CN114828675A

CN114828675A - Customizable aerosol generating device

Info

Publication number: CN114828675A
Application number: CN202080089009.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: S.库因; A.P.斯托卡尔; K.拉克拉; R.艾丽森
Original assignee: JT International SA
Current assignee: JT International SA
Priority date: 2019-12-20
Filing date: 2020-12-17
Publication date: 2022-07-29
Also published as: JP2023507414A; EP4076066A2; WO2021122994A2; WO2021122994A3

Abstract

The present invention relates to a computer-implemented method of operating an aerosol generating device, the method comprising the steps of: retrieving an aerosol delivery profile of a user stored on the aerosol generating device or personal computing device; obtaining a user schedule from a calendar application on a server or the personal computing device; customizing the retrieved aerosol delivery profile for the user based at least on the user schedule; and controlling operation of the aerosol-generating device based on the customized aerosol delivery profile.

Description

Customizable aerosol generating device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an aerosol generating device that can be customized to a user's preferences. More particularly, the present invention relates to an aerosol generating device, such as an electronic cigarette, a heated non-burning device, or the like, capable of providing an enhanced user experience.

Background

Inhalers or aerosol generating devices, such as e-cigarettes or smoking devices, are becoming increasingly popular. Such aerosol generating devices typically heat or warm an aerosolizable substance to generate an aerosol for inhalation, as opposed to burning tobacco in conventional tobacco products. The resulting aerosol may contain flavors and/or stimulants (e.g., nicotine or other active ingredients). Users of these inhalers may wish to control the amount of flavor or stimulant released based on their preferences or other factors.

Most aerosol generating devices incorporate some form of electronic control circuitry, typically including a simple computer processor, to allow a user to control the operation of the aerosol generating device. Some suction devices also allow the device to be wirelessly connected to a computing device to exchange data related to the function of certain components of the suction device. However, these devices are typically designed to provide a standardized user experience, rather than cater for the needs of the individual, or rely on manual adjustment by the user to affect aerosol delivery.

Thus, there is a need for a device that can be adapted to its user and customized according to the user's preferences.

Disclosure of Invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-implemented method of operating an aerosol generating device, the method comprising the steps of: retrieving an aerosol delivery profile of a user stored on the aerosol generating device or personal computing device; obtaining a user schedule from a calendar application on a server or the personal computing device; customizing the retrieved aerosol delivery profile for the user based at least on the user schedule; and controlling operation of the aerosol-generating device based on the customized aerosol delivery profile.

Advantageously, customizable and user-specific inhalation profiles can be created taking into account the user's inhalation history, preferences, and schedule. The configuration file may be automatically modified based on appointments and tasks in the user's calendar. Controlling the sniffing device with such a customized sniff profile enhances the user experience and provides the user with better control over his or her sniffing habits.

Preferably, the aerosol delivery profile comprises information relating to the amount of substance in the aerosol to be delivered to the user. Thus, the amount of a substance, such as nicotine, delivered to a user may be adjusted based on the user's smoking profile.

Preferably, the aerosol delivery profile comprises a weekday profile and a non-weekday profile. Thus, a user's smoking profile may be customized based on different needs for different days of the week.

Preferably, the method includes receiving input from the user on the personal computing device to set recurring events for each day of the week; and restricting use of the aerosol generating device during the recurring event. Thus, for the benefit of the user, smoking may be limited at certain times of the day (e.g., bedtime).

Preferably, the method further comprises establishing a communication pairing between the aerosol generating device and the personal computing device to allow the aerosol generating device to obtain the user schedule from the personal computing device, wherein the user schedule is obtained periodically by the aerosol generating device. Thus, the sniffing device can easily automatically obtain the user's schedule from the user's personal computing device (e.g., smartphone) without requiring much effort by the user.

Preferably, the method further comprises establishing a communication pairing between the aerosol generating device and the personal computing device to allow the aerosol generating device to receive control commands, wherein the control commands are generated by the personal computing device based on the customized aerosol delivery profile, and controlling operation of the aerosol generating device based on the received control commands. Thus, the user's personal computing device (e.g., a smartphone) can easily control the suction device.

Preferably, the method further comprises monitoring the usage of the aerosol generating device over time; and modifying the aerosol delivery profile based on the use case. Thus, the suction device can continually learn from the user's habits and routines and modify the suction profile accordingly.

Preferably, the method further comprises exchanging the aerosol delivery profile and/or the user schedule with other aerosol generating devices connected on the network or their respective other personal computing devices. Thus, engaging device users who are like-minded may connect and participate in a social network based on common preferences.

Preferably, the method further comprises searching for other aerosol generating devices or respective personal computing devices having an aerosol generating device control application in the predetermined area to identify candidate devices; and identifying one or more of the candidate devices as trusted devices in exchange for an aerosol delivery profile and/or a user schedule. Thus, to facilitate scheduling meetings, other users may be searched only in a limited area.

