EP4110118A1

EP4110118A1 - Monitoring the composition of a puff from an electronic vaporizer

Info

Publication number: EP4110118A1
Application number: EP21706336.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Miquel BONASTRE LEIVA
Original assignee: Steam Cure SL
Current assignee: Steam Cure SL
Priority date: 2020-02-25
Filing date: 2021-02-24
Publication date: 2023-01-04
Also published as: JP2023514529A; WO2021170688A1; AU2021227548A1; CA3167636A1; CN115151150A; US20230354911A1

Abstract

An electronic vaporizer (1) is disclosed, to vaporize a substance to be inhaled by a user when the user puffs from the vaporizer. The vaporizer is configured to receive a cartridge (11) with a vaporizable substance and with an identification tag (23) associated with the composition of the substance. The vaporizer comprises a controller for obtaining a data set comprising a puff duration parameter, and a communications module configured to send the data set and an identification tag of a cartridge coupled to the vaporizer to a puff composition monitoring system. A system and a method for monitoring the composition of at least one puff performed by a user with an electronic vaporizer are also disclosed.

Description

Monitoring the composition of a puff from an electronic vaporizer

The present disclosure is related to an electronic vaporizer to vaporize a substance to be inhaled by a user when the user puffs from or with the vaporizer, and to a system and method for monitoring the composition of a puff that a user makes from or with an electronic vaporizer.

BACKGROUND ART

Electronic vaporizers are commonly used as substitutes for cigarettes or pipes nowadays, and consumers can find a wide range of different designs, varying in shape and amount of detachable parts.

Most vaporizers use a cartridge, usually containing a certain amount of nicotine (amongst other substances) to be transformed into vapor. The use of tamper-proof cartridges, which users cannot refill or alter, may be useful, for example, to estimate the amount of nicotine the user consumes over a period of time.

Accurate monitoring of the substances inhaled with an electronic vaporizer by a user may be convenient for several purposes, e.g. for medical purposes, when trying to give up smoking, etc., to report the composition of the user’s intake.

However, known monitoring systems generally only provide a statistical or otherwise inaccurate information on the substances and the amounts actually consumed by a user of an electronic vaporizer. In use, some components found inside the cartridge of the vaporizer may evaporate slower or faster, and at different times, depending on different factors. Furthermore, in some cases, new components may be formed during the vaporization of a substance. For example, the temperature reached by a vaporizer’s atomizer over a period of time, the atomizer being already at a high temperature from a previous puff, or the atomizer being at room temperature at the start of the puff may affect the way components react, and thus it can vary the composition of the final intake of the user.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the disclosure, an electronic vaporizer is presented, to vaporize a substance to be inhaled by a user when the user puffs from the vaporizer, the vaporizer being configured to receive a cartridge, the cartridge comprising a vaporizable substance and an identification tag associated with the composition of the vaporizable substance, the vaporizer comprising:

- sensor module for reading the identification tag, and for obtaining vapor generation condition parameters comprising a puff duration parameter and, optionally, in some examples, a temperature parameter; and

- a communications module configured to send the vapor generation condition parameters and an identification tag of a cartridge coupled to the vaporizer, to a puff composition monitoring system.

In the present disclosure, by vapor generation condition parameters it is meant parameters related to the conditions surrounding the generation of vapor, i.e. at the time at least part of the vaporizable substance contained in a cartridge becomes vapor by the effect of the operation of the electronic vaporizer, to be inhaled by a user. Vapor generation condition parameters may be, for example, physical, operational or environmental parameters.

According to an example, the cartridge received by the vaporizer (which may be coupled to the vaporizer) may be pre-filled with a combination of compounds, in the form of a vaporizable liquid substance, and sealed by the manufacturer with an tamper-proof seal, and it may comprise an identification tag which may be, for example, an RFID tag, a QR code, a Barcode, or other similar identification tags or codes. Therefore, the manufacturer may identify each cartridge with a specific tag, which is associated to a specific composition of the substance therein, which may not be altered without breaking the seal.

Liquids with different compositions may react differently while being vaporized, and vapor generation condition parameters (condition parameters hereinafter) such as for example the temperature and/or duration of a puff may change the reactions of each different compound of the liquid vaporizable substance in a different way. For example, some compounds may evaporate slower or faster, and at different times, depending on different factors, or they can sometimes even generate new compounds. Therefore, a puff composition monitoring system may be able to obtain the vapor composition of a puff taking into account a condition parameter, for example a parameter associated with the temperature, and the duration of a puff, and further taking into account a liquid composition of a vaporizable substance which has not been altered from the manufacturers specifications. A puff composition monitoring system may be able to compare the condition parameters and the liquid composition with known data associated with the final vapor composition of the vaporizable substance under said conditions and with that liquid composition. This may render a vapor composition of a puff more precise than the vapor compositions statistically calculated or averaged, which a manufacturer may disclose as the vapor composition of a cartridge. Therefore, monitoring system may determine the composition of the vapor inhaled by a user using the electronic vaporizer, when performing a puff.

According to the disclosure, the vapor generation condition parameters are associated to the conditions under which the puff has been performed: for example, they may be associated with a temperature at the time the puff is performed. More specifically, a temperature parameter may be any parameter related to the temperature at which the vaporizable substance vaporizes, or a parameter which can help approximate this temperature.

This temperature parameter helps determining the vapor composition of a puff (i.e. of a vaporizable substance when its vaporized), because the vapor composition is established by, among other things, the temperature at which the liquid vaporizes.

