising at least one of: Article 23. the input indicating that a pod of aerosolizable material for use in a non-flammable aerosol delivery system has been inserted or removed; A user device according to any one of clauses 19 to 22. Article 24. The processor: reading an initial supply level of the aerosolizable material from a memory element of the pod; writing an updated supply level of the aerosolizable material to a memory element of the pod, the updated supply level being based on an input indicating a change; 24. A user device according to any one of clauses 19 to 23, further configured to perform the following: Article 25. the inventory of aerosolizable material relates to a non-flammable aerosol delivery system operable with a pod containing the aerosolizable material; the pods are indistinguishable to the non-flammable aerosol delivery system, and the stored indication of the inventory represents a total supply of aerosolizable material across one or more pods; A user device according to any one of clauses 19 to 24. Article 26. the inventory of aerosolizable material relates to a non-flammable aerosol delivery system operable with a pod containing the aerosolizable material; the non-flammable aerosol delivery system is capable of detecting two or more different pod types, and the usage information indicates the particular pod type in which the aerosolizable material was used; the inventory identifies, for different pod types, the levels of aerosolizable material of that type; A user device according to any one of clauses 19 to 24. Article 27. the inventory of aerosolizable material relates to a non-flammable aerosol delivery system operable with a pod containing the aerosolizable material; the pods are individually distinguishable to the non-flammable aerosol delivery system, and the usage information indicates the particular pod in which the aerosolizable material was used; the stored instructions in the inventory identify, for each of the plurality of pods, the level of aerosolizable material within the pod; A user device according to any one of clauses 19 to 24. Article 28. the user input is an indication of an amount of aerosolizable material purchased by the user; A user device according to any one of clauses 19 to 27. Article 29. Detecting a purchase of an aerosolizable material by a user; Identifying the amount of aerosolizable material purchased; and updating the stored indication of the inventory based on the amount of aerosolizable material purchased; 29. A user device according to any one of clauses 19 to 28, further configured to: Article 30. Detecting that an inventory of aerosolizable material is below a threshold level; Taking pre-emptive measures; 30. A user device according to any one of clauses 19 to 29, further configured to perform the following: Article 31. Preemptive measures, notifying the user; and prompting the user to order additional aerosolizable material; ordering additional aerosolizable material on behalf of the user; transitioning the non-flammable aerosol delivery system to an aerosolizable material-conserving mode; 31. The user device of clause 30, comprising at least one of: Article 32. Displaying an inventory indication of aerosolizable materials to a user 32. A user device according to any one of clauses 19 to 31, further configured to perform the following: Article 33. configured to perform displaying an indication of the inventory as a percentage of a full pod of aerosolizable material to display the inventory of the aerosolizable material; A user device as described in clause 32. Article 34. configured to perform displaying an icon, color, or symbol corresponding to an indication of the inventory to display the inventory of the aerosolizable material; A user device according to clause 32 or 33. Article 35. The processor: receiving a second user input indicating an amount of aerosolizable material in a second inventory; maintaining a second stored indication of a second inventory of aerosolizable material; determining whether the user input and usage information is associated with the inventory or the second inventory, and updating the stored instructions for the inventory or the second stored instructions for the second inventory based on the determination; 35. A user device according to any one of clauses 19 to 34, further configured to: Article 36. The processor: receiving second usage information from the second non-flammable aerosol delivery system indicating an amount of aerosolizable material that has been used; updating the stored indication of the inventory of the aerosolizable material in response to receiving the second usage information; 22. The user device of clause 21, further configured to: Article 37. A computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a computing device, cause the computing device to: receiving input indicating a change in a user's inventory of aerosolizable materials; updating the stored indication of the inventory of aerosolizable material based on the input indicating the change; A computer-readable medium for causing the computer to execute the method. Article 38. the input includes a user input indicating a change in the user's inventory of aerosolizable materials; 38. The computer readable medium of claim 37. Article 39. the input includes usage information received from the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; 39. A computer readable medium according to clause 37 or 38. Article 40. Usage information, the length of the puff made by the user; the number of puffs taken by the user, and Heater power settings for non-flammable aerosol delivery systems when single or multiple puffs are administered 39. