Electronic vapor delivery system and method

Abstract

The electronic vapor delivery system "EVPS" includes an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol for delivery to a user, a timer for measuring timing of the user's inhalation action, and an inhalation prediction processor configured to predict the user's inhalation action based on the timing measurements from the timer, wherein the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initiate a first predetermined pre-heat mode of the aerosol generator if the predicted inhalation action meets a first predetermined pre-heat criterion.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic vapor delivery system and method.

[0002] The "Background" discussion provided herein is intended to provide a general overview of the context of the present disclosure. The inventors' work to the extent described in this Background section, as well as aspects of the present disclosure that are not believed to be prior art at the time of filing, are not admitted, expressly or implicitly, as prior art to the present disclosure.

[0003] Aerosol delivery systems (or, equivalently, electronic vapor delivery systems) are popular with users because they can conveniently deliver an active ingredient (such as nicotine) to the user on demand.

[0004] As an example of an aerosol delivery system, an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) generally includes a reservoir of a liquid feedstock, typically containing a nicotine-containing formulation, from which an aerosol is generated, such as by thermal vaporization. Accordingly, an aerosol source for an aerosol delivery system may include a heater having a heating element configured to receive the liquid feedstock from the reservoir, for example, by wicking / capillary action. Other raw materials may similarly be heated to generate an aerosol, such as botanicals or gels containing active ingredients and / or flavorings. Thus, more generally, an e-cigarette may be considered to include or receive a thermally vaporized payload.

[0005] When a user inhales into the device, power is applied to the heating element, vaporizing an aerosol source (part of the payload) near the heating element and generating an aerosol for the user to inhale. Such devices typically have one or more air inlet holes located away from the mouthpiece end of the system. When a user inhales into a mouthpiece connected to the mouthpiece end of the system, air is drawn in through the inlet holes and passes through the aerosol source. A flow path connects the aerosol source to the opening of the mouthpiece, so that air passing through the aerosol source travels along the flow path to the opening of the mouthpiece, carrying a portion of the aerosol from the aerosol source. The aerosol-carrying air exits the aerosol delivery system through the opening of the mouthpiece and is inhaled by the user.

[0006] Typically, when a user inhales / puffs on the device, current is supplied to a heater, such as a resistive heating element. Typically, current is supplied to the heater in response to an airflow sensor along the flow path being activated when the user inhales / puffs / puffs, or in response to the user activating a button. The heat generated by the heating element is used to vaporize the formulation. The released vapor mixes with air inhaled through the device by the consumer to form an aerosol. Alternatively or additionally, the heating element is used to heat a plant material, such as tobacco, typically without combustion, to release its active ingredients as a vapor / aerosol.

[0007] It will be appreciated that as a frequently used electronic device that, in use, draws sufficient current from a battery to heat a portion of the payload to the point of producing vapor, it is beneficial for the device to operate in a manner that is convenient for the user and their usage, and preferably also beneficial to the battery and / or other functions of the device.

[0008] The present invention aims to address or alleviate this need. Summary of the Invention

[0009] Various aspects and features of the present invention are defined in the appended claims and the accompanying description.

[0010] In a first aspect, there is provided an electronic vapor provision system (EVPS) according to claim 1.

[0011] In another aspect, there is provided an electronic vapor delivery method according to claim 13.

[0012] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description of the invention and the following detailed description are illustrative of the invention but are not restrictive. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] The present disclosure and many of the attendant advantages will become better understood as they become more completely appreciated by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vapor / aerosol delivery system according to embodiments herein. [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic diagram of the main body 20 of the system of FIG. 1 according to embodiments herein. [Figure 3] 2 is a schematic diagram of a cartomizer 30 of the system of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a connector of the system of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5A] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of functional components of the system of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5B] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of functional components of a processor of the system of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a delivery ecosystem according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram of functional components of a mobile communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of an electronic vapor delivery method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Description of the embodiment

[0014] An electronic vapor delivery system and method is disclosed. In the following description, several specific details are presented to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these specific details need not be employed to practice the present invention. Conversely, where appropriate, certain details known to those skilled in the art are omitted for the sake of clarity.

[0015] An aerosol delivery system (or, equivalently, an electronic vapor delivery system) is a similar term for a delivery device directed to a user.

[0016] The term "delivery device," and also the terms "aerosol delivery system" or "electronic vapor delivery system," may encompass systems that deliver at least one substance to a user, and may include non-combustible aerosol delivery systems that release compounds from an aerosol-forming material without burning the aerosol-forming material, such as electronic cigarettes, tobacco heating products, and hybrid systems that generate an aerosol using a combination of aerosol-forming materials, where the at least one substance may or may not include nicotine.

[0017] The substance to be delivered may be an aerosol-generating material and may optionally include one or more active ingredients, one or more fragrances, one or more aerosol-forming materials, and / or one or more other functional materials.

[0018] Currently, the most common examples of such delivery devices are aerosol delivery systems (e.g., non-combustible aerosol delivery systems) or electronic vapor delivery systems (EVPS), such as e-cigarettes. Throughout the following description, the term "e-cigarette" may be used, and unless otherwise specified or the context indicates otherwise, this term may be used interchangeably with these terms above. Similarly, the terms "vapor" and "aerosol" are used interchangeably herein.

[0019] In general, the electronic vapor / aerosol delivery system may be an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device or an electronic nicotine delivery device (END), although it should be noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol-generating (e.g., aerosolizable) material is not a requirement. In some embodiments, the non-combustion aerosol delivery system is a tobacco heating system, also known as a non-combustion heating system. An example of such a system is a tobacco heating system. In some embodiments, the non-combustion aerosol delivery system is a hybrid system that generates an aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials, where one or more of the aerosol-generating materials may be heated. Each of the aerosol-generating materials may be, for example, in solid, liquid, or gel form and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the hybrid system includes a liquid or gel aerosol-generating material and a solid aerosol-generating material. The solid aerosol-generating material may include, for example, tobacco or a non-tobacco product. Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the non-combustion aerosol delivery system generates vapor / aerosol from one or more such aerosol-generating materials.

[0020] Typically, a non-combustible aerosol delivery system may include a non-combustible aerosol delivery device and articles (also referred to as consumables) for use in the non-combustible aerosol delivery system. However, it is also contemplated that an article that itself includes a means for powering an aerosol generating component (e.g., an aerosol generator, such as a heater, a vibrating mesh, etc.) may itself form a non-combustible aerosol delivery system. In one embodiment, the non-combustible aerosol delivery device may include a power source and a controller. The power source may be an electrical power source or a heat-generating power source. In one embodiment, the heat-generating power 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 in proximity to the heat-generating power source. In one embodiment, a power source, such as a heat-generating power source, is provided within the article to form a non-combustible aerosol delivery. In one embodiment, an article for use in a non-combustible aerosol delivery device may include an aerosolizable material.

[0021] In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating component is a heater capable of interacting with the aerosolizable material to release one or more volatile substances from the aerosolizable material to form an aerosol. In one embodiment, the aerosol-generating component is capable of generating an aerosol from the aerosolizable material without the application of heat. For example, the aerosol-generating component may be capable of generating an aerosol from the aerosolizable material without the application of heat, such as by one or more of vibrational, mechanical, pressurized, or electrostatic means.

[0022] In some embodiments, the aerosolizable material may include an active material, an aerosol-forming material, and optionally one or more functional materials. The active material may include nicotine (optionally contained in tobacco or a tobacco derivative) or one or more other non-olfactory bioactive materials. Non-olfactory bioactive materials are materials included in the aerosolizable material to achieve a physiological response other than olfaction. The aerosol-forming material may include one or more of glycerin, glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, mesoerythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, diacetin mixtures, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenylacetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate. The one or more functional ingredients may include one or more of a fragrance, a carrier, a pH adjuster, a stabilizer, and / or an antioxidant.

[0023] In some embodiments, an article for use in a non-burning aerosol delivery device may include an aerosolizable material or an area for receiving an aerosolizable material. In one embodiment, an article for use in a non-burning aerosol delivery device may include a mouthpiece. The area for receiving an aerosolizable material may be a storage area for storing the aerosolizable material. For example, the storage area may be a reservoir. The area for receiving an aerosolizable material may be separate from the aerosol-generation area or may be combined with the aerosol-generation area.

[0024] The aerosol delivery system need not deliver the aerosol directly to the user, but may provide the aerosol to an intermediate device or conveyor that causes / enables the introduction of the active ingredient into the user's body so that the active ingredient can take effect.

[0025] Thus, one example may include a device that disperses an aerosol into a container, after which a user can remove the container from the device and inhale or suction the aerosol, thus not necessarily requiring direct user interaction with the delivery device at the point of consumption.