Furthermore, the puff duration parameter may be considered the duration the time in between the activation of the vaporizer (when it starts to vaporize) and its deactivation, which may be measured in different possible manners.

According to an example of the disclosure, the vaporizer may further comprise an atomizer, the atomizer comprising at least one electrical resistance element configured to be energized in order to vaporize the vaporizable substance, the sensor module receiving the resistance value of the electrical resistance element.

According to this example, the vaporizer may comprise a body housing an atomizer which, in use, may be coupled to a cartridge comprising a vaporizable substance. Such coupling enables the user to vaporize the vaporizable substance by raising its temperature by switching on the atomizer, in order to inhale the vaporizable substance in vapor form. Such switch on may be performed, for example, using an on/off button, or through a suction detector which, upon detecting suction pressure on the mouthpiece of the vaporizer, it may turn on the atomizer.

According to this example, the atomizer may comprise, for example, an electrical resistance element in the form of a resistor or set of resistors, which may be formed as, for example, one or more coils comprising a cotton piece intertwined therein, the atomizer being connected to the controller. Furthermore, the atomizer may be connected to a power source such as, for example, a battery housed in the body of the vaporizer. This way, the user may be able to select the voltage applied to the electrical resistance element through, for example, a selector button, which in turn may control the electricity flow from the battery into the electrical resistance element. Such selector may be found alone or in combination with the previously described on/off button.

When a voltage is selected, an electrical resistance element with a high resistance will imply less electricity flowing through it. On the other hand, an electrical resistance element with low resistance will imply more electricity flowing through it, and therefore more heat generated at the resistance element, thus more vapor may be generated, which may change the composition of the vapor of the puff (besides likely producing a more intense flavour of the puff for the user upon inhaling it). Therefore, the composition of a puff may vary depending on the temperature of the vaporizable substance when being vaporized, which may change depending on the voltage and/or electrical resistance element used.

Furthermore, when the electrical resistance element heats up and vaporizes the liquid vaporizable substance, other compounds from the resistance element itself or from other parts of the interior of the atomizer may also vaporize, thus altering the expected vapor composition of the resulting puff.

Therefore, when the value of the electrical resistance element is detected, the temperature parameter may be further detected based on the sensed resistance value and the voltage applied to the electrical resistance element.

More specifically, the sensor module may receive the resistance value of the electrical resistance element by detecting it through its connection, which, in combination with the applied voltage and, for example, other vapor generation parameters found in the identification tag, may be a group of parameters upon which, from empirical data or temperature calculation, the temperature of the electrical resistance element may be deduced, thus obtaining a temperature parameter.

Said other vapor generation condition parameters found in the identification tag may be the resistance value of the electrical resistance element itself, the material of the resistance element, the material of the cotton piece of the resistance element, or even the date of manufacture of the cartridge, which would indicate the time that the liquid has been therein. All of these vapor generation condition parameters may be used to deduce the temperature parameter.

Alternatively, the resistance value of the electrical resistance element may also be known by the sensor module (for example, it may be pre-recorded inside itself).

The vapor generation condition parameters found in the identification tag are useful because the vapor composition of a puff may vary depending on the material of the electrical resistance element (in the form of, for example, a coil) and a piece of cotton used in combination of the electrical resistance element. More specifically, both the coil and the cotton, depending on the temperature they reach, may react and add new compounds to the vaporized substance, such as metals, formaldehyde, etc... or may even react with other compounds found in the liquid vaporizable substance during the vaporization process, thus changing the final vapor composition of the puff. The date of manufacturing of the cartridge may also be relevant since, after a long period of time inside the cartridge, the liquid therein may have reacted with the air, which may alter the composition of the puffs, when vaporized.

Also, if a predetermined voltage is applied to the electrical resistance element, depending on the suction power, the value of the resistance element and/or the material of the resistance element, the temperature may also be deduced. Therefore the suction power of a puff and the resistance value and/or material, may be used to deduce the temperature.

This way, the puff composition monitoring system may take into account, for example, the electrical power (deducible from the resistance value and the voltage applied) used to vaporize the vaporizable substance.

Furthermore, an example of measurement of the puff duration parameter may be the measurement of the time in between the activation and deactivation of a suction detector as previously described. The puff duration parameter may also be measured, for example, by measuring the time between the activation of an on/off button of the vaporizer, which may switch on and off the electrical resistance element. Alternatively, according to another example of the disclosure, the vaporizer may further comprise an atomizer, the atomizer comprising at least one electrical resistance element configured to be energized in order to vaporize the vaporizable substance, the vaporizer further comprising a temperature sensor, the temperature sensor sensing the temperature of the electrical resistance element.

Sensing the temperature of the electrical resistance element may result in a useful temperature parameter since the vaporizable substance is heated by the electrical resistance element, and the composition in vapor of a puff may vary depending on the sensed temperature.

The temperature of the electrical resistance element, on its own or in combination with the composition of the liquid vaporizable substance, or other known parameters, such as the material of the electrical resistance element, may be helpful to determine the vapor composition of a puff, since new compounds may be generated depending on the sensed temperature and, for example, the material of the electrical resistance.

In other examples of a vaporizer as disclosed herein, the vapor generation condition parameters obtained by the sensor module of the vaporizer, to be employed to determine a composition inhaled by the user in a puff, may not involve a temperature parameter. Furthermore, such vapor generation condition parameters may involve one or more of the specific parameters disclosed in the detailed description below.