Preferably, the method further comprises comparing the device IDs of the candidate devices with previously stored device IDs; and identifying one or more of the candidate devices as trusted devices based on the comparison. Thus, a known user may be identified using a trusted device with which the user has previously interacted.

Preferably, the method further comprises sending the list of candidate devices to a server storing the user profile and the configurable rules; and identifying, by the server, one or more of the candidate devices as trusted devices based on the user profiles and the configurable rules associated with the candidate devices. Thus, other users may be found from a profile stored on a remote server and based on one or more user attributes (e.g., working for the same employer).

Preferably, the method further comprises determining a time gap based on the exchanged user schedule; and displaying a message on the user computing device, the message indicating one or more matching users available at the determined time slot, each matching user associated with at least one of the trusted devices having a matching user profile. Thus, messages may be exchanged and meetings may be scheduled with trusted users that share the same preferences as the user and are available at the same time as the user.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer-implemented method of exchanging aerosol delivery profiles, the method comprising the steps of: searching for other aerosol-generating devices or other personal computing devices having an aerosol-generating device control application in a predetermined area to identify candidate devices; identifying one or more of the candidate devices as trusted devices in exchange for an aerosol delivery profile and/or a user schedule; determining a time gap based on the exchanged user schedule; and displaying a message on the user computing device, the message indicating one or more matching users available at the determined time slot, each matching user associated with at least one of the trusted devices having a matching user profile.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data processing system for generating a customizable aerosol delivery profile for a user, the system comprising means for performing the method as described above.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method as described above.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 shows an aerosol generating device according to one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a system including the apparatus of FIG. 1 and other entities in a networked network;

FIG. 3A shows a block diagram of various components of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3B shows a block diagram of various components of a personal computing device that may be present in the system of FIG. 2;

4A-4B illustrate a flow chart of a method of operating the apparatus of FIG. 1; and

fig. 5A to 5C show diagrams illustrating a inhalation history of a user of the device of fig. 1.

Detailed Description

Next, various aspects of the present invention will be described. It should be noted that in the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are identified by the same or similar reference numerals. It should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the proportion of each size is different from the actual size. Therefore, the specific size and the like should be judged in consideration of the following description.

Fig. 1A shows a non-combustion aerosol-generating device 100, which is a device for inhaling aerosol by heating or vaporization without combustion. The device 100 has a rod-like shape with a body 101 extending from a non-nozzle end 102 to a nozzle end 103. An air channel or path is defined in the body 100 between the

opposite ends

102, 103. The aerosol generating device 100 in this example is an e-cigarette or a smoking device and is referred to hereinafter as e-cigarette 100. The e-cigarette 100 releases flavors and/or stimulants for inhalation by a user through the mouthpiece end 103 by vaporizing or heating an aerosol source inserted in the e-cigarette 100. The construction and operation of such aerosol generating devices is well known in the art, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention disclosed herein may be applied to aerosol generating devices of any shape, configured in any aerosol generating technology, and is not limited to this example.

The e-cigarette 100 may include an activation switch 104 that may be configured to perform at least one of turning on and off a power source of the e-cigarette 100. The activation switch 104 may be a push button or a touch button disposed at any convenient location on the surface of the body 101 of the e-cigarette 100. Alternatively, the e-cigarette 100 does not rely on a switch button to activate the power supply of the heater, but rather relies on a puff sensor to detect airflow and trigger the device to begin generating aerosol.

Figure 2 shows a system 200 comprising the e-cigarette 100 and other associated entities connected via a network 202. In this example, the e-cigarette 100 is configured to communicate with a personal computing device 201 owned by a user. The personal computing device 201 may be a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. For simplicity, the personal computing device 201 is hereinafter referred to as a smartphone 201. Preferably, the e-cigarette 100 is configured to communicatively connect or pair with the smartphone 201 wirelessly using Wi-Fi, bluetooth, or other wireless communication standards. Smartphone 201 preferably runs a mobile application (commonly referred to as an App) that allows a user to interact with e-cigarette 100 through a user-friendly interface. App may be hosted by the manufacturer of the e-cigarette 100 and associated with, for example, iOS ^TM And Android ^TM Etc. are compatible with different mobile platforms.

The e-cigarette 100 and/or smartphone 201 may also be configured to connect to the network 202. The network 202 may be a public network such as the internet and enables the e-cigarette 100 and the smartphone 201 to connect to other entities in the system 200. It will be appreciated that the App on the e-cigarette 100 and smartphone 201 preferably has a built-in security protocol to prevent unauthorized access by any malicious entity connected via the network 202.

The e-cigarette 100 is also configured to communicate with other similar aerosol generating devices, such as e-cigarettes 203a, 203b, 203c (hereinafter collectively referred to as e-cigarettes 203), that are also connected to the network 202. E-cigarette 203 is similar to e-cigarette 100 and preferably has the same components and functionality as e-cigarette 100. The e-cigarette 203 may also be associated with its respective personal computing device (not shown) similar to the smartphone 201. The interaction of the e-cigarette 100 with other e-cigarettes 203 is described in detail later with reference to figure 4B.