[0026] Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram (not to scale) of a vapor / aerosol delivery system, such as an e-cigarette 10, providing a non-limiting example of a delivery device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] The e-cigarette has a generally cylindrical shape extending along a longitudinal axis indicated by dashed line LA and includes two major components: a body 20 and a cartomizer 30. The cartomizer includes an internal chamber containing a reservoir of payload, such as a liquid containing nicotine, a vaporizer (e.g., a heater), and a mouthpiece 35. References hereafter to "nicotine" are understood to be exemplary only and can be substituted with any suitable active ingredient. References hereafter to "liquid" as the payload are understood to be exemplary only and can be substituted with any suitable payload, such as botanicals (e.g., tobacco that is heated rather than burned) or a gel containing an active ingredient and / or flavoring. The reservoir may be a foam matrix or any other structure for holding the liquid until it is needed to deliver it to the vaporizer. In the case of a liquid / flowing payload, where the vaporizer is for vaporizing the liquid, the cartomizer 30 may further include a wick or similar facility for transporting a small amount of liquid from the reservoir to a vaporization location on or near the vaporizer. In the following, a heater is used as a specific example of a vaporizer, however, it will be understood that other forms of vaporizers (e.g., those that utilize ultrasound) can also be used, and that the type of vaporizer used may vary depending on the type of payload being vaporized.

[0028] The main body 20 includes a rechargeable cell or battery for providing power to the e-cigarette 10 and a circuit board for overall control of the e-cigarette. When the heater receives power from the battery, which is controlled by the circuit board, the heater vaporizes the liquid, and the vapor is then inhaled by the user through the mouthpiece 35. In some particular embodiments, the main body is further provided with a manual activation device 265, such as a button, switch, or touch sensor located on the outside of the main body.

[0029] Although the main body 20 and the cartomizer 30 may be detachable from one another by separating them in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis LA, as shown in FIG. 1 , when the device 10 is in use, they are coupled together by connections shown schematically as 25A and 25B in FIG. 1 , which provide mechanical and electrical connectivity between the main body 20 and the cartomizer 30. The electrical connector 25B on the main body 20, which is used to connect to the cartomizer 30, also serves as a socket for connecting a charging device (not shown) when the main body 20 is detached from the cartomizer 30. The other end of the charging device may be plugged into a USB socket to recharge the battery in the main body 20 of the e-cigarette 10. In other implementations, a cable may be provided for directly connecting the electrical connector 25B on the main body 20 to the USB socket.

[0030] The e-cigarette 10 is provided with one or more holes (not shown in FIG. 1 ) for air inlet. These holes lead to an air passageway through the e-cigarette 10 and into the mouthpiece 35. When a user inhales through the mouthpiece 35, air is drawn into this air passageway through one or more air inlet holes appropriately positioned on the exterior of the e-cigarette. When the heater is activated to vaporize nicotine from the cartridge, an airflow passes through and mixes with the generated vapor, and the mixture of airflow and generated vapor then exits the mouthpiece 35 and is inhaled by the user. Except in single-use devices, the cartomizer 30 may be detached from the body 20 when the remaining liquid level is depleted and discarded (or replaced with another cartomizer, if desired).

[0031] 1 is provided by way of example, and it will be understood that various other implementations may be employed. For example, in some embodiments, the cartomizer 30 is provided as two separable components: a cartridge including a liquid reservoir and a mouthpiece (which can be replaced when the reservoir is depleted), and a vaporizer including a heater (which is typically set aside). As another example, the charging facility may be connected to an additional or alternative power source, such as a car cigarette lighter.

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic (simplified) diagram of the body 20 of the e-cigarette 10 of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 2 can generally be viewed as a cross-section in a plane passing through the longitudinal axis LA of the e-cigarette 10. Note that various components and details of the body, such as wiring and more complex shapes, have been omitted from Figure 2 for clarity.

[0033] The main body 20 includes a battery or cell 210 for powering the e-cigarette 10 in response to a user activating the device. The main body 20 also includes a control unit (not shown in FIG. 2 ) for controlling the e-cigarette 10, such as a chip, e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or microcontroller. The microcontroller or ASIC includes a CPU or microprocessor. The operation of the CPU and other electronic components is typically controlled, at least in part, by software programs running on the CPU (or other components). Such software programs may be stored in non-volatile memory, such as ROM, which may be integrated into the microcontroller itself or provided as separate components. The CPU may access the ROM as needed to load and execute individual software programs. The microcontroller also includes appropriate communication interfaces (and control software) for communicating with other devices within the main body 10 as appropriate.

[0034] The main body 20 further includes a cap 225 for sealingly protecting the distal end of the e-cigarette 10. Typically, an air inlet hole is provided in or near the cap 225, allowing air to enter the main body 20 when a user inhales through the mouthpiece 35. A control unit or ASIC may be located along or at one end of the battery 210. In some embodiments, the ASIC is attached to a sensor unit 215 for detecting inhalations on the mouthpiece 35 (alternatively, the sensor unit 215 may be provided in the ASIC itself). In either case, the sensor unit 215, with or without the ASIC, can be understood as an example of a sensor platform. An air path is provided from the air inlet through the e-cigarette, past the airflow sensor 215 and heater (in the vaporizer or cartomizer 30), and to the mouthpiece 35. Thus, when a user inhales through the e-cigarette's mouthpiece, the CPU detects such inhalations based on information from the airflow sensor 215.

[0035] At the end of the body 20 opposite the cap 225 is a connector 25B for coupling the body 20 to the cartomizer 30. The connector 25B provides mechanical and electrical connectivity between the body 20 and the cartomizer 30. The connector 25B includes a metallic (in some embodiments, silver-plated) body connector 240, which serves as one terminal for an electrical connection (positive or negative) to the cartomizer 30. The connector 25B further includes an electrical contact 250 that provides a second terminal for electrical connection to the cartomizer 30 of opposite polarity to the first terminal, i.e., the body connector 240. The electrical contact 250 is attached to a coil spring 255. When the body 20 is attached to the cartomizer 30, the connector 25A of the cartomizer 30 presses against the electrical contact 250, compressing the coil spring axially, i.e., parallel to (aligned with) the longitudinal axis LA. Given the resilience of spring 255, this compression urges spring 255 to expand, which has the effect of firmly pressing electrical contact 250 against connector 25A of cartomizer 30, helping to ensure good electrical connection between main body 20 and cartomizer 30. Main body connector 240 and electrical contact 250 are separated by a pedestal 260 made of a non-conductor (such as plastic) to provide good insulation between the two electrical terminals. The pedestal 260 is configured to assist in the mechanical engagement of connectors 25A and 25B with each other.

[0036] As mentioned above, button 265, which represents one form of manual actuation device 265, may be located on the outer housing of main body 20. Button 265 may be implemented using any suitable mechanism operable to be manually actuated by a user, such as, for example, a mechanical button or switch, a capacitive or resistive touch sensor, etc. It will also be appreciated that manual actuation device 265 may be located on the outer housing of cartomizer 30 rather than on the outer housing of main body 20, in which case manual actuation device 265 may be attached to the ASIC via connections 25A, 25B. Button 265 may be located on the end of main body 20 instead of (or in addition to) cap 225.

[0037] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the cartomizer 30 of the e-cigarette 10 of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3 can be generally viewed as a cross-section in a plane passing through the longitudinal axis LA of the e-cigarette 10. It should be noted that various components and details of the cartomizer 30, such as wiring and more complex shapes, have been omitted from Figure 3 for clarity.

[0038] The cartomizer 30 includes an air passageway 355 that extends along the central (longitudinal) axis of the cartomizer 30 from the mouthpiece 35 to a connector 25A that couples the cartomizer 30 to the main body 20. A liquid reservoir 360 is disposed around the air passageway 355. The reservoir 360 may be realized, for example, by providing cotton or foam soaked in a liquid. The cartomizer 30 also includes a heater 365 that, when a user draws on the e-cigarette 10, heats liquid from the reservoir 360 to produce vapor that flows through the air passageway 355 and is expelled from the mouthpiece 35. The heater 365 is powered via lines 366 and 367, which are connected to opposite polarities (positive and negative, or vice versa) of the battery 210 in the main body 20 via a connector 25A (FIG. 3 omits the wiring details between the power lines 366 and 367 and the connector 25A).

[0039] Connector 25A includes an inner electrode 375, which may be made of silver-plated or other suitable metal or conductive material. When cartomizer 30 is connected to body 20, inner electrode 375 contacts electrical contact 250 on body 20, providing a first electrical path between cartomizer 30 and body 20. In particular, when connectors 25A and 25B are engaged, inner electrode 375 presses against electrical contact 250, compressing coil spring 255, thereby helping to ensure good electrical contact between inner electrode 375 and electrical contact 250.