Furthermore, according to an example, the electronic vaporizer may further comprise a monitoring module configured to, based on a retrieved puff composition, monitor the amount of at least one compound found within the vapor generated by the vaporizer. Furthermore, the monitoring module may also be programmed to block the delivery of vapor of the vaporizer when a predetermined level or one or more specific compounds have already been delivered, based on a retrieved puff composition. Such monitoring may be performed over a single puff, or may be performed over a determined period of time, when the user may have performed at least one or more puffs.

This way, the amount of a certain compound which the user inhales may be controlled, the compound being, for example, a toxic compound found within the vaporizable liquid, or a toxic compound generated in the vaporizing process, whether it was already found on the liquid or in the vaporized composition. Such control may be useful when the vaporizer is used as, for example, a tool to quit smoking, wherein a doctor prescribes a certain amount of nicotine intake per day or week, thus being able to limit the nicotine intake by monitoring the real amount of nicotine delivered to the user. Furthermore, the intake of a compound may be gradually reduced instead of blocked, in order to calibrate such intake depending on the user’s needs or medical record. Such reduction or blockage may be performed by reducing the vapor output of the vaporizer or reducing it gradually.

Alternatively or additionally, the control of other non-toxic compounds may also be performed, wherein the compound or compounds may be used as, for example, a prescribed drug. This way, for example, a doctor may be able to program the vaporizer in such a way as to monitor the amount of a drug delivered to a patient over a period of time.

Such monitoring of the vapor intake of the user, and the intake of one or more compounds, may be controlled by, for example, changing the voltage of the vaporizer, thus changing the amount of generated vapor, and/or changing it during a period of time, thus accurately varying the intake of a specific compound or compounds delivered to the user.

Any type of monitoring of any compound within the vapor intake of a user may be displayed either to a third party (for example, a doctor) or to the user through, for example, a display found in the electronic vaporizer, or an app on a smartphone, showing the detailed intake of the user. Such intake may be displayed partially (for example, one specific compound, or group of compounds of the intake, based on the retrieved puff compositions) or totally.

Furthermore, the electronic vaporizer may also comprise an electronic display configured to display, for example, the retrieved puff composition (for example, the amounts in weight of each compound of the vapor which may have been inhaled by the user), or the vapor generation condition parameters used to retrieve said puff composition. This way, useful information may be delivered to either the user or, for example, a doctor which may be prescribing a specific treatment for the user, and may be used for monitoring routines of intake of the user and prescribe the future intake of the user, or modify an existing intake to accurately treat the user.

Furthermore, the vaporizer may also be configured to use a plurality of cartridges for delivering a prescribed drug, with a predetermined time of delivery for each of the cartridges. Therefore, patients which may need a strict schedule dosage of a drug and may have difficulties remembering or performing a normal intake, such as patients with a stroke or elder patients, may be able to intake the corresponding drug at the predetermined time by inhaling it through the vaporizer. Furthermore, a placebo cartridge may also be scheduled among the prescribed drug-filled cartridges, to ease the intake within the patient’s routine.

Several examples of vaporizable liquids may be used to be vaporized by using the system according to the present disclosure, wherein each liquid may comprise a different vaporizable composition. An exemplary list of different embodiments of the present disclosure follows, wherein different vaporizable compositions are listed.

In some embodiments, the vaporizable composition comprises an hydrosoluble substance or an hydrosoluble derivative thereof. In some embodiments, the vaporizable composition comprises a glycosylated substance, a polymer derivatized substance and/or a hydrophilic biopolymer. In some embodiments, the vaporizable composition is a pharmaceutical composition comprising a drug or a substance with biological activity. In some embodiments, the biological activity is for example analgesic activity, anxiolytic activity, anti-inflammatory activity, bronchodilator activity, antidepressant activity or antihypertensive activity. In some embodiments, the drug with analgesic activity is e.g., Tetrahydrocannabinol. In some embodiments, the drug with anti-inflammatory activity is a corticosteroid. For example, the corticosteroid is used for the treatment of a respiratory disease, such as asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). In some embodiments, the drug with bronchodilator activity is e.g., a beta-2 adrenergic agonist. In some embodiments, the drug with bronchodilator activity is for example Beclomethasone, Fluticasone, Ciclesonide, Mometasone, Budesonide, Flunisolide, Salmeterol, Formoterol or Vilanterol. In some embodiments, the drug with anti hypertensive activity is e.g., a beta blocker. Particularly, the drug is e.g., Atenolol. In some embodiments, the drug with anxiolytic and antidepressant activity is e.g., a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Particularly, the drug is e.g., Fluoxetine.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a system for monitoring the composition of a puff performed by a user with an electronic vaporizer is presented, the vaporizer being configured to receive a cartridge, and the cartridge comprising a vaporizable substance and an identification tag of the cartridge, the tag being therefore also associated with the composition of the vaporizable substance, the system comprising:

- a repository of mapping between vapor generation condition parameters and puff compositions, for each identification tag; and - a controller configured to:

- receive from the electronic vaporizer the identification tag of a cartridge coupled to the electronic vaporizer, and vapor generation condition parameters, the parameters comprising a puff duration parameter; - access the repository of mapping between vapor generation condition parameters and puff compositions, for each identification tag;

- retrieve, from the repository, the puff composition corresponding to the received vapor generation condition parameters and the received identification tag.