The e-cigarettes 100, 203 and/or their respective smartphones may also be connected to a server 204 via a network 202. The server 204 is a central controller preferably managed or authorised by the manufacturer of the e-cigarette 100, 203 and is preferably configured to remotely manage the e-cigarette 100, 203. The server 204 may manage and monitor the operation of the e-cigarettes 100, 203 and also learn from the habits of users of these devices running machine learning algorithms or artificial intelligence programs. The App on the smartphone 201 preferably interfaces with the server 204 to share the status of the e-cigarette 100 and to receive any updates and recommendations for the user from the server 204. The user may also be able to order refills and other flavors for the e-cigarette 100 from the server 204 using the App.

A user profile indicating user preferences may be stored on the server 204, the smartphone 201, or the e-cigarette 100. These preferences may be calculated from usage data or selected by the user on the smartphone 201 or the e-cigarette 100. For example, the user profile may include personal data (such as name, age, address, etc.) as well as a puff record and/or an event record or a preferred time period of use or a time period of non-permitted use.

The system 200 may also include a tracking device 205 configured to communicate with the smartphone 201 and directly or indirectly (via the smartphone) with the e-cigarette 100. The tracking device 205 is preferably a wearable device, such as Apple ^TM Watch or Fitbit ^TM A fitness tracker. The tracking device 205 can record health data of the user, such as heart rate, number of steps walked, distance traveled, stress level, sleep pattern, etc., and send the data to the smartphone 201 and/or e-cigarette 100.

It should be appreciated that system 200 is implemented using known communication techniques and standards. The system 200 may include several other entities that are not shown or described for the sake of brevity and are well known to those skilled in the art.

Figure 3A is a block diagram illustrating various components or modules of the e-cigarette 100. In one example, the e-cigarette 100 includes a consumable module 301a and a heating element 302 that vaporizes a consumable good 301b received by the consumable module 301a to release an aerosol containing a flavor and/or stimulant agent for inhalation by a user. In this example, the consumable item 301b is a substance comprising nicotine. The presence of consumable item 301b in consumable module 301a can be detected by detector 301 c. The consumable item 301b may be in solid or liquid form and heated by the heating element 302 to release the aerosol without burning. Where consumable item 301b is a liquid reservoir, more than one consumable item may be received at consumable module 301 a. The heating element 302 may be powered by a power source 303.

The power source 303 is, for example, a lithium ion battery. The power supply 303 supplies power necessary for the operation of the electronic cigarette 100. For example, the power supply 303 supplies power to all other components or modules included in the e-cigarette 100.

For the purposes of this specification, it is understood that the terms "vapor" and "aerosol" are interchangeable. In some examples, the heating element is disposed within the capsule or cigarette-like aerosol generating material and may be connected to the aerosol generating device, rather than a component of the aerosol generating device itself.

In one embodiment, the fragrance is present in the consumable item 301 b. The flavor may include ethyl vanillin (vanilla), menthol, isoamyl acetate (banana oil), or the like. In another embodiment, the consumable item 301b can include an additional flavor source (not shown) disposed on a side of the mouthpiece end 103 outside of the consumable item 301b of the consumable module 301a and generating a flavor to be inhaled by the user with aerosol generated from the consumable item 301 b. In yet another embodiment, the e-cigarette 100 includes more than one consumable item, each consumable item including a flavorant and/or a level of an active ingredient (nicotine). In this case, each consumable item may be independently heated to generate an aerosol.

The e-cigarette 100 also includes a controller 304 configured to control various components in the e-cigarette. For example, the controller 304 may control a timing unit 305, a communication unit 306, a memory 307, and a sensor 308 included in the e-cigarette 100. The timing unit 305 is configured to provide time information (e.g., time of day) and generate a timestamp for the puff data or event data that facilitates analysis of the user's puff preferences. The timing unit 305 is further configured to schedule an aerosol delivery profile (also referred to as a puff profile) customized for the user and provide the customized puff profile to the controller 304 to monitor and limit the user's use of the e-cigarette 100. For example, the timing unit 305 may activate a weekday or weekend puff profile when determining the day of the week, or a strong puff profile (e.g., higher nicotine demand) or a weak puff profile (e.g., lower nicotine demand) when determining a certain time of the day. The timing unit 305 may also disable the device at a set time, such as at bedtime, daily, or some particular number of days set by the user. Alternatively, the functionality of the timing unit 305 may be incorporated into the controller 304, in which case the controller 304 receives time information from the timing unit 305 and activates the sniff profile or disables the device.

The communication unit 306 is configured to manage communication with the smartphone 201, the server 204, the tracking device 205, the network 202 and other e-cigarettes 203. The memory 307 is configured to store different smoking profiles and information, such as user settings and preferences.