[0040] The inner electrode 375 is surrounded by an insulating ring 372, which may be made of plastic, rubber, silicone, or any other suitable material. The insulating ring is surrounded by a cartomizer connector 370, which may be made of silver-plated or other suitable metal or conductive material. When the cartomizer 30 is connected to the main body 20, the cartomizer connector 370 contacts the main body connector 240 of the main body 20, providing a second electrical path between the cartomizer 30 and the main body 20. In other words, the inner electrode 375 and the cartomizer connector 370 function as positive and negative terminals (or vice versa) for supplying power from the battery 210 in the main body 20 to the heater 365 in the cartomizer 30 via supply lines 366 and 367 as needed.

[0041] The cartomizer connector 370 is provided with two protrusions or tabs 380A, 380B extending in opposite directions away from the longitudinal axis of the e-cigarette 10. These tabs are used in combination with the body connector 240 to provide a bayonet fitting for connecting the cartomizer 30 to the body 20. This bayonet fitting provides a secure and robust connection between the cartomizer 30 and the body 20, holding the cartomizer and body in a fixed position relative to each other with minimal wobble or flex, greatly reducing the likelihood of accidental disconnection. At the same time, the bayonet fitting provides for easy and quick connection and disconnection by inserting and rotating to connect, and rotating (in the opposite direction) and withdrawing to disconnect. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, different forms of connection between the body 20 and the cartomizer 30 may be used, such as a snap fit or a threaded connection.

[0042] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of certain details of connector 25B on the end of body 20 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure (although most of the internal structure of the connector shown in FIG. 2, such as cradle 260, has been omitted for clarity). In particular, FIG. 4 shows outer housing 201 of body 20 having a generally cylindrical tubular shape. This outer housing 201 may include, for example, a metal inner tube with an outer covering, such as paper. Outer housing 201 may also include manual actuation device 265 (not shown in FIG. 4), which allows manual actuation device 265 to be easily accessible to a user.

[0043] A body connector 240 extends from this outer housing 201 of the body 20. The body connector 240 shown in Figure 4 includes two main portions: a hollow, cylindrical, tubular shaft portion 241 sized to fit snugly inside the outer housing 201 of the body 20, and a lip portion 242 directed radially outward, away from the e-cigarette's primary longitudinal axis (LA). Around the shaft portion 241 of the body connector 240, where the shaft portion does not overlap the outer housing 201, is a collar or sleeve 290 that is also cylindrical. The collar 290 is retained between the lip portion 242 of the body connector 240 and the body's outer housing 201, which combine to prevent movement of the collar 290 in the axial direction (i.e., in a direction parallel to the axis LA). However, the collar 290 is free to rotate about the shaft portion 241 (and thus the axis LA).

[0044] As previously mentioned, cap 225 is provided with an air inlet hole to allow air to flow when the user inhales through mouthpiece 35. However, in some embodiments, the majority of the air that enters the device when the user inhales flows through collar 290 and body connector 240, as shown by the two arrows in FIG.

[0045] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of the major functional components of the e-cigarette 10 of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Notably, Figure 5A is primarily concerned with electrical connectivity and functionality and is not intended to depict the physical dimensions of the various components or detail their physical location within the control unit 20 or cartomizer 30. Furthermore, it will be understood that at least some of the components shown in Figure 5A located within the control unit 20 may be mounted on the circuit board 28. Alternatively, one or more of such components may instead be housed within the control unit and operate in conjunction with the circuit board 28, but may not be physically mounted on the circuit board itself. For example, these components may be located on one or more additional circuit boards or may be located separately (e.g., battery 54).

[0046] 5A, the cartomizer includes a heater 310 that receives power via connector 31B. The control unit 20 includes an electrical socket or connector 21A for connecting to a corresponding connector 31B on the cartomizer 30 (or possibly a USB charging device), thereby providing electrical connectivity between the control unit 20 and the cartomizer 30.

[0047] The control unit 20 further includes a sensor unit 61 located in or near the air path through the control unit 20 from the air inlet(s) to the air outlet (via connector 21A to the cartomizer 30). The sensor unit includes a pressure sensor 62 and a temperature sensor 63 (also in or near this air path). The control unit further includes a capacitor 220, a processor 50, a field effect transistor (FET) switch 210, a battery 54, an input device 59 (or equivalently 265 in FIG. 1), and an output device 58.

[0048] The operation of the processor 50 and other electronic components, such as the pressure sensor 62, is typically controlled at least in part by software programs running on the processor (or other components). Such software programs may be stored in non-volatile memory, such as ROM, which may be integrated into the processor 50 itself or provided as a separate component. The processor 50 may access the ROM to load and execute individual software programs as and when required. The processor 50 also includes appropriate communication facilities, such as pins or pads (and corresponding control software), for communicating with other devices within the control unit 20, such as the pressure sensor 62, as appropriate.

[0049] The output device(s) 58 may provide visual, auditory, and / or tactile output. For example, the output device(s) may include a speaker 58, a vibrator, and / or one or more lights. The lights are typically provided in the form of one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which may be the same color or different colors (or multicolor). In the case of multicolor LEDs, different colors are obtained by turning on red, green, or blue LEDs, optionally at different relative brightnesses, resulting in corresponding relative color variations. If red, green, and blue LEDs are provided together, a full range of colors is possible, but if only two of the three red, green, and blue LEDs are provided, only a subrange of the respective colors is obtained.

[0050] Output from the output device may be used to notify the user of various conditions or states within the e-cigarette, such as a low battery warning. Different output signals may be used to signal different states or conditions. For example, if the output device 58 is an audio speaker, different states or conditions may be represented by tones or beeps of different pitches and / or durations, and / or by providing multiple such beeps or tones. Alternatively, if the output device 58 includes one or more lights, different states or conditions may be represented using different colors, pulses or continuous illumination of light, different pulse durations, etc. For example, one indicator light may be used to indicate a low battery warning, while another indicator light may be used to indicate that the liquid reservoir 58 is nearly empty. It will be appreciated that a given e-cigarette may include output devices that support multiple different output modes (audio, visual), etc.

[0051] The input device(s) 59 may be provided in a variety of forms. For example, the input device(s) may be implemented as a button on the outside of the e-cigarette, e.g., as a mechanical, electrical, or capacitor (touch) sensor. Some devices may support fluid flow into the e-cigarette as an input mechanism (such fluid flow may be detected by a pressure sensor 62, which also functions as a form of input device 59), and / or support the connection / disconnection of the cartomizer 30 and control unit 20 as another form of input mechanism. Again, it will be appreciated that a given e-cigarette may include an input device 59 that supports multiple different input modes.

[0052] As described above, the e-cigarette 10 provides an air path from the air inlet through the e-cigarette, past the pressure sensor 62 and the heater 310 in the cartomizer 30, and to the mouthpiece 35. Thus, when a user inhales through the e-cigarette's mouthpiece, the processor 50 detects such inhalation based on information from the pressure sensor 62. In response to such detection, the CPU provides power from the battery 54 to the heater, thereby heating and vaporizing nicotine from the liquid reservoir 38 for inhalation by the user. On the other hand, for example, in devices that are button-activated (e.g., activated by detecting a button press rather than airflow), a different air path (e.g., not entering the battery section) may be used.

[0053] 5A, a FET 210 is connected between the battery 54 and the connector 21A. This FET 210 functions as a switch. The processor 50 is connected to the gate of the FET, and by operating the switch, the processor can turn on and off the flow of power from the battery 54 to the heater 310 depending on the detected airflow conditions. It will be appreciated that heater currents can be relatively large, for example, in the range of 1 to 5 amps, and therefore the FET 210 must be implemented to support such current control (as well as any other form of switch that may be used in place of the FET 210).

[0054] To provide finer control over the amount of power flowing from the battery 54 to the heater 310, a pulse-width modulation (PWM) scheme may be employed. The PWM scheme may be based on a repeating period of, for example, 1 millisecond. In each such period, the switch 210 is turned on for a portion of the period and off for the remainder of the period. This is parameterized by a duty cycle, where a duty cycle of 0 indicates that the switch is off (i.e., effectively permanently off) for the entire period, a duty cycle of 0.33 indicates that the switch is on for one-third of the period, a duty cycle of 0.66 indicates that the switch is on for two-thirds of the period, and a duty cycle of 1 indicates that the FET is on (i.e., effectively permanently on) for the entire period. Note that these are provided only as example duty cycle settings; intermediate values ​​can be used as desired.

