EP4203724A1

EP4203724A1 - Article for an aerosol provision system

Info

Publication number: EP4203724A1
Application number: EP21805585.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Howard ROTHWELL; Mohammed Al-Amin
Original assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Current assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Priority date: 2020-10-22
Filing date: 2021-10-22
Publication date: 2023-07-05
Also published as: WO2022084687A1; MX2023004552A; CA3196504A1; US20240000143A1

Abstract

An article for an aerosol provision system comprises an aerosol generator, article control circuitry and one or more connectors electrically coupled to the aerosol generator and the article control circuitry. In use, the article control circuitry and the aerosol generator receive electrical power via the one or more connectors.

Description

ARTICLE FOR AN AEROSOL PROVISION SYSTEM

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an article for an aerosol provision system and an aerosol provision system comprising the article.

BACKGROUND

Electronic aerosol provision systems such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) generally contain an aerosol-generating material, such as a reservoir of a source liquid containing a formulation, typically including nicotine, or a solid material such as a tobaccobased product, from which an aerosol is generated for inhalation by a user, for example through heat vaporisation. Thus, an aerosol provision system will typically comprise an aerosol generator, e.g. a heating element, arranged to aerosolise a portion of aerosolgenerating material to generate an aerosol in an aerosol generation region of an air channel through the aerosol provision system. As a user inhales on the device and electrical power is supplied to the aerosol generator, air is drawn into the device through one or more inlet holes and along the air channel to the aerosol generation region, where the air mixes with the vaporised aerosol generator and forms a condensation aerosol. The air drawn through the aerosol generation region continues along the air channel to a mouthpiece, carrying some of the aerosol with it, and out through the mouthpiece for inhalation by the user.

It is common for aerosol provision systems to comprise a modular assembly, often having two main functional parts, namely an aerosol provision device and an article. Typically the article will comprise the consumable aerosol-generating material and the aerosol generator (heating element), while the aerosol provision device part will comprise longer-life items, such as a rechargeable battery, device control circuitry and user interface features. The aerosol provision device may also be referred to as a reusable part or battery section and the article may also be referred to as a consumable, disposable/replaceable part, cartridge or cartomiser.

The aerosol provision device and article are mechanically coupled together at an interface for use, for example using a screw thread, bayonet, latched or friction fit fixing. When the aerosol-generating material in an article has been exhausted, or the user wishes to switch to a different article having a different aerosol-generating material, the article may be removed from the aerosol provision device and a replacement article may be attached to the device in its place. Alternatively, some articles are configured such that, after the aerosol-generating material in the article has been exhausted, the article can be refilled with more aerosol-generating material, thereby allowing the article to be reused. In this example, the user is able to refill the article using a separate reservoir of aerosol-generating material. The aerosol-generating material used to refill the article may be the same or different to the previous aerosol-generating material in the article, thereby allowing the user to change to a different aerosol-generating material without purchasing a new article.

Refilling the article with aerosol-generating material extends the life of the article as its use is no longer limited by the volume or amount of aerosol-generating material that the article can hold. As a result, the use of the article may be limited by other factors, such as the life of individual components within the article. Continuous use of the article may therefore result in degradation or fault developing in components within the article. The article may therefore become less reliable, the operation of the article less predictable or the article may stop working entirely, each of which has a negative impact on the user experience.

Various approaches are described herein which seek to help address or mitigate some of the issues discussed above.

SUMMARY

The disclosure is defined in the appended claims.

In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided an article for an aerosol provision system comprising an aerosol generator, article control circuitry and one or more connectors electrically coupled to the aerosol generator and the article control circuitry. In use, the article control circuitry and the aerosol generator receive electrical power via the one or more connectors.

The aerosol generator and article control circuitry can be electrically connected in parallel.

A pull down resistor may be provided to modify the voltage of the electrical power supplied to the article control circuitry.

In use, data can be transferred, using the connectors, between the article control circuitry and a device coupled to the article.

There may also be one or more data connectors electrically coupled to the article control circuitry. In use, data is transferred, using the connectors, between the article control circuitry and a device coupled to the connectors and the data connectors.

A switch may be provided, and the article control circuitry can be configured to control electrical power supplied to the aerosol generator by actuating the switch. The article control circuitry can be configured to actuate the switch based on a value of a counter stored in memory of the article control circuitry. The switch can be in series with the aerosol generator, and the switch can be integrated into the article control circuitry. In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided an aerosol provision system comprising the article described herein. The aerosol provision system can comprise an aerosol provision device.

In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided a method of controlling an article for an aerosol provision system comprising receiving electrical power from a device coupled to the article via one or more connectors, and controlling electrical power supplied to the aerosol generator via the one or more connectors and controlling data transfer between the article and device in response to an inhalation on the aerosol provision system by a user of the aerosol provision system.

There is also provided a computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, performs the above method.