The e-cigarette 100 may also include various sensors 308 (e.g., puff sensors, biometric sensors, etc.) to record usage data related to each puff or puff as the user uses the e-cigarette 100. The logged usage data may include puff duration (i.e., length of puff), puff interval (i.e., time between successive puffs), and fluid and/or nicotine consumption. The usage data may also include heart rate data of the user and any suitable metrics obtained from the tracking device 205 for analyzing consumer behavior. The timing unit 305 is configured to generate a time stamp for the usage data and the time stamp will be stored with the usage data for analysis and construction into a customized smoking profile for the user. In one example, the puff detector may determine a number of puff actions to draw in aerosol. The puff detector may also detect the time period required for one puff of inhaled aerosol.

The e-cigarette 100 may also include an input-output (I/O) or user interface 309 configured to provide instructions to a user and receive input from the user. The I/O interface 309 preferably includes a pointing device and an input device. The indicating means may comprise a visual light emitting element comprising one or more Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), a screen display or an acoustic emitter, or other suitable means for providing an indication to the user. Visual light emitting elements such as LEDs may be provided at the tip of the non-mouthpiece end 102 or on the side surface of the e-cigarette 100. Such LEDs may exhibit various lighting patterns to provide the user with indications of: a puff status where the aerosol is being inhaled, a non-puff status where the aerosol is not being inhaled, a pre-heat status where the heater is heating, a ready-to-puff status where the heater is operating at a target temperature to produce the aerosol, a depletion status where the LED-strip displays a depletion level of the aerosol source, and any other information related to the operational status of the e-cigarette. The input means may be one or more user operable buttons or a tactile panel, which is responsible for pressing, toggling or touching.

All of the elements described above transmit and/or receive commands and/or data via the communication bus 310.

Fig. 3B is a block diagram of various components in a personal computing device or smartphone 201. The smartphone 201 comprises a processor 311 for controlling various operations of the smartphone, a memory 312 for storing system and user data, such as Android ^TM Or iOS ^TM An operating system 313, and a power source 314, such as a lithium ion battery, for powering the device. The smartphone 201 also includes a communication unit 315 that includes modules such as bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, etc. to connect with various entities present in the system 200. Further, the smartphone 201 includes an I/O interface 316 for interacting with the user. The I/O interface 316 preferably comprises a touch screen capable of receiving input from a user via touch actions and displaying content to the user on the screen. However, it should be understood that the I/O interface may alternatively include keys for receiving input and a non-touch screen for displaying content.

In addition, the smart phone 201 has thereinAn up-running e-cigarette control App 317, which is downloaded by the user onto the smartphone 201. The e-cigarette control App 317 preferably allows the user to set his smoking preferences on the e-cigarette 100. The electronic cigarette control App 317 may also allow the user to view smoking history and other useful statistics. Smartphone 201 preferably also has a calendar App 318 (which may be included in built-in or downloaded from an App store) on which the user can record his or her daily schedule and appointments. The smartphone 201 may also have other apps 319 that the user may use with the e-cigarette control App 317 and the calendar App 318, such as a clock App or with Fitbit ^TM An App associated with the fitness tracker.

All of the elements described above transmit and/or receive commands and/or data via the communication bus 320.

Figure 4A shows a flow diagram of a process 400a of managing a user smoking profile on an e-cigarette 100. It should be noted that the steps in process 400a may not necessarily be performed in the same order. Furthermore, some steps may be optional and may be omitted.

At step 401, aerosol generation retrieves a user's aerosol delivery profile from a user history. In this example, the e-cigarette 100 is configured to retrieve the user's smoking profile from the user history stored in the memory 307 or to connect with the e-cigarette App 317 on the smartphone 201 to retrieve the user's smoking profile from the memory 312 of the smartphone 201. The user's smoking history may also include preferences set by the user in the past. The retrieval step may be triggered by the user pressing the switch 104 or shaking the e-cigarette 100 or using the e-cigarette App 317.

At step 402, a day of the week is determined. In the present example, the controller 304 is configured to determine the day of the week by means of the timing unit 305. The user may set a date and time on the e-cigarette 100 at the first use. Alternatively, the e-cigarette 100 may automatically determine the correct date and time by connecting directly to the network 202 or via the smartphone 201.

At step 403, it is determined whether it is a workday. In this example, the controller 304 compares the determined day of the week with the user's schedule to see if the day is the user's work day. A typical week schedule for the user may be stored in memory 307 of the e-cigarette 100, or the e-cigarette 100 may simply retrieve the user's schedule from the calendar App 318 on the smartphone 201. If the user schedule is not set, by default, controller 304 preferably sets Monday through Friday as weekdays and Saturday through Sunday as non-weekdays. The user may change these settings at any time and/or the e-cigarette 100 may periodically check the user's schedule on the calendar App 318 and update the settings accordingly. If the controller 304 determines that the day is a workday, it proceeds to step 404, otherwise it proceeds to step 405.