[0055] Using PWM, the heater is supplied with an effective power equal to the nominal available power (based on battery output voltage and heater resistance) multiplied by the duty cycle. For example, processor 50 may utilize a duty cycle of 1 (i.e., full power) at the beginning of inhalation to initially bring heater 310 up to the desired operating temperature as quickly as possible. Once this desired operating temperature is achieved, processor 50 may then reduce the duty cycle to some appropriate value to maintain heater 310 at the desired operating temperature.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 5A, processor 50 includes a communication interface 55 for wireless communication, particularly to support Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication.

[0057] Optionally, the heater 310 may be utilized as an antenna that the communication interface 55 uses to transmit and receive wireless communications. One motivation for this is that the control unit 20 may have a metal housing 202, while the cartomizer portion 30 may have a plastic housing 302 (reflecting the need for greater durability, as the cartomizer 30 is disposable, while the control unit 20 is retained). A metal housing would act as a shield or barrier, making it difficult to place an antenna within the control unit 20 itself. However, by utilizing the heater 310 as an antenna for wireless communications, this metal shielding is avoided without adding additional components or complexity (or cost) to the cartomizer, since the cartomizer housing is plastic. Alternatively, a separate antenna (not shown) may be provided, or a portion of the metal housing may be used.

[0058] 5A, the processor 50, and more particularly the communication interface 55, may be coupled to the power line from the battery 54 to the heater 310 (via connector 31B) by a capacitor 220. This capacitive coupling occurs downstream of the switch 210, because wireless communication may operate when the heater is not powered for heating (discussed in more detail below). It will be appreciated that the capacitor 220 prevents power from the battery 54 to the heater 310 from being fed back to the processor 50.

[0059] It should be noted that capacitive coupling may be implemented using a more complex LC (inductor-capacitor) network, which may also provide impedance matching to the output of communication interface 55. (As known to those skilled in the art, this impedance matching assists in the proper transfer of signals between communication interface 55 and heater 310, which acts as an antenna, without such signals being reflected back along the connection.)

[0060] In some implementations, the processor 50 and communications interface are implemented using a Dialog DA14580 chip from Dialog Semiconductor PLC, based in Reading, United Kingdom. Further information (and a datasheet) for this chip is available at http: / / www.dialog-semiconductor.com / products / bluetooth-smart / smartbond-da14580.

[0061] 5B shows a high-level simplified overview of this chip 50, including a communications interface 55 for supporting Bluetooth® Low Energy. This interface includes, among other things, a radio transceiver 520 for performing signal modulation and demodulation, link layer hardware 512, and advanced encryption facilities (128-bit) 511. The output from the radio transceiver 520 is connected to an antenna (e.g., heater 310, which functions as an antenna, via capacitive coupling 220 and connectors 21A and 31B).

[0062] The remainder of processor 50 includes a general-purpose processing core 530, RAM 531, ROM 532, a one-time programming (OTP) unit 533, a general-purpose I / O system 560 (for communicating with other components on PCB 28), a power management unit 540, and a bridge 570 for connecting the two buses. Software instructions stored in ROM 532 and / or OTP unit 533 may be loaded into RAM 531 (and / or memory provided as part of core 530) for execution by one or more processing units within core 530. These software instructions cause processor 50 to implement various functions described herein, such as interfacing with sensor unit 61 and controlling the heater accordingly. It should be noted that while the device shown in FIG. 5B functions as both the communications interface 55 and the overall controller for the electronic vapor delivery system 10, in other embodiments these two functions may be split between two or more different devices (chips), e.g., one chip may function as the communications interface 55 and another chip may function as the overall controller for the electronic vapor delivery system 10.

[0063] In some implementations, processor 50 may be configured to prevent wireless communication when the heater is being used to vaporize liquid from reservoir 38. For example, if switch 210 is on, wireless communication may be interrupted, terminated, or prevented from being initiated. Conversely, if wireless communication is in progress, activation of the heater may be prevented, for example, by discarding airflow detection from sensor unit 61 and / or by not operating switch 210 to turn on power to heater 310 while wireless communication is in progress.

[0064] One reason for preventing the heater 310 from operating for both heating and wireless communication simultaneously is to avoid potential interference from PWM control of the heater. This PWM control, while much lower than the frequency of wireless communication, has its own frequency (based on the pulse repetition frequency), and the two can interfere with each other. In some situations, such interference may not actually pose a problem, and simultaneous operation of the heater 310 for both heating and wireless communication may be permitted (if desired). This may be facilitated by techniques such as appropriate selection of signal strength and / or PWM frequency, providing appropriate filtering, etc.

[0065] Referring now to FIG. 6, an e-cigarette 10 (or more generally, any delivery device described elsewhere herein) may operate within a broader delivery ecosystem 1.

[0066] In a broader delivery ecosystem, several devices may communicate with each other directly (e.g., via Bluetooth) or indirectly (e.g., via the Internet 500). Examples include, but are not limited to, a mobile phone 400 and a remote server 1000.

[0067] With respect to Bluetooth®, the delivery device 10 may functionally link the delivery device 10 with an application (app) running on a smartphone 400 or other suitable mobile communication device (tablet, laptop, smartwatch, etc.) by communicating with the mobile communication device using Bluetooth® or Bluetooth® low energy communication (or similar schemes). Such communication may be used for a wide range of purposes, such as, for example, upgrading the firmware of the e-cigarette 10, obtaining usage and / or diagnostic data from the e-cigarette 10, resetting or unlocking the e-cigarette 10, controlling the e-cigarette's settings, or sharing processing operations.

[0068] Generally speaking, when the e-cigarette 10 is turned on, such as using the input device 59 (or equivalently 265), or possibly by coupling the cartomizer 30 to the control unit 20, it begins advertising its Bluetooth® low energy communications. When this outgoing communication is received by the smartphone 400, the smartphone 400 requests a connection to the e-cigarette 10. The e-cigarette may notify the user of this request via the output device 58 and wait for the user to approve or deny the request via the input device 59. Assuming the request is approved, the e-cigarette 10 is then able to communicate further with the smartphone 400. Note that the e-cigarette may store the identity of the smartphone 400 and be able to automatically approve future connection requests from that smartphone. Once the connection is established, the smartphone 400 and e-cigarette 10 operate in a client-server mode, with the smartphone acting as the client, initiating and sending requests to the e-cigarette, while the e-cigarette acts as the server (responding to requests as needed).

[0069] Bluetooth® Low Energy Link (also known as Bluetooth Smart®) implements the IEEE 802.15.1 standard and operates at frequencies between 2.4 and 2.5 GHz, corresponding to a wavelength of approximately 12 cm, with data rates up to 1 Mbit / s. Connection setup time is less than 6 milliseconds, and average power consumption can be very low, on the order of 1 mW or less. Bluetooth Low Energy Links can extend up to approximately 50 meters. However, in the scenario shown in Figure 4, the e-cigarette 10 and smartphone 400 typically belong to the same person and are therefore very close to each other, e.g., within 1 meter. More information about Bluetooth Low Energy can be found at http: / / www.bluetooth.com / Pages / Bluetooth-Smart.aspx.

[0070] It will be appreciated that the e-cigarette 10 may support other communication protocols for communication with the smartphone 400 (or any other suitable device). Such other communication protocols may be in place of or in addition to Bluetooth Low Energy. Examples of such other communication protocols include Bluetooth (not the low-energy version) (see www.bluetooth.com), ISO 13157-compliant Near Field Communication (NFC), and Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi). NFC communication operates at a much shorter wavelength than Bluetooth (13.56 MHz) and typically has a much shorter range, e.g., less than 0.2 m. However, this shorter range still accommodates many usage scenarios in which a user holds or carries both devices. Alternatively, low-power Wi-Fi communication, such as IEEE 802.11ah or IEEE 802.11v, may be used between the e-cigarette 10 and the remote device, e.g., via a wireless access point. In either case, an appropriate communications chipset may be included on the PCB 28, either as part of the processor 50 or as a separate component. Those skilled in the art will recognize other wireless communications protocols that may be used with the e-cigarette 10.

[0071] 7, a typical mobile communication device 400, such as a smartphone, includes a central processing unit (CPU) 410. The CPU may communicate with components of the smartphone via a direct connection or, if applicable, via an I / O bridge 414 and / or bus 430.

[0072] 7, the CPU communicates directly with memory 412, which may include persistent memory such as Flash memory for storing the operating system and applications (apps), and volatile memory such as RAM for holding data currently in use by the CPU. Typically, the persistent memory and volatile memory are formed by physically separate units (not shown). Additionally, memory may include plug-in memory such as a microSD card, or even separate subscriber information data on a subscriber information module (SIM) (not shown).

