VAPORIZING DEVICE

Abstract

A vaporizing device may include a housing, a cartridge receptacle, and a frame. The cartridge receptacle may consist of a cartridge interface disposed at least partially within a sleeve. The cartridge interface may be configured to provide multiple electrical connections with a vaporizing cartridge when the cartridge is placed inside the cartridge receptacle. The multiple electrical connections may include a first electrical connection with a heating element of the vaporizing cartridge. The multiple electrical connections may further include a second electrical connection with a cartridge identification chip of the vaporizing cartridge. The frame may be coupled to the cartridge interface. The frame may be configured to secure the cartridge interface within the housing.

Description

VAPORIZER DEVICE Cross-reference to Related Applications

[001] This application claims priority over U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 930,508, entitled “Vaporizing Device” and filed November 4, 2019, U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 947,496, entitled “Vaporizing Device” and filed December 12, 2019, U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 981,498, entitled “Vaporizing Device with Vaporizing Cartridge” and filed February 25, 2020, U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 805,672, entitled “Vaporizing Device with Vaporizing Cartridge” and filed February 28, 2020, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 108,874, entitled “Vaporizing Device” and filed November 3, 2020. Disclosures in the prior applications are incorporated herein in their entirety, to the extent permitted. Field of Invention

[002] The subject matter described herein refers in general to vaporizing devices and more specifically to the design and construction of a vaporizing device. Background of the Invention

[003] Vaporizing devices, which may also be referred to as vaporizers, electronic vaporizing devices, or e-vaporizers, can be used to deliver an aerosol (or vapor) containing one or more active ingredients by inhaling the aerosol by a user of the vaporizing device. For example, electronic cigarettes, which may also be referred to as e-cigarettes, are a class of vaporizing devices that are usually battery-operated and can be used to simulate the experience of smoking cigarettes, but without burning tobacco or other substances.

[004] In the use of a vaporizing device, the user inhales an aerosol, commonly called vapor, which can be generated by a heating element that vaporizes (generally referring to causing a liquid or solid to pass at least partially into the gaseous phase) a vaporizable material, which can be a liquid, a solution, a solid, a wax, or any other form that may be compatible with the use of a specific vaporizing device. The vaporizable material used with a vaporizer can be supplied within a cartridge (e.g., a part of the vaporizer that contains the vaporizable material in a reservoir) that includes a mouthpiece (e.g., for inhalation by a user).

[005] To receive the inhalable aerosol generated by a vaporizing device, a user may, in certain instances, activate the vaporizing device by taking a dose, pressing a button, or by some other method. A dose, as the term is generally used (and also used herein), refers to the user's inhalation in a manner that causes a volume of air to be drawn into the vaporizing device so that the inhalable aerosol is generated by a combination of vaporized vaporizable material with the air.

[006] A common method by which a vaporizing device generates an inhalable aerosol from a vaporizable material involves heating the vaporizable material in a vaporization chamber (or heating chamber) to cause the vaporizable material to become gaseous (or vapor). A vaporization chamber generally refers to an area or volume in the vaporizing device within which a heat source (e.g., conductive, convective, and / or radiant) causes the heating of a vaporizable material to produce a mixture of air and vaporized vaporizable material to form a vapor for inhalation by a user of the vaporizing device.

[007] In some vaporizer device models, vaporizable material can be drawn from a reservoir and into the vaporization chamber via a wick element. Such drawing of vaporizable material into the vaporization chamber may be due, at least in part, to capillary action provided by the wick, which pulls the vaporizable material along the wick in the direction of the vaporization chamber. However, as the vaporizable material is drawn from the reservoir, the pressure within the reservoir decreases, thereby creating a vacuum and counteracting capillary action. This can reduce the effectiveness of the wick in drawing the vaporizable material into the vaporization chamber, thus reducing the effectiveness of the vaporizer device in vaporizing a desired quantity of vaporizable material, such as when a user takes a dose from the vaporizer device.Furthermore, the vacuum created in the reservoir can ultimately result in the inability to draw all the vaporizable material into the vaporization chamber, thus wasting it. Therefore, improvements to vaporization devices and / or cartridges that mitigate or overcome these problems are desirable.

[008] The term vaporizing device, as used herein, consistent with the present subject matter, generally refers to portable, self-contained devices convenient for personal use. Typically, the devices are controlled by one or more switches, buttons, touch-sensitive devices, or other user input functionality or the like (which may generally be referred to as controls) on the vaporizer, although recently a number of devices have become available that can communicate wirelessly with an external controller (e.g., a smartphone, smartwatch, other wearable electronic devices, etc.).Control, in this context, generally refers to the ability to influence one or more of a variety of operating parameters, which may include, but are not limited to, turning the heater on and / or off, setting a minimum and / or maximum temperature to which the heater heats up during operation, other interactive features that a user could access on a device, and / or other operations.

[009] Various vaporizable materials with varying contents and proportions may be contained in the cartridge. Some vaporizable materials, for example, may have a lower percentage of active ingredients per total volume of vaporizable material, such as due to regulations requiring specific percentages of active ingredients. As such, a user may need to vaporize a large amount of vaporizable material (e.g., compared to the total volume of vaporizable material that can be stored in a cartridge) to achieve a desired effect. Brief Description of the Invention

[0010] In certain aspects of this subject, the challenges associated with the design and construction of a device IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l electronic vaporizer, particularly one configured to minimize the presence of liquid vaporizable materials in or near certain susceptible components, can be addressed by including one or more of the features described herein or comparable / equivalent methods as understood by a person skilled in the art.

[0011] In one aspect, a vaporizing device is provided, comprising a housing, a cartridge receptacle, and a frame. The cartridge receptacle may be formed from a cartridge interface placed at least partially within a sleeve. The cartridge interface may be configured to provide a plurality of electrical couplings with a vaporizing cartridge when the vaporizing cartridge is placed at least partially within the cartridge receptacle. The plurality of electrical couplings may include a first electrical coupling with a heating element of the vaporizing cartridge. The multiple electrical couplings may further include a second electrical coupling with a cartridge identification chip of the vaporizing cartridge. The frame may be coupled with the cartridge interface and configured to secure the cartridge interface within the housing.

[0012] In some variations, one or more of the features disclosed herein, including the following features, may be optionally included in any feasible combination. The vaporizer device may further include a battery and a printed circuit board assembly that includes a vaporizer device controller. The printed circuit board assembly may be coupled to the battery and cartridge interface to form a first assembly. The first assembly may be coupled to the frame to form a second assembly that is placed inside the housing.

[0013] In some variations, the second assembly may also include an antenna.

[0014] In some variations, the housing may be formed from a first material. The vaporizing device may further include an end cap formed from a second material that is more permeable to the antenna's radio waves than the first material. The end cap may be configured to close an open end of the housing opposite the cartridge receptacle.

[0015] In some variations, the housing may include one or more inserts formed from the second material and / or a third material that are more penetrable to the antenna's radio waves than the first material.

[0016] In some variations, the cartridge interface may include a set of receptacle contacts configured to form the first electrical coupling with a set of heater contacts of the vaporizer cartridge heating element.

[0017] In some variations, the receptacle contact assembly may include two pairs of electrical contacts positioned on opposite sides of the cartridge receptacle.

[0018] In some variations, the cartridge interface may further include a set of cartridge identifier contacts configured to form the second electrical coupling with a corresponding set of cartridge identifier contacts on the cartridge identification chip of the vaporizer device.

[0019] In some variations, the cartridge identifier contact assembly may include a first set of three electrical contacts located on one side of the cartridge receptacle and a second set of three electrical contacts located on an opposite side of the cartridge receptacle.

[0020] In some variations, the cartridge identifier contact set may include at least one electrical contact that is pre-charged to exert a force against a corresponding electrical contact on the cartridge identification chip.

[0021] In some variations, the cover can be configured to prevent overextension of at least one electrical contact. The cover can also be configured to prevent contact between at least one electrical contact and the vaporizer device housing.

[0022] In some variations, the cartridge receptacle can be configured to receive the vaporizer cartridge in a first rotating orientation and a second rotating orientation. The cartridge interface can be configured to provide multiple electrical connections with the vaporizer cartridge, regardless of whether the vaporizer cartridge is inserted in the first rotating orientation or the second rotating orientation.

[0023] In some variations, the sleeve and casing can form as a solitary Pod.

[0024] In some variations, the sleeve can be attached to the housing by one or more of an adhesive, a friction fit, and / or welding.

[0025] In some variations, the cartridge interface can be further configured to form, with the vaporizer cartridge, a mechanical coupling configured to retain the vaporizer cartridge within the cartridge receptacle.

[0026] In some variations, the vaporizing device may further include a first retention feature configured to couple the vaporizing device to a charging device. The first retention feature may be configured to form a magnetic coupling with a second retention feature on the charging device. The magnetic coupling may align and hold the vaporizing device in one or more positions and / or orientations with respect to the charging device.

[0027] In some variations, the first retention feature and the second retention feature may each comprise one or more hands.

[0028] In some variations, one of the first retaining feature and the second retaining feature may include one or more pins. The other of the first retaining feature and the second retaining feature may include one or more ferrous metal blocks.

[0029] In some variations, the skeleton may include one or more retainers to secure, to an interior of the housing, the skeleton coupled with the cartridge interface.

[0030] In some variations, the cartridge receptacle can be configured to receive at least a portion of a wick housing containing a wick element from the vaporizing cartridge. The first electrical coupling can be formed by bringing into contact at least a contact portion of the heating element disposed at least partially outside the wick housing, while a heating portion of the heating element is placed at least partially inside the wick housing. IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l

[0031] Details of one or more variations of the material described herein are set forth in the accompanying figures and the description below. Other features and advantages of the material described herein will be apparent from the description and figures, and from the claims. Brief Description of the Figures

[0032] The accompanying figures, which are incorporated into and form part of this specification, illustrate certain aspects of the subject matter described herein and, together with the disclosures, help to explain some of the principles associated with the disclosed implementations. In the figures:

[0033] Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram that illustrates an example of a vaporizing device consistent with current material implementations;

[0034] Figure 2A represents a planar cross-sectional view of an example of a vaporizer cartridge having a storage chamber and overflow volume consistent with the implementations of this subject matter;

[0035] Figure 2B illustrates a planar cross-sectional view of an example of a vaporizer cartridge having a storage chamber and overflow volume consistent with the implementations of the present subject matter;

[0036] Figure 2C illustrates a planar cross-sectional view of an example of a vaporizer cartridge having a storage chamber and overflow volume consistent with implementations in this subject matter;

[0037] Figure 2D illustrates a planar cross-sectional view of an example of a vaporizer cartridge having a storage chamber and overflow volume consistent with implementations in this subject matter;

[0038] Figure 2E illustrates a planar cross-sectional view of an example of a vaporizer cartridge having a storage chamber and overflow volume consistent with implementations in this subject matter;

[0039] Figure 2F illustrates a planar cross-sectional view of a collector having an example of a microfluidic feature consistent with implementations of the present subject matter;

[0040] Figure 2G illustrates an enlarged view of an example of a vaporizer cartridge consistent with the implementations of this subject matter;

[0041] Figure 3A represents a perspective view of a vaporizer cartridge having an example of a connector consistent with current matter implementations;

[0042] Figure 3B illustrates a perspective view of a vaporizer cartridge that has another example of a connector consistent with the implementations of this subject matter;

[0043] Figure 3C illustrates a planar cross-sectional view of a vaporizer cartridge having an example of a connector consistent with implementations of the present subject matter; IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l

[0044] Figure 3D illustrates a flat cross-sectional view of a vaporizer cartridge that has another example of a connector consistent with the implementations of the present subject;

[0045] Figure 4 illustrates an enlarged view of an example of the vaporizer body 110 consistent with the implementations of the present subject matter;

[0046] Figure 5A illustrates an example of a Pod identifier contact consistent with the implementations of this subject matter;

[0047] Figure 5B illustrates another example of a Pod identifier contact consistent with the implementations in this subject matter;

[0048] Figure 5C illustrates another example of a Pod identifier contact consistent with the implementations in this subject matter;

[0049] Figure 5D illustrates a perspective view of an example of a cartridge receptacle of a vaporizer body consistent with the implementations of the present subject matter;

[0050] Figure 5E illustrates a perspective view of an example of a cartridge receptacle of a vaporizer body consistent with the implementations of the present subject matter;

[0051] Figure 6A illustrates a side-cut view of an example of a vaporizer cartridge placed inside a cartridge receptacle consistent with the implementations of this subject matter;

[0052] Figure 6B illustrates another side-cut view of an example of a vaporizer cartridge placed inside a cartridge receptacle consistent with the implementations of the present subject matter;

[0053] Figure 7A illustrates a perspective view of an example of a vaporizer body housing consistent with the implementations of the present subject matter;

[0054] Figure 7B illustrates a cross-sectional view of an example of a vaporizer body housing consistent with the implementations of the present subject matter;

[0055] Figure 8A illustrates an example of a retention feature consistent with the implementations of this subject;

[0056] Figure 8B illustrates another example of a retention feature consistent with the implementations of this subject;

[0057] Figure 8C illustrates another example of a retention feature consistent with the implementations of this subject;

[0058] Figure 8D illustrates several examples of a retention feature configured to permit front loading of a vaporizing device consistent with the implementations of this subject matter;

[0059] Figure 8E illustrates several examples of a retention feature configured to permit side-loading of a vaporizing device consistent with the implementations of this subject matter;

[0060] Figure 8F illustrates several examples of magnet-to-magnet retention features consistent with the implementations of this subject matter; IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l

[0061] Figure 8G illustrates several examples of magnet-to-metal holding characteristics consistent with the implementations of this subject matter;

[0062] Figure 9A illustrates a flow diagram that illustrates an example of a process for assembling a vaporizer body consistent with the implementations of the present subject;

[0063] Figure 9B illustrates a flow diagram that illustrates another example of a process for assembling a vaporizer body consistent with the implementations of the present subject;

[0064] Figure 9C illustrates a flow diagram that illustrates another example of a process for assembling a vaporizer body consistent with the implementations of the present subject;

[0065] Figure 9D illustrates a flow diagram that illustrates another example of a process for assembling a vaporizer body consistent with the implementations of the present subject;

[0066] Figure 9E illustrates a flow diagram that illustrates another example of a process for assembling a vaporizer body consistent with the implementations of the present subject; and

[0067] Figure 9F illustrates a flow diagram that illustrates another example of a process for assembling a vaporizer body consistent with the implementations of the present subject.