The electronic vaporizer that may be used in combination with the disclosed system may be any electronic vaporizer as described herein; it may also be any other kind of vaporizer suitable for receiving a cartridge with a vaporizable composition, and where information may be provided to the controller of the system about the identification of the cartridge and/or the composition contained in the cartridge. In some embodiments, the vaporizer may be a part of the system.

The repository of the system according to the present disclosure may comprise puff compositions, which may be compositions in weight (in mg, for example), pre- calculated depending on different vapor generation condition parameters, for a plurality of different compositions of different vaporizable substances. The compositions of the plurality of vaporizable substances are known based on the identification tag, and the repository has, for each identification tag and therefore for each liquid vaporizable substance composition, a vapor composition previously calculated by testing in a laboratory, such testing involving e.g. vaporizing the vaporizable substance composition under different vapor generation condition parameters and combinations thereof.

In some embodiments of the system, the vapor generation condition parameters comprise a temperature parameter, which may be obtained for example from a sensor module of the electronic vaporizer, as in some examples disclosed herein. The vapor generation condition parameters obtained from the electronic vaporizer may not match exactly with the possible vapor generation condition parameters in the repository, and thus the retrieval may have to be performed by approximating the parameters from the vaporizer to the parameters found in the repository. This approximation may be by averaging the compositions of the closest possible matching parameters, or by choosing among the compositions associated to the repository parameters closer to the parameters from the vaporizer.

Furthermore, the system may be distributed in such a way that a controller may be found in a mobile device (for example a smartphone), the mobile device being connected to the electronic vaporizer, in order to receive the identification tag and the vapor generation condition parameters from the electronic vaporizer. Also, the mobile device may be connected, for example through a wireless connection, to a repository as described, in order to access to it and retrieve the puff composition.

Other possible embodiments of the system may be embodiments wherein the controller is comprised in the electronic vaporizer, the controller receiving the identification tag and the vapor generation condition parameters from the modules of the electronic vaporizer (by, for example, being electrically connected to them in the electronic vaporizer), and the controller being connected, for example through a wireless connection, to a repository as described, in order to access to it and retrieve the puff composition.

Furthermore, in other embodiments, such as this previous case, the repository may alternatively be embedded in the electronic vaporizer itself.

This way, by using the system for monitoring the composition according to the present disclosure, a precise puff composition corresponding to the puff performed by a user with an electronic vaporizer as previously described can be obtained, since more precise compositions have been previously calculated in a laboratory, from actual real vapor of the specific vaporizable substance being vaporized by the user, and pre-stored in a repository, thus making them more precise than statistical approximations or predictions of how the composition of a liquid vaporizable substance will generically be when vaporized as a puff.

According to a further example of the present disclosure, the controller may be further configured to send the composition of the puff to a health monitoring system and/or present the composition of the puff in a display of the system.

Such health monitoring system may use the retrieved puff composition or compositions, from the system according to the present disclosure, to further display information related to the health of the user. More precisely, for example, a health monitoring system may use the puff compositions of the puffs inhaled by a user to monitor the amount of harmful compounds inhaled by the user, and specifically, for example, to monitor the nicotine intake of the user. Such nicotine intake may be important if the user is trying to quit smoking, and the display of such data may be important for the user or for a doctor which monitors a quit plan of a user. Other health monitoring systems may use the compositions for further information which may be related to the health of the user, by using the composition of the vapor intake of the user through periods of time, etc...

Furthermore, according to another example, the controller may further be configured to send at least one vapor generation condition parameter to a health monitoring system and/or present the at least one vapor generation condition parameter in a display of the system.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for monitoring the composition of a puff performed by a user with an electronic vaporizer is presented, the electronic vaporizer being coupled to a cartridge comprising a vaporizable substance and an identification tag associated with the composition of the vaporizable substance, the method comprising:

- obtaining, from the electronic vaporizer:

- the identification tag of the cartridge; and

- vapor generation condition parameters comprising a puff duration parameter representative of the duration of the puff;

- accessing a repository of mapping between vapor generation condition parameters and puff compositions, for each identification tag;

- retrieving, from the repository, the puff composition corresponding to the obtained vapor generation condition parameters and to the identification tag.

By performing the steps of the previously disclosed method, a more precise puff composition of the puff made by a user may be obtained, since the obtained puff composition is retrieved from a repository wherein the real vapor composition of the puff has been taken into account, and not a statistical approximation or prediction based on the liquid composition of the vaporizable substance, and the expected composition of the vapor when the substance is vaporized.

In some embodiments of the method, the vapor generation condition parameters comprise a temperature parameter, which may be obtained for example from a sensor module of the electronic vaporizer, as in some examples disclosed herein.

According to an example of the present disclosure, the vaporizer may comprise an atomizer with an electrical resistance element, the temperature parameter being the temperature of the electrical resistance element, and the step of obtaining the temperature parameter may comprise detecting a resistance value of the electrical resistance element and determining the temperature parameter based on the detected resistance and the voltage applied to the electrical resistance element.

According to an alternative example of the present disclosure, the vaporizer may comprise an atomizer with an electrical resistance element, the temperature parameter being the temperature of the electrical resistance element, and the step of obtaining the temperature parameter may comprise the temperature of the electrical resistance element, and determining the temperature parameter based on the sensed temperature.

According to an example of the disclosure, the method may further comprise determining the temperature parameter at a starting time of the puff.

Taking into account the temperature parameter at the start of the puff may render the final puff composition more precise, since, for example, the electrical resistance element may be pre-heated before making a puff, and it may vary the final puff composition, compared to the electrical resistance element being at room temperature.