[0073] The smartphone may also include a graphics processing unit (GPU) 416. The GPU may communicate directly with the CPU, communicate through an I / O bridge, or be part of the CPU. The GPU may share RAM with the CPU or may have its own RAM (not shown) and is connected to the mobile phone's display 418. The display is typically a liquid crystal display (LCD) or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, but may be any suitable display technology, such as electronic ink. Optionally, the GPU may also be used to drive one or more loudspeakers 420 of the smartphone.

[0074] Alternatively, the speaker may be connected to the CPU via an I / O bridge and bus. Other components of the smartphone may be connected via the bus as well, including a touch surface 432, such as a capacitive touch surface overlaid on the screen to provide touch input to the device, a microphone 434 for receiving audio from the user, one or more cameras 436 for capturing images, a global positioning system (GPS) unit 438 for obtaining an estimate of the smartphone's geographic location, and wireless communication means 440.

[0075] In turn, wireless communication means 440 may include several individual wireless communication systems conforming to different standards and / or protocols, such as Bluetooth (standard or low energy), near field communication, and Wi-Fi (registered trademark), as previously mentioned, as well as telephone-based communications such as 2G, 3G, and / or 4G.

[0076] The system is typically powered by a battery (not shown), which may be rechargeable via a power input (not shown), which may be part of a data link such as USB (not shown).

[0077] It will be appreciated that different smartphones may include different features (such as a compass or buzzer) and may omit some of those listed above (such as a touch surface).

[0078] More generally, therefore, in embodiments of the present invention, a suitable mobile communication device such as a smartphone 400 includes a CPU and memory for storing and executing apps, and wireless communication means operable to initiate, and typically maintain, wireless communication with an e-cigarette 10. However, it will be appreciated that the mobile communication device may be any device having these capabilities, for example a tablet, laptop, smart TV, etc.

[0079] Such a mobile communication device may also act as a bridge between the delivery device 10 and a remote device, such as a server, by accessing the server over the Internet via WiFi or mobile data. Alternatively or additionally, the delivery device 10 may itself be Internet-accessible.

[0080] In embodiments herein, an electronic vapor delivery system "EVPS" (e.g., a delivery device or aerosol delivery device as described elsewhere herein) includes:

[0081] First, an aerosol generator (30, 365) configured to generate an aerosol for delivery to a user, as described elsewhere herein.

[0082] Second, a timer for timing the user's inhalation, which may be a dedicated component or may be implemented by the processor 50 of the EVPS or the processor 410 of a companion device in communication with the EVPS, as previously described herein.

[0083] The measured timing of inhalation acts includes the time between inhalations (e.g., detected as described herein), which, as described elsewhere herein, can be treated as characteristics of the user's current behavior, such as whether they are in an ongoing usage session with relatively frequent inhalations, or whether they are using occasionally ("grazing"), or during extended periods of non-use.

[0084] Third, an inhalation prediction processor (e.g., processor 50 of the EVPS or processor 410 of the companion device 400, or a combination of both) configured (e.g., by appropriate software instructions) to predict the user's inhalation behavior based on timing measurements from the timer.

[0085] The inhalation prediction processor may use any suitable analytical method to make these predictions.

[0086] As a first approximation, the prediction may be based on the most recent or N most recent inhalation actions ("puffs") within the current period of use, where the period of use begins when the user takes their first puff after a long period of non-use.

[0087] A period of long-term non-use may be treated as a predetermined threshold period, such as 5, 10, 15, 30, or 60 minutes, or may be treated as an average of measured periods of long-term non-use over an extended period of time (excluding periods such as overnight or while charging, i.e., during which normal use may occur).

[0088] As noted elsewhere, within a given session, which may be a continuous use session or an occasional grazing session, the first puff may indicate the start of the session, and the second puff provides an initial estimate of the rate of use based on the intervening time between puffs. The inhalation prediction processor may then predict when the third puff may occur based on this measured intervening time (e.g., predicting that the next puff will occur after a similar intervening time). As additional puffs occur, the estimate may be refined (e.g., up to the N most recent puffs). Such estimates may be based on the average interpuff interval, or on more sophisticated models that identify any patterns or rhythms within the sequence of puffs.

[0089] Although the above estimates have been described as being initialized by the current session, it will be appreciated that information such as the average inter-puff interval and any patterns or rhythms in the sequences of puffs during one or more previous sessions may be obtained and such historical information may be used to bootstrap the estimates for the current session.

[0090] Thus, for example, when the first puff is detected within the current session, an estimate based on an average from previous inhalations and / or a pattern or rhythm from previous inhalations may be immediately used and then immediately updated with information from the current session.

[0091] It will be appreciated that because the averages, patterns, and / or rhythms differ between continuous use sessions and occasional grazing sessions, separate historical information (e.g., respective statistical models) may be stored for these different session types. In this case, the inhalation prediction processor may make an initial prediction for a new, current session based on the previous session type and optionally switch the type of historical information used if the intervals between puffs for the current session appear to fall within a typical period of the other session type, e.g., within a standard deviation from the mean with respect to the average for that session type, or simply if the intervals between puffs (or the average for that current session) appear to be closer to the average for one session type than the other. In this case, the inhalation prediction processor may use the current session information to update both sets of historical information, but may discard updates to one set of historical information if it becomes clear that the current session is a better fit for the other set. Alternatively, the information processor may buffer the current session information and update the historical information for one session type only if it becomes clear that the current session is a better fit for that session type.

[0092] Thus, more generally, the inhalation prediction processor may build a statistical model of the puff intervals in the current use session either from scratch for that session or based on previous models, and the inhalation prediction processor may keep previous models for different use session types, initially using the model corresponding to the previous session but optionally switching to the model that best fits the puff intervals of the current session.

[0093] Optionally, all of the above can be modified based on various external factors, such that, for example, different statistical models can be maintained for different times of day (e.g., work hours vs. night) and days of the week (e.g., weekdays vs. weekends), thereby improving the inhalation addiction processor's predictions when a user's behavioral patterns change accordingly.

[0094] Timing-based statistical models may be constructed according to patterns of usage sessions over 24-hour and / or 7-day periods, thereby identifying a user's typical work hours, for example, by revealing frequent usage patterns during the user's commute.

[0095] In addition to the time of day and / or day of the week, other factors may include the user's location (which may be determined, for example, from the companion mobile device 400), profile data associated with the user (e.g., based on usage questionnaires, demographic information, or data obtained from one or more other EVPS devices the user concurrently owns or previously owned), and other contextual information such as the duration of non-use prior to the current usage session, which may indicate whether the user is starting from a continuous user session or a grazing session, and / or a longer period of non-use may indicate a faster rate of subsequent use; therefore, different history models may be constructed for different predetermined threshold periods of non-use.

[0096] Regardless of the type or number of statistical models constructed, the information generation processor is further configured to predict the user's inhalation behavior based on timing measurements from the timer, and to initialize a first predetermined pre-heating mode of the aerosol generator if the predicted inhalation behavior meets a first predetermined pre-heating criterion.

[0097] In some embodiments herein, the first predetermined preheating criterion is whether the predicted inhalation attempt is predicted to occur within a predetermined period of time after the last actual inhalation attempt, the predetermined period being a threshold period of time during which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session of the EVPS.

[0098] Thus, typically, the inhalation prediction processor is configured to predict the amount of time that will elapse between the user's last actual inhalation and the next expected inhalation.

[0099] Thus, for example, a predicted inhalation may be predicted to occur within 1-2 minutes of the previous actual puff, which is shorter than the 2-minute threshold period during which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session. It will be appreciated that this threshold period value may be empirically determined as a whole or partial number of minutes or seconds and / or may be based on modeling the current user's use behavior, for example, by modeling two or more average periods (corresponding to two or more types of use, such as continuous use and grazing use, as described elsewhere herein) using K-means clustering, or by using averages of respective historical models as described elsewhere herein and determining the midpoint of these averages as a threshold.

[0100] In such an embodiment, the first predetermined preheat mode heats the heater of the aerosol generator to a first temperature that is higher than the preheat mode used when occasional use by the user is assumed.

[0101] Thus, if the next puff is predicted to fall within the threshold period (due to continuous rather than occasional user use), the EVPS activates a preheat mode that maintains all or part of the heater at a higher temperature than the alternative preheat modes described elsewhere herein for use when the user is only occasionally using the heater.

[0102] Higher temperatures result in faster device response but a higher load on the battery; however, this higher load is expected to be offset by the shorter expected duration of this preheat mode. The preheat mode is particularly suited to aerosol-generating materials (e.g., solids or gels) that may require a greater amount of energy to reach vaporization temperature. Without the preheat mode, the time required to reach vaporization may be relatively long, in some cases longer than the duration of an inhalation or longer than the duration it takes to bring the EVPS to the user's mouth and ready to inhale. The time required to reach vaporization may be reduced by increasing the power supplied to the aerosol generator, but this may have a negative impact on battery life (e.g., a higher discharge current) and / or may risk overheating the aerosol-generating material, which may affect the user's experience when using the EVPS.

