CN117715549A - Interactive aerosol supply system - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol delivery system comprising: aerosol delivery means; a wireless signal receiver configured to receive a wireless communication signal; an identification processor configured to store characteristic data for identifying the periodically received wireless communication signal; a correlation processor configured to correlate user behavior with the identified periodic wireless communication signals received within a predetermined time window relative to the user behavior; and a control processor configured to change one or more operating parameters of the aerosol delivery device related to a particular user behavior when one or more wireless communication signals previously related to the particular user behavior by the correlation processor are subsequently received by the wireless signal receiver and identified by the identification processor.

Description

Interactive aerosol supply system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an interactive aerosol provision system.

Background

The "background" description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.

Aerosol delivery systems are popular with users because they are capable of delivering active ingredients (such as nicotine) to the user in a convenient manner and on demand.

As an example of an aerosol supply system, an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) typically comprises a reservoir of a source liquid containing a formulation that typically includes nicotine from which an aerosol is generated, for example by thermal atomization. Thus, an aerosol source for an aerosol supply system may comprise a heater having a heating element arranged to receive source liquid from a reservoir, for example by wicking/capillary action. Other source materials such as plant matter, or gels containing active ingredients and/or flavors may be similarly heated to produce aerosols. Thus, more generally, an e-cigarette may be considered to include or receive a payload for thermal atomization.

When a user inhales on the device, electrical power is supplied to the heating element to atomize an aerosol source (part of the payload) in the vicinity of the heating element to generate an aerosol for inhalation by the user. Such devices are typically provided with one or more air inlet holes located away from the mouthpiece end of the system. When a user sucks on a mouthpiece connected to the mouthpiece end of the system, air is drawn in through the inlet aperture and past the aerosol source. There is a flow path connected between the aerosol source and the opening in the mouthpiece such that air drawn through the aerosol source continues along the flow path to the mouthpiece opening, causing the air to carry some aerosol from the aerosol source. The aerosol-carrying air exits the aerosol supply system through the mouthpiece opening for inhalation by the user.

Typically, when a user draws/pumps on the device, current is supplied to the heater. Typically, current is supplied to a heater, such as a resistive heating element, in response to activation of an airflow sensor along the flow path as the user draws/aspirates or in response to activation of a button by the user. The heat generated by the heating element is used to atomize the formulation. The released atomizing gas mixes with air drawn through the device by the sucking consumer and forms an aerosol. Alternatively or additionally, the heating element is used to heat but not normally burn a botanical, such as tobacco, to release its active ingredient as an aerosol gas/aerosol.

Safe, efficient and/or timely operation of such aerosol provision systems may benefit from responding appropriately to how a user interacts with it.

It is against this background that the present invention has been developed.

Disclosure of Invention

Various aspects and features of the present invention are defined in the following claims and in the body of the attached specification.

In a first aspect, an aerosol delivery system according to claim 1 is provided.

In another aspect, a method of operating an aerosol delivery system according to claim 14 is provided.

Drawings

A more complete appreciation of the present disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

fig. 1 is a schematic view of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present description.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of the body of the delivery device according to an embodiment of the present description.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a cartomiser (cartomiser) of a delivery device according to an embodiment of the present description.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of the body of the delivery device according to an embodiment of the present description.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a transport ecosystem according to an embodiment of the present description.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present description.

Fig. 7 is a flow chart of a method of operation of an aerosol delivery system according to an embodiment of the present description.

Detailed Description

An interactive aerosol provision system is disclosed. In the following description, numerous specific details are presented in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that these specific details need not be employed to practice embodiments of the present disclosure. On the contrary, for the sake of clarity, specific details are omitted where appropriate as known to those skilled in the art.

The term "interactive aerosol supply system" or similar "delivery device" may encompass a system for delivering at least one substance to a user and includes: a non-combustible aerosol-supply system that causes an aerosol-generating material (such as an electronic cigarette, a tobacco heating product) to release a compound without burning the aerosol-generating material; and a mixing system that generates an aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials; and an aerosol-free delivery system for delivering, orally, nasally, transdermally, or otherwise, to a user at least one substance without aerosol formation, including, but not limited to, lozenges, chewing gums, patches, inhalable powder-containing products, and oral products (such as oral tobacco including snuff or wet snuff), wherein at least one substance may or may not contain nicotine.

The substance to be delivered may be an aerosol generating material or a material that is not intended to be aerosolized. Any material may include one or more active ingredients, one or more fragrances, one or more aerosol former materials, and/or one or more other functional materials, as appropriate. Currently, the most common example of such delivery devices or aerosol supply systems (e.g., non-combustible aerosol supply systems) are electronic aerosol supply systems (EVPS), such as e-cigarettes. Throughout the following description, the term "e-cigarette" is sometimes used, but may be used interchangeably with delivery device or aerosol supply system unless otherwise indicated or otherwise indicated in context. Similarly, the terms "atomizing gas" and "aerosol" are equivalently referred to herein.