[0068] Where practical, similar reference numbers denote similar structures, features, or elements. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0069] Implementations of this subject matter include related devices for vaporizing one or more vaporizable materials for inhalation by a user. Examples of vaporizing devices consistent with implementations of this subject matter include electronic vaporizers, electronic cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or the like. The vaporizable material used with a vaporizer may optionally be provided within a cartridge (for example, a part of the vaporizer that holds the vaporizable material in a reservoir or other container and that can be refilled when empty or discarded in favor of a new cartridge containing additional vaporizable material of the same or a different type). A vaporizing device may be a cartridge-using vaporizing device, a cartridge-less vaporizing device, or a multi-purpose vaporizing device capable of being used with or without a cartridge.For example, a multi-purpose vaporizer may include a heating chamber (e.g., an oven) configured to receive a vaporizable material directly into the heating chamber and also to receive a cartridge or other replaceable device having a reservoir, volume, or the like to at least partially contain a usable amount of vaporizable material.

[0070] In various implementations, a vaporizing device may be configured for use with liquid vaporizable material (e.g., a carrier solution in which one or more active and / or inactive ingredients are suspended or held in solution, or a pure liquid form of the vaporizable material itself) or a solid vaporizable material. A solid vaporizable material may include plant material that emits some portion of the plant material as the vaporizable material (e.g., so that some portion of the plant material remains as waste after the vaporizable material is emitted for inhalation by a user) or may optionally be a solid form IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l of the vaporizable material itself (for example, a wax) so that all the solid material can eventually be vaporized for inhalation. A liquid vaporizable material may also be capable of vaporizing completely or may include some portion of the liquid material that remains after all the material suitable for inhalation has been consumed.

[0071] Implementations of this subject matter may include a vaporizing device configured to be coupled with a vaporizing cartridge with various features to prevent the liquid vaporizable material from leaking from the vaporizing cartridge and / or other parts of the vaporizing device. The design and construction of the various examples of vaporizing devices described herein may include one or more features to achieve optimal performance, for example, when the vaporizing device body is coupled with a vaporizing cartridge. In addition, the design and construction of the various examples of vaporizing devices described herein may include one or more features to improve manufacturing efficiency and consistency.

[0072] Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram illustrating an example of a vaporizing device 100 consistent with the implementations in this material. With reference to Figure 1, the vaporizing device 100 may include a power source 112 (e.g., a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, a fuel cell, and / or the like) and a controller 104 (e.g., a processor, circuitry, etc., capable of executing the logic). The controller 104 may be configured to control the delivery of heat to an atomizer 141 to cause at least a portion of a vaporizable material 1302 contained in the reservoir 140 to be converted from a condensed form (e.g., a solid, a liquid, a solution, a suspension, a portion of at least partially unprocessed plant material, etc.) to a gaseous phase.For example, controller 104 can control heat management to atomizer 141 by at least controlling a current discharge from power source 112 to atomizer 141. Controller 104 can be part of one or more printed circuit boards (PCBs) consistent with certain implementations of this subject matter.

[0073] After the conversion of vaporizable material 1302 to the gas phase, and depending on the type of vaporizer, the physical and chemical properties of the vaporizable material 1302, and / or other factors, at least some of the vaporizable material in the gas phase 1302 may condense to form particulate matter in at least partial local equilibrium with the gas phase as part of an aerosol. The vaporizable material 1302 in the condensed phase (e.g., particulate matter) in at least partial local equilibrium with the vaporizable material 1302 in the gas phase may form part or all of an inhalable dose delivered by the vaporizing device 100 for a given dose or extraction in the vaporizing device 100.It is understood that the interaction between the vaporizable material 1302 in the gaseous phase and in the condensed phase of an aerosol generated by the vaporizing device 100 can be complex and dynamic, as factors such as ambient temperature, relative humidity, chemistry, airflow conditions in the airways (both within the vaporizer and in the respiratory tract of a human or other animal), the mixing of the vaporizable material in the gaseous or aerosol phase 1302 with other air streams, etc., can affect one or more physical parameters of an aerosol. In cases where the vaporizable material 1302 is volatile, an inhalable dose may exist. IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l predominantly in the gas phase (i.e., the formation of condensed phase particles may be very limited).

[0074] To enable the vaporizing device 100 to be used with liquid formulations of the vaporizable material 1302 (e.g., pure liquids, suspensions, solutions, mixtures, etc.), the atomizer 141 may include a heating element 1350 as well as a wick element 1362 (also referred to herein as a wick) formed from one or more materials capable of causing fluid movement by capillary pressure. The wick element 1362 may carry a quantity of the liquid vaporizable material 1302 to a portion of the atomizer 141 that includes the heating element 1350.The wick element 1362 is generally configured to draw liquid vaporizable material 1302 from the reservoir 140 containing the liquid vaporizable material 1302 so that the liquid vaporizable material 1302 can be vaporized by heat generated by the heating element 1350. Air can enter the reservoir 140 to replace the volume of liquid vaporizable material 1302 drawn from the reservoir 140, for example, by the wick element 1362. In other words, capillary action can draw liquid vaporizable material 1302 towards the wick element 1362 for vaporization by heat generated by the heating element 1350, and air can, in some implementations of the present matter, return to the reservoir 140 to at least partially equalize the pressure in the reservoir 140.Several approaches to allowing air to enter tank 140 to equalize pressure are within the scope of this subject matter as discussed in further detail below.

[0075] The heating element 1350 may be or include one or more of a conductive heater, a radiative heater, and a convective heater. An example of the heating element 1350 is a resistive heating element, which may be constructed of or at least include a material (for example, a metal or alloy, for example, a nickel-chromium alloy or a non-metallic resistor) configured to dissipate electrical energy in the form of heat when an electric current is passed through one or more resistive segments of the heating element 1350. In some implementations of the current matter, the heating element 1350 may be configured to deliver heat to the wick element 1362, for example, by being at least partially wrapped around, at least partially positioned within, at least partially integrated into a bulk form of, and / or positioned in at least partial thermal contact with the wick element 1362.The heat applied to the wick element 1362 may cause at least a portion of the liquid vaporizable material 1302 drawn into the wick element 1362 from the reservoir 140 to vaporize for subsequent inhalation by a user in a gaseous and / or condensed phase (e.g., aerosol particles or droplets). As discussed further below, the wick element 1362 and the heating element 1350 can be configured in various ways to form the atomizer 141.

[0076] Alternatively and / or additionally, the vaporizing device 100 can also be configured to heat a non-liquid formulation of vaporizable material 1302 to generate an inhalable dose of vaporizable material 1302 in a gaseous and / or aerosol phase. Examples of non-liquid formulations of vaporizable material 1302 include a solid-phase vaporizable material (e.g., a wax or similar) or plant material (e.g., tobacco leaves and / or parts of tobacco leaves). Accordingly, the heating element 1350 can be part of, or otherwise incorporated in, or in thermal contact with the walls of a heating chamber (e.g., an oven). IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l and / or similar) in which the non-liquid vaporizable material 1302 is placed. Alternatively, the heating element 1350 can be used to heat air passing through or past the non-liquid vaporizable material 1302 to cause convective heating of the non-liquid vaporizable material 1302. In still other examples, the heating element 1350 can be a resistive heating element placed in intimate contact with the non-liquid vaporizable material 1302 so that direct conductive heating of the non-liquid vaporizable material 1302 occurs from within a mass of the non-liquid vaporizable material 1302 (e.g., as opposed to by conduction into the walls of a heating chamber).

[0077] To vaporize the vaporizable material 1302, the vaporizing device 100 can supply electrical energy from the power source 112 (e.g., a battery and / or the like) to the heating element 1350. The supply of electrical energy to the heating element 1350 can be controlled by the controller 104. For example, electrical energy can be supplied to the heating element 1350 by discharging a current from the power source 112 through a circuit that includes the heating element 1350. The controller 104 can activate the heating element 1350, for example, by causing the power source 112 to supply electrical energy (e.g., discharge current) to the heating element 1350 in response to a user blowing (e.g., extraction, inhalation, and / or the like) into a mouthpiece 1330 of the vaporizing device 100.The user blowing into the mouthpiece of the vaporizing device 100 can direct airflow from an air inlet, along an airflow path through the atomizer 141, which includes the heating element 1350 and the wick element 1362, and optionally through one or more condensation areas or chambers, to an air outlet in the mouthpiece 1330. The incoming air passing along the airflow path may pass over or through the atomizer 141, where vaporizable material 1302 in the gaseous phase may be entrained into the air. As described above, the entrained gaseous vaporizable material 1302 may condense as it passes through the remainder of the airflow path so that an inhalable dose of the vaporizable material 1302 can be delivered as an aerosol from the air outlet located in the mouthpiece 1330 for inhalation by a user.

[0078] The heating element 1350 can be activated in response to a user's breath (i.e., draw, inhale, etc.) into a mouthpiece 1330 of the vaporizing device 100 to cause air to flow from an air inlet, along an airflow path passing through the atomizer 141, which includes the wick element 1362 and the heating element 1350. Optionally, air can flow from an air inlet through one or more condensation areas or chambers to an air outlet in the mouthpiece 1330. The incoming air moving along the airflow path passes over or through the atomizer 141, where the vaporizable material 1302 in the gas phase is entrained into the air.The heating element 1350 can be activated by the controller 104, which may optionally be part of a vaporizer body 110 as described herein, causing current to flow from the power source 112 through a circuit that includes the heating element 1350. Although shown as part of a vaporizer cartridge 1320, it will be appreciated that at least a portion of the atomizer 141 that includes the heating element 1350 can also be positioned in the vaporizer body 110. As stated herein, the vaporizable material 1302 carried in the gas phase can be condensed as it passes through the remainder of the airflow path so that an inhalable dose of the vaporizable material 1302 in aerosol form can be delivered from the air outlet (e.g., the mouthpiece 1330) for inhalation by a user.

[0079] The heating element 1350 can be activated by the controller 104 in response to the controller detecting an occurrence (or an imminent occurrence) of a dose based on one or more signals received from the sensors 113. The sensors 113 can include one or more of a pressure sensor configured to detect pressure along the airflow path and / or ambient pressure, a motion sensor (e.g., an accelerometer) configured to detect movement of the vaporizing device 100, a flow sensor, a capacitive sensor configured to detect interaction between a user and the vaporizing device 100, and / or the like.Alternatively and / or additionally, the occurrence of a dose and / or the imminent occurrence of a dose may be detected based on user interaction with one or more input devices 116 (e.g., buttons or other touch-sensitive control devices on the vaporizer device 100), one or more signals from a computer device communicating with the vaporizer device 100, and / or the like.

[0080] In some implementations of this subject matter, the vaporizer device 100 may be configured to connect (e.g., wirelessly or via a wired connection) to a computer device (or optionally two or more devices) communicating with the vaporizer. For this purpose, the controller 104 may include communication hardware 105. The controller 104 may also include a memory 108.A computing device can be a component of a vaporizing system that also includes the vaporizing device 100, and can include its own communication hardware, which can establish a wireless communication channel with the communication hardware 105 of the vaporizing device 100. For example, a computing device used as part of a vaporizing system can include a general-purpose computing device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, personal computer, some other portable device such as a smartwatch or similar) that runs software to produce a user interface to allow a device user to interact with a vaporizer.In other implementations of this subject matter, the device used as part of a vaporizing system may be a dedicated piece of hardware such as a remote control or other wireless or wired device that has one or more physical or soft interface controls (for example, configurable on a screen or other display device and selectable through user interaction with a touch-sensitive screen or some other input device such as a mouse, pointer, trackball, cursor buttons, or the like). As shown in Figure 1, the vaporizing device 100 may also include one or more output features or devices 117 to provide information to the user.

[0081] In the example where a computing device provides signals related to the activation of heating element 1350, or in other examples of coupling a computing device with vaporizing device 100 for the implementation of various control or other functions, the computing device may execute one or more sets of computer instructions to provide an underlying user interface and data handling. In one example, the detection by the computing device of user interaction with one or more interface elements of The user can have the computer signal the vaporizer 100 to activate the heating element 1350, either at full operating temperature or to create an inhalable dose of vapor / aerosol. Other vaporizer functions can be controlled by a user interacting with a user interface on a computer communicating with the vaporizer 100.

[0082] The temperature of the heating element 1350 of the vaporizing device may depend on a number of factors, including an output voltage from the power source 112, a duty cycle at which electrical power is administered, conductive heat transfer to other parts of the electronic vaporizer and / or the environment, latent heat losses due to vaporization of the vaporizable material 1302 from the wick element 1362 and / or the atomizer 141 as a whole, and convective heat losses due to airflow (e.g., air moving through the heating element 1350 or the atomizer 141 as a whole when a user inhales into the electronic vaporizer).As noted above, to reliably activate the heating element 1350 or to heat the heating element 1350 to a desired temperature, the controller 104 can use signals from one or more sensors 113 that indicate a pressure in the airflow path, an ambient pressure, and / or the like. To determine the pressure in the airflow path, the one or more sensors 113 can include at least one pressure sensor positioned along the airflow path.Alternatively and / or additionally, at least one pressure sensor may also be connected (for example, via a passage or other means) to the airflow path that connects an inlet for air to enter the vaporizer device 100 and an outlet through which the user inhales the resulting vapor and / or aerosol, so that the pressure sensor is able to detect pressure changes simultaneously with the air passing through the vaporizer device 100 from the air inlet to the air outlet. In some implementations of this subject matter, the controller 104 may activate the heating element 1350 in response to one or more signals from the pressure sensor that indicate a pressure change in the airflow path and / or a difference greater than the threshold between a pressure in the airflow path and ambient pressure.

[0083] Typically, the sensors 113 (e.g., pressure sensor, motion sensor, capacitive sensor, and / or similar) are attached or coupled (e.g., electrically or electronically connected, either physically or via a wireless connection) to the controller 104 (e.g., a printed circuit board assembly or other type of circuit board). To take accurate measurements and maintain the durability of the vaporizer device 100, a classic seal 150 can optionally separate an airflow path from other parts of the vaporizer device 100. The seal 150, which can be a gasket, can be configured to at least partially surround the pressure sensor so that the pressure sensor's connections to the internal circuitry of the vaporizer device 100 are separated from a portion of the pressure sensor exposed to the airflow path.In cases where the vaporizer device 100 is configured to be coupled to a vaporizer cartridge 1320, the closure 150 can also separate parts of one or more electrical connections between a vaporizer body 110 and the vaporizer cartridge 1320 from one or more other parts of the vaporizer body 110. Such arrangements of the closure 150 on the vaporizer device 100 can be useful in mitigating potentially disruptive impacts on the vaporizer components resulting from interactions with factors. ML / a / ZUZZ / UUO 14l environmental such as water in the vapor or liquid phases, other fluids such as vaporizable material 1302, etc. and / or to reduce air escape from the airflow path designed in the vaporizer device 100. Unwanted air, liquid, or other fluid circuits passing through and / or coming into contact with the vaporizer device 100 may cause various undesirable effects, such as altered pressure readings and / or may result in the accumulation of unwanted material, such as moisture, vaporizable material 1302, etc., in parts of the vaporizer where they may result in a poor pressure signal, degradation of the pressure sensor or other components, and / or a shorter service life of the vaporizer device 100.Leaks in the 150 closure can also result in a user inhaling air that has passed over parts of the vaporizer device 100 that contain or are constructed of materials that may not be desirable to be inhaled.