[0103] Additionally, by maintaining the heater at a relatively high preheat temperature, the battery load does not need to change as much during and between puffs in successive sessions, thereby extending the operating life of the battery over the life of the device.

[0104] In some embodiments herein, the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initiate a second predetermined pre-heating mode of the aerosol generator if the predicted inhalation operation meets a second predetermined pre-heating criterion.

[0105] In such an embodiment, optionally, the second predetermined pre-heating criterion is whether the predicted inhalation is predicted to occur outside a predetermined period of time after the last actual inhalation, the predetermined period being a threshold period outside which the user is assumed to be using the device occasionally.

[0106] It will be appreciated that this threshold period may be the same as the threshold period used in determining the first determined preheat criterion described elsewhere herein and serves as the threshold period that distinguishes between the two criteria.

[0107] Alternatively, this threshold period may be a second threshold period that is longer than the threshold period for determining the first predetermined preheating criterion. In this case, there will be an interval period between the two thresholds, which may be used to implement a type of hysteresis: if the user's inter-puff time falls within this interval period, the EVPS continues to operate as if the user were within the current session type, even though it is nominally outside the current session type. Optionally, if the puff timing falls within this interval period, the statistical model for the current session type is not updated to avoid another statistical model starting to converge because these timings may be mischaracterized.

[0108] In such an embodiment, optionally, the second predetermined pre-heating mode heats the heater of the aerosol generator to a second temperature that is lower than the pre-heating mode used when the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session.

[0109] Thus, if the next puff is predicted to fall outside the threshold period (due to occasional user use), the EVPS will activate a preheat mode that keeps all or part of the heater at a lower temperature than the alternative preheat modes described elsewhere herein that would be used if the user were continuously using the heater.

[0110] At lower temperatures, the device responds faster than without preheating, and does so at a lower battery load cost than in the continuous use case discussed above, which helps offset the longer expected duration of this preheating mode.

[0111] Additionally, by maintaining the heater at a preheat temperature (albeit a relatively low temperature), the battery load does not need to change as much during and between puffs in successive sessions, thereby extending the operating life of the battery over the life of the device.

[0112] As described elsewhere herein, the inhalation prediction processor is configured to predict the elapsed time between the user's last actual inhalation and the next expected inhalation based on two or more previous inhalation actions of the use session and / or the timing between previous inhalation actions of one or more previous use sessions.

[0113] A session itself may be identified by the inhalation prediction processor as when an inhalation action occurs after a prolonged period of non-use, followed by one or more subsequent inhalation actions within a predetermined period, which is a threshold period during which the user is assumed to be in a use session (e.g., a continuous session or a grazing session), as previously described herein.

[0114] As mentioned above, a period of long-term non-use may be treated as a predetermined threshold period, such as 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or 60 minutes, or may be treated as an average of measured periods of long-term non-use over an extended period of time (excluding periods such as overnight or while charging, i.e., during which normal use may occur).

[0115] Actual periods such as nighttime are typically treated automatically as periods of extended use, or may be set, for example via a user interface, as times when the device goes to sleep or enters standby mode.

[0116] On the other hand, periods such as when the device is charging, or when the user is otherwise modifying the device to function differently (e.g., by increasing the heat setting or changing the mix or concentration of the payload), or when the device is being modified, such as by changing the payload, may be treated as extended periods of use regardless of the actual time taken, because they may indicate the user's desire to change the device's operating environment and may be considered to indicate at least a desire by the user to change the way the device is being used imminently, or at least a possibility that the way the user uses the device will change in response to the change in the device's operating environment.

[0117] In some embodiments, the one or more threshold periods described elsewhere in this specification are selected based on additional factors, including one or more selected from the list consisting of time of day, day of the week, location, duration of non-use prior to the current use session, profile data associated with the user, and periodicity averaged over multiple previous use sessions, as described above with respect to the statistical model.

[0118] In some embodiments herein, the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initiate a warm-down mode of the aerosol generator when the inhalation operation meets predetermined warm-down criteria, where the inhalation prediction processor predicts that the session has ended and the warm-down function provides heat primarily for the purpose of reducing residual condensation within the EPVS.

[0119] In such an embodiment, the predetermined warm-down criteria include one or more of the following optional criteria:

[0120] First, the user has performed a threshold number of inhalations within the current use session, and therefore, as part of the statistical model, the inhalation prediction processor may determine a typical number of inhalations within a given session, for example, by habit the user may unknowingly take puffs of approximately the same number and duration as it takes to smoke a conventional cigarette. When the user reaches this characteristic number of puffs, and optionally throughout this characteristic period, the inhalation prediction processor may predict that the session is over and enter a warm-down mode.

[0121] Second, the period between the last inhalation and the next inhalation exceeds a predetermined period, which is the threshold period at which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session; in this case, it is assumed that the user does not transition from a continuous session to a grazing session; rather, a prolonged period of non-use occurs when the user terminates the continuous session.

[0122] Third, the user may remove or otherwise functionally disconnect from the EVPS components required for normal use, and as previously described herein, such an action indicates the user's intent to terminate the current session.

[0123] Fourth, the user may remove or otherwise functionally disconnect from the EVPS a consumable item required for normal use. Again, as previously described herein, such an action indicates the user's intent to end the current session.

[0124] The warm-down mode temperature may be sufficient to prevent or reduce condensation within the device and / or may be comparable to the second predetermined pre-heat mode temperature, and may continue for a predetermined period deemed sufficient to prevent or reduce condensation within the device and / or for a predetermined period comparable to either a threshold period delineating a continuous session from a glazing session or a determined average period for a glazing session. The first option provides a battery-efficient warm-down function in which the heater is maintained only for the period deemed necessary to prevent or reduce condensation, while the latter option maintains heating function for the period encompassing a glazing puff, providing a safeguard against mispredictions and thereby mitigating sudden changes in battery load when such a puff occurs. With regard to the latter option, if the temperature required to prevent or reduce condensation within the device is higher than the temperature of the second predetermined pre-heat mode, the warm-down mode may optionally begin at the higher temperature and, after a predetermined period that may be deemed sufficient to prevent or reduce condensation, transition to the lower temperature of the second predetermined pre-heat mode until a threshold period or average period has elapsed.

[0125] In some embodiments herein, the inhalation prediction processor is configured to predict whether back-to-back use sessions will occur, where back-to-back use sessions are use sessions with intervening periods of non-use that are longer than a predetermined threshold period at which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session, but shorter than a second, longer threshold period that indicates an extended period of non-use.

[0126] Thus, in this case, the inhalation prediction processor predicts that the current session has ended, but another session is initiated before the device is determined to be in a prolonged period of non-use.

[0127] If the inhalation prediction processor predicts such successive or consecutive use sessions, the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initiate an interim heating mode that heats the heater of the aerosol generator to a third temperature that is lower than the preheat mode that is used when the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session.

[0128] Thus, while a trade-off is provided between battery consumption, responsiveness, and potentially detrimental changes in battery load by having said first temperature associated with a relatively short first prediction period and said second temperature associated with a relatively longer second prediction period than the first prediction period, the third temperature follows this trend by maintaining the heater at an even lower temperature, but for a longer prediction period.

[0129] It will be appreciated that the above-described systems implement the methods and techniques described herein (eg, through the use of appropriate software instructions) and are also contemplated within the scope of this application.

[0130] Thus, referring now to FIG. 8, in a summary embodiment of the present application, a typically non-therapeutic electronic vapor delivery method includes: a first aerosol generating step (s810) comprising generating an aerosol for delivery to a user, as described elsewhere herein; a second timing step (s820) including timing the user's inhalation, as described elsewhere herein; a third inhalation prediction step (s830) comprising predicting the user's inhalation effort based on timing measurements from the timing step, as described elsewhere herein; a fourth initiation step (s840) including initiating a first predetermined pre-heating mode of the aerosol generation step if the predicted inhalation attempt satisfies a first predetermined pre-heating criterion, as described elsewhere herein; Includes:

[0131] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations of the above methods corresponding to the operation of the various embodiments of the apparatus described and claimed herein are considered to be within the scope of the present invention, including, but not limited to:

[0132] Summary In one exemplary embodiment, as described elsewhere herein, the first predetermined preheat criterion is whether the predicted inhalation attempt is predicted to occur within a predetermined period of time after the last actual inhalation attempt, the predetermined period of time is a threshold period during which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session of the EVPS, and the first predetermined preheat mode heats the heater of the aerosol generator to a first temperature that is higher than a preheat mode used when the user is assumed to be in occasional use.