In general, the electronic aerosol delivery system may be an electronic cigarette, also known as an aerosol device or electronic nicotine delivery device (END), but it should be noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol generating (e.g., nebulizable) material is not necessary. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol supply system is a tobacco heating system, also referred to as a heated non-combustion system. An example of such a system is a tobacco heating system. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol supply system is a hybrid system that generates an aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials, one or more of which may be heated. Each of the aerosol-generating materials may be in the form of, for example, a solid, liquid or gel, and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the mixing system comprises a liquid or gel aerosol-generating material and a solid aerosol-generating material. The solid aerosol-generating material may comprise, for example, a tobacco or non-tobacco product. Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol supply system generates atomized aerosol from one or more such aerosol-generating materials.

In general, a non-combustible aerosol supply system may include a non-combustible aerosol supply device and an article (alternatively referred to as a consumable) for use with the non-combustible aerosol supply system. However, it is envisaged that the article itself comprising means for powering an aerosol generating component (e.g. an aerosol generator such as a heater, vibrating screen, etc.) may itself form the non-combustible aerosol supply system. In one embodiment, a non-combustible aerosol supply device may include a power source and a controller. The power source may be an electric power source or an exothermic power source. In one embodiment, the exothermic power source comprises a carbon matrix that can be energized to distribute energy in the form of heat to an aerosolizable material or a heat transfer material in the vicinity of the exothermic power source. In one embodiment, a power source (such as an exothermic power source) is disposed in the article to form a non-combustible aerosol supply system. In one embodiment, an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply device may include an aerosolizable material.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating component is a heater that is capable of interacting with the aerosolizable material to cause the aerosolizable material to release one or more volatiles to form an aerosol. In one embodiment, the aerosol-generating component is capable of generating an aerosol from the aerosolizable material without heating. For example, the aerosol-generating component can cause the aerosolizable material to generate an aerosol without applying heat thereto (e.g., via one or more of vibration, mechanical, pressurized, or electrostatic means).

In some embodiments, the aerosolizable material can include an active material, an aerosol-forming material, and optionally one or more functional materials. The active material may comprise nicotine (optionally contained in tobacco or tobacco derivatives) or one or more other non-olfactory physiologically active materials. A non-olfactory physiologically active material is a material that is included in an aerosolizable material to effect a physiological reaction other than olfactory perception. The aerosol-forming material may comprise one or more of the following: glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1, 3-butanediol, erythritol, meso-erythritol, ethyl vanillic acid, ethyl laurate, diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, glyceryl triacetate, glyceryl diacetate mixtures, benzyl benzoate, glyceryl tributyrate, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate. The one or more functional materials may include one or more of a fragrance, a carrier, a pH adjuster, a stabilizer, and/or an antioxidant.

In some embodiments, an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply device may include an aerosolizable material or a region for receiving an aerosolizable material. In one embodiment, an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply device may include a mouthpiece. The region for receiving the aerosolizable material may be a storage region for storing the aerosolizable material. For example, the storage area may be a reservoir. In one embodiment, the region for receiving the aerosolizable material may be separate from or combined with the aerosol-generating region.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration (not to scale) of an aerosol/aerosol supply system, such as an electronic cigarette 10, which provides a non-limiting example of a delivery device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

The electronic cigarette has a generally cylindrical shape and extends along a longitudinal axis indicated by the dashed line LA and comprises two main components, namely a body 20 and a cartomizer 30. The cartomizer includes an interior chamber that contains a reservoir of a payload (e.g., a liquid containing nicotine), a nebulizer (such as a heater), and a mouthpiece 35. References to "nicotine" hereinafter are to be understood as merely examples and may be replaced by any suitable active ingredient. References to "liquid" as a payload will be understood hereinafter to be merely an example, and any suitable payload may be substituted, such as a plant material (e.g. tobacco to be heated without combustion) or a gel comprising active ingredients and/or flavouring agents. The reservoir may be a foam matrix or any other structure for holding the liquid until delivery of the liquid to the atomizer is desired. In the case of a liquid/flowing payload, the atomizer is used to atomize the liquid, and the atomizing cartridge 30 may also include a wick or similar means to deliver a small amount of liquid from the reservoir to an atomization location on or near the atomizer. Hereinafter, a heater is used as a specific example of the atomizer. However, it should be understood that other forms of atomizers (e.g., atomizers utilizing ultrasound) may also be used, and that the type of atomizer used may also depend on the type of payload to be atomized.

The body 20 includes a rechargeable battery cell or battery for providing power to the e-cigarette 10, and a circuit board for generally controlling the e-cigarette. When the heater receives power from the battery (as controlled by the circuit board), the heater atomizes the liquid and the user then inhales the atomized gas through the mouthpiece 35. In some embodiments, the body is further provided with a manual activation device 265, such as a button, switch or touch sensor located outside the body.

The body 20 and the cartomizer 30 may be detachable from each other by separation in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis LA, as shown in fig. 1, but when the device 10 is in use, the body and cartomizer are joined together by a connection (indicated schematically as 25A and 25B in fig. 1) to provide a mechanical and electrical connection between the body 20 and the cartomizer 30. The electrical connector 25B on the body 20 for connection to the cartomizer 30 also serves as a receptacle for connection to a charging device (not shown) when the body 20 is detached from the cartomizer 30. The other end of the charging device may be plugged into a USB receptacle to recharge the battery cells in the body 20 of the e-cigarette 10. In other implementations, a cable may be provided to make a direct connection between the electrical connector 25B on the body 20 and the USB receptacle.