According to another example of the present disclosure, the method may further comprise sending the retrieved puff composition to a health monitoring system and/or to a display of the electronic vaporizer.

According to another example of the present disclosure, the method may further comprise sending at least one vapor generation condition parameter to a health monitoring system and/or to a display of the electronic vaporizer. According to an example of the present disclosure, the method may further comprise repeating, for each puff of the user with the electronic vaporizer, the step of obtaining vapor generation condition parameters comprising, at least, a puff duration parameter and a temperature parameter, and the steps of accessing the repository and retrieving the puff composition from the repository; and sending the individual puff compositions, or the composition resulting from a plurality of puffs, to a health monitoring system and/or to a display of the electronic vaporizer.

This way, a precise monitoring of the real vapor composition of the intake of a user (which may perform several puffs), by inhaling it through an electronic vaporizer, may be achieved in real time.

According to another example of the disclosure, the repository may further map the vapor generation condition parameters and the puff compositions, for each identification tag, with at least one additional parameter selected from the manufacturing date of the cartridge, the material of the electrical resistance element, the material of a cotton piece of the atomizer, or the suction power of the puff.

According to a further example of the disclosure, at least some of the additional parameters may be comprised in the identification tag.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a computer program product is presented, comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the steps of the method previously described.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is presented, comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the steps of the method previously described.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a partially exploded view of an example of an electronic vaporizer of the present disclosure.

Figure 2A is a perspective view of an example of a cartridge of the present disclosure, and Figure 2B is an exploded view of the example of the previous figure.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of an example of a cartridge of the present disclosure.

Figure 4 is a perspective of the body of an electronic vaporizer of the present disclosure.

Figure 5 illustrates the system for monitoring the composition of at least one puff, according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 shows an exploded view of an example of an electronic vaporizer 1 according to the present disclosure, the vaporizer comprising a body 12 and a detachable cartridge 11. The body 12 houses a battery (not shown) and a controller (not shown), and it receives the cartridge 11 through an opening 15 at one end of the body 12. In this specific embodiment, the cartridge comprises a liquid container 22 with a vaporizable substance, and an atomizer with an electrical resistance element (not shown) which is used to vaporize the vaporizable substance of the cartridge. Furthermore, the body 12 comprises an on/off button 14, used to switch on and off the atomizer.

On the other hand, the controller comprises a sensor module, which may be built-in in the controller, to obtain a data set comprising vapor generation condition parameters. Furthermore, the controller may also comprise a built-in communications module to send the obtained data set to a puff composition monitoring system.

Figures 2A and 2B show the cartridge 11 , which has a mouthpiece 21 through which the user inhales the vapor, and an atomizer 32 which, as seen in the exploded view of figure 2B, further comprises an electrical resistance element in the form of a resistor (found inside the atomizer 32), which, when the cartridge is coupled to the body 12 of the vaporizer, is used to heat the liquid of the liquid container 22 in order to vaporize it, the resistance being formed as a coil, and further comprising a cotton piece placed along the coil, to help to vaporize the liquid. The atomizer has an electrical connector 24 which, when the cartridge is coupled to the body of the vaporizer, connects the atomizer to the battery of the vaporizer. The cartridge further comprises a liquid container 22, which is tamper-proof, which contains the liquid to be vaporized. Examples of such cartridge may be the commercially available cartridges by JUUL LABS ™ and myBLU ™. In this example, the cartridge is tamper-proof so users cannot refill or alter the liquid inside the liquid container 22. Furthermore, the mouthpiece has several holes to let air flow into the atomizer so a puff can be done. The cartridge also further comprises a magnet coupling (not shown) to keep the cartridge fastened to the vaporizer’s body, and a suction detector 25, which, when the cartridge is coupled to the vaporizer, is connected to the controller, to detect when the user is suctioning vapor through the mouthpiece 21 , and/or the suction power of the puff of a user.

In this example, when the cartridge 11 is coupled to the body 12 of the vaporizer, the resistor of the atomizer 32 is further connected to the controller through its sensor module, which senses the resistor temperature. This way, when sensing the temperature of the resistor, a very good measurement is achieved, since a built-in temperature sensor in the controller can easily detect an accurate temperature measurement of an electrical device connected to itself. Further vapor generation condition parameters are obtained through the sensor module of the controller. Also, the suction power of a puff can be detected through the suction detector 25, which, when the cartridge 11 is coupled to the body 12 of the vaporizer is also connected to the sensor module, thus allowing the controller to detect when the user starts to suction (when a puff starts) and/or the suction power of a puff performed by a user. Further condition parameters will be described further on.

Furthermore, the cartridge 11 also comprises an identification tag 23, in the form of an RFID tag. This way, when the cartridge 11 is coupled to the body 12 of the vaporizer, the sensor module of the controller is able to obtain the identification from the RFID tag 23.

Figure 3 shows another view the base of the cartridge 11 , wherein the RFID tag 23, the electrical connector 24 of the atomizer and the suction detector 25 can be seen in more detail. Figure 4 shows a further view of the body 12 of the vaporizer, which comprises, at the receiving end of the body, an electrical connector 27, which receives the atomizer’s electrical connector 24, in order to connect the resistor both to the battery of the vaporizer and to the controller. Furthermore, the body 12 also comprises a connector 26 which, when the cartridge 11 is coupled to the body 12, connects the suction detector 25 of the cartridge 11 to the sensor module of the vaporizer’s controller. This way, the controller can detect when a user is suctioning vapor from the atomizer, through the mouthpiece, and/or the suction power of a puff.