These aspects and other aspects will be apparent from the following detailed description. In this regard, particular sections of the description are not to be read in isolation from other sections.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

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

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol provision system;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an example article for use in the aerosol provision system illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a further schematic diagram of an example article for use in the aerosol provision system illustrated in Figure 1;

Figures 4A and 4B are further schematic diagrams of example articles 30 for use in the aerosol provision system 10 illustrated in Figure 1;

Figures 5A and 5B are further schematic diagrams of example articles 30 for use in the aerosol provision system 10 illustrated in Figure 1;

Figures 6A to 6F are further schematic diagrams of example articles 30 for use in the aerosol provision system 10 illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a flow chart of a method of controlling an article for an aerosol provision system.

Figure 8 is a flow chart of a further method of controlling an article for an aerosol provision system.

Figure 9 is a flow chart of a further method of controlling an article for an aerosol provision system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments are discussed/described herein. Some aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments may be implemented conventionally and these are not discussed/described in detail in the interests of brevity. It will thus be appreciated that aspects and features of articles and systems discussed herein which are not described in detail may be implemented in accordance with any conventional techniques for implementing such aspects and features.

The present disclosure relates to aerosol provision systems, which may also be referred to as aerosol provision systems, such as e-cigarettes. Throughout the following description the term “e-cigarette” or “electronic cigarette” may sometimes be used, but it will be appreciated this term may be used interchangeably with aerosol provision system and electronic aerosol provision system.

As noted above, aerosol provision systems (e-cigarettes) often comprise a modular assembly including both a reusable part (aerosol provision device) and a replaceable (disposable) or refillable cartridge part, referred to as an article. Systems conforming to this type of two-part modular configuration may generally be referred to as two-part systems or devices. It is also common for electronic cigarettes to have a generally elongate shape. For the sake of providing a concrete example, certain embodiments of the disclosure described herein comprise this kind of generally elongate two-part system employing refillable cartridges. However, it will be appreciated the underlying principles described herein may equally be adopted for other electronic cigarette configurations, for example modular systems comprising more than two parts, as devices conforming to other overall shapes, for example based on so-called box-mod high performance devices that typically have a more boxy shape.

As described above, the present disclosure relates to (but it not limited to) articles of aerosol provision systems, such as e-cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

Figure 1 is a highly schematic diagram (not to scale) of an example aerosol provision system 10, such as an e-cigarette, to which embodiments are applicable. The aerosol provision system 10 has a generally cylindrical shape, extending along a longitudinal or y axis as indicated by the axes (although aspects of the invention are applicable to e- cigarettes configured in other shapes and arrangements), and comprises two main components, namely an aerosol provision device 20 and an article 30.

The article 30 comprises or consists of aerosol-generating material 32, part or all of which is intended to be consumed during use by a user. An article 30 may comprise one or more other components, such as an aerosol-generating material storage area 39, an aerosol-generating material transfer component 37, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a mouthpiece 35, a filter and/or an aerosol-modifying agent. An article 30 may also comprise an aerosol generator 36, such as a heating element, that emits heat to cause the aerosol-generating material 32 to generate aerosol in use. The aerosol generator 36 may, for example, comprise combustible material, a material heatable by electrical conduction, or a susceptor. It should be noted that it is possible for the aerosol generator 36 to be part of the aerosol provision device 20 and the article 30 then may comprise the aerosol-generating material storage area 39 for the aerosol-generating material 32 such that, when the article 30 is coupled with the aerosol provision device 20, the aerosol-generating material 32 can be transferred to the aerosol generator 36 in the aerosol provision device 20.

Aerosol-generating material is a material that is capable of generating aerosol, for example when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. The aerosol-generating material 32 may, for example, be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel which may or may not contain an active substance and/or flavourants. In some embodiments, the aerosolgenerating material 32 may comprise an “amorphous solid”, which may alternatively be referred to as a “monolithic solid” (i.e. non-fibrous). In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may be a dried gel. The amorphous solid is a solid material that may retain some fluid, such as liquid, within it. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material 32 may for example comprise from about 50wt%, 60wt% or 70wt% of amorphous solid, to about 90wt%, 95wt% or 100wt% of amorphous solid.

The aerosol-generating material comprises one or more ingredients, such as one or more active substances and/or flavourants, one or more aerosol-former materials, and optionally one or more other functional materials such as pH regulators, colouring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and/or antioxidants.

The active substance as used herein may be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. The active substance may for example be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, and psychoactives. The active substance may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active substance may comprise for example nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, vitamins such as B6 or B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids, or constituents, derivatives, or combinations thereof. The active substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of tobacco, cannabis or another botanical.

In some embodiments, the active substance comprises nicotine. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises caffeine, melatonin or vitamin B12.

The aerosol provision device 20 includes a power source 14, such as a battery, configured to supply electrical power to the aerosol generator 36. The power source 14 in this example is rechargeable and may be of a conventional type, for example of the kind normally used in electronic cigarettes and other applications requiring provision of relatively high currents over relatively short periods. The battery 14 may be recharged through the charging port (not illustrated), which may, for example, comprise a USB connector.