The electronic cigarette 10 is provided with one or more holes (not shown in fig. 1) for air inlets. These holes connect to air passages through the e-cigarette 10 to the mouthpiece 35. When a user draws in through the mouthpiece 35, air is drawn into the air channel through one or more air inlet apertures, suitably located on the outside of the electronic cigarette. When the heater is activated to atomize the nicotine from the cartridge, the airflow passes through the cartridge and combines with the generated atomized gas, and this combination of airflow and generated atomized gas then flows out of the mouthpiece 35 for inhalation by the user. In addition to being in a single use device, when the liquid supply is exhausted, the cartomizer 30 may be removed from the body 20 and discarded (and replaced with another cartomizer if desired).

It should be appreciated that the e-cigarette 10 shown in fig. 1 is presented as an example, and that various other implementations may be employed. For example, in some embodiments, the atomizing cartridge 30 is provided as two separable components, namely, a cartridge comprising a liquid reservoir and a mouthpiece (which cartridge may be replaced when liquid from the reservoir is depleted), and an atomizer comprising a heater (which atomizer is typically retained). As another example, the charging facility may be connected to an additional or alternative power source, such as an automobile cigarette lighter.

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

The body 20 includes a battery or battery unit 210 for powering the e-cigarette 10 in response to a user activating the device. In addition, the body 20 includes a control unit 205, e.g., a chip such as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) or a microcontroller, for controlling the electronic cigarette 10. The microcontroller or ASIC includes a CPU or microprocessor. The operation of the CPU and other electronic components is generally controlled, at least in part, by software programs running on the CPU (or other components). Such software programs may be stored in a non-volatile memory (such as ROM) which may be integrated into the microcontroller itself or provided as a separate component. The CPU can access the ROM to load and execute individual software programs when needed. The microcontroller also contains appropriate communication interfaces (and control software) for communicating with other devices in the body 10 as appropriate.

The body 20 also includes a cap 225 to seal and protect the distal (distal) end of the e-cigarette 10. Typically, an air inlet aperture is provided in or adjacent the cap 225 to allow air to enter the body 20 when a user inhales on the mouthpiece 35. The control unit or ASIC may be located beside or at one end of the battery 210. In some embodiments, an ASIC is attached to the sensor unit 215 to detect inhalation on the mouthpiece 35 (or alternatively, the sensor unit 215 may be provided on the ASIC itself). An air path is provided from the air inlet through the electronic cigarette, through the airflow sensor 215 and the heater (in the atomizer or cartomizer 30) to the mouthpiece 35. Thus, when a user inhales on the mouthpiece of the electronic cigarette, the CPU detects such inhalation based on information from the airflow sensor 215.

At the end of the body 20 opposite the cap 225 is a connector 25B for engaging the body 20 to the cartomizer 30. The connector 25B provides a mechanical and electrical connection between the body 20 and the cartomizer 30. The connector 25B includes a body connector 240 that is metallic (silver plated in some embodiments) to serve as one terminal for electrical connection (positive or negative) to the cartomizer 30. The connector 25B also includes an electrical contact 250 to provide a second terminal for electrical connection to the cartomizer 30, the second terminal having an opposite polarity than the first terminal (i.e., the body connector 240). The electrical contact 250 is mounted on a coil spring 255. When the body 20 is attached to the cartomizer 30, the connector 25A on the cartomizer 30 pushes against the electrical contact 250 in a manner that compresses the coil spring in an axial direction (i.e., in a direction parallel to (in collinear alignment with) the longitudinal axis LA). In view of the resilient nature of the spring 255, this compression biases the spring 255 to expand, which has the effect of pushing the electrical contact 250 firmly against the connector 25A of the cartomizer 30, thereby helping to ensure a good electrical connection between the body 20 and the cartomizer 30. The body connector 240 and the electrical contact 250 are separated by a bracket (trestle) 260 made of a non-conductor, such as plastic, to provide good insulation between the two electrical terminals. The bracket 260 is shaped to assist in the mechanical engagement of the connectors 25A and 25B with each other.

As mentioned above, the button 265 (in the form of a manual activation device 265) may be located on the outer housing of the body 20. Button 265 may be implemented using any suitable mechanism operable for manual activation by a user, for example, as a mechanical button or switch, capacitive or resistive touch sensor, or the like. It should also be appreciated that the manual activation device 265 may be located on the outer housing of the cartomizer 30 instead of on the outer housing of the body 20, in which case the manual activation device 265 may be attached to the ASIC via the connections 25A, 25B. Instead of the cap 225 (or in addition to the cap 225), the button 265 may also be located at the end of the body 20.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of an atomization cartridge 30 of the electronic cigarette 10 of fig. 1, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 3 may generally be considered as a cross-section in a plane passing through the longitudinal axis LA of the e-cigarette 10. Note that various components and details of the cartomizer 30, such as wiring and more complex shaping, have been omitted from fig. 3 for clarity.