At step 404, the aerosol delivery profile is customized according to the work day schedule. In this example, after determining to be a work day, controller 304 customizes the aerosol delivery profile of e-cigarette 100. In the workday aerosol delivery profile, the quantity, flavor, and timing of aerosol release from the e-cigarette 100 is preferably set to provide different amounts and types of aerosol to the user at different times of the day. It is well known that ingestion of appropriate amounts of nicotine during the day can improve mental alertness and help improve attention and performance. However, in the evening, the same amount of nicotine may interfere with sleep, but a small amount of nicotine may help calm the user. The demand for nicotine is entirely dependent on the individual lifestyle of the user and varies over time. Thus, by setting the workday aerosol delivery profile, the controller 304 ensures that the correct amount of nicotine is delivered to the user to meet the user's needs. The electronic cigarette 100 may be a multi-canister device with different concentrations of nicotine and flavors that may be selectively activated. For example, in the morning, the controller 304 may activate a can containing a light nicotine and fruit flavor, a can with a strong nicotine and coffee flavor in the afternoon, and a can with a camomile flavor in the evening.

The controller 304 may also learn from the user's smoking habits over time to adjust or modify the aerosol delivery profile. For example, if the user takes a puff during a particular time of day and draws longer or more frequently, as determined by the puff sensor, the controller 304 preferably modifies the profile to deliver an increased amount of nicotine during that time each day of the work week.

At step 405, the aerosol delivery profile is customized according to the non-work day schedule. In this example, after determining that it is not a work day, controller 304 customizes the aerosol delivery profile of e-cigarette 100 based on the non-work day schedule and preferences. In the non-workday aerosol delivery profile, the amount, flavor, and timing of aerosol release from the e-cigarette 100 is different than in the workday profile. As explained above, the user may change these settings, or the controller 304 may adjust the profile according to changes in the user's schedule obtained from the calendar App 318 on the smartphone 201. For example, a user may be working at home or performing some task that requires increased alertness.

At step 406, the time of day is determined. In this example, using the timing unit 305, the controller 304 determines what time of day it is at. It should be appreciated that if the user is traveling and is in a different time zone than his or her home location, the timing unit 305 may automatically adjust to the new time zone by connecting directly to the network 202 or via the smartphone 201.

At step 407, it is determined whether it is a preset event time. In this example, the user is able to set bedtime per day, preferably using the e-cigarette control App 318. The controller 304 determines whether the current time is equal to or within certain hours of the preset bedtime (e.g., within 8 hours of the preset bedtime). The bedtime may be retrieved from the memory 307 of the e-cigarette 100 or retrieved from the smartphone 201. If the determination is that it is the user's bedtime, the process proceeds to step 408, otherwise to step 409. It should be understood that the preset event time may relate to any recurring events (including bedtime) set by the user for each day of the week or for weekdays and non-weekdays, respectively. For example, the preset event time may be a time set for exercise or mediation, play with children, routine meetings at work, and the like.

At step 408, the device is disabled. In this example, after determining that it is the user's bedtime, controller 304 preferably disables e-cigarette 100 for limiting the user's smoking at night. This can be achieved in a number of ways. In one embodiment, controller 304 automatically disables or locks e-cigarette 100 once it is determined to be bedtime. In another preferred embodiment, the controller 304 sends a warning message to the user for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 15 seconds to 30 seconds) before automatically disabling the device. This may be done by lighting an LED or sounding a sound on the I/O interface 309 in some way and/or by displaying a pop-up message on the e-cigarette App 317 on the smartphone 201. During this time, the user may choose to refuse to automatically disable and continue using e-cigarette 100. However, if no input is received from the user, the controller 304 automatically disables the e-cigarette 100. In yet another embodiment, the controller 304 sends a warning message to the user at bedtime, but does not automatically disable the device. Instead, the controller relies on the user to manually lock or disable the device.

At step 409, the device is controlled according to the customized configuration file. In this example, if it is determined that it is not a set restriction time (e.g., bedtime), a workday or non-workday smoking profile is activated on e-cigarette 100. The inhalation prediction is made taking into account the time of day and the user's schedule. The electronic cigarette 100 may also be able to suggest flavors to the user at different times of the day, for example, a mint flavor after lunch and a coffee flavor in the afternoon. Additionally, intelligent charging may be planned ahead of time to prepare the e-cigarette 100 in good condition to accommodate predicted smoking needs. For example, if a second week is expected to be a high smoking day, based on the smoking profile, the predicted user smoking profile may be shared with the associated charger to control charging to full charge, or to suggest to the user to charge ahead, for example during a monday night.

It should be noted that the profile activation may be performed directly on the e-cigarette 100 or via the smartphone 201. The communication pairing between e-cigarette 100 and smartphone 201 allows e-cigarette 100 to receive control commands generated by smartphone 201 based on the customized aerosol delivery profile. Accordingly, the operation of the e-cigarette 100 is controlled based on the received control command.

At step 410, it is determined whether additional user data is available. In this example, the e-cigarette 100 may also receive additional user data from the smartphone 201 and/or tracking device 205. For example, the tracking device 205 may monitor the user's heart rate, number of steps of the day, pressure level, etc. and feed it into the e-cigarette 100 directly or via the smartphone 201. Such user data may not always be available, for example, when the user is not wearing a tracking device. It should be understood that such data may also be obtained from the sensor 308 on the e-cigarette 100. If no additional data is available, the e-cigarette 100 continues to use the activated profile. However, when additional data is available, the process moves to step 411.