The aerosol provision device 20 includes device control circuitry 28 configured to control the operation of the aerosol provision system 10 and provide conventional operating functions in line with the established techniques for controlling aerosol provision systems such as electronic cigarettes. The device control circuitry (processor circuitry) 28 may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units/circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the electronic cigarette's operation. For example, depending on the functionality provided in different implementations, the device control circuitry 28 may comprise power source control circuitry for controlling the supply of electrical power from the power source 14 to the aerosol generator 36, user programming circuitry for establishing configuration settings (e.g. user-defined power settings) in response to user input, as well as other functional units/circuitry associated functionality in accordance with the principles described herein and conventional operating aspects of electronic cigarettes. It will be appreciated the functionality of the device control circuitry 28 can be provided in various different ways, for example using one or more suitably programmed programmable computer(s) and/or one or more suitably configured application-specific integrated circuit(s)/circuitry/chip(s)/chipset(s) configured to provide the desired functionality.

The aerosol provision device 20 includes one or more air inlets 21. In use, as a user inhales on the mouthpiece 35, air is drawn into the aerosol provision device 20 through the air inlets 21 and along an air channel 23 to the aerosol generator 36, where the air mixes with the vaporised aerosol-generating material 32 and forms a condensation aerosol. The air drawn through the aerosol generator 36 continues along the air channel 23 to a mouthpiece 35, carrying some of the aerosol with it, and out through the mouthpiece 35 for inhalation by the user. Alternatively, the one or more air inlets 21 may be included on the article 30, such that the air channel 23 is entirely contained within the article 30.

By way of a concrete example, the article 30 comprises a housing (formed, e.g., from a plastics material), an aerosol-generating material storage area 39 formed within the housing for containing the aerosol-generating material 32 (which in this example may be a liquid which may or may not contain nicotine), an aerosol-generating material transfer component 37 (which in this example is a wick formed of e.g., glass or cotton fibres, or a ceramic material configured to transport the liquid from the reservoir using capillary action), an aerosol-generating area containing the aerosol generator 36, and a mouthpiece 35. Although not shown, a filter and/or aerosol modifying agent (such as a flavour imparting material) may be located in, or in proximity to, the mouthpiece 35. The aerosol generator 36 of this example comprises a heater element formed from an electrically resistive material (such as NiCr8020) spirally wrapped around the aerosol-generating material transfer component 37, and located in the air channel 23. The area around the heating element and wick combination is the aerosol-generating area of the article 30.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an example article 30 for use in the aerosol provision system 10 illustrated in Figure 1 , where the same reference signs have been used for like elements between the article 30 illustrated in Figure 1 and the article 30 illustrated in Figure 2. As per the article 30 illustrated in Figure 1, the article 30 illustrated in Figure 2 includes an aerosol-generating material storage area 39 for storing an aerosol-generating material 32, an aerosol-generating material transfer component 37, an aerosol generation area containing an aerosol generator 36, and a mouthpiece 35.

The article 30 illustrated in Figure 2 is configured to be refilled and reused. In other words, the aerosol-generating material storage area 39 of the article 30 illustrated in Figure 2 can be refilled with aerosol-generating material 32 once some or all of the aerosolgenerating material 32 contained in the aerosol-generating material storage area 39 has been exhausted or depleted. To facilitate the refilling or replenishment of aerosol-generating material 32, the article 30 has a refilling tube 33 extending between the aerosol-generating material storage area 39 and the exterior or an outer surface of the housing of the article 30, thereby creating a refilling orifice 34. Aerosol-generating material 32 can then be inserted into the aerosol-generating material storage area 39 via the refilling orifice 34 and refilling tube 33. It will be appreciated, however, that such a configuration of a refilling tube 33 and a refilling orifice 34 is not essential, and the article 30 may comprise any other suitable means of facilitating the refilling of the aerosol-generating material storage area 39 with aerosol generating material 32.

The refilling orifice 34 and/or the refilling tube 33 may be sealable, for example with a cap or one-way valve, in order to ensure that aerosol-generating material 32 does not leak out of the refilling orifice 34. Although the refilling orifice 34 is illustrated in Figure 2 as being on the same end or surface of the article 30 as the air channel 23 and interface with the aerosol provision device 20, this is not essential. The refilling orifice 34 may be located at the end of the article 30 comprising the mouthpiece 35, for example proximate to the outlet of the air channel 23 on the mouthpiece 35, such that the refilling tube 33 extends between the end of the article 30 comprising the mouthpiece 35 and the aerosol-generating material storage area 39. In this case, the article 30 does not necessarily need to be separated from the aerosol provision device 20 in order to refill the article 30 with aerosol-generating material 32, as the refilling orifice 34 is not obstructed by the aerosol provision device 20 when the article 30 is coupled with the aerosol provision device 20.