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, comprising at least one of: Article 41. the input indicating that a pod of aerosolizable material for use in a non-flammable aerosol delivery system has been inserted or removed; 41. A computer readable medium according to any one of clauses 37 to 40. Article 42. The instructions are sent to a computing device. reading an initial supply level of the aerosolizable material from a memory element of the pod; writing an updated supply level of the aerosolizable material to a memory element of the pod, the updated supply level being based on an input indicating a change; 42. The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 37 to 41, further comprising: Article 43. the inventory of aerosolizable material relates to a non-flammable aerosol delivery system operable with a pod containing the aerosolizable material; the pods are indistinguishable to the non-flammable aerosol delivery system, and the stored indication of the inventory represents a total supply of aerosolizable material across one or more pods; 43. The computer readable medium of any one of clauses 37 to 42. Article 44. the inventory of aerosolizable material relates to a non-flammable aerosol delivery system operable with a pod containing the aerosolizable material; the non-flammable aerosol delivery system is capable of detecting two or more different pod types, and the usage information indicates the particular pod type in which the aerosolizable material was used; the inventory identifies, for different pod types, the levels of aerosolizable material of that type; 43. The computer readable medium of any one of clauses 37 to 42. Article 45. the inventory of aerosolizable material relates to a non-flammable aerosol delivery system operable with a pod containing the aerosolizable material; the pods are individually distinguishable to the non-flammable aerosol delivery system, and the usage information indicates the particular pod in which the aerosolizable material was used; the stored instructions in the inventory identify, for each of the plurality of pods, the level of aerosolizable material within the pod; 43. The computer readable medium of any one of clauses 37 to 42. Article 46. the user input is an indication of an amount of aerosolizable material purchased by the user; 46. ​​The computer readable medium of any one of clauses 37 to 45. Article 47. The instructions are sent to a computing device. Detecting a purchase of an aerosolizable material by a user; Identifying the amount of aerosolizable material purchased; and updating the stored indication of the inventory based on the amount of aerosolizable material purchased; 43. The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 33 to 42, further comprising: Article 48. The instructions are sent to a computing device. Detecting that an inventory of aerosolizable material is below a threshold level; Taking pre-emptive measures; 48. The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 37 to 47, further comprising: Article 49. Preemptive measures, notifying the user; and prompting the user to order additional aerosolizable material; ordering additional aerosolizable material on behalf of the user; transitioning the non-flammable aerosol delivery system to an aerosolizable material-conserving mode; 49. The computer-readable medium of claim 48, comprising at least one of: Article 50. The instructions are sent to a computing device. Displaying an inventory indication of aerosolizable materials to a user 50. The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 37 to 49, further comprising: Article 51. To display an indication of an inventory of the aerosolizable material, the instructions cause the computing device to display the indication of the inventory as a percentage of the full pod of the aerosolizable material; 51. The computer readable medium of claim 50. Article 52. To display an indication of the inventory of the aerosolizable material, the instructions cause the computing device to display an icon, color, or symbol corresponding to the inventory indication; 52. The computer readable medium of clause 50 or 51. Article 53. The instructions are sent to a computing device. receiving a second user input indicating an amount of aerosolizable material in a second inventory; maintaining a second stored indication of a second inventory of aerosolizable material; determining whether the user input and usage information is associated with the inventory or the second inventory, and updating the stored instructions for the inventory or the second stored instructions for the second inventory based on the determination; The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 37 to 52, further comprising: Article 54. The instructions are sent to a computing device. receiving second usage information from the second non-flammable aerosol delivery system indicating an amount of aerosolizable material that has been used; updating the stored indication of the inventory of the aerosolizable material in response to receiving the second usage information; 40. The computer-readable medium of clause 39, further comprising: Article 55. receiving usage characteristics from the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; calculating a usage summary based at least in part on the usage characteristics; A method comprising: Article 56. the use characteristic relates to a single puff by a user on a non-flammable aerosol delivery system; The method described in clause 55. Article 57. the use characteristic relates to multiple puffs by a user on the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; The method described in clause 55. Article 58. The usage characteristics are puff duration of a puff in a non-flammable aerosol delivery system; the number of puffs taken during the session of use; the amount of aerosolizable material consumed when using the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; and the time the non-flammable aerosol delivery system was used; 58. The method of any one of clauses 55 to 57, comprising at least one of: Article 59. the use characteristic identifies when the non-flammable aerosol delivery system was used; the step of calculating a usage summary includes calculating a typical usage profile of the user over a day; 59. The method according to any one of clauses 55 to 58. Article 60. the use characteristics further identify the type of pod being used in the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; calculating the typical usage profile includes, for one or more periods of the day, identifying which types of pods the user typically uses during the periods; The method described in clause 59. Article 61. the usage characteristics further specify a heater power level for the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; calculating the typical usage profile includes identifying, for one or more periods of the day, which of a plurality of heater power levels supported by the non-flammable aerosol delivery system the user typically uses during the period; 5. The method described in clause 59 or 60. Article 62. the use characteristic further identifies a number of puffs taken during a session of use of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; calculating a typical usage profile includes identifying, for one or more periods of the day, a typical number of puffs taken by the user during a session of use; 62. The method according to any one of clauses 59 to 61. Article 63. the