Embedded cartridge information and display system for vaporizers

Abstract

A system for securely displaying information to a user about vaporizer products. The system involves electronically embedding detailed information about the cartridge's contents, including strain names, profiles, and other chemical compositions, directly into a memory contained in the cartridge. The information may be communicated to a battery unit when the cartridge is connected thereto and authenticated by the battery unit. Once authenticated, the information may be presented on a display screen that is integrated into the battery unit and / or the cartridge itself. This display screen provides users with information about the cartridge's contents.

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] Vape cartridges have become increasingly popular for delivering vaporized substances to users. These cartridges often contain various ingredients, flavors, and potentially active compounds. While the packaging of vape cartridges typically lists important information about the cartridge's content, users frequently discard the packaging, leading to difficulties in identifying and distinguishing between cartridges. This lack of clear information poses health risks and challenges for users seeking consistent and safe vaping experiences. This disclosure aims to address these issues by integrating a display into the vape battery to showcase encoded information from the vape cartridge directly.SUMMARY

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an improved system for enhancing the user experience with vaporizer products. The system involves electronically embedding detailed information about the cartridge's contents, including strain names, profiles, and other chemical compositions, directly into the cartridge. The information may be presented on a display screen that is integrated into the vaporizer battery unit and / or the cartridge itself. This display screen provides users with information about the cartridge's contents.

[0003] In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a method of communicating information from a vape cartridge to a battery unit is disclosed. The method may include establishing a communication connection between the vape cartridge and the battery unit; authenticating the cartridge unit; upon a successful authentication of the cartridge unit, retrieving information from a memory of the cartridge; and displaying the information on a display of the battery unit.

[0004] In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a vape cartridge is disclosed. The vape cartridge may include a housing having a tip and sidewalls, a vapor outlet, a liquid reservoir coupled to the vapor outlet that has outer walls that holds vape oil, a memory that stores information about the vape oil contained in the liquid reservoir, and a communications interface that is adapted to be received by a second communications interface in a battery housing.

[0005] In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a battery unit is disclosed. The battery unit may include an engagement end adapted to receive a vape cartridge, a rechargeable battery, a body that receives the rechargeable battery, a communications interface adapted to receive information from a vape cartridge, a controller that authenticates the vape cartridge when connected thereto, and a display that displays information retrieved from an authenticated vape cartridge.

[0006] Other systems, methods, features and / or advantages will be or may become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and / or advantages be included within this description and be protected by the accompanying claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other. Like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a non-limiting example of a cartridge component of an electronic vape device;

[0009] FIG. 2 shows a battery unit that includes a display and that supplies power to the cartridge of FIG. 1;

[0010] FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view of another non-limiting example of a cartridge component of an electronic vape device that includes a display; and

[0011] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of example operations performed in accordance with the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present disclosure. As used in the specification, and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,”“an,”“the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term “comprising”, and variations thereof as used herein is used synonymously with the term “including” and variations thereof and are open, non-limiting terms. The terms “optional” or “optionally” used herein mean that the subsequently described feature, event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includes instances where said feature, event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not.

[0013] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cartridge information and display system includes a cartridge 100 and a battery unit 200. With reference to FIG. 1 there is illustrated a plan view of a non-limiting cartridge 100 of an electronic vape device. The cartridge 100 includes a vapor outlet 50 at one end thereof, which includes a tip 40 and sidewalls 20 and 25, which could be sides or parts of the same cylindrical sidewall in some implementations.

[0014] The cartridge 100 further includes a liquid reservoir 60 for containing the vape oil. The vapor outlet 50, in addition to sealing an end of an interior space of the liquid reservoir 60, also provides a mouth-piece portion through which a user can draw vapor from the electronic vape device. The mouthpiece could be tapered, as shown, or otherwise shaped for a user's comfort. The present disclosure is not limited to any particular shape of the vapor outlet 50. The vapor outlet 50 could be made from one or more materials including metal, ceramic, wood, or a combination thereof. However, other materials could also or instead be used.

[0015] The liquid reservoir 60 holds the vape oil prior to vaporization. The liquid reservoir 60 includes outer walls 10 and 15, which could be a single wall such as a cylindrical sidewall. The outer walls 10 and 15 of the liquid reservoir 60 could be made from one or more transparent or translucent materials, such as medical grade glass, in order to enable a user to visibly determine the quantity of vape oil in the chamber.

[0016] The liquid reservoir 60 engages the vapor outlet 50, and could be coupled to the vapor outlet 50, via an engagement or connection at 30. A gasket or other sealing member could be provided between the liquid reservoir 60 and the vapor outlet 50 to seal the vape oil in the liquid reservoir 60. A stem 65 inside the liquid reservoir 60. The stem 65 is a hollow tube or air channel through which vapor can be drawn into and through vapor outlet 50. Materials such as stainless steel, other metal alloys, plastics and ceramics could be used for stems such as the stem 65. The stem 65 couples the vapor outlet 50 via an engagement or connection (not shown).