[0084] The vaporizing device 100 may, as noted, be a cartridge-based vaporizer configured to be coupled with, for example, the vaporizing cartridge 1320. Accordingly, in addition to the controller 104, the power source 112 (for example, battery), the one or more sensors 113, one or more charging contacts 124, and the closure 150, Figure 1 shows that the vaporizing body 110 of the vaporizing device 100 includes a cartridge receptacle 118 configured to receive at least part of the vaporizing cartridge 1320 for coupling with the vaporizing body 110 via one or more of a variety of joining structures. As noted, the vaporizing cartridge 1320 may include the reservoir 140 for holding the vaporizable material 1302 and the mouthpiece 1330 for delivering an inhalable dose to a user.The atomizer 141, which includes, for example, the wick element 1362 and the heating element 1350, can be positioned at least partially inside the vaporizer cartridge 1320. Optionally, the heating element 1350 and / or the wick element 1362 can be positioned inside the vaporizer cartridge 1320 so that the walls enclosing the cartridge receptacle 118 surround all or at least part of the heating element 1350 and / or the wick element 1362 when the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is fully connected to the vaporizer body 110.

[0085] In some implementations of the subject matter, the portion of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 that is inserted into the cartridge receptacle 118 of the vaporizer body 110 may be positioned internal to another part of the vaporizer cartridge 1320. For example, the insertable portion of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 may be at least partially enclosed by some other part, such as, for example, a housing and / or an outer casing, of the vaporizer cartridge 1320.

[0086] Alternatively, at least a portion of the atomizer 141 (for example, one or both of the wick element 1362 and the heating element 1350) can be positioned in the vaporizer body 110 of the vaporizer device 100. In implementations where a portion of the atomizer 141 (for example, the heating element 1350 and / or the wick element 1362) is part of the vaporizer body 110, the vaporizer device 100 can be configured to deliver at least the vaporizer material 1302 from the reservoir 140 in the vaporizer cartridge 1320 to the atomizer portions 141 enclosed in the vaporizer body 110.

[0087] As mentioned above, the removal of vaporizable material 1302 from the reservoir 140 (for example, IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l by capillary extraction by the wick element 1362) may create, in the reservoir 140, at least a partial vacuum (for example, a reduced pressure created in a part of the reservoir 140 that has been emptied by the consumption of the vaporizable material 1302) with respect to the ambient air pressure, and the vacuum may interfere with the capillary action provided by the wick element 1362. This reduced pressure may, in some examples, be of a sufficiently large magnitude to reduce the effectiveness of the wick element 1362 in extracting liquid vaporizable material 1302, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the vaporizing device 100 in vaporizing a desired quantity of vaporizable material 1302, such as when a user takes a dose in the vaporizing device 100.In extreme cases, the vacuum created in reservoir 140 could result in the inability to extract all of the vaporizable material 1302 from reservoir 140, leading to incomplete use and waste of the vaporizable material 1302. To prevent the formation of a vacuum, reservoir 140 may include one or more venting features (regardless of the placement of reservoir 140 in vaporizer cartridge 1320 or elsewhere in vaporizer device 100) to allow at least partial equalization (optionally full equalization) of the pressure in reservoir 140 with ambient pressure (e.g., the pressure in the ambient air outside reservoir 140) to mitigate this problem.

[0088] In some cases, while allowing pressure equalization within the reservoir 140 improves the efficiency of liquid vaporizable material delivery to the atomizer 141, it can do so by filling the empty volume (e.g., the space emptied by the use of liquid vaporizable material 1302) within the reservoir 140 with air. As discussed in more detail later, this air-filled empty volume may subsequently experience pressure changes relative to ambient air. This pressure change may, under certain conditions, result in vaporizable material 1302 leaking out of the reservoir 140 and ultimately out of the vaporizing cartridge 1320 and / or another part of the vaporizing device 100 that includes the reservoir 140.For example, a negative pressure event in which the pressure inside the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is high enough to displace at least a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 in the reservoir 140 can be triggered by various environmental factors such as, for example, a change in ambient temperature, altitude, volume of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 (e.g., reservoir 140), and / or the like. Implementations of this material can minimize and / or eliminate leakage of the vaporizable material 1302 while providing one or more mechanisms to prevent the formation of a vacuum (or partial vacuum) within the reservoir 140.

[0089] Figures 2A-2C illustrate planar cross-sectional views of an example of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 consistent with the implementations of the present subject matter. As shown in Figures 2A-2C, the vaporizer cartridge 1320 may include the nozzle 1330, the reservoir 140 containing the vaporizable material 1302, and the atomizer 141. The atomizer 141 may, as noted, include the heating element 1350 and the wick element 1362, together or separately, depending on the implementation, such that the wick element 1362 is thermally or thermodynamically coupled to the heating element 1350 for the purpose of vaporizing the vaporizable material 1302 drawn from or stored in the wick element 1362.

[0090] Figure 2G illustrates an enlarged view of an example of the 1320 vaporizer cartridge consistent with the IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l implementations of the present subject matter. As shown in Figure 2G, the vaporizer cartridge 1320 may further include a wick housing 1315. The wick element 1362 and the heating element 1350 may be positioned at least partially within the wick housing 1315. For example, a heating portion of the heating element 1350, which may be in contact with the wick element 1362, may be positioned at least partially within the wick housing 1315, while a contact portion of the heating element (including one or more contacts 1326) may extend at least partially outside the wick housing 1315. An identification chip 174 may be attached to an outer wall of the wick housing 1315.Furthermore, a housing 1323 of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 can be positioned on an assembly that includes the collector 1313, as well as the wick housing 1315, which includes the wick element 1362, the heating element 1350, and the identification chip 174. For example, the housing 1323 coupled with the collector 1313 can form at least a portion of the reservoir 140, in which the vaporizable material 1302 is contained within the storage chamber 1342 and / or the overflow channel 1104. The housing 1323 of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 can extend below an open top portion of the wick housing 1315 to create a space between an outer wall of the wick housing 1315 and an inner wall of the housing 1323.When the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is coupled with the vaporizer body 110, the cartridge receptacle wall 118 can be positioned at least partially in the space formed between the outer wall of the wick housing 1315 and the inner wall of the housing 1323.

[0091] The vaporizer cartridge 1320 may include one or more contacts 1326 configured to provide an electrical connection between the heating element 1350 and a power source (for example, the power source 112 shown in Figure 1). For example, in some implementations of the present material, the one or more contacts 1326 may be formed from a portion of the heating element 1350 that is folded so that the one or more contacts 1326 can be in electrical contact with the receptacle contacts 125 in the vaporizer body 110. The one or more contacts 1326 may also be configured to form a mechanical coupling with the cartridge receptacle 118.An airflow passage 1338, defined through or on one side of the reservoir 140, can connect an area in the vaporizing cartridge 1320 housing the wick element 1362 (for example, the wick housing 1315 and / or the like) to an orifice 220 in the nozzle 1330 to provide a route for vaporized vaporizable material 1302 to travel from the heating element area 1350 and out of the orifice 220 in the nozzle 1330.

[0092] As provided above, the wick element 1362 can be coupled to the heating element 1350 (for example, a resistive heating element or coil) which has and / or is coupled to one or more contacts 1326. It should be appreciated that the heating element 1350 can have various shapes and / or configurations, including, for example, one or more shapes and / or configurations in which the heating element 1350 is formed from a substrate material that has been shaped to include a heating portion in contact with the wick element 1362, as well as a contact portion that includes one or more contacts 1326.

[0093] In some implementations of this subject matter, the heating element 1350 of the vaporizer cartridge IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l 1320 can be formed from a sheet of substrate material that is crimped around at least a portion of the wick element 1362 or bent to provide the heating portion configured to receive the wick element 1362. For example, the wick element 1362 can be pushed into the heating element 1350. Alternatively and / or additionally, the heating element 1350, for example, the heating portion of the heating element 1350, can be held under tension and pulled onto the wick element 1362.

[0094] The heating element 1350 can be bent so that it secures the wick element 1362 between at least two or three portions of the heating element 1350. Additionally, the heating element 1350 can be bent to conform to the shape of at least one portion of the wick element 1362. These configurations of the heating element 1350 can enable more consistent and improved manufacturing quality. Consistent manufacturing quality of the heating element 1350 can be especially important during large-scale and / or automated manufacturing processes. For example, the heating element 1350, when configured in one or more ways, can help reduce tolerance issues that may arise during manufacturing processes when assembling a heating element 1350 with multiple components.

[0095] Additionally, as discussed further below with respect to an included embodiment related to a heating element formed of curled metal, the heating element 1350 may be fully and / or selectively coated with one or more materials to improve the heating performance of the heating element 1350. Coating all or a portion of the heating element 1350, including, for example, at least a portion of the contact portion of the heating element 1350, including one or more contacts 1326, may help minimize heat losses. The coating may also help concentrate the heat on at least a portion of the heating element 1350, thereby increasing the heating efficiency of the heating element 1350, including reducing heat losses.It should be appreciated that selective coating of some, but not all, portions of the heating element 1350 can help direct the current supplied to the heating element 1350 to a suitable location, for example, the contact portion of the heating element 1350 that includes one or more contacts 1326. Selective coating can also help reduce the amount of coating material and / or the costs associated with manufacturing the heating element 1350.

[0096] As noted above, the heating element 1350, in some implementations of the current material, can be configured to receive at least a portion of the wick element 1362 such that the wick element 1362 is at least partially placed within the heating element 1350 (for example, a heating portion of the heating element 1350).For example, the wick element 1362 can extend near or alongside the contacts 1326 and through the heating portion of the heating element 1350 in contact with the plates 1326. The wick housing 1315 can surround at least a portion of the heating element 1350 and connect the heating element 1350 directly or indirectly to the airflow passage 1338. The vaporizable material 1302 can be drawn out by the wick element 1362 through one or more passages connected to it. IVIA / a / ZUZZ / UUO 14l reservoir 140. For example, as shown in Figure 2C, the reservoir 140 may include a first opening 210a that is in fluid communication with the wick element 1362 so that the vaporizable material 1302 can be drawn off by the wick element 1362 through at least the first opening 210a. In one embodiment, one or both of the primary passage 1382 or an overflow channel 1104 may be used to help route or manage the vaporizable material 1302 to one or more portions of the wick element 1362 (for example, to one or both ends of the wick element 1362, radially along a length of the wick element 1362 and / or the like). Furthermore, in some implementations of the present subject matter, an interior surface of the wick housing 1315 may include one or more fluidic features configured to route and / or manage vaporizable material 1302 to one or more portions of the wick element 1362.

[0097] As provided in more detail below, particularly with reference to Figures 2A-2B, the exchange of air and vaporizable material 1302 into and out of the reservoir 140 of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 can be advantageously controlled by incorporating a structure called a collector 1313. The inclusion of the collector 1313 can also improve a volumetric efficiency of the vaporizer cartridge 1320, defined as a volume of liquid vaporizable material that eventually becomes an inhalable aerosol with respect to a total volume of liquid vaporizable material included in the vaporizer cartridge 1320 (which may correspond to a capacity of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 itself).

[0098] According to some implementations, the vaporizer cartridge 1320 may include the reservoir 140, which is at least partially defined by at least one wall (which may optionally be a wall shared with an external cartridge housing) configured to contain a liquid vaporizable material 1302. The reservoir 140 may include a storage chamber 1342 and an overflow volume 1344, which may include or otherwise contain the collector 1313. The storage chamber 1342 may contain the vaporizable material 1302, and the overflow volume 1344 may be configured to collect and / or retain at least a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 when one or more factors cause the vaporizable material 1302 in the storage chamber of the reservoir 1342 to shift into the overflow volume 1344.In some implementations of the present material, the vaporizing cartridge 1320 can be initially filled with the vaporizable material 1302 so that the empty space inside the collector 1313 is pre-filled with the vaporizable material 1302.

[0099] In some implementations of the present matter, the volumetric size of the deflation volume 1344 may be configured to be equal to, approximately equal to, or greater than the amount of increase in the volume of the contents (for example, vaporizable material 1302 and air) contained in the storage chamber 1342, when the volume of the contents in the storage chamber 1342 expands due to a maximum expected change in pressure that the tank 140 may experience with respect to an ambient pressure.

[00100] Depending on changes in ambient pressure, temperature and / or other factors, the 1320 vaporizer cartridge may experience a change from a first pressure state to a second pressure state (for example, a first relative pressure differential between the inside of the 140 tank and ambient pressure and a second differential of IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l relative pressure between the inside of the tank 140 and the ambient pressure). For example, in the first pressure state, the pressure inside the tank 140 may be lower than the ambient pressure external to the tank 140. Conversely, in the second pressure state, the pressure inside the tank 140 may exceed the ambient pressure. When the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is in a state of equilibrium, the pressure inside the tank 140 may be substantially equal to the ambient pressure external to the tank 140.

[00101] In some respects, the overflow volume 1344 may have the air vent 1318 to the outside of the cartridge 1320 and may be in communication with the storage chamber of the reservoir 1342 so that the overflow volume 1344 can act as a vent channel to provide pressure equalization in the reservoir 140, collect and at least temporarily retain vaporizable material 1302 entering the overflow volume 1344 (e.g., from the storage chamber 1342 in response to variations in a pressure differential between the storage chamber 1342 and ambient pressure), and / or optionally reversibly return at least a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 collected in the overflow volume 1344.

[00102] As used herein, a pressure differential may refer to a difference between a pressure within an internal part of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 and an ambient pressure external to the vaporizer cartridge 1320. The extraction of vaporizable material 1302 from the storage chamber 1342 to the atomizer 141 (e.g., the wick element 1362 and the heating element 1350) for conversion into vapor or aerosol phases may reduce the volume of vaporizable material 1302 remaining in the storage chamber 1342. In the absence of a mechanism for returning air to the storage chamber 1342 (e.g., to increase the pressure within the vaporizer cartridge 1320 to achieve substantial equilibrium with the ambient pressure), a low pressure or even a vacuum may develop within the vaporizer cartridge 1320.Low pressure or vacuum may interfere with the capillary action of the wick element 1362 to draw additional quantities of the vaporizable material 1302 to the heating element 1350.

[00103] Alternatively, the pressure inside tank 140 may also increase and exceed the external ambient pressure due to various environmental factors such as, for example, a change in ambient temperature, altitude, and / or the volume of tank 140. For example, the pressure inside tank 140 may increase when the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is compressed. This increase in internal pressure can sometimes occur after air returns to the storage chamber 1342 to achieve equilibrium between the pressure inside tank 140 and the external ambient pressure.However, it should be noted that a sufficient change in one or more environmental factors can cause the pressure in tank 140 to increase from below ambient pressure to above ambient pressure (e.g., transition from the first pressure state to the second pressure state) without additional air entering tank 140 to first achieve equilibrium between the pressure inside tank 140 and ambient pressure. The resulting negative pressure event, in which the pressure inside tank 140 experiences a sufficient increase, can displace at least a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 in the storage chamber 1342. In the absence of a mechanism to collect and / or retain the displaced vaporizable material... IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l 1302 within the vaporizer cartridge 1320, the displaced vaporizable material 1302 may leak from the vaporizer cartridge 1320.