Figure 5 shows an example of a health monitoring system, which incorporates a puff composition monitoring system according to the present disclosure. An electronic vaporizer 1 according to an example of the present disclosure, is connected through a wireless network 32 to a mobile device 31 , wherein the network 32 may be the Internet, and the mobile device 31 may be a smartphone comprising a health monitoring app, in this case, for a doctor to remotely monitor the evolution of a smoking quit plan of the user of the vaporizer. Alternatively, the smartphone 31 may also be used by the user himself, in order to receive information about his vapor intake evolution while using the electronic vaporizer 1.

The smart phone 31 is also connected via a wireless network 30, which may also be the Internet, to a puff composition repository 33, which in this example is a puff composition database 33, as previously described in the present disclosure.

The puff composition database 33 comprises a plurality of identification tags, each one being associated with a cartridge 11 and a known composition of the liquid found in the cartridge 11. For each identification tag, i.e. for each cartridge, the database has a plurality of vapor compositions obtained by testing in a laboratory, with different vapor generation conditions and their corresponding vapor generation condition parameters.

Each of the plurality of vaporized substance compositions is classified associated to a plurality or set of vapor generation condition parameters of the puff. Such set of possible condition parameters may have been replicated in a laboratory, vaporizing each liquid composition with each possible condition parameter of a set of condition parameters (i.e. performing puffs under different conditions), and measuring the exact vapor composition in weight for each specific combination among a set of possible combinations, thus obtaining a puff composition (from the vaporized vaporizable substance, hence a composition in weight, in vapor form), corresponding to each combination of vapor generation condition parameters selected from the set. That is, for example, a group of known liquid substances (i.e. , their compositions are known due to the cartridges being identified by their identification tag from the manufacturer), have been vaporized in a laboratory, performing a pre-set number of possible puffs, with a pre-set number of possible durations each puff, with a pre-set number of different temperatures, etc...

Such possible vapor generation condition parameters may be selected from the following open list:

- Temperature of the coil;

- Resistance value of the coil (for example, in ohms);

- Power applied to the coil (in Watts or Voltage and Resistance of the coil);

- Duration of the puff (in seconds);

- Resistance material (the system may take into account a preestablished set of possible materials);

- Oxygen level within the tank, and amount of time that the substance found within the cartridge has been in contact with the liquid within the tank (for example, if the cartridge has been left half-empty for ten days, nicotine may oxidize and form nitrosamine compounds, which are mostly carcinogenic).

- Manufacturing date of the cartridge (obtained through the identification tag of the cartridge). The same may happen as in the above case, where the nicotine found in the liquid of the cartridge may oxidize (slower, since in case of the cartridge being new, there is less air inside the liquid container), and nitrosamine compounds may be formed after weeks.

- Suction power: a measurement of the power of the airflow, or the quantity of air suctioned or inhaled by the user in a puff or in a period of time, which can be measured in, for example Kpa, Watts, Amps, CFM (cubic feet per minute) or AW (Air Watts). This parameter may increase the precision of the obtaining of the composition. For example, a user may press an on/off button of the vaporizer (thus switching on the resistor of the atomizer) but may not be sucking air for 5 seconds. Meanwhile, the resistor may have increased its temperature, but no vaporizable substance may have been actually vaporized. Therefore, taking suction power into account, false puff detections may be avoided. Also, the resistance’s temperature may have increased faster than if the atomizer was vaporizing the liquid substance. Furthermore, if the user has suctioned air during only part of the puff duration, some liquid substance may have been stuck in the atomizer and, when the puff is finished, it may go back to the liquid container, to be vaporized further on. Combining the measurement of the suction power with the use of only a suction detector to switch on and off the atomizer may decrease dramatically the false detection of puffs, and other composition changes of the liquid and/or vaporized substance.

Depending on the variation of such condition parameters, the components of the inhaled vapor may vary in different degrees. Therefore, a thorough laboratory analysis of the vaporization of a set of vaporizable substances (whose composition is fixed and are associated with a known identification tag) under an array of possible condition parameters, forms a database of possible vapor puff compositions. This way, a user may perform several puffs under several circumstances (measured with parameters, i.e. from the above open list of parameters, among other possible condition parameters) which have been previously studied under the same circumstances, and whose compositions can be retrieved from the database.

Therefore, in use, a set of condition parameters is obtained through the sensor module of the controller of the electronic vaporizer 1 , and the identification tag form the cartridge. Then, both the obtained set and the identification tag are sent through the communications module of the controller of the vaporizer 1 to the smartphone 31 in the form of a data set, through Internet connection 32. The following chart shows an example of a data set obtained by the electronic vaporizer 1 and sent, according to the example of the present disclosure, to the smartphone 31. Once the smartphone receives the data set, it uses it to retrieve a corresponding vapor composition of the corresponding puffs made by the user, from the puff composition database 33, through Internet connection 30.

In this example, the Coil Temperature is the temperature reached by the coil of the vaporizer’s atomizer at the end of the puff, but other temperatures may be taken into account, such as the temperature of the coil at the beginning of the puff, or an average temperature between the beginning and the end of the puff.

Also, the e Liquid Composition Code is the identification tag of the cartridge, in order to identify a liquid composition of the vaporizable substance found in the liquid container of the cartridge.

Alternative or additional parameters may be, for example, the time when a puff is done and the location of the user at that time (based on its geolocalization). These parameters may help to determine consumption habits or patterns of the user, thus helping a doctor to design a proper prescription for the user. The following chart shows an example of said condition parameters.