[0017] FIG. 1 also illustrates a memory 70 that stores information about the vape oil contained within the liquid reservoir 60, such as the chemical make-up, strain name, manufacturer details, ingredient list, safety information, and other pertinent data regarding the vape oil. Additional or fewer details may be stored in the memory. The memory 70 may include a cryptographic certificate that is used to confirm the information contained memory 70 about the vape oil contained in the cartridge 100. The information may be encrypted, or otherwise encoded, to prevent tampering or counterfeiting. As will be described below, cartridge 100 includes an interface 75 that communicates the information contained stored in the memory 70 to the battery unit 200, which has an integrated display to visually present the information to a user.

[0018] FIG. 2 shows the battery unit 200 that supplies power to the cartridge 100. The battery unit 200 engages and the cartridge 100 via, e.g., a female engagement 230 defined within a receiving body 220, which receives a male thread 30 present at an end of the cartridge 100. In this implementation, the engagement 230 and thread 30 is a releasable engagement. In the implementation shown, the releasable engagement enables removal or disengagement of the battery unit 200 from the cartridge 100 to permit recharging of the battery contained within the elongated body 210 of the battery unit 200.

[0019] The battery unit 200 generally includes circuitry to supply power to the cartridge 100. For example, the battery unit 200 could include electrical contacts that connect to corresponding electrical contacts with the battery. The battery unit 200 could further include electrical contacts that connect to corresponding electrical contacts in the cartridge 100. The battery unit 200 could reduce, regulate or otherwise control the power / voltage / current output from the battery. However, this functionality could also or instead be provided by the battery itself. The battery unit 200 could be made from one or more materials including metals, plastics, elastomers and ceramics, for example, to carry or otherwise support other base components such as contacts and / or circuitry. However, other materials could also or instead be used.

[0020] The battery unit 200 powers the vape device and allows powered components of the vape device, including at least the cartridge 100, to operate. Other powered components could include, for example, one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers or other indicators of device power status (on / off), device usage status (on when a user is drawing vapor), etc. In some implementations, speakers and / or other audible indicators could produce long, short or intermittent “beep” sounds as a form of indicator of different conditions.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the battery unit 200 further includes a controller 255, an integrated display 260, and interaction buttons 265. The integrated display 260 may comprise an OLED or LCD screen, positioned on the exterior of the battery unit 200. The display 260 is adapted to present textual and graphical information to users, such as information about the vape oil retrieved from the memory 70 that is contained in the cartridge 100, as noted above. A communication interface 250 is provided to communicatively connect to the communications interface 75 of the cartridge 100 when the cartridge 100 is inserted into the battery unit 200. The communications interface 250 may be an electrical connection, but may also utilize technologies such as Bluetooth, NFC, or other wireless protocols to interface with a mobile device in addition to or alternatively from the integrated display. Still further, the communications interface 250 may include a USB connection to enable the battery unit 200 to send and receive information through a host device, such as a computer or mobile device.

[0022] The communication interface 250 facilitates communication with compatible vape cartridges. For example, the battery unit 200 may establish communication with the cartridge 100 through the communication interfaces 75 and 250 by verifying the authenticity of the vape cartridge using information contained in the memory 70, such as a cryptographic certificate. Once verified, the communication interface 250 retrieves encoded information from the cartridge's memory 70. This information is processed by the controller 255 and displayed on the display 260. Users can scroll through the displayed information using the provided interaction buttons 265. This implementation provides many advantages, as the display 260 enables users to have access to information about the cartridge's content before using it. This information also enables users to identify potential allergens, verify the legitimacy of the cartridge, and make informed choices to avoid adverse health effects. Further, in addition to the cartridge's essential information, the display could also provide details about the anticipated effects of using a particular cartridge, enhancing user customization and decision-making.

[0023] The USB interface may be used to update cryptographic keys and / or certificates that are stored in a memory (not shown) of the battery unit 200 that are used by the controller 255 to verify the authenticity of the information in the memory 70 of the cartridge 100. Upon connecting the battery unit 200 to a computer or other device, an application may recognize the controller 255 and perform an update to ensure that the battery unit 200 has current information to authenticate new and updated cartridges 100. Similarly, cryptographic keys and / or certificates may be removed for cartridges 100 that are no longer supported. One of ordinary skill in the art would now recognize the benefits of providing an update functionality for the battery unit 200 in order to maintain current authentication information in the battery unit 200.

[0024] With respect of FIG. 3, there is illustrated an example alternative implementation where the display 260′ and interaction buttons 265′ are provided on the cartridge 100′. When attached to the battery unit 200, this display 260′ would be visible to the user, providing them with cartridge-specific information.

[0025] With reference to FIG. 4, there is illustrated an example flow diagram of the operations 400 performed in accordance with the present disclosure. At 402, when a user connects the cartridge 100 to the battery unit 200, communications are established between the memory 70 in the cartridge 100 and the controller 255 in the battery unit 200. The communication connection may be made using interfaces 75 and 250

[0026] At 404, the authenticity of the information contained in the memory 70 of the cartridge 100 is verified. The verification may utilize cryptographic keys or other data in memory 70 (or other location in the cartridge 100) to authenticate the information and / or the cartridge 100. If at 406 the verification fails, then at 407 a warning message may be displayed to the user. Optionally, the battery unit 200 may disable the use of the cartridge 100.