[00104] Continuing with reference to Figures 2A and 2B, the reservoir 140 can be implemented to include a first area and a second area that can be separated from the first area, so that the volume of the reservoir 140 is divided into the storage chamber 1342 and the overflow volume 1344. The storage chamber 1342 can be configured to store the vaporizable material 1302 and can be further coupled to the wick element 1362 by means of one or more primary passages 1382. In some examples, a primary passage 1382 can be of a very short length (e.g., a through-hole from a space containing the wick element 1362 or other parts of the atomizer 141). In other examples, the primary passage 1382 can be part of a longer fluid path between the storage chamber 1342 and the wick element 1362.The overflow volume 1344 can be configured to collect and at least temporarily retain one or more portions of the vaporizable material 1302 that may enter the overflow volume 1344 from the storage chamber 1342 in the second pressure state in which the pressure in the storage chamber 1342 is greater than the ambient pressure, as provided in more detail below.

[00105] In the first pressure state, the vaporizable material 1302 can be stored in the storage chamber 1342 of the reservoir 140. As noted, the first pressure state can exist, for example, when the ambient pressure external to the vaporizing cartridge 1320 is approximately equal to or greater than the pressure inside the vaporizing cartridge 1320. In this first pressure state, the structural and functional properties of the primary passage 1382 and the overflow channel 1104 are such that the vaporizable material 1302 can flow from the storage chamber 1342 to the wick element 1362 via the primary passage 1382. For example, the capillary action of the wick element 1362 can draw the vaporizable material 1302 into the vicinity of the heating element 1350. The heat generated by the heating element 1350 can then act on the vaporizable material 1302 to convert it into a gaseous phase.

[00106] In the first pressure state, none or a limited amount of the vaporizable material 1302 can flow into the manifold 1313, for example, into the overflow channel 1104 of the manifold 1313. Conversely, when the vaporizer cartridge 1320 transitions from the first pressure state to the second pressure state, the vaporizable material 1302 can flow from the storage chamber 1342 into the overflow volume 1344 of the reservoir 140. By collecting and at least temporarily retaining the vaporizable material 1302 entering the manifold 1313, the manifold 1313 can prevent or limit an undesirable (for example, excessive) flow of the vaporizable material 1302 out of the reservoir 140. As noted, the second pressure state can exist when the ambient pressure outside the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is lower than the pressure inside the vaporizer cartridge 1320.This pressure differential can cause an expanding air bubble within the storage chamber 1342, which can displace a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 within the storage chamber 1342. The displaced portion of the vaporizable material 1302 can be collected and at least temporarily retained by the collector 1313 instead of exiting the vaporizer cartridge. IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l 1320 to cause unwanted leaks.

[00107] Advantageously, the flow of vaporizable material 1302 can be controlled by routing the vaporizable material 1302 pumped from the storage chamber 1342 to the debulking volume 1344 at the second pressure state. For example, the collector 1313 within the debulking volume 1344 can include one or more capillary structures configured to collect and at least temporarily retain at least some (and advantageously all) of the excess liquid vaporizable material 1302 pushed out of the storage chamber 1342 without allowing the liquid vaporizable material 1302 to reach an outlet of the collector 1313 where the liquid vaporizable material 1302 could escape from the collector 1313 and cause unwanted leakage.The collector 1313 may also advantageously include capillary structures that allow liquid vaporizable material pushed into the collector 1313 (e.g., by excess pressure in the storage chamber 1342 relative to ambient pressure) to be reversibly drawn back into the storage chamber 1342 when the pressure inside the storage chamber 1342 decreases and / or equals with ambient pressure. In other words, the overflow channel 1104 of the collector 1313 may have microfluidic features or properties that prevent air and vaporizable material 1302 from diverting from each other during filling and emptying of the collector 1313. That is, microfluidic features may be used to manage the flow of vaporizable material 1302 both into and out of the collector 1313 (i.e., to provide flow reversal features).By doing so, these microfluidic features can prevent or reduce leakage of the vaporizable material 1302, as well as the trapping of air pockets in the storage chamber 1342 and / or the debulking volume 1344.

[00108] According to the implementation, the aforementioned microfluidic characteristics or properties may be related to the size, shape, surface coating, structural features and / or capillary properties of the wick element 1362, the primary passage 1382 and / or the overflow channel 1104. For example, the overflow channel 1104 in the manifold 1313 may optionally have different capillary properties than the primary passage 1382 leading to the wick element 1362 so that a certain volume of the vaporizable material 1302 may be allowed to pass from the storage chamber 1342 into the overflow volume 1344, during the second pressure state in which at least a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 within the storage chamber 1342 is displaced from the storage chamber 1342.

[00109] In an implementation example, the overall resistance of the collector 1313 to allow liquid to flow out of the collector 1313 may be greater than an overall resistance of the wick element 1362, e.g., to allow vaporizable material 1302 to flow mainly through the primary passage 1382 into the wick element 1362 during the first pressure state.

[00110] The primary passage 1382 may provide a capillary path through or into the wick element 1362 for the vaporizable material 1302 stored in the reservoir 140. The capillary path (e.g., the primary passage 1382) may be large enough to allow wick action or capillary action to replace the vaporized vaporizable material 1302 in the wick element 1362, but small enough to prevent leakage of the vaporizable material 1302 from the vaporizing cartridge 1320 when excess pressure within the vaporizing cartridge 1320 displaces at least a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 from the storage chamber 1342. The wick housing or the wick element 1362 may be treated to prevent leakage. For example, the 1320 vaporizer cartridge can be coated after refilling to prevent leaks or evaporation through the 1362 wick element.Any suitable coating may be used, including, for example, a heat vaporizable coating (e.g., a wax or other material) and / or similar materials.

[00111] When a user inhales from the mouthpiece area 1330 of the vaporizer cartridge 1320, air can flow into the vaporizer cartridge 1320 through the air vent 1318, which may be operationally related to the absorption element 1362. The heating element 1350 can be activated in response to a signal generated by one or more sensors 113 (shown in Figure 1). As noted, the one or more sensors 113 may include at least one pressure sensor, motion sensor, flow sensor, or other mechanism capable of detecting a dose and / or an impending dose, including, for example, detecting changes in the airflow passage 1338.When the heating element 1350 is activated, it may experience a temperature increase as a result of a current flowing through the plates 1326 or through another electrically resistive part of the heating element 1350, which converts electrical energy into thermal energy. It will be appreciated that the activation of the heating element 1350 may involve the controller 104 (for example, shown in Figure 1) controlling the power source 112 to discharge an electrical current from the power source 112 to the heating element 1350.

[00112] The heat generated by the heating element 1350 can be transferred to at least a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 in the wick element 1362 by conductive, convective, and / or radiative heat transfer, such that at least a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 extracted in the wick element 1362 is vaporized. Depending on the implementation, the air entering the vaporizing cartridge 1320 can flow over (or around, near, etc.) the wick element 1362 and the heated elements in the heating element 1350 and can draw the vaporized vaporizable material 1302 into the airflow passage 1338, where the vapor can optionally be condensed and delivered as an aerosol, for example, through orifice 220 in the nozzle area 1330.

[00113] With reference to Figure 2B, the storage chamber 1342 can be connected to the airflow passage 1338 (i.e., through the overflow channel 1104 of the overflow volume 1344) for the purpose of allowing portions of the liquid vaporizable material 1302 driven from the storage chamber 1342 by a higher pressure in the storage chamber 1342 relative to the ambient pressure to be retained in the overflow volume 1344 without escaping from the vaporizer cartridge 1320. Although the implementations described herein refer to the vaporizer cartridge 1320 that includes the reservoir 140, it is understood that the methods described are also compatible with and intended for use in a vaporizer without a detachable cartridge.

[00114] Returning to the example, the air, which can be admitted into the storage chamber 1342 when the pressure inside the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is lower than the ambient pressure, can increase the pressure inside the IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l vaporizer cartridge 1320 and may cause the vaporizer cartridge 1320 to transition to the second pressure state in which the pressure inside the vaporizer cartridge 1320 exceeds the ambient pressure external to the vaporizer cartridge 1320. Alternatively and / or additionally, the vaporizer cartridge 1320 may transition to the second pressure state in response to a change in ambient temperature, a change in ambient pressure (e.g., due to a change in external conditions such as altitude, weather and / or the like), and / or a change in the volume of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 (e.g., when the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is compacted by an external force such as squeezing).The increase in pressure within the storage chamber 1342, for example, in the case of a negative pressure event, can at least expand the air occupying the empty space of the storage chamber 1342, thereby displacing at least a portion of the liquid vaporizable material 1302 in the storage chamber 1342. The displaced portion of the vaporizable material 1302 can move through at least some part of the overflow channel 1104 in the manifold 1313. The microfluidic characteristics of the overflow channel 1104 can cause the liquid vaporizable material 1302 to move along a length of the overflow channel 1104 in the manifold 1313 only with a meniscus that completely covers the cross-sectional area of ​​the overflow channel 1104 transverse to the flow direction along that length.

[00115] In some implementations of the present subject matter, the microfluidic features may include a sufficiently small cross-sectional area such that, for the material from which the walls of the overflow channel 1104 are formed and the composition of the liquid vaporizable material 1302, the liquid vaporizable material 1302 preferentially wets the overflow channel 1104 around an entire perimeter of the overflow channel 1104. For an example in which the liquid vaporizable material 1302 includes one or more of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, the wetting properties of the liquid are considered advantageously in combination with the geometry of the second passage 1384 and the materials from which the walls of the overflow channel 1104 are formed.In this way, as the sign (e.g., positive, negative, or equal) and magnitude of the pressure differential between the storage chamber 140 and ambient pressure varies, a meniscus is maintained between the liquid vaporizable material 1302 present in the overflow channel 1104 and the air entering from the ambient atmosphere to prevent the vaporizable material 1302 and the air from moving to each other.

[00116] As the pressure in storage chamber 1342 decreases sufficiently with respect to ambient pressure and if there is sufficient empty volume in storage chamber 1342 to permit it, the vaporizable material 1302 present in the overflow channel 1104 of the manifold 1313 can be withdrawn into storage chamber 1342 sufficiently to cause the main liquid air meniscus to reach a gate or port between the overflow channel 1104 of the manifold 1313 and storage chamber 1342.At that moment, if the pressure differential in storage chamber 1342 with respect to ambient pressure is sufficiently negative to overcome the surface tension that holds the meniscus in the door or port, the meniscus can be released from the walls of the door or port to form one or more air bubbles, which are then released into storage chamber 1342 with a sufficient volume to equalize the pressure inside storage chamber 1342 with respect to the ambient pressure. MA / a / ZUZZ / UUO 14l ambient pressure.

[00117] When the air admitted into storage chamber 140 as discussed above (or otherwise made present in these) experiences a condition of elevated pressure relative to the environment (e.g., due to a drop in ambient pressure such as may occur in an aircraft cabin or other high-altitude locations, when a window of a moving vehicle is opened, when a train or vehicle exits a tunnel, etc., or an elevation in internal pressure in storage chamber 140 such as may occur due to local heating, mechanical pressure distorting a shape and thereby reducing a volume of storage chamber 140, etc., or similar), the process described above may be reversed.The liquid passes through the gate or port into the overflow channel 1104 of the manifold 1313 and a meniscus forms at the leading edge of a column of vaporizable material 1302 passing into the overflow channel 1104 to prevent air from being diverted and flowing into the counter of the progression of the vaporizable material 1302.

[00118] By maintaining this meniscus due to the presence of the microfluidic properties mentioned above, when the elevated pressure in storage chamber 140 is subsequently reduced, the column of vaporizable material 1302 can be withdrawn back into storage chamber 140, and optionally until the meniscus reaches the door or port. If the pressure differential sufficiently favors ambient pressure with respect to the pressure inside storage chamber 1342, the bubble formation process described above can occur until the two pressures equalize.In this way, the collector 1313 can act as a reversible overflow volume that accepts the vaporizable material 1302 that is pushed out of the storage chamber 1342 under transient conditions of higher storage chamber pressure relative to ambient pressure, while allowing at least part (and desirably all or most) of this overflow volume of vaporizable material 1302 to be returned to the storage chamber 140 for further administration, e.g., to the heating element 1350 for conversion into an inhalable aerosol.

[00119] According to the implementation, the storage chamber 1342 may or may not be connected to the wick element 1362 through the overflow channel 1104. In modalities in which the overflow channel 1104 includes a first end coupled with the storage chamber 1342 and a second end overflow channel 1104 leading to the wick element 1362, any of the vaporizable material 1302 that can exit the overflow channel 1104 at the second end may further saturate the wick element 1362.

[00120] The storage chamber 1342 can optionally be positioned closer to an end of the reservoir 140 that is near the nozzle area 1330. The overflow volume 1344 can be positioned near an end of the reservoir 140 closer to the heating element 1350, for example, between the storage chamber 1342 and the heating element 1350. The example embodiments shown in the figures should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claim with respect to the position of the various components disclosed herein. For example, the overflow volume 1344 can be positioned in an upper, middle, or lower portion of the vaporizer cartridge 1320.The location and placement of the storage chamber 1342 can be adjusted with respect to the position of the overflow volume 1344, so that the storage chamber 1342 can be positioned in the upper portion, the middle portion, or the lower portion of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 according to one or more variations.

[00121] In one implementation, when the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is filled to capacity, the volume of liquid vaporizable material 1302 may be equal to the internal volume of the storage chamber 1342 plus the overflow volume 1344. The internal volume of the overflow volume may, in some example implementations, correspond to a volume of the overflow channel 1104 between a door or port connecting the overflow channel 1104 to the storage chamber 140 and an outlet of the overflow channel 1104. In other words, the vaporizer cartridge 1320 may be initially filled with liquid vaporizable material 1302 such that all or at least part of the internal volume of the collector 1313 is occupied by the liquid vaporizable material 1302.In the example, the liquid vaporizable material 1302 can be delivered to the atomizer 141 (e.g., including the wick element 1362 and the heating element 1350) as required for delivery to a user. For example, to deliver a portion of the vaporizable material 1302, that portion can be drawn from the storage chamber 140, thereby causing any vaporizable material 1302 present in the de-drilling channel 1104 of the manifold 1313 to be drawn back into the storage chamber 140 because air cannot enter through the de-drilling channel 1104 due to the meniscus maintained by the microfluidic properties of the de-drilling channel 1104 (which prevents air from flowing past the vaporizable material 1302 present in the de-drilling channel 1104).