The cartomizer 30 includes an air passage 355 extending along a central (longitudinal) axis of the cartomizer 30 from the mouthpiece 35 to the connector 25A for connecting the cartomizer 30 to the body 20. A reservoir 360 of liquid is disposed around the air channel 335. The reservoir 360 may be implemented, for example, by providing cotton or foam soaked in a liquid. The cartomizer 30 also includes a heater 365 for heating liquid from the reservoir 360 to generate an aerosol in response to inhalation by a user on the e-cigarette 10 to flow through the air channel 355 and out through the mouthpiece 35. The heater 365 is powered by cables 366 and 367, which in turn are connected to opposite polarities (positive and negative and vice versa) of the battery 210 of the body 20 via the connector 25A (details of wiring between the power cables 366 and 367 and the connector 25A are omitted from fig. 3).

The connector 25A includes an inner electrode 375, which may be silver plated or made of some other suitable metal or conductive material. When the cartomizer 30 is connected to the body 20, the inner electrode 375 contacts the electrical contact 250 of the body 20 to provide a first electrical path between the cartomizer 30 and the body 20. In particular, when connectors 25A and 25B are engaged, inner electrode 375 pushes against electrical contact 250 to compress coil spring 255, thereby helping to ensure good electrical contact between inner electrode 375 and electrical contact 250.

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

The cartomizer connector 370 is provided with two lugs or tabs 380A, 380B that extend in opposite directions away from the longitudinal axis of the electronic cigarette 10, respectively. These tabs are used to provide a bayonet fitting in combination with the body connector 240 for connecting the cartomizer 30 to the body 20. The bayonet fitting provides a firm and secure connection between the cartomizer 30 and the body 20 such that the cartomizer and body remain in a fixed position relative to each other in which rocking or flexing is minimal and any accidental disconnection is very unlikely. At the same time, bayonet fittings provide simple and quick connection and disconnection by insertion and subsequent rotation for connection and rotation (in the opposite direction) and subsequent extraction for disconnection. It should be appreciated that other embodiments may use different forms of connection between the body 20 and the cartomizer 30, such as a snap fit or screw connection.

Fig. 4 is a schematic illustration of certain details of connector 25B at an end of body 20 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure (although most of the internal structure of the connector as shown in fig. 2, such as bracket 260, is omitted for clarity). In particular, fig. 4 shows an outer housing 201 of the body 20, generally in the form of a cylindrical tube. The outer housing 201 may include an inner tube of, for example, metal, an outer covering of paper or the like. The outer housing 201 may also include a manual activation device 265 (not shown in fig. 4) such that the manual activation device 265 is easily accessible to a user.

A body connector 240 extends from the outer housing 201 of the body 20. The body connector 240 as shown in fig. 4 includes two main parts: a shaft portion 241 in the shape of a hollow cylindrical tube sized to fit just inside the outer housing 201 of the body 20; and a lip portion 242 directed in a radially outward direction away from a major Longitudinal Axis (LA) of the e-cigarette. A collar or sleeve 290 surrounds the shaft portion 241 of the body connector 240 at a location where the shaft portion does not overlap the outer housing 201, the collar or sleeve also being in the shape of a cylindrical tube. Collar 290 is retained between lip portion 242 of body connector 240 and outer housing 201 of the body, which together prevent collar 290 from moving in an axial direction (i.e., parallel to axis LA). However, collar 290 is free to rotate about shaft portion 241 (and thus also about axis LA).

As mentioned above, the cap 225 is provided with an air inlet aperture to allow air flow when a user inhales on the mouthpiece 35. However, in some embodiments, a majority of the air entering the device flows through collar 290 and body connector 240 when the user inhales, as indicated by the two arrows in fig. 4.

Referring now to fig. 5, an e-cigarette 10 (or more generally any delivery device as described elsewhere herein) may operate within a broader delivery ecosystem 1. Within a broader transport ecosystem, multiple devices may communicate with each other directly (shown with solid arrows) or indirectly (shown with dashed arrows).

In fig. 5, as an example delivery device, the e-cigarette 10 may communicate directly with one or more other categories of devices (e.g., usingOr Wifi->) The apparatus includes, but is not limited to, a smart phone 100, a dock (dock) 200 (e.g., home refill and/or charging station), a vending machine 300, or a wearable device 400. As described above, these devices may cooperate in any suitable configuration to form a delivery system.

Alternatively or additionally, the delivery device (e.g., e-cigarette 10) may indirectly communicate with one or more of these categories of devices via a network (such as the internet 500), e.g., usingNear field communication, wired links, or integrated mobile data schemes. Also, as described above, therebyThe devices may cooperate in any suitable configuration to form a delivery system.