[0133] In one example of a summary embodiment, as described elsewhere herein, the inhalation prediction step includes initiating a second predetermined pre-heating mode of the aerosol generation step if the predicted inhalation operation satisfies a second predetermined pre-heating criterion. In this example, optionally, as described elsewhere herein, the second predetermined pre-heating criterion is whether the predicted inhalation action is predicted to occur outside a predetermined period of time after the last actual inhalation action, the predetermined period being a threshold period outside which the user is assumed to be in occasional use, and the second predetermined pre-heating mode heats the heater of the aerosol generator to a second temperature lower than the pre-heating mode used when the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session.

[0134] Summary In one example embodiment, the inhalation prediction step includes predicting the amount of time that will elapse between the user's last actual inhalation and the next expected inhalation, as described elsewhere herein. In this example, optionally, the inhalation prediction step includes predicting the elapsed time between the user's last actual inhalation and the next expected inhalation based on the timing between two or more previous inhalations, as described elsewhere in this specification. ...In this example, further optionally, as described elsewhere herein, the inhalation prediction step includes predicting the elapsed time between the user's last actual inhalation and the next expected inhalation based on the timing between two or more previous inhalations in the use session, and the inhalation prediction step includes identifying a use session as when an inhalation occurs after a predetermined period of non-use, followed by one or more inhalations within a predetermined period, which is a threshold period during which the user is assumed to be in a continuing use session. ........And further optionally, the threshold period is one selected from a list, as described elsewhere in this specification, the list including periods of 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and periods based on inhalation intervals averaged over multiple previous use sessions. ...Also optionally, as described elsewhere herein, the threshold period is selected based on additional factors including one or more selected from a list including time of day, day of the week, location, duration of non-use prior to the current usage session, profile data associated with the user, and periodicity averaged over multiple previous usage sessions.

[0135] In one example of a summary embodiment, the inhalation prediction step includes initiating a warm-down mode of the aerosol generator if the inhalation operation meets predetermined warm-down criteria, as described elsewhere herein. ...In this example, optionally, as described elsewhere herein, the predetermined warm-down criteria include one or more selected from a list including: the user performing a threshold number of inhalations within the current use session; the period between the last inhalation and the next inhalation exceeding a predetermined period that is the threshold period for which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session; the user removing or otherwise functionally disconnecting a component required for normal use from the EVPS; and the user removing or otherwise functionally disconnecting a consumable item required for normal use from the EVPS.

[0136] In one example embodiment, as described elsewhere herein, the inhalation prediction step includes predicting whether a back-to-back use session will occur, a back-to-back use session being a use session having an intervening period of non-use that is longer than a predetermined period, which is a threshold period for which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session, but shorter than a second, longer threshold period for which non-use is indicated, and if the inhalation prediction step predicts a back-to-back use session, the inhalation prediction step further includes initiating an in-trim heating mode that heats a heater of the aerosol generator to a third temperature that is lower than a pre-heat mode that is used when the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session.

[0137] As previously described herein, it will be appreciated that the above methods may be carried out on conventional hardware suitably adapted as required by software instructions or by incorporating or substituting dedicated hardware.

[0138] Accordingly, any necessary adaptations to existing portions of a conventional equivalent device may be implemented in the form of a computer program product including processor-implementable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable medium such as a floppy disk, optical disk, hard disk, solid state disk, PROM, RAM, flash memory, or any combination thereof, or other storage medium, or may be realized in hardware as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or other configurable circuit suitable for use in adapting a conventional equivalent device. Alternatively, such a computer program may be transmitted via data signals over a network such as an Ethernet, a wireless network, the Internet, or any combination of these or other networks.

[0139] The foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Accordingly, the disclosure of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not limiting, of the scope of the present invention and the remaining claims. This disclosure, including all readily discernible variations of the teachings herein, defines in part the scope of the following claims, so that the subject matter of the invention is not dedicated to the public. [Item of invention] [Item 1] an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol for delivery to a user; a timer for timing the user's inhalation; an inhalation prediction processor configured to predict an inhalation attempt of the user based on timing measurements from the timer; Equipped with An electronic vapor delivery system EVPS, wherein the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initiate a first predetermined pre-heating mode of the aerosol generator if the predicted inhalation operation meets a first predetermined pre-heating criterion. [Item 2] the first predetermined pre-heating criterion is whether the predicted inhalation was predicted to occur within a predetermined period of time after the last actual inhalation, the predetermined period being a threshold period during which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session of the EVPS; the first predetermined pre-heating mode heats a heater of the aerosol generator to a first temperature higher than a pre-heating mode used when the user is expected to use the aerosol generator occasionally; EVPS as described in item 1. [Item 3] the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initiate a second predetermined pre-heat mode of the aerosol generator if the predicted inhalation operation meets a second predetermined pre-heat criterion. EVPS according to item 1 or 2. [Item 4] the second predetermined pre-heating criterion is whether the predicted inhalation is predicted to occur outside a predetermined period of time after the last actual inhalation, the predetermined period being a threshold period outside which the user is assumed to be using the device occasionally; the second predetermined pre-heat mode heats a heater of the aerosol generator to a second temperature that is lower than a pre-heat mode used when the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session; EVPS as described in item 3. [Item 5] the inhalation prediction processor is configured to predict an elapsed time between the user's last actual inhalation and a next expected inhalation. 5. The EVPS according to any one of items 1 to 4. [Item 6] the inhalation prediction processor is configured to predict the elapsed time between a last actual inhalation and a next expected inhalation of the user based on the timing between two or more previous inhalations. EVPS as described in item 5. [Item 7] the inhalation prediction processor is configured to predict the elapsed time between a last actual inhalation action and a next expected inhalation action of the user based on the timing between two or more previous inhalations of a use session; the inhalation prediction processor is configured to identify a use session as when an inhalation event occurs after a predetermined period of non-use, followed by one or more inhalations within a predetermined period of time, the threshold period during which the user is assumed to be in a continued use session; EVPS as described in item 6. [Item 8] the threshold period is one selected from a list, the list comprising: i.1 min, ii.2 minutes, iii.3 minutes, and iv. Duration based on the inhalation interval averaged over multiple previous use sessions 8. The EVPS according to item 7, comprising: [Item 9] The one or more threshold periods are selected based on additional factors, including one or more selected from a list, the list comprising: i. Time, ii. Day of the week; iii. location; iv. the duration of inactivity prior to the current usage session; v. profile data associated with said user; and vi. Period averaged over multiple previous use sessions; 9. The EVPS according to any one of items 1 to 8, comprising: [Item 10] the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initiate a warm-down mode of the aerosol generator when an inhalation operation meets predetermined warm-down criteria; 10. The EVPS according to any one of items 1 to 9. [Item 11] The predetermined warm-down criteria include one or more selected from a list, the list comprising: i. the user has performed a threshold number of inhalations within a current use session; and ii. the period between the last inhalation and the next inhalation exceeds a predetermined period, which is a threshold period at which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session; and iii. The user removes or otherwise functionally separates from the EVPS components necessary for normal use; and iv. The user removes or otherwise functionally disconnects from the EVPS consumables required for normal use; and Item 11. The EVPS according to item 10, comprising: [Item 12] the inhalation prediction processor is configured to predict whether a successive use session will occur, a successive use session being a use session having an intervening period of non-use that is longer than a predetermined threshold period at which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session, but shorter than a second, longer threshold period indicative of an extended period of non-use; If the inhalation prediction processor predicts a continuous use session, the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initiate an in-trim heating mode to heat a heater of the aerosol generator to a third temperature that is lower than a pre-heat mode that is used when the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session. 12. The EVPS according to any one of items 1 to 11. [Item 13] 1. A method of electronic vapor delivery, comprising: an aerosol generating step comprising generating an aerosol for delivery to a user; a timing step including timing the user's inhalation; an inhalation predicting step including predicting an inhalation event of the user based on timing measurements from the timing step; an initiation step including initiating a first predetermined pre-heating mode of the aerosol generating step if the predicted inhalation attempt satisfies a first predetermined pre-heating criterion; A method comprising: [Item 14] the first predetermined pre-heating criterion is whether the predicted inhalation was predicted to occur within a predetermined period of time after the last actual inhalation, the predetermined period being a threshold period during which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session of the EVPS; the first predetermined pre-heating mode heats a heater of the aerosol generator to a first temperature higher than a pre-heating mode used when the user is expected to use the aerosol generator occasionally; Item 14. The method according to item 13. [Item 15] and wherein the inhalation predicting step includes initiating a second predetermined pre-heating mode of the aerosol generating step if the predicted inhalation operation satisfies a second predetermined pre-heating criterion. Item 15. The method according to item 13 or 14. [Item 16] the second predetermined pre-heating criterion is whether the predicted inhalation is predicted to occur outside a predetermined period of time after the last actual inhalation, the predetermined period being a threshold period outside which the user is assumed to be using the device occasionally; the second predetermined pre-heat mode heats a heater of the aerosol generator to a second temperature that is lower than a pre-heat mode used when the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session; Item 15. The method according to item 15. [Item 17] the inhalation predicting step includes predicting an elapsed time between the user's last actual inhalation and a next expected inhalation. 17. The method according to any one of items 13 to 16. [Item 18] the predicting step includes predicting the elapsed time between a last actual inhalation and a next expected inhalation of the user based on the timing between two or more previous inhalations. Item 17. The method according to item 17. [Item 19] the inhalation predicting step includes predicting the elapsed time between a last actual inhalation and a next expected inhalation of the user based on the timing between two or more previous inhalations of a use session; the step of predicting inhalation includes identifying a use session as when an inhalation occurs after a predetermined period of non-use, followed by one or more inhalations within a predetermined period of time, the predetermined period being a threshold period during which the user is assumed to be in a continued use session; Item 19. The method according to item 18. [Item 20] the threshold period is one selected from a list, the list comprising: i.1 min, ii.2 minutes, iii.3 minutes, and iv. Duration based on the inhalation interval averaged over multiple previous use sessions 20. The method according to item 19, comprising: [Item 21] The threshold period is selected based on additional factors, including one or more selected from a list, the list comprising: i. Time, ii. Day of the week; iii. location; iv. the duration of inactivity prior to the current usage session; v. profile data associated with said user; and vi. Period averaged over multiple previous use sessions; 21. The method according to item 19 or 20, comprising: [Item 22] the inhalation predicting step includes initiating a warm-down mode of the aerosol generator if the inhalation operation satisfies a predetermined warm-down criterion; 22. The method according to any one of Items 13 to 21. [Item 23] The predetermined warm-down criteria include one or more selected from a list, the list comprising: i. the user has performed a threshold number of inhalations within a current use session; and ii. the period between the last inhalation and the next inhalation exceeds a predetermined period, which is a threshold period at which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session; and iii. The user removes or otherwise functionally separates from the EVPS components necessary for normal use; and iv. The user removes or otherwise functionally disconnects from the EVPS consumables required for normal use; and Item 23. The method according to Item 22, comprising: [Item 24] the inhalation predicting step includes predicting whether a successive use session will occur, the successive use session being a use session having an intervening period of non-use that is longer than a predetermined period, which is a threshold period at which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session, but shorter than a second, longer threshold period indicative of an extended period of non-use; If the inhalation predicting step predicts a continuous use session, the inhalation predicting step further includes initiating an in-trim heating mode to heat a heater of the aerosol generator to a third temperature that is lower than a pre-heat mode used when the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session. 24. The method according to any one of Items 13 to 23. [Item 25] A computer program comprising computer executable instructions configured to cause a computer system to perform the method according to any one of items 13 to 24 of the method.