The article 30 illustrated in Figure 2 also comprises article control circuitry 38 configured to control the operation of the article 30 and store parameters and/or data associated with the article 30. The parameters associated with the article 30 may include, for example, a serial number and/or stock keeping unit (SKU) for the article 30 or other means of identifying the article 30 and/or the type of the article 30, a date of manufacture and/or expiry of the article 30, an indication of the number of times the article 30 has been refilled, the capacity of the aerosol-generating material storage area 39 and/or the amount of aerosol-generating material remaining in the aerosol-generating material storage area 39. As described above in relation to the device control circuitry 28, the article control circuitry 38 can be provided in various different ways, for example using one or more suitably programmed programmable computer(s) and/or one or more suitably configured applicationspecific integrated circuit(s)/circuitry/chip(s)/chipset(s) configured to provide the desired functionality. For example, the article control circuitry 38 may comprise a microcontroller unit (MCU) or a system on chip (SoC).

The article 30 illustrated in Figure 2 also comprises one or more connectors 31, such as contact electrodes, connected via electrical wiring to the aerosol generator 36 and the article control circuitry 38. In use, the article 30 is coupled to the aerosol provision device 20 and the connectors 31 mate with connectors on the aerosol provision device, thereby allowing electrical power and electrical current to be supplied from the battery 14 of the aerosol provision device 20 to the aerosol generator 36 and the article control circuitry 38.

Figures 3 to 6 are further schematic diagrams of example articles 30 for use in the aerosol provision system 10 illustrated in Figure 1, where the same reference signs have been used for like elements between the articles 30 illustrated in Figures 1 to 6. For ease of illustration, certain features of the article 30 have been omitted from Figures 3 to 6, such as the aerosol-generating material storage area 39, aerosol-generating material 32 and mouthpiece 35, but it will be appreciated that the article 30 described with reference to Figures 3 to 6 may also contain some or all of these additional features illustrated in Figure 2 but omitted from Figures 3 to 6.

As illustrated in Figure 3, the one or more connectors 31a, 31b are electrically coupled to the aerosol generator 36 and the article control circuitry 38 such that, in use, the article control circuitry 38 and aerosol generator 36 receive electrical power via the same one or more connectors. In other words, electrical power (voltage) is supplied to the article control circuitry 38 and aerosol generator 36 from the same input (positive voltage) and output (negative voltage or ground) wires. As illustrated in Figure 3, the article control circuitry 38 and aerosol generator 36 can be electrically connected to the connectors 31a, 31b in parallel, but it will be appreciated that the article control circuitry 38 and aerosol generator 36 can be electrically connected to the connectors 31a, 31b in series. Supplying electrical power to both the article control circuitry 38 and aerosol generator 36 via the same connector reduces the number of connectors and wiring required for the article 30, thereby reducing the complexity of the article 30. As illustrated in Figure 3, there can be two connectors 31 ; an input (positive voltage) connector 31a and an output (negative voltage or ground) connector 31b. In use, when the article 30 is coupled to another device, such as the aerosol provision device 20, electrical current is provided to the article 30 via the connectors 31a, 31b such that current is able to flow from the input connector 31a to both the article control circuitry 38 and aerosol generator 36 and then to the output connector 31b. Although there are two connectors 31a, 31b illustrated in Figure 3, there may only be a single connector, such as a pin, jack, plug or socket connector that allows an input (positive voltage) wire and an output (negative voltage or ground) wire to be connected through the same connector 31.

As illustrated in Figures 4A and 4B, the article 30 can also comprise a switch 310. In Figure 4A the switch 310 is in series with and upstream (in other words on the input connector 31a side) of the aerosol generator 36, whilst in Figure 4B the switch 310 is in series with and downstream (in other words on the output connector 31b side) of the aerosol generator 36. The article control circuitry 38 is configured to control the electrical power supplied to the aerosol generator 36 by actuating the switch 310. In other words, the article control circuitry 38 is configured to actuate the switch to selectively allow or prevent electrical power from being supplied to the aerosol generator 36. As illustrated in Figures 4A and 4B, the article control circuitry 38 is on a separate circuit to (in other words, wired in parallel with) the switch 310 and the aerosol generator 36 so that electrical power can be supplied via the connectors 31 to the article control circuitry 38 regardless of whether the switch is open or closed. This means that, when the article 30 is coupled to another device, such as the aerosol provision device 20, the article control circuitry 38 can receive electrical power via the connectors 31a, 31b without having to activate the aerosol generator 36. The article control circuitry 38 can therefore receive electrical power independently of the aerosol generator 36.

The article control circuitry 38 can be configured to keep the switch 310 open by default, such that electrical power is only transferred to the aerosol generator 36 in response to the article control circuitry 38 actuating (closing) the switch 310. In this case, when the article 30 is connected to a device, such as the aerosol provision device 20 or a refilling device, only the article control circuitry 38 initially receives electrical power; the aerosol generator 36 will only receive electrical power when the article control circuitry 38 actuates the switch 310. This ensures that the aerosol generator 36 is not inadvertently actuated as soon as electrical power is received at the connectors 31a, 31b.