Alternatively or additionally, the delivery device (e.g., e-cigarette 10) may communicate indirectly with the server 1000 via a network (such as the internet 500), the delivery device itself using, for example, wifi, or via another device in the delivery ecosystem using, for example Or Wifi->Communicate with the smart phone 100, dock 200, vending machine 300, or wearable device 400, and then communicate with a server to relay or report its communication with the e-cigarette 10. Thus, a smart phone, dock, or other device within a delivery ecosystem, such as a point-of-sale system/vending machine, may optionally be used as a hub (hub) for one or more delivery devices having only short-range transmission capabilities. Such a hinge can thus be extended without the need to maintain ongoing +.>Or battery life of the transport device of the mobile data link. It should also be appreciated that different types of data may be transmitted at different priority levels; for example, data related to a user feedback system (such as user factor data or feedback action data, as discussed herein) may be transmitted at a higher priority than more general usage statistics, or similarly, some user factor data related to shorter term variables (such as current physiological data) may be transmitted at a higher priority than user factor data related to longer term variables (such as current weather or day of week). A non-limiting example transmission scheme that allows for higher and lower priority transmissions is a remote wide area network (lowwan).

Meanwhile, other classes of devices in the ecosystem, such as smartphones, docks, vending machines (or any other point-of-sale system), and/or wearable devices, may also communicate indirectly with the server 1000 via a network, such as the internet 500, to implement aspects of their own functionality, or on behalf of a delivery system (e.g., as a relay or co-processing unit). These devices may also communicate with each other directly or indirectly.

It should be appreciated that the delivery ecosystem may include multiple delivery devices (10), for example, because the user owns multiple devices (e.g., to easily switch between different active ingredients or flavors), or because multiple users at least partially share the same delivery ecosystem (e.g., a co-resident user may share a charging dock, but have their own telephone or wearable device). Alternatively, such devices may similarly communicate directly or indirectly with each other and/or with devices within a shared transport ecosystem and/or server.

Turning now to fig. 6, wherein features similar to those of fig. 1 are similarly numbered, the aerosol delivery device may then include at least one wireless receiver 610 configured to receive wireless communication signals. This may include being operable to communicate with a companion device (e.g., a closely associated device within a transport ecosystem, such as a charging hub, or indeed a user's phone or smart watch, etc.) Or->A receiver.

Alternatively, the receiver may be the same as described above, or may be a separate receiver when operating in a different mode.

Alternatively or in addition to at least one wireless receiver 610 on the aerosol delivery device, at least one such wireless receiver 610 may alternatively be provided on a companion device within the delivery ecosystem, which is typically a device that will also accompany the user, such as their telephone or smart watch.

Thus, it should be appreciated that an aerosol delivery system (e.g., an aerosol delivery device optionally operating in conjunction with one or more other devices within the delivery ecosystem, such as a phone or smart watch) may receive wireless communication signals for the following purposes.

Thus, in an embodiment of the present description, the aerosol delivery system 1 comprises an aerosol delivery device 10 and a wireless signal receiver 610 configured to receive wireless communication signals.

The aerosol delivery system further comprises an identification processor (e.g. control unit 205) configured to store (e.g. by suitable software instructions) characteristic data (characterising data) for identifying the periodically received wireless communication signals.

Similarly, the aerosol delivery system further comprises: a correlation processor (e.g., control unit 205) configured to correlate (e.g., by suitable software instructions) user behavior with the identified periodic wireless communication signals received within a predetermined time window relative to user behavior; and a control processor (e.g., control unit 205) configured (e.g., by suitable software instructions) to alter one or more operating parameters of the aerosol delivery device associated with a particular user behavior when one or more wireless communication signals previously associated with the particular user behavior by the associated processor are subsequently received by the wireless signal receiver and identified by the identification processor.

Thus, it should be appreciated that the aerosol delivery system correlates periodic signals in the wireless environment with user behavior (e.g., in terms of interaction with the delivery device and/or use of the delivery device) such that if one or more such signals are encountered again, the system may alter one or more aspects of its functionality in preparation for the expected correlated user behavior, thereby making the system more responsive to the user and easier to use.

Alternatively, the aerosol delivery system may comprise a companion device, such as a user's mobile phone or smart watch, or any other device of the more widespread delivery ecosystem, such as a dock port, in addition to the aerosol delivery device itself.

In this case, the companion device may then optionally include a wireless signal receiver (in this case, typically in addition to a wireless transceiver for communicating with the aerosol delivery device itself, or such transceiver may operate in an alternative mode).

Similarly, the kit may include one or more of an identification processor, an associated processor, and a control processor, or the role of any of these processors may be shared between the aerosol delivery device and the kit to any suitable extent.

Thus, for example, an associated processor that may have to perform cross-correlation between stored wireless signal samples and received wireless signals, or access identification or other metadata within the wireless signals, may be based on the user's mobile phone, which may have a larger battery and a more powerful processor than the delivery device itself.

Similarly, a wireless signal receiver (which may actually comprise a set of different wireless signal receivers) is able to receive a wider number of wireless signal types on a mobile phone than on a delivery device, or in other words, if the delivery device is able to utilize the existing wide range wireless reception capabilities of a companion device (such as a mobile phone), the delivery device may be simpler (e.g., use only low energy bluetooth).

In either case, the range of wireless capabilities may include, for example, one or more of the following:near field transmission (e.g., such as for contactless payment systems, key fobs, etc.), inductive chargers (such as for wireless charging), radio frequency identification transmission (e.g., as found at store security barriers), digital enhanced cordless communication (e.g., cordless telephone signals), and picocells (e.g., mobile cells within a building).