According to this example, in a non-restrictive way, the following list of components may be detected in laboratory conditions under all the described parameters:

Nicotine, Ethylene Glycol, Diethylene Glycol, Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde, Acrolein, Cronotaldehyde, Specific nitrosamines from tobacco, Cadmium, Chrome, Copper, Lead, Nickel, Arsenic, Toluene, Benzene, "1,3-Butadiene", Isoprene, Diacetyl, Acetyl Propionyl, Vitamin E Acetate, Acetoin, Benzaldehyde, Butyric Acid, Furfuraldehyde, Isobutyric acid, Propionaldehyde, "2,3-Pentanedione", Propionic acid, "2,3- Hexanedione", "3,4-Hexanedione"

The following chart shows an example of puff compositions in weight, retrieved from a puff composition database 33 according to the present example.

By using the puff composition monitoring system of the example of the present disclosure, a more precise analysis of the components that the user has inhaled is achieved, since the composition is obtained taking into account the emission of vapor, and not an approximation of the resulting vapor composition based on the liquid composition of the vaporizable substance (i.e. previous to being vaporized).

A larger amount of condition parameters of the puffs associated with the electronic vaporizer 1, will result in a more precise (and closer to reality) vapor composition actually inhaled by the user. Such vapor composition may vary depending on the use of the electronic vaporizer 1 : for example, a large amount of short puffs may result in a different vapor composition of the inhaled substance, compared to fewer but longer puffs, vaporizing the same amount and type of liquid vaporizable substance.

Furthermore, the vapor composition may also vary depending on the type of cotton of the coil of the atomizer, or the material of the coil. For example, if the vaporizable liquid runs low, and the cotton of the atomizer cannot absorb enough liquid or its been over-used, the last puffs may comprise a higher amount of formaldehyde than the first ones (when the cartridge is full of liquid), thus making them more toxic for the user. Also, in such a case, the resistor may overheat and may partially burn part of the cotton in contact with it, thus producing more harmful metal components. In this cases, new components not found in the liquid itself may be formed, thus severely changing the expected vapor compositions of those puffs.

Another example may be when a liquid is subject to different temperatures in order to be vaporized: the amounts of compounds of the vapor, and hence its composition, may vary, since some compounds of the liquid may vaporize while other may carbonize. Sometimes, after heavy use of the vaporizer, the coil may be dirty, and compounds may form a crust, sticking to the coil and burning in such a way that they generate new compounds due to carbonization. Such new compounds may also substitute the compounds expected to be generated when the vaporizable substance is only vaporized. In some cases, carbonization may form extremely toxic unexpected compounds which do not normally form under normal vaporization conditions.

In summary, the commonly used calculation of expected inhaled vapor composition made by manufacturers, which is normally displayed as information enclosed with the cartridge, may not be close to the final real inhalation made by a user.

The health monitoring system of figure 5 may have alternative embodiments, wherein the obtained composition of one or more puffs may be used as information to achieve different goals.

For example, the puff composition monitoring system of the present disclosure may be used as part of a system for quitting smoking. Such system could be used by the patient in the form of a reward and/or motivational app or could be controlled by a doctor as part of a plan to quit smoking of a patient. In these systems, the monitoring of the composition of a user’s vapor intake is used to account the nicotine consumption of a user, over a period of time. Therefore, a detailed log of nicotine intake may be useful to regulate the number of cartridges or the type of cartridges used by the smoker who is trying to quit smoking by using an electronic vaporizer. More specifically, patterns on his vapor intake may indicate that a first prescription of a type and amount of cartridges for the user may not be convenient since the user’s nicotine consumption, due to several condition parameters (some or all of the ones taken into account in the monitoring of the composition of the puffs of the present disclosure), may result in a higher nicotine intake than the prescribed one.

This way, a Doctor (or the user himself) can change the number or type of cartridges used in order to achieve the goal of a (smoking) “quit plan”. For example, a common amount of prescribed nicotine usually is 40 mg per day, but due to, for example, the user’s type of puffs (short and continuous ones), a prescribed number of cartridges which usually results in such intake, may be in fact resulting in a higher nicotine intake (and/or the intake of other harmful substances). Such nicotine intake log may be displayed, for example, in an app of a phone, either of the user or of the Doctor. The app may show an intake record, which may be helpful to determine, for example, the next nicotine prescription.

Besides nicotine, the log may be used to detect further substances which may cause allergies to the user, unbeknownst to himself. This way, intake data may be cross- referenced with allergies symptoms in order to pinpoint which component or components the user is allergic to.

Also, in another example, the app may display the evolution of the patient’s health from the moment a quit plan is started until it is finished. The app may compare, for example, spirometry data, blood flow or other similar health parameters, obtained at the beginning of a quit plan and the same data obtained after the plan is over. This way, the results of said health parameters may be compared with more precise vapor compositions, thus making a more precise correlation cause-effect between health parameters and what has actually been inhaled by the patient.

A portable spirometry kit could be attached to the electronic vaporizer, in order for the controller to obtain a spirometry-related health parameter and send it to a health monitoring system, to be used in a correlation study with the vapor compositions of a period of time.

Therefore, in general, a doctor may be able to remotely trace more precisely the effect of a specific intake of vapor by the user (with a specific vapor composition), correlating any health parameter with a precise intake vapor composition of the user, obtaining many possible health studies.