Claims

1. An electronic vapor supply system EVPS, an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol for delivery to a user; a timer for timing the user's inhalation; an inhalation prediction processor configured to predict an inhalation attempt of the user based on timing measurements from the timer; Equipped with the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initiate a first predetermined pre-heat mode of the aerosol generator if the predicted inhalation operation meets a first predetermined pre-heat criterion; the first predetermined pre-heating criterion is whether the predicted inhalation event is predicted to occur within a predetermined period of time after the last actual inhalation event, the predetermined period of time being a threshold period during which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session of the EVPS; An electronic vapor delivery system EVPS, characterized in that the first predetermined preheating mode heats the heater of the aerosol generator to a first temperature higher than a preheating mode used when the user is expected to use the system occasionally.

2. the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initiate a second predetermined pre-heat mode of the aerosol generator if the predicted inhalation operation meets a second predetermined pre-heat criterion.

10. The EVPS of claim 1.

3. the second predetermined pre-heating criterion is whether the predicted inhalation is predicted to occur outside a predetermined period of time after the last actual inhalation, the predetermined period being a threshold period outside which the user is assumed to be using the device occasionally; the second predetermined pre-heat mode heats a heater of the aerosol generator to a second temperature that is lower than a pre-heat mode used when the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session; 3. The EVPS of claim 2.

4. the inhalation prediction processor is configured to predict an elapsed time between the user's last actual inhalation and a next expected inhalation.

10. The EVPS of claim 1.

5. the inhalation prediction processor is configured to predict the elapsed time between the user's last actual inhalation and a next expected inhalation based on the timing between two or more previous inhalations.

5. The EVPS of claim 4.

6. the inhalation prediction processor is configured to predict the elapsed time between a last actual inhalation action and a next expected inhalation action of the user based on the timing between two or more previous inhalations of a use session; the inhalation prediction processor is configured to identify a use session as when an inhalation event occurs after a predetermined period of non-use, followed by one or more inhalations within a predetermined period of time, the threshold period during which the user is assumed to be in a continued use session; 6. The EVPS of claim 5.

7. the threshold period is one selected from a list, the list comprising: i. 1 minute, ii. 2 minutes, iii. 3 minutes, and iv. Duration based on the interval between inhalations averaged over multiple previous use sessions 7. The EVPS of claim 6, comprising:

8. The one or more threshold periods are selected based on additional factors, including one or more selected from a list, the list comprising: i. time, ii. Day of the week; iii. Location; iv. The duration of non-use prior to the current use session; v. profile data associated with said user, and vi. Period averaged over multiple previous use sessions; 10. The EVPS of claim 1, comprising:

9. the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initiate a warm-down mode of the aerosol generator when an inhalation operation meets predetermined warm-down criteria; 10. The EVPS of claim 1.

10. The predetermined warm-down criteria include one or more selected from a list, the list comprising: i. the user has performed a threshold number of inhalations within a current use session; ii. The period between the last inhalation and the next inhalation exceeds a predetermined period, which is a threshold period at which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session; iii. The user removes or otherwise functionally separates from the EVPS components necessary for normal use; iv. The user removes or otherwise functionally disconnects from the EVPS consumables required for normal use; 10. The EVPS of claim 9, comprising:

11. the inhalation prediction processor is configured to predict whether a successive use session will occur, a successive use session being a use session having an intervening period of non-use that is longer than a predetermined period, the predetermined period being a threshold period at which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session, but shorter than a second, longer threshold period indicative of an extended period of non-use; If the inhalation prediction processor predicts a continuous use session, the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initiate an in-trim heating mode to heat a heater of the aerosol generator to a third temperature that is lower than a pre-heat mode that is used when the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session.

10. The EVPS of claim 1.

12. 1. A method of electronic vapor delivery, comprising: an aerosol generating step comprising generating an aerosol for delivery to a user; a timing step including timing the user's inhalation; an inhalation predicting step including predicting an inhalation event of the user based on timing measurements from the timing step; an initiation step including initiating a first predetermined pre-heating mode of the aerosol generating step if the predicted inhalation attempt satisfies a first predetermined pre-heating criterion; Including, a first predetermined pre-heating criterion being whether the predicted inhalation was predicted to occur within a predetermined period of time after the last actual inhalation, the predetermined period being a threshold period of time during which the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session; The method, wherein the first predetermined preheating mode heats a heater of the aerosol generator to a first temperature higher than a preheating mode used when the user is expected to use the aerosol generator occasionally.

13. and wherein the inhalation predicting step includes initiating a second predetermined pre-heating mode of the aerosol generating step if the predicted inhalation operation satisfies a second predetermined pre-heating criterion. The method of claim 12.

14. the second predetermined pre-heating criterion is whether the predicted inhalation is predicted to occur outside a predetermined period of time after the last actual inhalation, the predetermined period being a threshold period outside which the user is assumed to be using the device occasionally; the second predetermined pre-heat mode heats a heater of the aerosol generator to a second temperature that is lower than a pre-heat mode used when the user is assumed to be in a continuous use session; The method of claim 13.

15. the inhalation predicting step includes predicting an elapsed time between the user's last actual inhalation and a next expected inhalation. The method of claim 12.

16. the predicting step includes predicting the elapsed time between a last actual inhalation and a next expected inhalation of the user based on the timing between two or more previous inhalations.

16. The method of claim 15.

17. the inhalation predicting step includes initiating a warm-down mode in the aerosol generating step when the inhalation operation satisfies a predetermined warm-down criterion; The method of claim 12.

18. A computer program comprising computer executable instructions arranged to cause a computer system to perform the method of any one of method claims 12 to 17.

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