Similarly, the wireless capability may optionally include conventional cellular signals. These may be readily detected by a companion device, such as a telephone, but may also be detected by a suitable delivery device, such as a delivery device equipped with a wireless data modem to communicate with one or more remote servers, such as may be provided by server 1000.

For a given wireless communication signal, the characteristic data may include address data (e.g., wi-Fi access point data, bluetooth beacons or handshaking data, etc.) extracted from the received wireless communication signal. Similarly, the characteristic data may include a transmission protocol of one or more received wireless communication signals (e.g., from a DECT telephone or inductive charger), a frequency of one or more received wireless communication signals (e.g., a carrier frequency, such as 2.4GHz or 5 GHz); and one or more versions of the received wireless communication signal.

Similarly, the environmental impact on the wireless signal itself may form the characteristic data; for example, the relative signal strengths of one or more received wireless communication signals may be indicative of the layout of the current wireless environment and the location of the user therein. Similarly, the delayed propagation characteristics of one or more received wireless communication signals (e.g., multiple receive paths due to reflection) may be indicative of the environment. In particular, such reflection may indicate whether the device is indoors or outdoors (as may be any other characteristic data, such as the presence of a particular device like a wireless printer that may be expected to be indoors); thus, optionally, the control processor may be configured to estimate that the aerosol delivery device is indoors or outdoors based on the received wireless communication signal, and in response, to change one or more operating parameters of the aerosol delivery device.

Alternatively, the recognition processor and/or the correlation processor may not consider characteristic signals that appear common throughout the day or at multiple locations, as these characteristic signals are unlikely to be strongly correlated with a particular behavior. For example, when the detection of the inductive charger may indicate that the user is ready to stop using the conveyor and thus behave in some way, the bluetooth signal itself may be ubiquitous and thus not strongly correlated with any particular behavior of the user. In contrast, a particular device identified by its bluetooth signal may indeed have a strong correlation with behavior; for example, a wireless speaker in a home may be strongly correlated with a user preparing to relax and use their conveyor, while a wireless printer in operation may be strongly correlated with a user not interacting with their conveyor at all.

As a result, therefore, the wireless communication signal may include a signal from a previously associated device (e.g., a device whose identity is broadcast as part of its wireless communication signal and thus may be identified again), and the control processor may be configured to alter the operation of the aerosol delivery device in the presence or absence of one or more such previously associated devices. This can obviously be achieved in the manner described previously, i.e. with the aid of a clear and strong correlation between the correlation means and the user behavior, using a correlation processor. Alternatively or additionally, if an associated device is detected, the control processor may record rules or record rules for the control processor to simply effect the relevant change(s) to one or more operating parameters.

Such rules may be recorded if the correlation between the presence of the associated device and the user's behavior reaches a threshold level. The control processor may then first refer to its rule list to determine if and how to make any changes in response to the detected wireless communication signal and resume use of the associated processor only if the rule is not available.

The correlation processor itself may comprise any suitable correlation scheme. A common example of a related scheme is a machine learning system, such as a neural network. In general, suitable correlation schemes take as input characteristic data as described elsewhere for identifying periodically received wireless communication signals and targeting user behavior that is sensed directly by the delivery device or other devices within the delivery ecosystem (e.g., detecting a touch or change in orientation of the device, which may be a precursor to use), or proxied through changes in operating parameters of the aerosol delivery device caused by those user behaviors (e.g., when pumping on the delivery device, changing settings of the delivery device, or interacting with a UI, etc.).

In practice, the input and target may be simultaneous or may be separated by up to a predetermined period of time, such as ±1 minute, 5 minutes or 10 minutes.

Then, when the characteristic data of the wireless communication signal is input to the correlation scheme, it will output a value corresponding to the intended target. These may be used directly to change one or more operating parameters on which the relevant system is trained as described above, or may be used to categorize user behavior and change one or more operating parameters in response to the categorized user behavior.

As described elsewhere herein, optionally, the location of the wireless signal may be important to relate to user behavior, whether in terms of absolute location or whether the wireless signal is associated with a place.

Thus, alternatively, the aerosol delivery system may comprise a position determining unit, e.g. a GPS positioning unit, which may be found on a companion device, such as a mobile phone, but which may also be incorporated into the aerosol delivery device.

As described elsewhere herein, the resulting location information may be used to determine whether a given characteristic data of the wireless communication signal is ubiquitous or rare, and thus whether it may have low or high relevant importance, to decide whether to change an operating parameter of the aerosol delivery device if that characteristic data reappears.

Obviously, the resulting location information may also optionally be used in combination with the characteristic data to effectively make the wireless communication signal of higher relevant importance at that location.

Still alternatively, the control processor may be configured to associate the received wireless communication signals with one or more determined locations and only so associate one or more user behaviors/uses of the aerosol delivery device with the determined locations. Thus, for example, if a user activates their wireless speaker at regular, but not always home, the system may associate certain actions of the user with turning on the wireless speaker, but alternatively may also associate those specific actions that are co-located with the wireless speaker for the user, even if the wireless speaker is not turned on.

It should be appreciated that similar multipart correlations may be implemented between characteristic data of the wireless communication signal and time and/or date.