Furthermore, the same health studies can be used as a motivational tool for the user, in order to quit smoking, when displayed in an informational app in, for example, a mobile device. Therefore, all the data of any health study obtained by using the user’s intake vapor composition over periods of time, can be shown to the user in a graphic manner, and can be linked to information about the health effects of such data, by using general health data related to the specific health study of the user. Such general health data may be in the form of medical articles, studies, papers, news and other related information relevant to the user.

It can also be compared to the previous user’s intake of tobacco, comparing the user’s health studies before and after starting using the electronic vaporizer, and the differences in the user’s intake. This way, the user may have been smoking fifteen cigarettes a day, with a specific intake smoke composition, and now it may be intaking an amount of vapor with a less harmful intake vapor composition, which can motivate the user to keep using the vaporizer instead of smoking cigarettes and, for example, follow a doctor’s prescription.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring the composition of a puff performed by a user with an electronic vaporizer, the vaporizer being configured to receive a cartridge (11), the cartridge comprising a vaporizable substance and an identification tag (23) associated with the composition of the vaporizable substance, the system comprising:

- a repository (33) of mapping between vapor generation condition parameters and puff compositions, for each identification tag;

- a controller configured to:

- receive from the electronic vaporizer (1) the identification tag (23) of a cartridge (11) coupled to the electronic vaporizer (1), and vapor generation condition parameters, the parameters comprising a puff duration parameter;

- access the repository (33) of mapping between vapor generation condition parameters and puff compositions, for each identification tag;

- retrieve, from the repository (33), the puff composition corresponding to the received vapor generation condition parameters and the received identification tag.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the vapor generation condition parameters received from the electronic vaporizer (1) further comprise a temperature parameter.

3. The system according to any of claims 1 or 2, wherein the controller is further configured to send the composition of the puff to a health monitoring system and/or present the composition of the puff in a display of the system.

4. A method for monitoring the composition of a puff performed by a user with an electronic vaporizer (1), the electronic vaporizer (1) being coupled to a cartridge (11) comprising a vaporizable substance and an identification tag (23) associated with the composition of the vaporizable substance, the method comprising:

- obtaining, from the electronic vaporizer (1): - the identification tag (23) of the cartridge (11); and

- vapor generation condition parameters comprising a puff duration parameter representative of the duration of the puff; - accessing a repository (33) of mapping between vapor generation condition parameters and puff compositions, for each identification tag;

- retrieving, from the repository (33), the puff composition corresponding to the obtained vapor generation condition parameters and to the identification tag (23).

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the vapor generation condition parameters further comprise a temperature parameter.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the vaporizer comprises an atomizer (32) with an electrical resistance element, the temperature parameter being the temperature of the electrical resistance element, and obtaining the temperature parameter comprises detecting a resistance value of the electrical resistance element and determining the temperature parameter based on the detected resistance and the voltage applied to the electrical resistance element.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the vaporizer comprises an atomizer (32) with an electrical resistance element, the temperature parameter being the temperature of the electrical resistance element, and obtaining the temperature parameter comprises sensing the temperature of the electrical resistance element, and determining the temperature parameter based on the sensed temperature.

8. The method according to any of claims 5 to 7, comprising determining the temperature parameter at a starting time of the puff and/or at the end time of the puff.

9. The method according to any of claims 4 to 8, further comprising sending the retrieved puff composition to a health monitoring system and/or to a display of the electronic vaporizer.

10. The method according to any of claims 4 to 9, wherein the repository (33) further maps the vapor generation condition parameters and the puff compositions, for each identification tag, with at least one additional parameter selected from the manufacturing date of the cartridge, the material of the electrical resistance element, the material of a cotton piece of the atomizer, or the suction power of the puff.

11. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the steps of the method of any of claims 4 to 10.

12. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the steps of the method of any of claims 4 to 10.

13. An electronic vaporizer (1) to vaporize a substance to be inhaled by a user when the user puffs from the vaporizer, the vaporizer being configured to receive a cartridge (11), the cartridge comprising a vaporizable substance and an identification tag (23) associated with the composition of the vaporizable substance, the vaporizer comprising:

- a sensor module for reading the identification tag (23), and for obtaining vapor generation condition parameters comprising a puff duration parameter; and - a communications module configured to send the vapor generation condition parameters and the identification tag (23) of a cartridge (11) coupled to the vaporizer, to a puff composition monitoring system.

14. The electronic vaporizer (1) according to claim 13, wherein the vapor generation condition parameters obtained by the sensor module further comprise a temperature parameter.

15. The electronic vaporizer (1) according to claim 14, wherein the vaporizer (1) further comprises an atomizer (32), the atomizer comprising at least one electrical resistance element configured to be energized in order to vaporize the vaporizable substance, wherein the sensor module obtains the temperature parameter by obtaining the temperature of the electrical resistance element, or receiving the resistance value of the electrical resistance element.

16. The system according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the puff compositions mapped within the repository comprise the amount in weight of at least one compound.

17. The system according to claim 2, wherein the temperature parameter corresponds to the temperature of the vapor at the beginning and/or the end of the puff.

18. The electronic vaporizer (1) according to claim 14, wherein the temperature parameter corresponds to the temperature of the vapor at the beginning and/or the end of the puff.

19. The electronic vaporizer (1) according to any of claim 13 to 15, wherein the vaporizer (1) further comprises an electronic display configured to display the retrieved puff composition.

20. The electronic vaporizer (1) according to claim 19, wherein the electronic display is configured to display at least one vapor generation condition parameter used to retrieve the puff composition.