[00122] After a sufficient quantity of vaporizable material 1302 has been dispensed to the atomizer 141 from the storage chamber 140 (e.g., for vaporization and inhalation by the user) to cause the original volume of the collector 1313 to be drawn into the storage chamber 140, the action described above occurs. For example, one or more air bubbles may be released from a door or port between the secondary passage 1384 and the storage chamber 140 to equalize the pressure within the storage chamber 140 (e.g., with respect to ambient pressure) as a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 is withdrawn from the storage chamber 140.When the pressure inside the storage chamber 140 increases above the ambient pressure (for example, due to the admission of air in the first pressure state, a change in temperature, a change in ambient pressure, a change in the volume of the vaporizing cartridge 1320 and / or the like), a portion of the liquid vaporizable material 1302 inside the storage chamber 140 may be displaced and thus move out of the storage chamber 140 beyond the door or port in the overflow channel 1104 until the elevated pressure condition in the storage compartment decreases, at which point the liquid vaporizable material 1302 in the overflow channel 1104 can be drawn back into the storage chamber 140.

[00123] In certain embodiments, the overflow volume 1344 may be large enough to contain a percentage of the vaporizable material 1302 stored in the storage chamber 1342, which includes IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l up to approximately 100% of the capacity of storage chamber 1342. In one embodiment, the collector 1313 can be configured to contain at least 6 percent to 25 percent of the volume of vaporizable material 1302 that can be stored in storage chamber 1342. Other ranges are also within the scope of this subject matter.

[00124] The collector structure 1313 can be configured, constructed, molded, manufactured, or positioned in the overflow volume 1344 in various shapes and with different properties to allow overflow portions of the vaporizable material 1302 to be received, contained, or stored, at least temporarily, in the overflow volume 1314 in a controlled manner (e.g., by capillary pressure), thereby preventing the vaporizable material 1302 from escaping from the vaporizing cartridge 1320 or the absorption element 1362 from becoming oversaturated. The foregoing description relating to the overflow channel 1104 is not intended to be limited to a single overflow channel 1104. One, or optionally more than one, overflow channel 1104 can be connected to the storage chamber 140 via one or more doors or ports.In some implementations of this subject matter, a single gateway or port may be connected to more than one 1104 overflow channel, or a single 1104 overflow channel may be split into more than one 1104 overflow channel to provide additional overflow volume or other advantages.

[00125] In some implementations of the present matter, an air vent 1318 may connect the overflow volume 1344 to the airflow passage 1338 which ultimately diverts to the ambient air outside the vaporizing cartridge 1320. This air vent 1318 may allow an airway or bubbles that may have formed or become trapped in the manifold 1313 to escape through the air vent 1318, for example, during the second pressure state in which the overflow channel 1104 is filled with a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 displaced from the storage chamber 1342.

[00126] According to some aspects, the air vent 1318 can act as a reverse vent and provide pressure equalization within the vaporizer cartridge 1320 during a return to an equilibrium state, from the second pressure state, as the overflow of vaporizable material 1302 returns to the storage chamber 1342 from the overflow volume 1344. In this implementation, as the ambient pressure exceeds the internal pressure in the vaporizer cartridge 1320, ambient air can flow through the air vent 1318 into the overflow channel 1304 and effectively help push the vaporizable material 1302 temporarily stored in the overflow volume 1344 in a reverse direction back to the storage chamber 1342.

[00127] With reference again to Figures 2A-2C, in one or more modes, in the first pressure state, the overflow channel 1104 may be at least partially occupied with air, which may enter the overflow channel 1104 through the air vent 1318. In the second pressure state, the vaporizable material 1302 may enter the overflow channel 1104, for example, through a second opening 210b at an interface point between the storage chamber 1342 and the overflow channel 1104 of the overflow volume. IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l 1344. As a result, the air in the overflow channel 1104 can be displaced (e.g., by the incoming vaporizable material 1302) and can escape through the air vent 1318. In some embodiments, the air vent 1318 can act as or include a control valve (e.g., a selective osmosis membrane, a microfluidic gate, etc.) that allows air to escape from the overflow volume 1344, but blocks the vaporizable material 1302 from escaping from the overflow channel 1104 into the airflow passage 1338.As noted above, the air vent 1318 can act as an air exchange port to allow air to enter and exit the manifold 1313 as, for example, the manifold 1313 is filled with the vaporizable material 1302 displaced by the excess pressure in the storage chamber 1342 and empties when the pressure inside the storage chamber 1342 substantially equals the ambient pressure. That is, the air vent 1318 can allow air to enter and exit the manifold 1313 during a transition between the first pressure state, when the pressure inside the vaporizing cartridge 1320 is less than the ambient pressure, the second pressure state, when the pressure inside the vaporizing cartridge 1320 exceeds the ambient pressure, and an equilibrium state, when the pressure inside the vaporizing cartridge 1320 and the ambient pressure are substantially equal.

[00128] Accordingly, the vaporizable material 1302 can be stored in the collector 1313 until the pressure inside the vaporizing cartridge 1320 stabilizes (for example, when the pressure inside the vaporizing cartridge 1320 is substantially equal to the ambient pressure or meets a designated equilibrium) or until the vaporizable material 1302 is withdrawn from the overflow volume 1344 (for example, by being drawn into the atomizer 141, which includes the wick element 1362 and the heating element 1350, for vaporization). Therefore, the level of vaporizable material 1302 in the overflow volume 1344 can be controlled by managing the flow of vaporizable material 1302 into and out of the collector 1313 as the ambient pressure changes.In one or more modes, the overflow of vaporizable material 1302 from storage chamber 1342 into overflow volume 1344 may be reversed or may be reversible depending on changes detected in the environment (e.g., when a pressure event that caused the overflow of vaporizable material 1302 decreases or is concluded).

[00129] As noted above, in some implementations of the present matter, in a state when the pressure inside the vaporizing cartridge 1320 becomes lower than the ambient pressure (e.g., when transitioning from the second pressure state back to the first pressure state), the flow of the vaporizable material 1302 may be reversed in a direction that causes the vaporizable material 1302 to flow from the overflow volume 1344 back into the storage chamber 1342 of the tank 140. Therefore, depending on the implementation, the overflow volume 1344 may be configured for the temporary retention of overflow portions of the vaporizable material 1302 during the second pressure state when the high pressure inside the vaporizing cartridge 1320 displaces at least a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 from the storage chamber 1342.According to an implementation, during or after a reversion to the first pressure state when the pressure inside the 1320 vaporizer cartridge is substantially equal to or less than ambient pressure, at least part of it. IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l overflow of vaporizable material 1302 retained in collector 1313 can be returned to storage chamber 1342.

[00130] To control the flow of vaporizable material 1302 in the vaporizer cartridge 1320, in other implementations of the subject matter, the collector 1313 may optionally include an absorbent or semi-absorbent material (for example, material having sponge-like properties) to permanently or semi-permanently collect or retain the overflow of vaporizable material 1302 that flows through the overflow channel 1104. In an example embodiment in which absorbent material is included in the collector 1313, reverse flow of vaporizable material 1302 from the overflow volume 1344 back to the storage chamber 1342 may not be as practical or possible compared to embodiments implemented without (or with less) absorbent material in the collector 1313.That is, the presence of the absorbent or semi-absorbent material can at least partially inhibit the vaporizable material 1302 collected in the overflow volume 1344 from returning to the storage chamber 1342. Consequently, the reversibility and / or the rate of reversibility of the vaporizable material 1302 to the storage chamber 1342 can be controlled by including more or less densities or volumes of absorbent material in the collector 1313 or by controlling the texture of the absorbent material, where such characteristics result in a higher or lower absorption rate, either immediately or over longer periods of time.

[00131] Figures 2D-2E illustrate cross-sectional views of examples of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 consistent with the implementations of this material. As noted, in some implementations of this material, the vaporizer cartridge 1320 may include one or more microfluidic features configured to prevent air and vaporizable material 1302 from diverting from each other during filling and emptying of the collector 1313. These microfluidic features, which manage the flow of vaporizable material 1302 into and out of the collector 1313, can minimize leakage of vaporizable material 1302, as well as the entrapment of air bubbles in the storage chamber 1342 and / or the overflow volume 1344.

[00132] In some implementations of the present material, the collector 1313 of the vaporizing cartridge 1320 may include the overflow channel 1104. With reference again to Figures 2D-2E, a first end of the overflow channel 1104 may include the air vent 1318 in fluid communication with the airflow passage 1338, while a second end of the overflow channel 1104 may include the second opening 210b in fluid communication with the storage chamber 1342. Accordingly, the vaporizable material 1302 may enter and exit the overflow channel 1104 through the second opening 210b, while air may enter and exit the overflow channel 1104 through the air vent 1318. For example, as noted, air entering through the air vent 1318 may reduce any vacuum that may develop within the storage chamber. 140 due to the decrease in vaporizable material 1302.Alternatively, at least a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 in the storage chamber 1342 may enter the overflow channel 1104 through the second opening 210b during a negative pressure event where the vaporizable material 1302 is displaced from the chamber. IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l storage 1342 due to an increase in pressure within the tank 140. Figures 2D-2E represent examples of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 having a different placement of the air vent 1318 and the second opening 210B.

[00133] With reference to Figure 2D, in some implementations of the present matter, the air vent 1318 may be positioned adjacent to the wick housing 1315 and the wick element 1362, while the second opening 210b is positioned away from the wick housing 1315 and the wick element 1362, for example, above the air vent 1318. Alternatively, in the example of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 shown in Figure 2E, the second opening 210b may be positioned adjacent to the wick housing 1315 and the wick element 1362, while the air vent 1318 may be positioned away from the wick housing and the wick element 1362, for example, above the second opening 210b.It should be noted that the proximity between the wick element 1362 and the second opening 210b, which is in fluid communication with the storage chamber 1342, can minimize the hydrostatic head between the wick element 1362 and the storage chamber 1342. As such, the vaporizer cartridge example 1320 shown in Figure 2E may be more resistant to leakage through the wick element 1362 because the negative pressure created by the meniscus in the second opening 210b is retained rather than diminished by the hydrostatic head between the wick element 1362 and the storage chamber 1342.

[00134] In some implementations of this subject matter, overflow channel 1104 may include one or more microfluidic features including, for example, a first microfluidic feature 230a, a second microfluidic feature 230b and / or the like. The first microfluidic feature 230a and / or the second microfluidic feature 230b can be configured to control the flow of air and vaporizable material 1302 into and out of the tank 140. For example, the first microfluidic feature 230a and / or the second microfluidic feature 230b can be configured to discourage the flow of vaporizable material 1302 in one direction from the overflow channel 1104 (e.g., away from the storage chamber 1342 and out of the overflow channel 1104) and encourage the flow of vaporizable material 1302 in a reverse direction (e.g., back into the storage chamber 1342).In addition, the first microfluidic feature 230a and the second microfluidic feature 230b can be configured to allow airflow to the storage chamber 1342 through the overflow channel 1104 in order to equalize the pressure inside the storage chamber 1342 with the ambient pressure.

[00135] An example of a microfluidic feature may be one or more constriction points where the shape and / or cross-sectional dimensions of the overflow channel 1104 vary along a length of the overflow channel 1104. As shown in Figure 2D, the first microfluidic feature 230a may be a type of restriction point where the shape and / or cross-sectional dimensions of the overflow channel 1104 in a first portion of the overflow channel 1104 differ from the shape and / or cross-sectional dimensions of the overflow channel 1104 in a second portion of the overflow channel 1104 and / or a third portion of the overflow channel 1104 on either side of the first portion of the overflow channel 1104. For example, the IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l constriction points may be formed by one or more irregularities, raised edges and / or protrusions extending from an inner surface of the overflow channel 1104.

[00136] For further illustration, Figure 2F illustrates a planar cross-sectional view of the collector 1313 having an example of the first microfluidic feature 230a consistent with the implementations herein. With reference to Figure 2F, the first microfluidic feature 230a may be an irregularity, raised edge, protrusion, or other form of a point of constriction extending from an inner surface of the overflow channel 1104. In some implementations herein, the form of the first microfluidic feature 230a may be defined as an irregularity, finger, cannula, fin, edge, or any other form that constricts a cross-sectional area to a flow direction in the overflow channel 1104.For example, the first microfluidic feature 230a may be shaped like a shark fin, where the distal end of the first microfluidic feature 230a tapers to a point. The pointed or cantilevered edge of the shark fin shape may be rounded, although the cantilevered edge may also be tapered to a sharp point.

[00137] Other examples of microfluidic features may include one or more variations in the shape and / or orientation of the overflow channel 1104 along a length of the overflow channel 1104. For example, in some implementations of the present material, at least a portion of the overflow channel 1104 may be spiral, curved, tapered, narrowed, turned, and / or tilted. To further illustrate, Figure 2D shows that the second microfluidic feature 230b may be a bend in the overflow channel 1104 where the overflow channel 1104, which runs in one direction, turns in the opposite direction.It should be appreciated that the shape, size, relative location and total amount of microfluidic features placed along the length of the overflow channel 1104 can be adjusted to further control the entry and exit of vaporizable material 1302 into and out of the overflow channel 1104, for example, by fine-tuning a tendency for a meniscus (for example, separating the vaporizable material 1302 and air) to form within the overflow channel 1104.

[00138] In some implementations of this material, the vaporizer cartridge 1320 can be coupled to the vaporizer body 110 of the vaporizer device 100 in various ways. For example, Figures 3A-3D depict several design alternatives for connectors configured to form a coupling between the vaporizer cartridge 1320 and the vaporizer body 110 of the vaporizer device 100. Figures 3A-3B each illustrate perspective views of several examples of the connectors, while Figures 3C-D each depict planar cross-sectional side views of several examples of the connectors.

[00139] The connector examples shown in Figures 3A-3D may include complementary male connectors (e.g., protrusions) and female connectors (e.g., receptacles). As shown in Figures 1, 2A-2B, and 3A-3D, one end of the 1320 vaporizer cartridge may include one or more connectors to allow coupling between the 1320 vaporizer cartridge and the 110 vaporizer body of the 100 vaporizer device. For example, one end of the 1320 vaporizer cartridge may include one or more mechanical connectors, electrical connectors, and fluid connectors configured to provide electrical coupling, mechanical coupling, and / or fluid coupling between the 1320 vaporizer cartridge and the 110 vaporizer body. It will be appreciated that these connectors can be implemented in various configurations.

[00140] In one implementation of the subject matter hereof, one end of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 may include a male connector 710 (e.g., a protrusion) configured to mate with a female connector (e.g., the cartridge receptacle 118) on the vaporizer body 110. In this example, when the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is mated with the vaporizer body 110, the contacts 1326 located on the male connector 710 may form an electrical coupling with the corresponding receptacle contacts 125 on the cartridge receptacle 118. In addition, the contacts 1326 on the male connector 710 may mechanically engage the receptacle contacts 125 on the cartridge receptacle, for example, by friction adjustment (e.g., quick-release push-button gearing) and / or spring tension, to secure the vaporizer cartridge 1320 in the cartridge receptacle 118 of the vaporizer body. 110.