usage characteristics identifying a duration of one or more puffs on the non-flammable aerosol delivery system administered by the user and a heater power level of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; the step of calculating the usage summary includes determining an average duration of a puff on the non-flammable aerosol delivery system for each of a plurality of heater power levels supported by the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; 63. The method according to any one of clauses 55 to 62. Article 64. Usage characteristics are received via Bluetooth; 64. The method according to any one of clauses 55 to 63. Article 65. Steps to display usage summary to the user 65. The method of any one of clauses 55 to 64, further comprising: Article 66. calculating, based on the usage characteristic, an amount of aerosolizable material consumed by the non-flammable aerosol delivery system during a usage period to which the usage characteristic relates; 66. The method of any one of clauses 55 to 65, further comprising: Article 67. Calculating the expected amount of aerosolizable material to be used during the next period based on the usage summary. 67. The method of any one of clauses 55 to 66, further comprising: Article 68. calculating a projected inventory of aerosolizable material after a next period of time based on the expected amount of aerosolizable material to be used and the stored indication of the user's inventory of aerosolizable material; taking preemptive action if the predicted inventory of aerosolizable materials after the next period is below the threshold; 68. The method of clause 67, further comprising: Article 69. Preemptive measures, notifying the user; and prompting the user to order additional aerosolizable material; ordering additional aerosolizable material on behalf of the user; transitioning the non-flammable aerosol delivery system to an aerosolizable material-conserving mode; 69. The method of claim 68, including at least one of: Article 70. 1. A non-flammable aerosol delivery system comprising: a control unit configured to collect usage characteristics of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; a communication element for communicating usage characteristics to a user device; A non-flammable aerosol delivery system comprising: Article 71. the control unit is configured to detect a puff in the non-flammable aerosol delivery system and collect usage characteristics in response to detecting the puff; A non-flammable aerosol delivery system as described in clause 70. Article 72. the communication element is a Bluetooth communication element for communicating the usage characteristics to a user device via Bluetooth; 7. A non-flammable aerosol delivery system as described in clause 70 or 71. Article 73. a receiver element for receiving use characteristics from the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; a processor for calculating a usage summary based at least in part on the usage characteristics; A user device comprising: Article 74. the use characteristic relates to a single puff by a user on a non-flammable aerosol delivery system; User devices as described in clause 73. Article 75. the use characteristic relates to multiple puffs by a user on the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; User devices as described in clause 73. Article 76. The usage characteristics are puff duration of a puff in a non-flammable aerosol delivery system; the number of puffs taken during the session of use; the amount of aerosolizable material consumed when using the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; and the time the non-flammable aerosol delivery system was used; A user device according to any one of clauses 73 to 75, comprising at least one of: Article 77. the use characteristic identifies when the non-flammable aerosol delivery system was used; calculating a usage summary includes calculating a typical usage profile of the user over a day; A user device according to any one of clauses 73 to 76. Article 78. the use characteristics further identify the type of pod being used in the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; To calculate the typical usage profile, the processor is configured to perform the steps of: identifying, for one or more periods of the day, which types of pods the user typically uses during the period; User devices as described in clause 77. Article 79. the usage characteristics further specify a heater power level for the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; To calculate the typical usage profile, the processor is configured to perform the steps of: identifying, for one or more periods of the day, which of a plurality of heater power levels supported by the non-flammable aerosol delivery system a user typically uses during the period; A user device as described in clause 78 or 80. Article 80. the use characteristic further identifies a number of puffs taken during a session of use of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; wherein the processor is configured to perform, for one or more periods of the day, identifying a typical number of puffs taken by the user during a session of use to calculate the typical usage profile; A user device according to any one of clauses 77 to 79. Article 81. the usage characteristics identifying a duration of one or more puffs on the non-flammable aerosol delivery system administered by the user and a heater power level of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; To calculate the usage summary, the processor is configured to perform the steps of determining an average duration of a puff on the non-flammable aerosol delivery system for each of a plurality of heater power levels supported by the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; A user device according to any one of clauses 73 to 80. Article 82. Usage characteristics are received via Bluetooth; A user device according to any one of clauses 73 to 81. Article 83. Displaying usage summaries to users 83. A user device according to any one of clauses 73 to 82, further configured to perform the following: Article 84. The processor: Calculating, based on the use characteristics, an amount of aerosolizable material consumed by the non-flammable aerosol delivery system during a use period to which the use characteristics relate. 84. A user device according to any one of clauses 73 to 83, further configured to perform the following: Article 85. The processor: Calculating the expected amount of aerosolizable material to be used during the next period based on the usage summary. 