The article control circuitry 38 can be configured to actuate the switch 310 based on a value of a counter stored in the memory of the article control circuitry 38. In other words, the switch is actuated by article control circuitry 38 such that whether or not electrical power is supplied to the aerosol generator 36 is dependent on the value of the counter. For example, value of the counter can indicate the number of inhalations (or puffs) performed on the article 30 forming part of the aerosol provision system 10 by the user of the aerosol provision system 10. This may also correspond to the number of activations of the aerosol generator 36; in other words, the number of times power was supplied to the aerosol generator 36, since the aerosol generator 36 is activated each time a user performs an inhalation on the aerosol provision system 10 in order to generate an aerosol for delivery to the user. The article control circuitry 38 can then be configured to update the value of the counter in response to an inhalation on the aerosol provision system 10 by a user of the aerosol provision system 10. The value of the counter may be updated by incrementing or decrementing the value of the counter depending on the exact implementation of the counter, for example by a value of one for each inhalation performed by the user. A user may perform multiple inhalations within a short period of time, and the article control circuitry 38 may be configured to update the value of the counter periodically (for example every 10 seconds, every minute, 5 minutes or 10 minutes) to reflect the number of inhalations performed in that time period, rather than updating the counter in response to each inhalation.

The article control circuitry 38 can be configured to actuate (open) the switch 310 to prevent electrical power from being supplied to the aerosol generator 36 based on a comparison between the value of the counter and an inhalation limit, where in the inhalation limit represents the point at which the article 30 needs to be refilled. The article control circuitry 38 can then prevent electrical power from being supplied to the aerosol generator 36 by keeping the switch 310 open until the article 30 (more specifically the aerosolgenerating material storage area 39) has been refilled with aerosol-generating material 32. This prevents electrical power from being supplied to the aerosol generator 36 when there is little or no aerosol-generating material 32 in the aerosol-generating material storage area 39, which could cause the aerosol generator 36 to dry out (as there is no aerosol-generating material 32 present to aerosolise) and/or cause the aerosol generator 36 to overheat, which could in turn cause damage to the aerosol generator 36 or other components of the article 30 and aerosol generation system 10.

In response to the article 30 being refilled with aerosol-generating material 32, the article control circuitry 38 can be configured to reset or update the value of the counter (for example to zero) to indicate that the article 30 has been refilled with aerosol-generating material 32. Accordingly, the next time the article control circuitry 38 compares the value of the counter to the inhalation limit (for example in response to an inhalation on the aerosol provision system 10 by a user of the aerosol provision system 10), the article control circuitry 38 can enable the supply of electrical power to the aerosol generator 36 by actuating (closing) the switch 310. Although in Figures 4A and 4B the switch 310 is illustrated as a separate component to the article control circuitry 38, the switch 310 may also be integrated into the article control circuitry 38 such that the switch 310 and the article control circuitry 38 form a single component, such as a microcontroller unit (MCU) or a system on chip (SoC) as described above.

The articles 30 illustrated in Figures 5A and 5B have an additional data wire 320 that facilitates the transfer of data between the article control circuitry 38 and a device coupled to the article, such as the aerosol provision device 20 or a refilling device. In use, when a device (such as the aerosol provision device 20) is coupled to the article, the article control circuitry 38 is configured to send data to and receive data from the device. As illustrated in Figures 5A and 5B, the data wire 320 can be connected between the article control circuitry 38 and one or more of the connectors 31 , such as the input connector 31a, such that data is transferred between the article control circuitry 38 and the device using the connectors 31. In other words, the same connectors 31a, 31b on the article 30 are used for transferring electrical power to the aerosol generator 36, for transferring electrical power to the article control circuitry 38 and for transferring data to and from the article control circuitry 38. For example, fluctuations in the input voltage received via the input connector 31a and the data wire 320 can be read by the article control circuitry 38 in order to receive data from the device. To send data to the device, the article control circuitry 38 can then fluctuate the input voltage on the data line 320 such that the fluctuations are transmitted via the input connector 31a to the device. This arrangement reduces the number of connectors required between the article 30 and the device coupled to the article 30, as the same connectors can be used for powering the components of the article 30 as for data transfer.

As illustrated in Figures 5A and 5B, there is a pull down resistor 325 on the data wire 320 between the input connector 31a and the article control circuitry 38 in order to modify the voltage of the electrical power supplied to the article control circuitry 38 via the data line 320. For example, the voltage at the input connector 31a may be between 3.3 and 4.4V, whilst the voltage received at the article control circuitry 38 via the data wire 320 may be around 2.8V because of the drop down resistor 325.

The article control circuity 38 illustrated in Figure 5A is directly connected to the input connector 31a, and therefore the article control circuity 38 receives the same input voltage as the aerosol generator 36 (for example, 3.3 to 4.4V). In contrast, the article 30 illustrated in Figure 5B has diodes 330 between the connectors 31a, 31b and the article control circuitry 38 to control the direction of current through the article control circuitry 38 whilst still allowing data to be transferred between the article control circuitry 38 and a device coupled to the article 30 using the connectors 31a, 31b. The diodes also act to limit the voltage from the input connector 31a to avoid damaging the article control circuitry 38 whilst electrical power is transferred to the aerosol generator 36. For example, an input voltage of 3.3 to 4.4V at the input connector 31a can be transferred to the aerosol generator 36, whilst the diodes 330 ensure a lower voltage (for example 2.8V) is supplied to the article control circuitry 38 as both the electrical power supply and for transferring data.