[00141] Alternatively, Figures 3B and 3D represent another example of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 in which one end of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 includes a female connector 712. The female connector 712 can be a receptacle configured to receive a corresponding male connector (e.g., a protrusion) on the vaporizer body 110. In this example implementation, the contacts 1326 can be positioned within the female connector 712 and configured to form an electrical coupling as well as a mechanical coupling with corresponding contacts on the male connector on the vaporizer body 110.

[00142] Figure 4 illustrates an enlarged view of an example of the vaporizer body 110 consistent with the implementations of this subject matter. In some implementations of this subject matter, the vaporizer body 110 can be configured to receive and / or be coupled with a cartridge having various features described above, including, for example, the cartridge 1320 having the collector 1313, the finned condensate collector 352, and / or similar components.

[00143] As shown in Figure 4, the vaporizer body 110 may include a housing 1220, a sleeve 1219, a battery 1212, a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) 1203, an antenna 1217, a frame 1211, a charging emblem 1213, a cartridge interface 1218, an end cap 1201, and an LED emblem 1215. In some aspects, the assembly of the vaporizer body 110 includes placing the battery 1212 inside the frame 1211 at a lower end of the frame 1211 (left side of Figure 4). The antenna 1217 may be attached to a lower end of the battery 1212. The cartridge interface 1218, the PCBA 1203, and the battery 1212 may be mechanically coupled, for example, by one or more coupling means.For example, a lower end of PCBA 1203 can be mated to an upper end of battery 1212, and an upper end of PCBA 1203 can be mated to cartridge interface 1218 using press fits, solder joints, and / or any other mating means. To form cartridge interface 1218, sleeve 1219 can be configured to at least partially surround cartridge interface 1218 when cartridge interface 1218 is placed in sleeve 1219. When placed in housing 1220, the skeleton... IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l 1211 (for example, including the battery 1212, antenna 1217, cartridge interface 1218, and PCBA 1203) can be attached to the housing 1220 by friction fit, spring tension, and / or similar means. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the skeleton 1211 may include one or more pressure features 1221 configured to engage the housing 1220.

[00144] In some implementations of the present subject matter, the vaporizer body 110 may include one or more features configured to maximize the range of the antenna 1217. For example, the housing 1220 may be formed from a first material (for example, metal and / or the like) that can block radio waves from the antenna 1217. Even if the cap 1201 is formed from a second material (for example, plastic and / or the like) that can penetrate radio waves from the antenna 1217, the range of the antenna 1217 may nevertheless be compromised if the cap 1201 is positioned substantially within the housing 1220 (for example, so that an outer surface of the cap 1201 is substantially flush against an end of the housing 1201).Therefore, to maximize the span of antenna 1217, the housing 1220 formed from the first material may include one or more inserts formed from the second material that are penetrable to radio waves from antenna 1217. Alternatively and / or additionally, one or more strategies, such as beamforming, may be implemented to maximize the power of the radio waves radiating from the cover 1310 and / or those portions of the housing 1220 formed from the second material.

[00145] Referring again to Figure 4, the housing 1219 may include an opening sized and shaped to receive the charging emblem 1213 on one side of the housing 1219. A second side of the housing 1219 may include the LED emblem 1215, which may be built into the housing 1219 or placed in another opening sized and shaped to receive the LED emblem 1215. In some aspects, the housing 1219 may include a stainless steel material and may be approximately 0.2 mm thick. The LED emblem 1215 may be molded with a black printed circuit board. In some aspects, the charging emblem 1213 may include a liquid crystal polymer (LCP), polycarbonate, and / or phosphor bronze contacts. The charging emblem 1213 may minimize the distance between the charging pads by using a mylar film.A coating for the charging emblem may include palladium-nickel, black nickel, physical vapor deposition (PVD), or another black coating option. In some implementations, the assembled battery 1212, PCBA 1203, cartridge interface 1218, and sleeve 1219 may be configured to fit inside the skeleton 1211, and the skeleton 1211 may be configured to fit inside the housing 1220. In some aspects, the sleeve 1219 may be formed from a material, such as stainless steel, that minimizes the thickness of the sleeve 1219 (for example, approximately 0.2 mm).The housing 1220 may include grounding pads, a cap data, an LED interface, one or more air inlets (which are in fluid communication with the airflow slots on the bottom of the wick housing 1315 when the cartridge 1320 is coupled with the vaporizer body 110), and the press-fit feature 1221 where the skeleton 1211 presses into place when inserted into the housing 1220. The cap 1201 can be positioned at a lower end of the housing 1220 opposite the sleeve 1219. The cap 1201 can be configured to retain the internal components of the vaporizer body 210 within the housing. ML / a / ZUZZ / UUO 14l 1220 and can also serve as a vent at the bottom end of the 1220 housing.

[00146] In vaporizers in which the power source 112 is part of a vaporizer body 110 and a heating element is placed in a vaporizer cartridge 1320 configured to be coupled with the vaporizer body 110, the vaporizer 100 may include electrical connection features (for example, means for completing a circuit) to complete a circuit that includes the controller 104 (for example, a printed circuit board, a microcontroller, or the like), the power source, and the heating element.These features may include at least two contacts 124 on a lower surface of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 (referred to herein as cartridge contacts 124) and at least two contacts 125 positioned near a base of the cartridge receptacle (referred to herein as receptacle contacts 125) of the vaporizer 100 such that the cartridge contacts 124 and the receptacle contacts 125 make electrical connections when the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is inserted into and coupled with the cartridge receptacle 118.The circuit completed by these electrical connections can allow the administration of electrical current to the resistive heating element and can also be used for additional functions, such as for example to measure a resistance of the resistive heating element for use in determining and / or controlling a temperature of the resistive heating element based on a thermal coefficient of resistivity of the resistive heating element, to identify a cartridge based on one or more electrical characteristics of a resistive heating element or the other circuits of the vaporizer cartridge, etc.

[00147] In some examples of this subject matter, the at least two cartridge contacts and the at least two receptacle contacts can be configured to be electrically connected in any of at least two orientations.For example, one or more circuits required for the operation of the vaporizer can be completed by inserting a vaporizer cartridge 1320 into the cartridge receptacle 118 in a first rotary orientation (around an axis along which the end of the vaporizer cartridge having the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge receptacle 118 of the vaporizer body 110) so that a first set of cartridge contacts of the at least two cartridge contacts 124 is electrically connected to a first set of receptacle contacts of the at least two receptacle contacts 125 and a second set of cartridge contacts of the at least two cartridge contacts 124 is electrically connected to a second set of receptacle contacts of the at least two receptacle contacts 125.Furthermore, the one or more circuits necessary for the operation of the vaporizer can be completed by inserting a vaporizer cartridge 1320 into the cartridge receptacle 118 in a second rotary orientation such that the first set of cartridge contacts of the at least two cartridge contacts 124 is electrically connected to the second set of receptacle contacts of the at least two receptacle contacts 125, and the second set of cartridge contacts of the at least two cartridge contacts 124 is electrically connected to the first set of receptacle contacts of the at least two receptacle contacts 125. This feature of a vaporizer cartridge 1320 being reversiblely insertable into a cartridge receptacle 118 of the vaporizer body 110 is described later.

[00148] In an example of a joining structure for attaching a 1320 vaporizer cartridge to the vaporizer body IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l 110, the vaporizer body 110 includes one or more retainers (for example, a groove, protrusion, spring connect, etc.) projecting inward from an inner surface of the cartridge receptacle 118. One or more outer surfaces of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 may include corresponding recesses (not shown in Figure 1) that can be adjusted and / or otherwise pressed onto retainers when one end of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is inserted into the cartridge receptacle 118 in the vaporizer body 110.When the 1320 vaporizer cartridge and the 110 vaporizer body are coupled (for example, by inserting one end of the 1320 vaporizer cartridge into the 118 cartridge receptacle of the 110 vaporizer body), the retainer in the 110 vaporizer body can fit into and / or otherwise be held within the cavities of the 1320 vaporizer cartridge to hold the 1320 vaporizer cartridge in place when mounted. The retention-recess assembly can provide sufficient support to hold the vaporizer cartridge 1320 in place to ensure good contact between at least two cartridge contacts 124 and at least two receptacle contacts 125, while allowing the release of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 from the vaporizer body 110 when a user pulls with reasonable force on the vaporizer cartridge 1320 to disengage the vaporizer cartridge 1320 from the cartridge receptacle 118.For example, in an implementation of the present matter, at least two retainers may be placed on an exterior of the sleeve 1219. The retainers on the exterior of the sleeve 1219 may be configured to engage one or more corresponding recesses in the vaporizer cartridge 1320, for example, on an inner surface of a portion of the vaporizer cartridge housing 1320 that extends below an open top portion of the sleeve 1219 (and the cartridge interface 1218) to cover at least a portion of the sleeve 1219 (and the cartridge receptacle 118).

[00149] In addition to the preceding analysis of the electrical connections between a vaporizer cartridge and a vaporizer body that is reversible so that at least two rotational orientations of the vaporizer cartridge in the cartridge receptacle are possible, in some vaporizers the shape of the vaporizer cartridge, or at least a shape of the end of the vaporizer cartridge that is configured for insertion into the cartridge receptacle, may have rotational symmetry of at least the second order. In other words, the vaporizer cartridge, or at least the insertable end of the vaporizer cartridge, may be symmetrical after a 180° rotation about an axis along which the vaporizer cartridge is inserted into the cartridge receptacle. In the configuration, the vaporizer circuits 100 may support identical operation regardless of the symmetrical orientation of the vaporizer cartridge 1320.In some respects, the first rotation position may be more or less than 180° from the second rotation position.

[00150] In some examples, the vaporizer cartridge 1320, or at least one end of the vaporizer cartridge 1320 configured for insertion into the cartridge receptacle, may have a non-circular cross-section perpendicular to the axis along which the vaporizer cartridge is inserted into the cartridge receptacle 118. For example, the non-circular cross-section may be approximately rectangular, approximately elliptical (e.g., having an approximately oval shape), not rectangular but with two sets of opposite sides parallel or approximately parallel (e.g., having a parallelogram-like shape), or other shapes having rotational symmetry of IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l at least order two. In this context, approximately having a shape indicates that a basic resemblance to the described shape is apparent, but that the sides of the shape in question need not be completely linear and the vertices need not be completely sharp. Rounding of either or both edges or vertices of the cross-section shape is contemplated in the description of any non-circular cross-section referred to herein.

[00151] Figures 5A-5C illustrate several examples of a Pod 500 identifier contact consistent with the implementations in this material. As shown in Figures 5A-5C, the Pod 500 identifier contact may be part of the cartridge receptacle 118, for example, the cartridge interface 1218. When the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is coupled with the vaporizer body 110, for example, by being at least partially placed inside the cartridge receptacle 118, the Pod 500 identifier contact may be configured to form an electrical coupling between the PCBA 1203 (for example, the controller 104) and one or more contacts 293 of the ID chip 174. Figures 5A-5C show various configurations of the Pod 500 identifier contact in which the material forming the Pod 500 identifier contact is folded and / or curled in different ways.For example, the Pod 500 identifier contact example shown in Figure 5A may include a bend (for example, a 180° bend) at a location 407 of the material, as well as other bends at other locations of the material.

[00152] However, regardless of the configuration, it will be appreciated that the Pod 500 identifier contact can be configured to exert sufficient force against contact 293 of ID chip 174 to ensure that the contact between contact 293 of ID chip 174 and the Pod 500 identifier contact is suitable for reading ID chip 174. For example, the Pod 500 identifier contact can be preloaded so that the Pod 500 identifier contact applies sufficient spring force against contact 293 of ID chip 174.The Pod 500 ID contact can also be positioned at least partially within the sleeve 1219 so that a portion 408 of the sleeve 1219 prevents the Pod 500 ID contact from overextending, and another portion of the sleeve 1219 prevents the Pod 500 ID contact from contacting the housing 1220 (for example, and causing a short circuit). Furthermore, the dimensions of the Pod 500 ID contact can be configured to withstand wear from repeated flexing of the Pod 500 ID contact as the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is inserted into and removed from the vaporizer body 110.

[00153] Figure 5D shows an example of cartridge receptacle 118, which, as noted, may include cartridge interface 1218 positioned within sleeve 1219. As shown in Figure 5D, cartridge receptacle 118 includes multiple Pod ID contacts 500, including, for example, a first Pod ID contact 307A, a second Pod ID contact 307B, and a third Pod ID contact 307C, on a first side 404 of cartridge receptacle 118. As Figure 5D further shows, the cartridge receptacle may also include one or more receptacle contacts, for example, a first receptacle contact 125A and a second receptacle contact 125B, on a second side 402 of cartridge receptacle 118. While the first contact IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l of Pod ID 307A, the second contact of Pod ID 307B and the third contact of Pod ID 307C are configured to form an electrical coupling with contact 293 of ID chip 174, the first receptacle contact 125A and the second receptacle contact 125B are configured to form an electrical coupling with contacts 1326 of heating element 1350 of vaporizer cartridge 1320.

[00154] Figure 5E illustrates a top perspective view of the vaporizer body 110, including an example of the cartridge receptacle 118 consistent with the implementations herein. As shown in Figure 5E, the cartridge receptacle 118 may be at least partially enclosed within the sleeve 1219. For example, in the example shown in Figure 5E, the top rim of the cartridge receptacle 118 and the sleeve 1219 may be substantially flush. The interior of the cartridge receptacle 118 may include one or more Pod ID contacts (for example, Pod ID contacts 307A, 307B, and 307C) and one or more receptacle contacts (for example, receptacle contacts 125A and 125B). In addition, the vaporizer body 110 may also include one or more Pod retention features 415, which can be placed inside a cartridge receptacle 118 and / or outside a sleeve 1219.Examples of Pod 415 retention features may include bolts, clips, protrusions, retainers, and / or similar elements. Pod 415 retention features may be configured to secure the 1320 cartridge within the 118 cartridge receptacle by applying magnetic force, clamping force, compression force, frictional force, and / or similar forces against the 1320 cartridge.

[00155] In implementations where the Pod 415 retention features are positioned within the cartridge receptacle 118, the Pod 415 retention features may be configured to form a mechanical coupling with, for example, at least a portion of the heating element 1350 (for example, a portion of one or more legs 506 positioned outside the wick housing 1315) and / or a portion of the wick housing 1315 (for example, the recesses in the wick housing 1315). Alternatively and / or additionally, in example implementations where the Pod 415 retention features are positioned on an exterior of the sleeve 1219, the Pod 415 retention features may be configured to form a mechanical coupling with the vaporizing cartridge housing 1320. It will be appreciated that the Pod 415 retention features may include various means for securing the cartridge 1320 within the cartridge receptacle 118.Additionally, the Pod 415 retention features can be placed in any suitable location on the 110 vaporizer body.