At step 411, the customized configuration file is modified according to the additional user data. In this example, the controller 304 preferably modifies the user's activated sniff profile depending on the user data obtained from the smartphone 201, tracking device 205, or sensor 308. For example, if it is determined based on the available data that the user's heart rate exceeds a normal range, the intensity and frequency of smoking may be reduced or the e-cigarette 100 may be disabled completely to limit the user's smoking. The user may also be notified of the modification to the smoking profile based on the additional data via the I/O interface 309 and/or the e-cigarette App 317 on the smartphone 201.

In the embodiments described above, the method 400a is performed by the e-cigarette 100. In an alternative embodiment, the method 400a may also be performed by the smartphone 201. When the smartphone 201 performs the method, the smartphone gains access to all user data recorded by the e-cigarette 100 and/or the tracking device 205. The smartphone 201 stores the user data in the memory 312. Since the smartphone 201 is communicably connected to the e-cigarette 100, the smartphone may control various functions of the e-cigarette 100, such as activating a smoking profile, activating a heating element, disabling a device, and the like. In yet another embodiment, some steps are performed by the e-cigarette 100 and some steps are performed by the smartphone 201.

Fig. 4B shows a flow diagram of a method 400B of enabling a user of the aerosol generating device 100 to connect with a user of another similar device 203. It should be understood that method 400b may be performed in conjunction with method 400a or may be performed separately.

At step 412, other devices in the vicinity of the user of the aerosol generating device are searched. In this example, a user of the e-cigarette 100 may wish to use the e-cigarette 203 in the system 200 to connect with other users. In one embodiment, the e-cigarette 100 has a bluetooth communicator included in the communication unit 306 to enable searching for other similar e-cigarettes 203 in close proximity to the e-cigarette 100. It will be appreciated that only those e-cigarettes can be found that have activated their bluetooth communicator. Alternatively, the e-cigarette 100 has a GPS sensor that can identify other e-cigarettes 203 present in the vicinity of the e-cigarette 100 by GPS tracking App. In another embodiment, the user uses the e-cigarette App 317 interfaced with a bluetooth module or GPS sensor of the smartphone 201 to search for other similar e-cigarettes 203 via their respective personal computing devices running a control application similar to the e-cigarette control App 317. In an alternative embodiment, the e-cigarette 100 or smartphone 201 uses a GPS sensor to identify the user's location and upload the location information to the server 204 where all e-cigarettes 100, 203 are grouped according to their respective locations. The e-cigarette 100 is notified of grouping information including a list of nearby e-cigarettes so that the e-cigarette 100 can identify other e-cigarettes 203 nearby. Alternatively, the smartphone 201 paired with the e-cigarette 100 (belonging to the same user) is notified of the grouping information so that the smartphone 201 can identify other e-cigarettes 203 in the vicinity or other smartphones respectively paired with other e-cigarettes 203. It should be noted that for bluetooth scanning, the area to be searched is automatically set by the bluetooth range. However, for GPS sensing, the user may define a predetermined area to search for, for example, limiting the search for other users to areas within 100 meters of the user's radius.

At step 413, it is determined whether other devices are available. In this example, the controller 304 or the e-cigarette App 317 analyzes the results obtained in step 412 to determine if there are any other devices in the vicinity of the user of the e-cigarette 100. In other words, candidate devices are identified from the search results. If no other users are found, the process returns to step 412 and continues to look for other devices, preferably at periodic intervals. However, if a candidate device is found, the process moves to step 414.

At step 414, it is determined whether the candidate device is a trusted device. In this example, the e-cigarette 100 may store device IDs of other user devices that have previously connected to the e-cigarette 100 in the past in the memory 307. Alternatively, this may be stored in the memory 312 of the smartphone 201 via the e-cigarette App 317. The controller 304 compares the device IDs of the available users with the device IDs stored in memory to determine whether the devices are trusted devices. Preferably, these trusted devices in the vicinity of the user are friends, colleagues, or collaborators that share a workspace with the user. If a trusted device is found, the process moves to step 416. However, for other users, the process moves to step 415.

At step 415, additional information for other candidate devices is requested. In this example, the controller 304 of the e-cigarette 100 or the e-cigarette App 317 running on the smartphone 201 seeks additional information for devices that are not found in memory and have not yet been considered candidates for a trusted device. The e-cigarette 100 or smartphone 201 may send a request to the server 204 where the integrated user profile of all connected users of the e-cigarette 203 is stored. The integrated user profile may include information such as the user's name, the employer's name, the work location, contacts, etc. In this way, the user may identify other users that may be identified and authenticated. In another embodiment, the controller 304 may also seek additional information directly from other users. The user may also be able to find other candidate devices by sending a list of candidate devices and configurable rules to the server 204. Configurable rules are criteria or filters based on one or more user attributes (e.g., employer name, age, profession, etc.). For example, a user may only want to find those users who work for the same employer as the user. In another example, a user may set a configurable rule that combines the employer name with another attribute, such as a flavor preference. The controller 304 may also present some security issues to ensure that other users are not malicious entities.