The article control circuitry 38 can be configured to actuate the switch 310 such that data is only transferred to and from the article control circuitry 38 when the switch is open (and electrical power being transferred to the aerosol generator 36 is prevented). This means that the operation of the aerosol generator 36 is not adversely affected by fluctuations in the input voltage as a result of data being transferred to and from the article control circuitry 38.

For example, when the article 30 is coupled to the aerosol provision device 20, the article control circuitry 38 can actuate the switch to ensure that data is only transferred between the article control circuitry 38 and the device control circuitry 28 when activation of the aerosol generator 36 is not required (in other words, when a user is not inhaling on the aerosol provision system 10). The device control circuitry 28 and/or the article control circuitry 38 may be configured to detect an inhalation on the aerosol provision system 10. The device control circuitry 28 and/or the article control circuitry 38 can then send an indication to the other control circuitry to stop the transfer of data. In response to stopping the transfer of data, the article control circuitry 38 can then be configured to actuate (close) the switch 310 to allow electrical power to be provided to the aerosol generator 36. Similarly, in response to detecting the end of an inhalation (by the device control circuitry 28 and/or the article control circuitry 38), the article control circuitry 38 can be configured to actuate (open) the switch 310 to prevent electrical power being provided to the aerosol generator 36, then provide an indication to the device control circuitry 28 to indicate that data transfer between the article control circuitry 38 and the device control circuitry 28 can commence again. Alternatively, there may be a switch on the data line 320 that the article control circuitry 38 is configured to actuated in order to enable or prevent data transfer (by closing or opening the switch, respectively).

Equally, when the article 30 is coupled to a refilling device (used to fill/refill the aerosol-generating material storage area 39 with aerosol-generating material 32), inhalations are not performed on the mouthpiece 35 of the article 30 by the user, and therefore aerosol generation is not required. Accordingly, electrical power does not need to be transferred to the aerosol generator 36 when the article 30 is coupled to a refilling device. The article control circuitry 38 can therefore be configured to keep the switch 310 open when the article 30 is coupled to the refilling device, thereby preventing electrical power from being transferred to the aerosol generator 36. For example, in response to receiving electrical power from the refilling device via the connectors 31a, 31b, the article control circuitry 38 can be configured to determine that the article 30 has been coupled to the refilling device, for example by transferring data to and from the refilling device using the data wire 320. In response to determining that the article 30 has been coupled to the refilling device, the article control circuitry 38 can then be configured to keep the switch open, such the aerosol generator 36 does not received electrical power when the article 30 has been coupled to the refilling device.

Figures 6A to 6F illustrate a further arrangement for transferring data to and from the article control circuitry 38. In the same way as for the articles 30 illustrated in Figure 3, 4 and 5, the connectors 31a, 31b are electrically coupled to both the aerosol generator 36 and the article control circuitry 38 such that, in use, the article control circuitry 38 and the aerosol generate receive electrical power via the same connectors 31a, 31b. In contrast to the articles 30 illustrated in Figures 5A and 5B, the articles in Figure 6A to 6F have one or more data connectors 31c, 31 d electrically coupled to the article control circuitry 38. The article 30 illustrated in Figures 6A and 6C to 6F have a single data connector 31c, whilst the article 30 illustrated in Figure 6B has two data connectors 31c, 31 d. The data connectors 31c, 31 d facilitate the transfer of data between the article control circuitry 38 and a device, such as the aerosol provision device 20, when the device is coupled to the connectors 31a, 31b and the data connectors, 31c, 31 d. In other words, when a device (such as the aerosol provision device 20) is coupled to the article 30, the connectors 31a, 31b mate with power connectors on the aerosol provision device 20, thereby allowing electrical power and electrical current to be supplied from the battery 14 of the aerosol provision device 20 to the aerosol generator 36 and the article control circuitry 38 via the connectors 31a, 31b, whilst the data connectors 31c, 31 d mate with data connectors of the aerosol provision device 20, thereby allowing the transfer of data between the article control circuitry 38 and the device control circuitry 28 via the data connectors 31c, 31 d. Accordingly, in the article 30 illustrated in Figures 6A to 6F, data can be transferred to and from the article control circuitry 38 via different connectors to the connectors via which electrical power is supplied to the aerosol generator 36 and the article control circuitry 38. Alternatively, or in addition, data can be transferred using the connectors 31a, 31b as described above in relation to Figures 5A and 5B.

Having separate data connectors 31c, 31 d for transferring data between the article control circuitry 38 and a device coupled to the article 30 means that the input voltage at the input connector 31a for supplying electrical power to the aerosol generator 36 and the article control circuitry 38 is not altered or fluctuated when data is transferred to and from the article control circuitry 38. This allows a constant voltage to be supplied to the aerosol generator 36 and the article control circuitry 38 at the same time as transferring data between the article control circuitry 38. For example, when the article 30 is coupled to the aerosol provision device 20, data can be transferred between the article control circuitry 38 and the device control circuitry 28 via the data connectors 31c, 31 d at the same time as the aerosol generator 36 is activated via the connectors 31a, 31b, such as during an inhalation on the mouthpiece 35 by a user of the aerosol provision system 10.