In the event that the position determination unit is available, then optionally the aerosol delivery system is configured to change one or more operating parameters of the aerosol delivery system in response to the newly determined position.

In this case, the operating parameter may involve defaulting to a general sleep mode or standby mode, or a default ready mode, assuming that no wireless communication signals that are not yet relevant may be expected to be present in the new location. Alternatively or additionally, the operating parameter may relate to a situational awareness of the aerosol delivery system, and in particular to the reception of wireless communication signals; for example, optionally, the gain of one or more wireless reception modes may be increased to increase the sensitivity to wireless signals, or a polling signal may be sent to prompt the transmission of signals from nearby devices.

Similarly, the aerosol delivery system may be configured to change one or more operating parameters of the aerosol delivery system in response to a newly encountered wireless environment. In other words, in the event that the wireless signal or combination of wireless signals is new and there is no explicit existing correlation between the one or more signals and the user behavior or changed parameter (e.g., if the output of the correlator does not strongly indicate a user behavior or parameter change in response to a detected signal, e.g., the output of the correlator is not above a predetermined threshold), the system may similarly revert to a default sleep mode or standby mode, or default ready mode, and/or may similarly change the situational awareness of the aerosol delivery system, e.g., to interrogate a new wireless communication signal (e.g., revert to a polling or handshake signal to obtain an identification, or increase the gain to improve the signal when a wireless communication signal is received).

The control processor may optionally be operable to set the first active state or the second active state in response to one or more periodically received wireless communication signals or one or more sets thereof. The first active state may be associated with a current or intended disengagement of the user from the aerosol delivery device, and the second active state may be associated with a current or intended engagement of the user with the aerosol delivery device, optionally of a particular type. These states may be considered as corresponding groupings of one or more settings of one or more operating parameters of the aerosol delivery system.

Thus, in general, the first active state has one or more of the following when compared to the second active state: lower power requirements, fewer active functions, lower power settings for one or more functions, and alternative functions for functions of the second active state (e.g., typically lower power alternatives, and/or less interfering functions, such as a quieter alarm clock).

For example, the first active state may include one or more selected from a list consisting of: displaying a first set of information; a display of a first level of information detail; lower duty cycle or lower power data transmission; lower duty cycle or lower power preheat; lower duty cycle or lower power illumination; and a lower duty cycle or lower power condition awareness, wherein "lower" is lower than in the second state. In contrast, for example, the second active state may include one or more selected from a list consisting of: display of a second set of information (separate from or a superset of the first set of information); a display of a second higher level of information detail; higher duty cycle or higher power data transmission; higher duty cycle or higher power heating; higher duty cycle or higher power illumination; and higher duty cycle or higher power condition sensing, where "higher" is higher than in the first state.

Thus, alternatively, the first active state may be characterized as one or more of a lower power state, a lower situational awareness state, a less notified (e.g., notified to a user or companion device) state, a lower wakefulness state, a less UI information state, a quieter state, a cooler state, etc., as compared to the second state.

In the above example, a lower situational awareness status may mean that the duty cycle of the wireless scan is slower, or that the complexity of the data analysis by the recognition processor or related processor is less, etc.

At the same time, the first and second sets of information and the level of information detail may relate to information related to different states and the level of likelihood that the user is engaged with the device at that time.

Thus, for example, in a first state, the delivery device may appear to be fully shut down, or may simply display (or periodically report to the companion device) the status of its battery and payload (e.g., smoke liquid level), e.g., without backlight. Meanwhile, in the second state, other and more detailed information included in the UI may be displayed backlit, such as current payload flavor or intensity, current mode of operation, and optionally pre-heat the heater to pre-nebulization temperature and indicate when it is achieved. Alternatively, the action such as preheating the heater (which uses a relatively large amount of power) may be performed as part of only a third state in which the user has begun to physically interact directly with the delivery device, optionally in a characteristic manner to be used. Optionally, where such a third state is included, the function in the second state may include active sensing for indication of the third state.

Thus, alternatively, the first state may be characterized as a sleep or standby state, the second state may be characterized as a wake or ready state, and the optional third state may be characterized as a ready or pre-use state.

The function differentiated by the first and second states may vary according to: specific delivery devices and/or any associated devices; the strength of correlation between the received wireless communication signal and the user behavior and/or operating parameters; the type of user behavior and/or operating parameters associated with the received wireless communication signals, etc.

Thus, for example, a user action corresponding to tampering with the aerosol delivery device may prompt one type of second active state in which the user interface of the delivery device is backlit and provides more information, while a user action involving use of the aerosol delivery device may prompt another type of second active state involving preheating the heater.

Referring now also to fig. 7, a corresponding method of operation of the aerosol delivery system comprises the steps of:

-receiving a wireless communication signal s710;

-storing characteristic data s720 identifying the periodically received wireless communication signal;

-correlating s730 the user behavior with the identified periodic wireless communication signals received within a predetermined time window relative to the user behavior (e.g. use); and

-changing one or more operating parameters s740 of the aerosol delivery device related to a specific user behaviour when one or more wireless communication signals previously related to the specific user behaviour are subsequently received and identified by the wireless signal receiver.