At step 416, one or more of the candidate devices are added as new trusted devices based on mutual agreement. In this example, these other candidate devices are added as trusted devices if the user determines these devices and the candidate devices agree to connect with the user of the e-cigarette 100. The device IDs of the e-cigarettes and/or smartphones of these new trusted devices may then be stored in memory 312. If for any reason one or more of the other users fail to authenticate or mutually agree, they will not connect to the e-cigarette 100.

At step 417, the user's aerosol delivery profile and/or user schedule is exchanged with the user of the trusted device. In this example, the user is connected via a network 202 to a trusted device, such as one or more of the e-cigarettes 203 or their respective smartphones. The user's smoking profile shared with the users of these trusted devices may include information about the user's lunch break, idle time, and their nicotine and flavor preferences. The profile may be shared with the respective devices of other users who also have connected apps via the e-cigarette App 317 on the smartphone 201. Additionally, a sniff profile of a user of the trusted device is received. In this example, the e-cigarette 100 or smartphone 201 may also seek and receive a profile of the user of the trusted device. The profiles of these users may also contain their availability and smoking preferences.

At step 418, a user of a trusted device having a profile matching the user is identified. In this example, the e-cigarette 100 compares the profiles received from the trusted devices of one or more of the e-cigarettes 203 via the controller 304 or smartphone 201, preferably via the e-cigarette control App 317, and checks to see which profiles match the profiles of the users for that day and particular time slot. For example, if a user is available at 4 pm and typically takes a sniff break at that time (as determined from the user's schedule) and another user (such as a) is also available at the same time, the controller 304 identifies a as a good match. In other examples, the user may have a set preference for a particular flavor in his or her profile and another user (such as B) may also have a preference for the same flavor, so the controller 304 also identifies B as a good match. Upon determining one or more trusted devices with matching profiles, smartphone 201 may display a message on I/O interface 316 indicating one or more matching users (each associated with at least one of the trusted devices with matching user profiles) that are available for the determined time slot.

At step 419, a message is exchanged with the trusted device. In the present invention, based on matches identified by the e-cigarette 100 via the controller 304 or smartphone 201, preferably via the e-cigarette control App 317, the communication unit 315 of the smartphone 201 may send messages to those matched users to plan a puff rest. For example, smartphone 201 may send a message to smartphone a to meet at that time. It may also suggest preferred locations, such as nearby smoking venues. The smartphone 201 may also send a message to B to schedule a sniff break based on the shared preferences. To avoid exchanging too many messages and save device/network resources, the smartphone 201 may limit exchanging messages only with trusted devices and/or limit it based on its proximity to the user.

From the above description, the present invention is able to describe a user's inhalation needs and preferences according to his or her schedule and deliver aerosols to the user accordingly. Furthermore, by sharing the user's profile with other users, it is possible for the user to communicate with the like during the inhalation break.

Fig. 5A-5C show diagrams 500a, 500b, 500C illustrating a user's smoking history during a typical week, a typical weekday, and a typical non-weekday, respectively. In the figure, the height of the bar indicates the frequency of use of the e-cigarette 100 or the total amount of aerosol inhaled by the user on a particular day. In this example, the user works from monday through friday, and only works during the day. As can be seen from the graph 500a, the user smokes more on weekdays and less on weekends. As can be seen from the graph 500b, on a weekday, a user may typically suck more around noon and afternoon, but suck relatively less in the morning. As can be seen from the graph 500c, on non-weekdays, a user may be sucking more at night and late at night for social activity and less during the day. Usage profiles based on historical statistics help predict a user's usage on a particular day. However, given the user's real-life schedule, if the user plans to vacate on monday, the user may not take as many breaths on monday. In the event that the user needs to stay up and remain alert, the user may need to take more. Thus, a customized and well-organized user profile is advantageous.

For the benefit of the user, the electronic cigarette 100 may automatically fall below the nicotine level when the nicotine level exceeds a predefined threshold level. Furthermore, the e-cigarette 100 may automatically turn off after a preset time to limit the user from smoking late at night or at work (except during rest and lunch). In addition, the electronic cigarette 100 may also track the total amount of nicotine the user has ingested during the day, and if the total amount of nicotine reaches the recommended level for the day, further ingestion may be restricted. Preferably, such settings are hard coded in the e-cigarette 100 to control maximum usage. However, this is entirely optional, and the e-cigarette 100 may allow the user to change these settings.

The controller 304 can also adjust aerosol delivery to increase or decrease the substances in the aerosol and/or add flavors to the aerosol according to the user's preferences. The amount of material in the aerosol can be modified (increased or decreased) in a number of ways. In one example, the amount of aerosol released from the consumable item 301b may be varied, thereby affecting the amount of substance to be inhaled by the user. In another example, a multi-channel wicking device may be used that includes two or more liquid reservoirs, each containing a liquid with a different concentration of a substance. By switching the supply to reservoirs containing liquids of different concentrations, the substance intake can be adjusted while maintaining the same aerosol amount. In yet another example, the amount of substance delivered may be modified by controlling the heating operation in heating the non-burning and vapor-based devices (e.g., by controlling the energy supplied to the heater), or controlling the source of pressurized liquid in the vapor-based device.