[00156] Figures 6A-6B illustrate side cropped views of cartridge 1320 placed inside cartridge receptacle 118 consistent with the implementations of the present subject matter. As shown in Figure 6A, the Pod Identifier Contact 307 can be positioned on a first side of the cartridge receptacle 118 and coupled to the identification chip 174 on the cartridge 1320. Additionally, the Pod Identifier Contact 309 can be positioned on a second side of the cartridge receptacle 118 (opposite the first side of the cartridge receptacle 118) and coupled to the cartridge 1320. Figure 6A further shows the Pod Identifier Contact 309 coupled to a contact 293 of the identification chip 174. It should be noted that the cartridge receptacle 118 can be sized to receive at least a portion of the cartridge 1320 that includes, for example, at least a portion of the wick housing 1315. IVIA / a / ZUZZ / UUO 14l For example, the cartridge receptacle 118 may be approximately 4.5 millimeters deep so that the wick housing 1315, which is approximately 5 millimeters high and includes a flange arranged at least partially around its upper perimeter, can be partially inserted into the cartridge receptacle 118 (e.g., up to the flange). The flange may remain outside the cartridge receptacle 118 when the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is attached to the vaporizer body 110 and may extend, at least partially, over a rim of the cartridge receptacle 118 and the sleeve 1219.

[00157] As indicated, one or more air inlets may be formed and / or maintained while the cartridge 1320 is coupled with the vaporizer body 110, for example, by insertion into the cartridge receptacle 118. The one or more air inlets may be in fluid communication with the one or more slots in the wick housing 1315 so that air entering through the one or more air inlets may additionally enter the wick housing 1315 through the one or more slots to flow beyond and / or around the wick element 1362. As noted, adequate airflow through the wick housing 1315 may be necessary to allow proper and timely vaporization of the vaporizable material 1302 drawn into the wick element 1362. In examples where there is more than one air inlet, this plurality of air inlets may be positioned around the assembly that includes the cartridge. 1320 and the vaporizer body 110.For example, two or more air inlets may be positioned on substantially opposite sides of the assembly comprising the 1320 vaporizer cartridge and the 110 vaporizer body. It is also within the scope of this subject matter to have more than one air inlet arranged on the same side of the assembly comprising the 1320 vaporizer cartridge and the 110 vaporizer body or to have air inlets on different, but not substantially opposite (e.g., adjacent), sides of the assembly.

[00158] Figure 7A illustrates a perspective view of a mounted vaporizer body shell 1220 with the LED emblem 1215 facing forward. As shown in Figure 7A, the shell 1220 may include the cartridge receptacle 118 having a second side 402 with one or more Pod retention features, the cartridge receptacle contacts 125A and 125B, and the Pod identifier contacts 307. Figure 7A further shows that the shell 1220 includes at least one air inlet 1605 on the right side of the shell 1220, but it should be appreciated that the shell 1220 may include additional air inlets arranged in different locations shown.For example, in some implementations of the present subject matter, the air inlet 1605 can be positioned above an edge 1387 in the housing 1220 which is formed by a first portion of the housing 1220 (which includes the housing 1219) having a smaller cross-sectional dimension than a second portion of the housing 1220 below the cover 1219 configured to accommodate at least a portion of the power source 112 (for example, the battery 1212). The air inlet 1605 can be configured to allow ambient air to enter the cartridge 1320 and mix with the vapor generated in the atomizer 141. For example, the air inlet 1605 can be in fluid communication with the airflow passage 1338 that extends through the body of the cartridge 1320 so that ambient air can enter the airflow passage 1338 through the air inlet 1605 when the cartridge 1320 is coupled with the housing 1220.The mixture of ambient air and the vapor generated in the atomizer 141 can be extracted. IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l through the air passage 1338 for inhalation (for example, into the user's mouth) through the nozzle 130.

[00159] Alternatively and / or additionally, the air inlet 1605 may be in fluid communication with the air vent 1318 arranged at one end of the overflow channel 1104 in the overflow volume 1344 of the manifold 1313. As noted, air can travel into and out of the manifold 1313 through the air vent 1318. For example, air bubbles trapped inside the manifold 1313 can be released through the air vent 1318. In addition, air can also enter the manifold 1313 through the air vent 1318 in order to increase the pressure within the tank 1340.Therefore, it should be noted that the dimensions, shape, and / or position of air inlet 1605 in housing 1220 may be such that at least a portion of the ambient air entering air inlet 1605 can enter collector 1313 through air vent 1318, and that at least a portion of the air released from collector 1313 through air vent 1318 can exit through air inlet 1605. Air inlet 1605 may be substantially round and have a diameter between 0.6 mm and 1.0 mm. For example, in some implementations of this subject matter, air inlet 1605 may be substantially round and have a diameter of approximately 0.8 mm. In some implementations of this subject matter, air vent 1318 may also be in fluid communication with air passage 1338.Therefore, the ambient air entering the air inlet 1605 can supply the collector 1313 (e.g., through the air vent 1318) and the air passage 1338 (e.g., to create an inhalable aerosol).

[00160] Figure 7B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the vaporizer body housing 1220 consistent with the implementations herein. As shown in Figure 7B, the housing 1220 may include a pressure sensor path 1602, a sleeve 1219, and an air inlet 1605, which may also include a Pod ID cavity and a Pod ID housing 1607, which may include connections to Pod ID contacts 307 or 309 and / or receptacle contacts 125A and 125B. In some implementations herein, the dimensions of the pressure sensor path 1602 may be configured to prevent accumulation of vaporizable material 1302, where its presence in the pressure sensor path 1602 could create a hydrostatic head that deflects pressure readings made by the pressure sensor.Furthermore, the pressure sensor can be attached to the PCBA1203 in a location where the probability of other components of the 110 vaporizer body coming into contact with the pressure sensor is minimal, thereby avoiding inadvertent stress against the pressure sensor that can skew the pressure readings made by the pressure sensor.

[00161] In some implementations of the subject matter, the vaporizer body 110 may include circuitry for charging the vaporizer device 100, e.g., the power source 112. For example, the charging circuitry included in the vaporizer body 110 may be configured to form an inductive coupling with an external charging device. Power may be transferred from the charging device to the vaporizer device 100, e.g., the power source 112, through the inductive coupling. For example, an alternating current running through a first induction coil in the charging device may create a magnetic field whose strength fluctuates in IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l response to the changing magnitude of the alternating current. This fluctuating magnetic field can generate an electromotive force that induces a corresponding alternating current in a second induction coil included in the vaporizer body 110. Furthermore, the alternating current in the second induction coil can be converted into a direct current, for example, with a rectifier, and can be used to charge the power supply 112 in the vaporizer device 100.

[00162] In some implementations of this material, the vaporizer body 110 may include a retention feature configured to interact with a corresponding retention feature on the external charging device in order to secure the vaporizer body 110 to the charging device. The retention feature may be configured to align and / or hold the vaporizer body 110 in the correct position and / or orientation with respect to the charging device to form the inductive coupling with the external charging device. To allow charging of the vaporizer device 100 regardless of whether the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is coupled to the vaporizer body 110, the retention feature may be configured to secure the vaporizer body 110 to the external charging device whether the vaporizer body 110 is coupled to or disengaged from the vaporizer cartridge 1320.Furthermore, to allow charging of the vaporizer device 100 when one or more specific surfaces of the vaporizer body 110 are coupled with the charger device, the retention feature can be configured to align the charger device with those surfaces of the vaporizer body 110. For example, the retention feature can be configured so that the charger device and the vaporizer device 100 are coupled to one or more faces (e.g., front and / or back) of the vaporizer body 110. Alternatively and / or additionally, the retention feature can be configured to secure the vaporizer body 110 to the charger device on any surface (e.g., front, back, left side, right side, and / or similar) of the vaporizer body 110.

[00163] As shown in Figures 8A-8G, the retention feature on the vaporizer device 100, as well as the corresponding retention feature on the charger device, can be configured in a variety of mechanisms (e.g., magnetic coupling, mechanical coupling, and / or the like), shapes (e.g., circular, rectangular, and / or the like), and / or materials (e.g., magnet-to-magnet, magnet-to-metal, and / or the like). Furthermore, the placement of the retention feature can also vary, particularly on the vaporizer body 110 of the vaporizer device 100. For example, the retention feature on the vaporizer device 100 can be placed in one or more locations along the face of the vaporizer body 110 and / or the side of the vaporizer body 110.It will be noted that the placement of the retention feature on the vaporizer body 110 may at least partially determine the location where the charger device engages with the vaporizer device 100.

[00164] For further illustration, Figures 8A-8C illustrate an example of a retention feature 800 that has a different location within the vaporizer body 110 consistent with the implementations herein. For example, in Figure 8A, one or more of the retention features 800 are positioned along the front and / or rear face of the vaporizer body 110. In Figures 8B-8C, one or more of the retention features IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l 800 are placed along one or more sides of the vaporizer body 110, either individually or in groups.

[00165] Figures 8D-8E illustrate the different placement of the retention feature 800 along one or more faces and / or sides of the vaporizer body 110. For example, Figure 8D shows the retention feature 800 placed near a top portion of the vaporizer body 110, close to the cartridge receptacle 118. Alternatively and / or additionally, Figure 8D shows that the retention feature 800 may be placed further down along the vaporizer body 110, for example, toward a center of the vaporizer body 110. In some implementations of the subject matter hereof, the retention feature 800 may include a collection of opposing handles configured to interact with a corresponding collection of opposing handles forming a retention feature 815 on a loading device 810.As shown in Figure 8D, the retention feature 800 can be placed on (or near) the PCBA 1203 along one or more faces of the vaporizer body 110. For example, the retention feature 800 can be placed along the front face of the vaporizer body 110 and / or the rear face of the vaporizer body 110.

[00166] In Figure 8E, the retention feature 800 is positioned in various locations along one or more sides of the vaporizer body 110. As shown in Figure 8E, one or more of the retention features 800 can be positioned in one or more locations (e.g., near the top of the vaporizer body 110, toward the center of the vaporizer body 110, and / or similar) along one or more sides of the vaporizer body 110. The retention feature 800 may include one or more collections of opposing magnets configured to interact with one or more corresponding collections of opposing magnets that form the retention feature 815 of the charging device 810. In addition, the retention feature 800 may vary in shape, including, for example, being circular, rectangular, and / or similar.

[00167] Figure 8F illustrates several examples of magnet-to-magnet retention features consistent with the implementations of the present material. As shown in Figure 8F, retention feature 800 on the vaporizer body 110 and retention feature 815 on the charging device 810 can be implemented using magnets that include, for example, magnets of different shapes. For instance, retention feature 800 on the vaporizer body 110 could be a rectangular (or circular) magnet, while retention feature 815 on the charging device 810 could be a corresponding rectangular (or circular) magnet. Alternatively and / or additionally, retention feature 800 on the vaporizer body 110 could be a collection of opposing rectangular magnets, and retention feature 815 on the charging device 810 could be a corresponding collection of opposing rectangular magnets.

[00168] Figure 8G illustrates several examples of magnet-to-metal retention features consistent with the implementations of the present material. In the examples shown in Figure 8G, retention feature 800 in the vaporizer body 110 can be implemented using magnets, while retention feature 815 in the charging device 810 can be implemented using one or more blocks of ferrous metal (e.g., steel and / or the like). Alternatively, retention feature 800 in the vaporizer body 110 can be implemented using one or more blocks of ferrous metal, while retention feature 815 in the charging device 810 can be implemented using magnets. As shown in Figure 8G, magnet-to-metal retention features can be implemented in a variety of shapes, including, for example, circular, rectangular, and / or similar.

[00169] With reference again to Figure 4, the vaporizer body 110 may include a number of components including, for example, the housing 1220, the sleeve 1219, the battery 1212, the printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) 1203, the antenna 1217, the frame 1211, the charging emblem 1213, the cartridge interface 1218, the cap 1201, and the LED emblem 1215. In some implementations of the present matter, the assembly of the vaporizer body 110 may include securing the battery 1212, the PCBA 1203, and the antenna 1217 to the frame 1211. The sleeve 1219 may be an integral part of the housing 1220 so that the sleeve 1219 and the housing 1220 can be formed as a single unit.Alternatively, the sleeve 1219 can be attached to the housing 1220 (e.g., by adhesives, friction fit, soldering, and / or the like), wherein the cartridge interface 1218 can be further attached to the frame 1211 before the assembly comprising the frame 1211, cartridge interface 1218, battery 1212, and PCBA 1203 is inserted into the housing 1220. Alternatively, the sleeve 1219 and cartridge interface 1218 can form a first assembly that is attached to the housing 1220, while the frame 1211, PCBA 1203, and battery 1212 can form a second assembly that is inserted into the housing 1220. An open end of the housing 1220 distal to the cartridge receptacle 118 can be sealed with the cap 1201.

[00170] For further illustration, Figures 9A-9F illustrate several example processes for assembling the vaporizer body 110 consistent with the implementations in this material. For example, Figure 9A illustrates an example of a process 900 for assembling the vaporizer body 110, which may include securing (for example, by laser welding and / or other technique) the battery 1212 to the PCBA 1203 before installing the cartridge interface 1218 on the PCBA 1203. The antenna 1217 can be attached to the skeleton 1211 at this point or later. A light-emitting diode (LED) cover can be installed on the cartridge interface 1218 before the sleeve 1219 is slid onto the cartridge interface 1218. In the process 900 example shown in Figure 9A, the sleeve 1219 can be secured to the frame 1211 by laser welding (or another technique). The charging emblem 1213 can be attached to one side of the sleeve 1219, for example, the side opposite the LEDs.In addition, further soldering and some testing (e.g., semi-finished product testing (SFG) and / or similar) can be performed before the LED emblem 1215 is installed in the housing 1219. If the antenna 1217 was not installed previously, it can be installed at this point before assembly, which includes the skeleton 1211, the housing 1219, the cartridge interface 1218, the battery 1212, the PCBA 1203, the charging emblem 1213, and the LED emblem 1215 is inserted into the housing 1220. The cap 1201 can be attached to a lower end of the housing 1220, for example, using adhesives (or another mechanism) and held in place to cure.

[00171] Figure 9B illustrates another example of a 910 process for assembling the vaporizer body 110 consistent with the implementations in this material. As shown in Figure 9B, the 910 process may include first installing the cartridge interface 1218 onto the PCBA 1203, followed by the cover for the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) onto the cartridge interface 1218, before the sleeve 1219 is slid onto the assembly that includes the cartridge interface 1218. IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l and PCBA1203. The charging emblem 1213 is attached to one side of the housing 1219, for example, opposite the light-emitting diodes, before soldering, and the battery 1212 is attached to the PCBA1203 (for example, by laser welding and / or a different technique). The resulting assembly, which includes the PCBA1203, the battery 1212, the cartridge interface 1218 covered with the housing 1219, and the charging emblem 1215, can be attached to the skeleton 1211. This assembly, which includes the skeleton 1211, may be subject to further soldering (for example, laser welding and / or similar) to secure the skeleton 1211 to the housing 1219, as well as testing (for example, semi-finished product (SFG) testing and / or similar)).The LED emblem 1215 can be installed in the housing 1219 at this point and the antenna 1217 can be installed before all assembly which includes the skeleton 1211, the cartridge interface 1218 covered with the housing 1219, the charging emblem 1213, the battery 1212, the PCBA 1203, the antenna 1217, the LED emblem 1215 and the charging emblem 1213 is inserted into the housing 1220. The cap 1201 can be attached to a lower end of the housing 1220, for example, by adhesives (or another mechanism) and held in place to cure.