Variations of the above methods, corresponding to the operation of the various embodiments of the apparatus described and claimed herein, are considered to be within the scope of the present invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Rather, it should be understood that such a method may be performed on conventional hardware suitably adapted by software instructions or by incorporating or replacing dedicated hardware, examples of which are the delivery apparatus of fig. 2 and 6, wherein the control unit 205 (and alternatively or additionally one or more processors within a broader delivery ecosystem) operates under suitable software instructions.

Thus, the required adaptation of existing parts of conventional equivalent devices may be implemented in the form of a computer program product comprising processor-implementable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine readable medium, such as a floppy disk, optical disk, hard disk, solid state disk, PROM, RAM, flash memory or any combination of these or other storage media, or in hardware, such as an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) or FPGA (field programmable gate array), or other configurable circuit suitable for adapting the conventional equivalent devices. Such a computer program may be transmitted via a data signal over a network, such as an ethernet, a wireless network, the internet or any combination of these or other networks, alone.

The foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Accordingly, the disclosure of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, as well as of the other claims. The disclosure (including any readily discernable variations of the teachings herein) in part defines the scope of the preceding claim terms such that no inventive subject matter is dedicated to the public.

Claims (16)

1. An aerosol delivery system comprising:

aerosol delivery means;

a wireless signal receiver configured to receive a wireless communication signal;

an identification processor configured to store characteristic data for identifying the periodically received wireless communication signal;

a correlation processor configured to correlate user behavior with the identified periodic wireless communication signals received within a predetermined time window relative to the user behavior; and

a control processor configured to change one or more operating parameters of the aerosol delivery device related to a particular user behavior when one or more wireless communication signals previously related to the particular user behavior by the correlation processor are subsequently received by the wireless signal receiver and identified by the identification processor.

2. The aerosol delivery system of claim 1, comprising a kit.

3. The aerosol delivery system of claim 2, wherein,

the companion device includes one or more selected from the list consisting of:

i. the wireless signal receiver;

the identification processor;

the correlation processor; and

the control processor.

4. The aerosol delivery system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein:

the wireless communication signals include short range signals of one or more selected from the list consisting of:

i.

ii.

near field transmission;

iv, sensing a charger;

v. radio frequency identification transmission;

digital enhanced cordless communications; and

picocells.

5. The aerosol delivery system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein:

the wireless communication signal comprises a cellular signal.

6. The aerosol delivery system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein:

the feature data includes one or more selected from the list consisting of:

i. identification data or address data extracted from the received wireless communication signal;

a transmission protocol of one or more received wireless communication signals;

The frequency of one or more received wireless communication signals; and

versions of one or more received wireless communication signals.

7. The aerosol delivery system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein:

the wireless communication signal includes a signal from a previously associated device; and is also provided with

The control processor is configured to alter operation of the aerosol delivery device in the presence or absence of one or more such previously associated devices.

8. The aerosol delivery system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein:

the feature data includes one or more selected from the list consisting of:

i. the relative signal strengths of the one or more received wireless communication signals; and

delay characteristics or propagation characteristics of one or more received wireless communication signals.

9. An aerosol delivery system according to any preceding claim, comprising:

a position determining unit; and is also provided with

The control processor is configured to associate the received wireless communication signal with one or more determined locations and to associate one or more user behaviors of the aerosol delivery device with the determined locations.

10. The aerosol delivery system of claim 9, wherein:

the control processor is configured to change one or more operating parameters of the aerosol delivery system in response to the newly determined location.

11. The aerosol delivery system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein:

the control processor is configured to estimate whether the aerosol delivery device is indoors or outdoors based on the received wireless communication signal, and in response, to change one or more operating parameters of the aerosol delivery device.

12. The aerosol delivery system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein:

in response to one or more periodically received wireless communication signals or one or more groups of such wireless communication signals, the control processor is operable to set a first active state, which can include one or more selected from the list consisting of:

i. displaying a first set of information;

display of a first level of information detail;

lower duty cycle or lower power data transmission;

lower duty cycle or lower power preheat;

lower duty cycle or lower power illumination; and

Lower duty cycle or lower power condition sensing.

13. The aerosol delivery system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein:

in response to one or more periodically received wireless communication signals or one or more groups of such wireless communication signals, the control processor is operable to set a second active state, which can include one or more selected from the list consisting of:

i. display of a second set of information (the second set of information being separate from or a superset of the first set of information);

display of a second higher level of information detail;

higher duty cycle or higher power data transmission;

higher duty cycle or higher power heating;

higher duty cycle or higher power illumination; and

higher duty cycle or higher power condition sensing.

14. The aerosol delivery system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein:

the user action includes using the aerosol delivery device.

15. A method of operating an aerosol delivery system, comprising the steps of:

receiving a wireless communication signal;

storing characteristic data for identifying the periodically received wireless communication signals;

Correlating user behavior with the identified periodic wireless communication signals received within a predetermined time window relative to the user behavior; and

when one or more wireless communication signals previously associated with a particular user activity are subsequently received by the wireless signal receiver and identified, one or more operating parameters of the aerosol delivery device associated with the particular user activity are changed.

16. A computer program comprising computer executable instructions adapted to cause a computer system to perform the method of claim 15.