As described above, when the article 30 is connected to a refilling device, electrical power does not need to be supplied to the aerosol generator 36. For the articles 30 illustrated in Figures 6A to 6F, the article control circuitry 38 can exchange data with the refilling device whilst preventing electrical power from being supplied to the aerosol generator 36 as described above in relation to Figures 5A and 5B, but in this case the data can be transmitted via the data connectors 31c, 31b whilst the article control circuitry 38 receives electrical power via connectors 31a, 31b. As described above, the switch 310 is kept open, however, to prevent the supply of electrical power to the aerosol generator 36.

As described above, the article control circuitry 38 may comprise integrated circuit(s)/circuitry/chip(s)/chipset(s) configured to provide the functionality described herein. The article control circuitry 38 illustrated in Figures 6C to 6F is an integrated circuit with four connectors 381-384. As described above, the first connector 381 is the positive supply voltage (VCC), whilst the second connector 382 is the ground connector. The third connector 383 and fourth connector 394 are input/output connectors, with the third connector

383 connected to the data connector 31c to enable data transfer whilst the fourth connector

384 is connected to the switch 310 to enable the article control circuitry 38 to actuate the switch 310 as described above. In particular, the fourth connector 384 is located inside the article 30 and is not directly connected to any of the connectors 31a-d. This means the fourth connector 384 cannot be easily accessed by the user of the aerosol-provision device 10, thereby making it harder for the user to tamper with the article 30, for example the user is not able to supply electrical power to the aerosol generator 36 whilst bypassing the article control circuitry 38. This results in a more robust, tamper resistant article 30.

The article 30 illustrated in Figures 6D and 6F has a diode 330 between the connector 31a and the article control circuitry 38 (i.e. the first connector 381) to control the direction of current through the article control circuitry 38. The article illustrated in Figures 6D and 6F also comprises one or more capacitors 340 between the first connector 381 and the second connector 382 to act as a power rectifier such that voltage can be supplied to the article control circuitry 38 when the connectors 31a, 31b are not electrically connected to either the aerosol provision device 20 or a refilling device. This also prevents the value of the counter stored in the memory of the article control circuitry 38 from being erroneously changed due to the input voltage to the article control circuitry 38 falling to zero. This ensures that the counter and the article control circuitry 38 continue to function in their intended fashion, and in particular that the article 30 cannot be used once the value of the counter has reached or exceeded the inhalation limit. The article 30 illustrated in Figures 3E and 3F has a Sziklai pair 350 between the fourth connector 384 and the switch 310. A Sziklai pair 350 comprises a pair of bipolar transistors 351 , 352; the first transistor 351 is a PNP transistor and the second transistor 352 is a NPN transistor. There is also a resistor 325 on each of the lines between the voltage line to the heater and the transistors 351 , 352 of the Sziklai pair 350. The Sziklai pair 350 is used to control the supply of electrical power to the aerosol generator 36, in particular to pickup the output from the fourth connector 384 since the fourth connector 384 may have a low power output. As illustrated in Figure 3F, when the Sziklai pair 350 used in combination with the power rectifier (diode 330 and capacitor 340), the voltage line into the heater 36 is entirely separate from the line between the fourth connector 384 and the switch 310.

As described above, the present disclosure relates to (but it not limited to) an article 30 for an aerosol provision system 10 comprising an aerosol generator 36, article control circuitry 38 and one or more connectors 31a, 31b electrically coupled to the aerosol generator 36 and the article control circuitry 38. In use, the article control circuitry 38 and the aerosol generator 36 receive electrical power via the one or more connectors 31a, 31b.

Figure 7 is a flow chart of a method 700 of controlling an article 30 for an aerosol provision system 10, for example performed by the article control circuitry 38. The method begins at step 710, where electrical power is received from a device via one or more connectors 31a, 31b. At step 720 the supply of electrical power to the aerosol generator 36 via the one or more connectors 31a, 31b is controlled and data transfer between the article 30 and device 20 is controlled in response to an inhalation on the aerosol provision system 10 by a user of the aerosol provision system 10. The method then ends.

Figure 8 is a flow chart of a method 800 of controlling an article 30 for an aerosol provision system 10, for example performed by the article control circuitry 38 of the article 30 illustrated in Figures 5A and 5B. The method begins at step 810, where electrical power is received from a device via connectors 31a, 31b. At step 820, it is determined whether an inhalation has been detected. If an inhalation has been detected, the method proceeds to step 850, where data transfer via the connectors 31a, 31b is prevented, for example by sending a notification to the device via the connectors 31a, 31b or by opening a switch on the data line 320. The method then continues to step 860, where the supply of electrical power to the aerosol generator 36 via the connectors 31a, 31b is enabled, for example by closing the switch 310. The method then ends. If at step 820 it is determined that an inhalation has not been detected, the method proceeds to step 830, where the supply of electrical power to the aerosol generator 36 via the connectors 31a, 31b is prevented, for example by opening the switch 310 or keeping the switch 310 in the open position. The method then continues to step 840, where data transfer via the connectors 31a, 31b is enabled, for example by sending a notification to the device via the connectors 31a, 31b or by closing a switch on the data line 320. The method then ends.