[0027] If, at 406, the verification passes, then at 408, information may be retrieved from the cartridge 100. At 410, the information is displayed on the display 260 of the battery unit 200. As noted above, the information may be the cartridge's strain, terpenes, and chemical composition.

[0028] Optionally, at 410, the battery unit's Bluetooth module connects with a mobile application running on a mobile device to enable users to record their preferences, experiences, and feedback about the vaporizer's effects. This data can be stored, reviewed, and shared for future reference. Also optionally at 410, battery unit's USB connection may be used for similar purposes.

[0029] The vape battery with integrated display represents an advancement in safety in vaping technology, offering users immediate access to encoded information from connected cartridges. This innovation not only enhances safety and transparency but also empowers users to make informed choices, ultimately revolutionizing the vaping experience.

[0030] Moreover, the various components may be in communication via wireless and / or hardware or other desirable and available communication means, systems and hardware. Moreover, various components and modules may be substituted with other modules or components that provide similar functions.

[0031] Although example implementations of the present disclosure are explained in some instances in detail herein, it is to be understood that other implementations are contemplated. Accordingly, it is not intended that the present disclosure be limited in its scope to the details of construction and arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The present disclosure is capable of other implementations and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. For example, while the disclosure describes separate cartridges and battery units, aspects of the present disclosure may be applied to a device that includes both, such as e-cigarettes.

[0032] It must also be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,”“an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” or “approximately” one particular value and / or to “about” or “approximately” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, other exemplary implementations include from the one particular value and / or to the other particular value.

[0033] By “comprising” or “containing” or “including” is meant that at least the name compound, element, particle, or method step is present in the composition or article or method, but does not exclude the presence of other compounds, materials, particles, method steps, even if the other such compounds, material, particles, method steps have the same function as what is named.

[0034] In describing example implementations, terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. It is intended that each term contemplates its broadest meaning as understood by those skilled in the art and includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. It is also to be understood that the mention of one or more steps of a method does not preclude the presence of additional method steps or intervening method steps between those steps expressly identified. Steps of a method may be performed in a different order than those described herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Similarly, it is also to be understood that the mention of one or more components in a device or system does not preclude the presence of additional components or intervening components between those components expressly identified.

Claims

1. A method of communicating information from a vape cartridge to a battery unit, comprising:establishing a communication connection between the vape cartridge and the battery unit;authenticating the cartridge unit;upon a successful authentication of the cartridge unit, retrieving information from a memory of the cartridge; anddisplaying the information on a display of the battery unit.

2. The method of claim 1, the authenticating further comprising utilizing cryptographic keys or certificates to decrypt information in a memory of the cartridge unit.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a warning message on the display if the authenticating is not successful.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising disabling the cartridge from use with the battery unit.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a chemical make-up of vape oil contained in the cartridge, a strain name, manufacturer details, ingredient list, or safety information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing interaction buttons to enable a user to scroll through the information on the display.

7. A vape cartridge, comprising:a housing having a tip and sidewalls;a vapor outlet;a liquid reservoir coupled to the vapor outlet that has outer walls that holds vape oil;a memory that stores information about the vape oil contained in the liquid reservoir; anda communications interface that is adapted to be received by a second communications interface in a battery housing.

8. The vape cartridge of claim 7, wherein the information includes at least one of a chemical make-up, strain name, manufacturer details, ingredient list, and safety information related to the vape oil.

9. The vape cartridge of claim 7, wherein the memory includes a cryptographic certificate that is used to confirm the authenticity of the information contained memory.

10. The vape cartridge of claim 7, wherein the information is encrypted to prevent tampering or counterfeiting.

11. The vape cartridge of claim 7, further comprising a display to visually display the information to a user.

12. A battery unit, comprising:an engagement end adapted to receive a vape cartridge;a rechargeable battery;a body that receives the rechargeable battery;a communications interface adapted to receive information from a vape cartridge;a controller that authenticates the vape cartridge when connected thereto; anda display that displays information retrieved from an authenticated vape cartridge.

13. The battery unit of claim 12, wherein the communications interface is adapted to communicate information to a host device.

14. The battery unit of claim 13, wherein the host device is a computer.

15. The battery unit of claim 13, wherein the host device is a mobile device.

16. The battery unit of claim 13, wherein information used to authenticate the vape cartridge is communicated to the battery unit over the communications interface and stored in a memory of the battery unit.

17. The battery unit of claim 13, wherein the controller authenticates the vape cartridge using cryptographic keys or certificates.

18. The battery unit of claim 13, wherein a warning is displayed on the display if the vape cartridge fails to be authenticated.

19. The battery unit of claim 13, wherein the information to be displayed includes at least one of a chemical make-up, strain name, manufacturer details, ingredient list, and safety information related to vape oil contained in the authenticated vape cartridge.

20. The battery unit of claim 19, further comprising interaction keys that enable a user to scroll information on the display.

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