The process steps described herein as being performed by the master control unit or controller may be stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium or storage device associated with the master control unit. Computer readable media may include both non-volatile media and volatile media. Volatile media may include, among others, semiconductor memory and dynamic memory. Non-volatile media may include, inter alia, optical and magnetic disks.

The foregoing description of the illustrative embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limiting to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the disclosed embodiments.

As used herein, the term "non-transitory computer-readable medium" is intended to refer to any tangible computer-based device implemented in any method or technology for the short-term and long-term storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules and sub-modules, or other data in any device. Thus, the methods described herein may be encoded as executable instructions presented in a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium, including but not limited to a storage device and/or a memory device. Such instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform at least a portion of the methods described herein. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "non-transitory computer readable medium" includes all tangible computer readable media including, but not limited to, non-transitory computer storage devices including, but not limited to, volatile and non-volatile media, and removable and non-removable media such as firmware, physical and virtual storage devices, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and any other digital source such as a network or the internet, as well as yet to be developed digital devices, with the sole exception being a transitory propagating signal.

As will be appreciated based on the foregoing specification, the above-described embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented using computer programming or engineering techniques including computer software, firmware, hardware or any combination or subset thereof. Any such resulting program, having computer-readable code means, may be embodied or provided within one or more computer-readable media, thereby making a computer program product, i.e., an article of manufacture, according to the discussed embodiments of the disclosure. The article of manufacture containing the computer code may be made and/or used by executing the code directly from one medium, by copying the code from one medium to another medium, or by transmitting the code over a network.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of operating an aerosol generating device, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving an aerosol delivery profile of a user stored on the aerosol generating device or personal computing device, wherein the aerosol delivery profile comprises a weekday profile and a non-weekday profile;

obtaining a user schedule from a calendar application on a server or the personal computing device;

customizing one of the weekday profile and the non-weekday profile of the retrieved aerosol delivery profiles for the user based at least on the user schedule; and

controlling operation of the aerosol-generating device based on the customized aerosol delivery profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the aerosol delivery profile includes information related to an amount of a substance in the aerosol to be delivered to the user.

3. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising:

receiving input from the user on the personal computing device to set repeat events for each day of the week; and

restricting use of the aerosol generating device during the recurring event.

4. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising:

establishing a communication pairing between the aerosol generating device and the personal computing device to allow the aerosol generating device to obtain the user schedule from the personal computing device, wherein the user schedule is obtained periodically by the aerosol generating device.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

establishing a communication pairing between the aerosol-generating device and the personal computing device to allow the aerosol-generating device to receive a control command, wherein the control command is generated by the personal computing device based on the customized aerosol delivery profile, and

controlling operation of the aerosol generating device based on the received control commands.

6. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising:

monitoring the usage of the aerosol generating device over time; and

modifying the aerosol delivery profile based on the use case.

7. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising exchanging the aerosol delivery profile and/or the user schedule with other aerosol generating devices connected on a network or their respective other personal computing devices.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

searching for other aerosol-generating devices or respective personal computing devices having an aerosol-generating device control application in a predetermined area to identify candidate devices; and

one or more of these candidate devices are identified as trusted devices in exchange for aerosol delivery profiles and/or user schedules.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said identifying one or more of the candidate devices as trusted devices comprises:

comparing the device IDs of the candidate devices with previously stored device IDs; and

one or more of the candidate devices are identified as trusted devices based on the comparison.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said identifying one or more of the candidate devices as trusted devices comprises:

sending a list of candidate devices to a server storing user profiles and configurable rules; and

identifying, by the server, one or more of the candidate devices as trusted devices based on the user profiles and the configurable rules associated with the candidate devices.

11. The method of any of claims 8 to 10, further comprising:

determining a time gap based on the exchanged user schedule; and

a message is displayed on the user computing device indicating one or more matching users available at the determined time slot, each matching user associated with at least one of the trusted devices having a matching user profile.

12. A computer-implemented method of exchanging aerosol delivery profiles, the method comprising the steps of:

searching for other aerosol-generating devices or other personal computing devices having an aerosol-generating device control application in a predetermined area to identify candidate devices;

identifying one or more of the candidate devices as trusted devices in exchange for an aerosol delivery profile and/or a user schedule;

determining a time gap based on the exchanged user schedule; and

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending a message to the one or more matching users to plan for a meeting at the determined time slot.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the message further comprises a location of the meeting.

15. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein the message is sent only to at least one trusted device in close proximity to the user computing device.

16. A data processing system for generating a customizable aerosol delivery profile for a user, the system comprising means for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 11.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1-15.