Smoking Substitute Device Authentication Component Integration

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current smoking substitute devices, particularly heat-not-burn systems, lack functionality beyond their core smoking simulation capabilities, limiting their utility and user experience, and there is a need for enhanced design to integrate additional features such as user authentication.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating an authentication component into smoking substitute devices, such as NFC or RFID tags, allowing them to securely authenticate users and authorize actions like commercial transactions, location access, or delivery confirmation, enabling the devices to function as standalone authentication means.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If smoking substitute devices are designed with only core smoking simulation capabilities, then device complexity is minimized, but functionality and user utility are limited

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovefunctionalityVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The smoking substitute device is integrated with an authentication component that enables multiple functions beyond smoking simulation, including user authentication for commercial transactions, location access control, and delivery confirmation. This multi-functionality approach allows a single device to serve multiple purposes, thereby improving adaptability and versatility without requiring users to carry separate devices for each function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If authentication functionality is added to smoking substitute devices, then user authentication capability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveauthentication capabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The authentication component is merged with the existing smoking substitute device architecture, combining the authentication functionality with the core smoking simulation features. This integration allows the device to perform both authentication and smoking simulation functions through a unified system, improving reliability for authentication purposes while managing device complexity through consolidation rather than addition of separate systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3751878A1A method for managing a system with a smoking substitute device
Publication Date: 2020.12.16 NERUDIA LTD
  • EP3751878A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3751878A1 patent drawingFigure 2(a)~2(c)
  • EP3751878A1 patent drawingFigure 3(a)~3(b)

AI summary

A user authentication system comprising a smoking substitute device comprising an authentication component and an authentication requesting device configured to communicate an authentication request to the smoking substitute device to authorise a user action. The smoking substitute device is configured to receive the authentication request and, in response to the received authentication request, communicate a identifier to the authentication requesting device. The authentication requesting device is capable of authenticating the user using the identifier to authorise performance of the user action.