Figure 9 is a flow chart of a further method 900 of controlling an article 30 for an aerosol provision system 10, for example performed by the article control circuitry 38 of the article 30 illustrated in Figures 6A and 6B. The method begins at step 910, where electrical power is received from a device via connectors 31a, 31b. At step 920, it is determined whether an inhalation has been detected. If an inhalation has been detected, the method proceeds to step 930, where the supply of electrical power to the aerosol generator 36 via the connectors 31a, 31b is enabled, for example by closing the switch 310. The method then continues to step 950. If at step 920 it is determined that an inhalation has not been detected, the method proceeds to step 940, where the supply of electrical power to the aerosol generator 36 via the connectors 31a, 31b is prevented, for example by opening the switch 310 or keeping the switch 310 in the open position. The method then continues to step 950, where it is determined whether data transfer has been requested, for example by a signal or notification received from the device. If it is determined that data transfer has been requested, the method continues to step 960, where data transfer via the data connector(s) 31c, 31 d is enabled, for example by sending a notification to the device via the data connector(s) 31c, 31 d or by closing a switch on the data line 320. The method then ends. If at step 950 it is determined that data transfer has not been request, the method continues to step 970, wherein data transfer via the data connector(s) 31c, 31 d is prevented, for example by sending a notification to the device via the data connector(s) 31c, 31 d or by opening a switch on the data line 320. Alternatively, no action may be necessary in response to determining that data transfer has not been requested. The method then ends. As the article 30 illustrated in Figures 6A and 6B allows for the transfer of data to and from the article 30 concurrently with supplying the aerosol generator with electrical power, it will be appreciated that the steps in method 900 may be performed in a different order. In particular, steps 920 to 940 may be performed concurrently, or independently of steps 950 to 970.

The methods 700, 800, 900 illustrated in Figures 7, 8 and 9 may be stored as instructions on a computer readable storage medium, such that when the instructions are executed by a processor, the methods 700, 800, 900 described above are performed. The computer readable storage medium may be non-transitory.

Thus, there has been described an article 30 for an aerosol provision system 10, a method of controlling an article for an aerosol provision system and an aerosol provision system 10 comprising the article 30.

The various embodiments described herein are presented only to assist in understanding and teaching the claimed features. These embodiments are provided as a representative sample of embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. It is to be understood that advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and/or other aspects described herein are not to be considered limitations on the scope of the invention as defined by the claims or limitations on equivalents to the claims, and that other embodiments may be utilised and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. Various embodiments of the invention may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, appropriate combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc., other than those specifically described herein. In addition, this disclosure may include other inventions not presently claimed, but which may be claimed in future.

Claims

1. An article for an aerosol provision system comprising: an aerosol generator; article control circuitry; and one or more connectors electrically coupled to the aerosol generator and the article control circuitry wherein, in use, the article control circuitry and the aerosol generator receive electrical power via the one or more connectors.

2. The article of claim 1 , wherein the aerosol generator and article control circuitry are electrically connected in parallel.

3. The article of claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a pull down resistor to modify the voltage of the electrical power supplied to the article control circuitry.

4. The article of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, in use, data is transferred, using the connectors, between the article control circuitry and a device coupled to the article.

5. The article of any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising one or more data connectors electrically coupled to the article control circuitry wherein, in use, data is transferred, using the connectors and/or the data connectors, between the article control circuitry and a device coupled to the connectors and the data connectors.

6. The article of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a switch, wherein the article control circuitry is configured to control electrical power supplied to the aerosol generator by actuating the switch.

7. The article of claim 6, wherein the article control circuitry is configured to actuate the switch based on a value of a counter stored in memory of the article control circuitry.

8. The article of claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the switch is in series with the aerosol generator.

9. The article of any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the switch is integrated into the article control circuitry.

10. An aerosol provision system comprising the article of any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The aerosol provision system of claims 10, further comprising an aerosol provision device.

12. A method of controlling an article for an aerosol provision system comprising: receiving electrical power from a device coupled to the article via one or more connectors; and controlling electrical power supplied to the aerosol generator via the one or more connectors and controlling data transfer between the article and device in response to an inhalation on the aerosol provision system by a user of the aerosol provision system.

13. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, performs a method of controlling an aerosol generator of an article for an aerosol provision system comprising: receiving electrical power from a device coupled to the article via one or more connectors; controlling electrical power supplied to the aerosol generator via the one or more connectors and controlling data transfer between the article and device in response to an inhalation on the aerosol provision system by a user of the aerosol provision system.