85. A user device according to any one of clauses 73 to 84, further configured to perform the following: Article 86. The processor: calculating a projected inventory of aerosolizable material after a next period of time based on the expected amount of aerosolizable material to be used and the stored indication of the user's inventory of aerosolizable material; taking preemptive action if the projected inventory of aerosolizable materials after the next period is below the threshold; and 86. The user device of clause 85, further configured to: Article 87. Preemptive measures, notifying the user; and prompting the user to order additional aerosolizable material; ordering additional aerosolizable material on behalf of the user; transitioning the non-flammable aerosol delivery system to an aerosolizable material-conserving mode; 87. The user device of claim 86, comprising at least one of: Article 88. A computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a computing device, cause the computing device to: receiving use characteristics from the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; calculating a usage summary based at least in part on the usage characteristics; A computer-readable medium for causing the computer to execute the method. Article 89. the use characteristic relates to a single puff by a user on a non-flammable aerosol delivery system; 88. The computer readable medium of claim 88. Article 90. the use characteristic relates to multiple puffs by a user on the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; 88. The computer readable medium of claim 88. Article 91. The usage characteristics are puff duration of a puff in a non-flammable aerosol delivery system; the number of puffs taken during the session of use; the amount of aerosolizable material consumed when using the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; and the time the non-flammable aerosol delivery system was used; The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 86 to 90, comprising at least one of: Article 92. the use characteristic identifies when the non-flammable aerosol delivery system was used; calculating a usage summary includes calculating a typical usage profile of the user over a day; 92. The computer readable medium of any one of clauses 88 to 91. Article 93. the use characteristics further identify the type of pod being used in the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; calculating the typical usage profile includes, for one or more periods of the day, identifying which types of pods the user typically uses during the periods; 92. The computer readable medium of claim 92. Article 94. the usage characteristics further specify a heater power level for the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; calculating the typical usage profile includes identifying, for one or more periods of the day, which of a plurality of heater power levels supported by the non-flammable aerosol delivery system the user typically uses during the period; 94. The computer readable medium of clause 92 or 93. Article 95. the use characteristic further identifies a number of puffs taken during a session of use of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; calculating a typical usage profile includes identifying, for one or more periods of the day, a typical number of puffs taken by the user during a session of use; 95. A computer readable medium according to any one of clauses 92 to 94. Article 96. the usage characteristics identifying a duration of one or more puffs on the non-flammable aerosol delivery system administered by the user and a heater power level of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; calculating the usage summary includes determining an average duration of a puff on the non-flammable aerosol delivery system for each of a plurality of heater power levels supported by the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; 96. The computer readable medium of any one of clauses 88 to 95. Article 97. Usage characteristics are received via Bluetooth; 97. The computer readable medium of any one of clauses 88 to 96. Article 98. The instructions are sent to a computing device. Displaying usage summaries to users The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 88 to 97, further comprising: Article 99. The instructions are sent to a computing device. Calculating, based on the use characteristics, an amount of aerosolizable material consumed by the non-flammable aerosol delivery system during a use period to which the use characteristics relate. The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 88 to 98, further comprising: Article 100. The instructions are sent to a computing device. Calculating the expected amount of aerosolizable material to be used during the next period based on the usage summary. 99. The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 88 to 99, further comprising: Article 101. The instructions are sent to a computing device. calculating a projected inventory of aerosolizable material after a next period of time based on the expected amount of aerosolizable material to be used and the stored indication of the user's inventory of aerosolizable material; taking preemptive action if the projected inventory of aerosolizable materials after the next period is below the threshold; and 101. The computer-readable medium of claim 100, further comprising: Article 102. Preemptive measures, notifying the user; and prompting the user to order additional aerosolizable material; ordering additional aerosolizable material on behalf of the user; transitioning the non-flammable aerosol delivery system to an aerosolizable material-conserving mode; 102. The computer-readable medium of claim 101, comprising at least one of: Article 103. 1. A computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit of a non-flammable aerosol delivery system, cause the non-flammable aerosol delivery system to: collecting usage characteristics of a non-flammable aerosol delivery system; communicating usage characteristics to a user device; A computer-readable medium for causing the computer to execute the method. Article 104. The instructions are to: Detecting a puff in a non-flammable aerosol delivery system and collecting usage characteristics in response to detecting the puff 104. The computer-readable medium of claim 103, further comprising: Article 105. The instructions are to: Communicating usage characteristics to a user device via Bluetooth 105. The computer-readable medium of claim 103 or 104, further comprising:

Claims

1. 1. A method, implemented by one or more processors, for managing a supply of aerosolizable material for a non-flammable aerosol delivery system, comprising: receiving one or more characteristics related to use of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system being operable at multiple heater power settings, the one or more characteristics related to use including a current heater power setting; predicting an amount of time remaining before the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted based on one or more characteristics of the use and an initial supply of aerosolizable material; taking preemptive action before the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted; A method comprising:

2. the preemptive action includes notifying a user of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; The method of claim 1.

3. the preemptive action includes transitioning the non-flammable aerosol delivery system to an aerosolizable material conserving mode. The method of claim 1.

4. the preemptive action includes prompting the user to order additional aerosolizable material; The method of claim 1.

5. the preemptive action includes ordering additional aerosolizable material on behalf of the user; The method of claim 1.

6. the preemptive action includes displaying the predicted amount of time remaining. The method of claim 1.

7. the supply of aerosolizable material comprising: the amount of aerosolizable material stored across the plurality of pods; the amount of aerosolizable material stored in a particular pod; the number of pods of aerosolizable material; and the amount of aerosolizable material available for use in the refillable pod; The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of

8. determining whether the amount of time remaining is below a threshold value; further comprising the step of taking the preemptive action occurs in response to determining that the amount of time remaining is below the threshold. The method of claim 1.

9. the one or more characteristics of usage include a usage pattern of a user of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system based on the user's past use of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; The method of claim 1.

10. The one or more features of the use are: the user's average puff duration; A selection of the user's typical heater power level; and a typical number of puffs taken by a user during a session of use of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; The method of claim 9 , comprising at least one of:

11. the one or more characteristics of use include puff information regarding one or more puffs performed by a user on the non-flammable aerosol delivery system; The method of claim 1.

12. The puff information Puff length, the number of puffs taken by the user, and the heater power level of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system when the one or more puffs are administered; The method of claim 11 , comprising at least one of:

13. the initial supply being determined based on a stored indication of a user's inventory of aerosolizable materials; The method of claim 1.

14. receiving input from a user indicating an initial supply of said aerosolizable material; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

15. detecting an initial supply of said aerosolizable material from a storage element of a pod; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

16. the one or more characteristics of use include a change indicated by a user, including an increase or decrease in the supply of the aerosolizable material; The method of claim 1.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more characteristics related to use include information related to use of a second aerosol delivery system.

18. Identifying that additional aerosolizable material has been ordered; determining when the additional aerosolizable material is available to a user; determining whether the amount of time remaining is below a threshold based on the additional aerosolizable material and when the additional aerosolizable material becomes available. The method of claim 1.

19. a receiver / transmitter element for receiving one or more characteristics related to use of a non-flammable aerosol delivery system, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system being operable at multiple heater power settings, the one or more characteristics related to use including a current heater power setting; a processor; wherein the processor: predicting an amount of time remaining before the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted based on one or more characteristics of the use and an initial supply of aerosolizable material; taking preemptive action before the supply of the aerosolizable material is depleted; and a user device configured to execute the

20. 1. A computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit of a computing device, cause the computing device to: receiving one or more characteristics related to use of a non-flammable aerosol delivery system, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system being operable at multiple heater power settings, the one or more characteristics related to use including a current heater power setting; predicting an amount of time remaining before the supply of aerosolizable material is depleted based on one or more characteristics of the use and an initial supply of aerosolizable material; taking preemptive action before the supply of the aerosolizable material is depleted; and A computer-readable medium for causing the computer to execute the method.

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