[00172] Figure 9C illustrates another example of a 920 process for assembling the vaporizer body 110 consistent with the implementations herein. In the 920 process example shown in Figure 9C, the battery 1212 can be installed in the skeleton 1211 after the skeleton 1211 has been attached to the assembly including the sleeve 1219, cartridge interface 1218, PCBA 1203, LED emblem 1213, and charging emblem 1215. This is in contrast to the 910 process shown in Figure 9B, in which the battery 1212 is first attached to the assembly including the sleeve 1219, cartridge interface 1218, PCBA 1203, and charging emblem 1213 before being attached to the skeleton 1211.

[00173] Figure 9D illustrates another example of a 930 process for assembling the vaporizer body 110 consistent with the implementations in this material. With reference to Figure 9D, the 930 process may include installing the cartridge interface 1218 on the PCBA 1203 before joining one or more of the receptacle contacts 125 and the pod identifier contacts 307, for example, by laser welding and / or similar means. The battery 1212 can be attached to the assembly that includes the cartridge interface 1218 and the PCBA 1203 before being coupled with the skeleton 1211 and the antenna 1217 installed. The resulting assembly, which includes the cartridge interface 1218, the PCBA 1203, the battery 1212, the skeleton 1211, and the antenna 1217, can be inserted into another assembly that includes the sleeve 1219 and the housing 1220.It should be noted that the cover 1219 can be attached to the housing 1220 (e.g., by adhesives, friction fit, soldering, and / or similar means), or the cover 1219 and housing 1220 can be formed as a single unit. The charging emblem 1213 and the LED emblem 1215 can be installed. Furthermore, the cap 1201 can be attached to a lower end of the housing 1220, for example, by adhesives (or another mechanism) and secured.

[00174] Figure 9E illustrates another example of a process 940 for assembling the vaporizer body 110 consistent with the implementations in this material. With reference to Figure 9E, the assembly of the vaporizer body 110 may include installing the cartridge interface 1218 on the PCBA 1203 to form a first assembly, which is then mated to a second assembly that includes the skeleton 1211 coupled with the antenna 1217. The battery 1212 is then placed inside the skeleton 1211 and secured to the PCBA 1203 (e.g., by using laser welding and / or another technique). Then, the The antenna 1217 is installed before the resulting assembly undergoes testing such as semi-finished product testing (SFG) and / or similar procedures. Subsequently, the assembly, which includes the cartridge interface 1218, PCBA 1203, battery 1212, skeleton 1211, and antenna 1217, can be inserted into another assembly that includes the sleeve 1219 and housing 1220. The charging emblem 1213 and LED emblem 1215 can be installed before (or after) the cap 1201 is attached to a lower end of the housing 1220, for example, using adhesives (or another mechanism), and held in place to cure.

[00175] Figure 9F illustrates another example of a 950 process for assembling the vaporizer body 110 consistent with the implementations herein. In the 950 process example shown in Figure 9F, the cartridge interface 1218 can be attached to the skeleton 1211 to form a first assembly, while the battery 1212 and PCBA 1203 can be attached to form a second assembly. The first assembly, comprising the cartridge interface 1218 and skeleton 1211, can then be attached to the second assembly, comprising the battery 1212 and PCBA 1203, for example, by inserting the second assembly into the skeleton 1211 of the first assembly. One or more of the receptacle contacts 125 and the pod identifier contacts 307 can be attached to the cartridge interface 1218, for example, by laser welding and / or similar means.The resulting assembly, which includes the cartridge interface 1218, the PCBA 1203, the battery 1212, the skeleton 1211, and the antenna 1217, can be inserted into another assembly that includes the sleeve 1219 and the housing 1220. Subsequently, the charging emblem 1213 and the LED emblem 1215 can be installed before (or after) the cap 1201 is attached to a lower end of the housing 1220, for example, by means of adhesives (or another mechanism) and held in place to cure. Terminology

[00176] When a feature or element is referred to herein as being on another feature or element, it may be directly on the other feature or element, or intermediate features and / or elements may also be present. Conversely, when a feature or element is referred to as being directly on another feature or element, no intermediate features or elements are present. It shall also be understood that when a feature or element is referred to as being connected, attached, or coupled to another feature or element, it may be directly connected, attached, or coupled to the other feature or element, or intermediate features or elements may be present. Conversely, when a feature or element is referred to as being directly connected, attached, or coupled to another feature or element, no intermediate features or elements are present.

[00177] Although described or shown with respect to one modality, the features and elements described or shown in this way may apply to other modalities. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that references to a structure or feature placed adjacent to another feature may have parts that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.

[00178] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular modalities and implementations only and is not intended to be exhaustive. For example, as used herein, the singular forms a, an, and the are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It is further understood that the terms comprise and / or comprise, when used in this descriptive memorandum, specify the presence of indicated features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more additional features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated enumerated items and may be abbreviated as “I.”

[00179] In the foregoing descriptions and claims, phrases such as “at least one of” or “one or more of” followed by a conjunctive list of items or features may occur. The term “and / or” may also occur in a list of two or more items or features. Unless otherwise implicitly or explicitly contradicted by the context in which it is used, such a phrase is intended to refer to any of the items or features listed individually or any of the items or features mentioned in combination with any of the other items or features mentioned. For example, the phrases “at least one of A and B;” “one or more of A and B;” and “A and / or B” each mean “A alone, B alone, or A and B together.” A similar interpretation is also intended for lists that include three or more items.For example, the phrases at least one of A, B, and C, one or more of A, B, and C, and A, B, and / or C each mean A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A and B and C together. The use of the term “based on” above and in the claims is intended to mean “based at least in part on,” so that a feature or element not mentioned is also permissible.

[00180] Spatially relative terms, such as “forward,” “backward,” “below,” “below,” “inferior,” “over,” “above,” and the like, may be used herein to facilitate the description of the relationship of one element or feature to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. It is understood that spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is inverted, elements described as below or under other elements or features would then be oriented above those other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” may encompass both a higher and a lower orientation.The device may be oriented differently (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial descriptors used herein are interpreted accordingly. Similarly, the terms “upward,” “downward,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and the like are used herein for explanatory purposes only unless specifically stated otherwise.

[00181] Although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various features / elements (including stages), these features / elements should not be limited by these terms unless the context indicates otherwise. These terms may be used to distinguish one feature / element from another. Thus, a first feature / element discussed below could be referred to as a second feature / element, and similarly, a second feature / element discussed below could be referred to as a first feature / element without deviating. IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14 f of the teachings provided herein.

[00182] As used herein in the specification and claims, including as used in the examples and unless expressly specified otherwise, all numbers may be read as if preceded by the word “about” or “approximately”, even if the term does not appear explicitly. The phrase “about” or “approximately” may be used when describing magnitude and / or position to indicate that the described value and / or position is within a reasonable expected range of values ​​and / or positions. For example, a numerical value may have a value that is + / - 0.1% of the stated value (or range of values), + / - 1% of the stated value (or range of values), + / - 2% of the stated value (or range of values), + / - 5% of the stated value (or range of values), + / - 10% of the stated value (or range of values), etc.It should also be understood that any numerical value given herein includes approximately that value, unless the context indicates otherwise. For example, if the value “10” is described, “approximately 10” is also described. Any numerical interval mentioned herein is intended to include all subintervals subsumed herein. It is also understood that when a value is described as less than or equal to, greater than or equal to, and the possible intervals between the values, they are also described, as properly understood by someone skilled in the art. For example, if the value “X” is disclosed, “less than or equal to X” is also described, as well as “greater than or equal to X” (e.g., where X is a numerical value).It is also understood that, throughout the application, data is provided in a number of different formats, and that this data represents endpoints, starting points, and intervals for any combination of the data points. For example, if a particular data point 10 and a particular data point 15 are disclosed, it is understood that greater than, greater than or equal to, less than, less than or equal to, and equal to 10 and 15, as well as between 10 and 15, are considered disclosed. It is also understood that each unit between any two particular units is also disclosed. For example, if 10 and 15 are described, then 11, 12, 13, and 14 are also disclosed.

[00183] Although several illustrative embodiments are described above, any number of changes may be made to various embodiments without departing from the teachings hereof. For example, the order in which various steps of the described method are performed may often be changed in alternative embodiments, and in other alternative embodiments, one or more steps of the method may be omitted altogether. Optional features of various device and system embodiments may be included in some embodiments and not in others. Therefore, the foregoing description is provided primarily for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[00184] One or more aspects or features of the subject matter described herein may be realized in digital electronic circuits, integrated circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various aspects or features may include implementation in one or more computer programs that are executable and / or interpretable on a programmable system that includes at least one programmable processor, which may be special-purpose or general-purpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions. IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l a, a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. The system or programmable computer system may include clients and servers. A client and a server are generally geographically dispersed and usually interact through a communication network. The relationship between client and server arises from computer programs that run on their respective machines and have a client-server relationship with each other.

[00185] These computer programs, which may also be referred to as programs, software, software applications, applications, components, or code, include machine instructions for a programmable processor and may be implemented in a high-level procedural language, an object-oriented programming language, a functional programming language, a logic programming language, and / or assembly / machine language. As used herein, the term “machine-readable medium” refers to any computer program product, apparatus, and / or device, such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, memory, and programmable logic devices (PLDs), used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal.The term “machine-readable signal” refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor. The machine-readable medium may store such machine instructions in a non-transient manner, such as, for example, non-transient solid-state memory, a magnetic hard disk, or any equivalent storage medium. Alternatively, the machine-readable medium may store machine instructions in a transient manner, such as, for example, a processor cache or other random-access memory associated with one or more physical processor cores.

[00186] The examples and illustrations included herein show, by way of illustration and not limitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter may be implemented. As mentioned, other embodiments may be used and derived from these, so that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein individually or collectively by the term "invention" simply for convenience and without the intention of voluntarily limiting the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept, if more than one is disclosed. Therefore, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted by the specific embodiments shown.This disclosure is intended to cover each and every adaptation or variation of several modalities. Combinations of the above modalities and other modalities not specifically described herein will be evident to those skilled in the technique after reviewing the preceding description.

Claims

1. A vaporizing device, comprising: a housing; a cartridge receptacle formed from a cartridge interface disposed at least partially within a sleeve, the cartridge interface configured to provide a plurality of electrical couplings with a vaporizing cartridge when the vaporizing cartridge is placed at least partially within the cartridge receptacle, the plurality of electrical couplings including a first electrical coupling with a heating element of the vaporizing cartridge, and the plurality of electrical couplings further including a second electrical coupling with a cartridge identification chip of the vaporizing cartridge; and a skeleton coupled with the cartridge interface, the skeleton configured to secure the cartridge interface within the housing.

2. The vaporizing device of claim 1, further comprising: a battery; and a printed circuit board assembly comprising a vaporizing device controller, the printed circuit board assembly being coupled to the battery and cartridge interface to form a first assembly, the first assembly being coupled to the frame to form a second assembly that is placed inside the housing.

3. The vaporizing device of claim 2, wherein the second assembly further includes an antenna.

4. The vaporizing device of claim 3, wherein the housing is formed from a first material, wherein the vaporizing device further includes a lid formed from a second material that is more penetrable to the antenna radio waves than the first material, and wherein the lid is configured to seal an open end of the housing opposite the cartridge receptacle.

5. The vaporizing device of claim 4, wherein the housing includes one or more inserts formed from the second material and / or a third material that are more penetrable to the antenna radio waves than the first material.

6. The vaporizing device of any of claims 1-5, wherein the cartridge interface includes a receptacle contact set configured to form the first electrical coupling with a heater contact set of the vaporizing cartridge heating element.

7. The vaporizing device of claim 6, wherein the receptacle contact assembly includes two pairs of electrical contacts arranged on opposite sides of the cartridge receptacle.

8. The vaporizing device of any of claims 6-7, wherein the cartridge interface further includes a set of cartridge identifier contacts configured to form the second electrical coupling with a corresponding set of cartridge identifier contacts on the cartridge identification chip of the vaporizing device.

9. The vaporizing device of claim 8, wherein the IVIA / a / ¿U¿¿ / UUO 14l cartridge identifier contact assembly includes a first set of three electrical contacts arranged on one side of the cartridge receptacle and a second set of three electrical contacts arranged on an opposite side of the cartridge receptacle.

10. The vaporizing device of any of claims 8-9, wherein the cartridge identifier contact assembly includes at least one electrical contact that is pre-charged to exert a force against a corresponding electrical contact on the cartridge identification chip.

11. The vaporizing device of claim 10, wherein the sheath is configured to prevent overextension of at least one electrical contact, and wherein the sheath is further configured to prevent contact between the at least one electrical contact and the housing of the vaporizing device.

12. The vaporizing device of any of claims 1-11, wherein the cartridge receptacle is configured to receive the vaporizing cartridge in a first rotary orientation and a second rotary orientation, and wherein the cartridge interface is configured to provide the plurality of electrical couplings with the vaporizing cartridge whether the vaporizing cartridge is inserted in the first rotary orientation or the second rotary orientation.

13. The vaporizing device of any of claims 1-12, wherein the sheath and the casing are formed as a single unit.

14. The vaporizing device of any of claims 1-13, wherein the sleeve is attached to the housing by means of one or more of an adhesive, a friction fit and / or a weld.

15. The vaporizing device of any of claims 1-14, wherein the cartridge interface is further configured to form, with the vaporizing cartridge, a mechanical coupling configured to retain the vaporizing cartridge within the cartridge receptacle.

16. The vaporizing device of any of claims 1-15, further comprising: a first retaining feature configured to couple the vaporizing device to a charging device, the first retaining feature configured to form a magnetic coupling with a second retaining feature on the charging device, the magnetic coupling aligning and holding the vaporizing device in one or more positions and / or orientations with respect to the charging device.

17. The vaporizing device of claim 16, wherein the first retention feature and the second retention feature each comprise one or more hands.

18. The vaporizing device of any of claims 16-17, wherein one of the first retaining feature and the second retaining feature comprise one or more magnets, and wherein the other of the first retaining feature and the second retaining feature comprise one or more ferrous metal blocks.

19. The vaporizing device of any of claims 1-18, wherein the skeleton includes one or more retainers to secure, to an interior of the housing, the skeleton coupled with the cartridge interface.

20. The vaporizing device of any of claims 1-19, wherein the cartridge receptacle is configured to receive at least a portion of a wick housing containing a wick element of the vaporizing cartridge, and the first electrical coupling is formed by at least contacting a contact portion of the heating element disposed at least partially outside the wick housing while a heating portion of the heating element is placed at least partially inside the wick housing.

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