EP4648631A2

EP4648631A2 - Device for filling a range of articles for aerosol provision systems

Info

Publication number: EP4648631A2
Application number: EP24701258.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Howard ROTHWELL
Original assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Current assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Priority date: 2023-01-13
Filing date: 2024-01-09
Publication date: 2025-11-19
Also published as: WO2024149985A2; WO2024149985A3; GB202300558D0

Abstract

A refilling device for filling an article from a reservoir comprises an article interface for receiving an article of an aerosol provision system for filling, the article having a storage area for fluid; and a controller configured to: communicate with a sensor to acquire information about an article to be filled; and determine from the information a capacity of the storage area of the article.

Description

DEVICE FOR FILLING A RANGE OF ARTICLES FOR AEROSOL PROVISION SYSTEMS Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a device for filling a range of articles for aerosol provision systems.

Background

Electronic aerosol provision systems, which are often configured as so-called electronic cigarettes, can have a unitary format with all elements of the system in a common housing, or a multi-component format in which elements are distributed between two or more housings which can be coupled together to form the system. A common example of the latter format is a two-component system comprising a device and an article. The device typically contains an electrical power source for the system, such as a battery, and control electronics for operating elements in order to generate aerosol. The article, also referred to by terms including cartridge, cartomiser, consumable and clearomiser, typically contains a storage volume or area for holding a supply of aerosolisable material from which the aerosol is generated, plus an aerosol generator such as a heater operable to vaporise the aerosolisable material. A similar three-component system may include a separate mouthpiece that attaches to the article. In many designs, the article is designed to be disposable, in that it is intended to be detached from the device and thrown away when the aerosolisable material has been consumed. The user obtains a new article which has been prefilled with aerosolisable material by a manufacturer and attaches it to the device for use. The device, in contrast, is intended to be used with multiple consecutive articles, with a capability to recharge the battery to allow prolonged operation.

While disposable articles, which may be called consumables, are convenient for the user, they may be considered wasteful of natural resources and hence detrimental to the environment. An alternative design of article is therefore known, which is configured to be refilled with aerosolisable material by the user. This reduces waste, and can reduce the cost of electronic cigarette usage for the user. The aerosolisable material may be provided in a bottle, for example, from which the user squeezes or drips a quantity of material into the article via a refilling orifice on the article. However, the act of refilling can be awkward and inconvenient, since the items are small and the volume of material involved is typically low. Alignment of the juncture between bottle and article can be difficult, with inaccuracies leading to spillage of the material. This is not only wasteful, but may also be dangerous. Aerosolisable material frequently contains liquid nicotine, which can be poisonous if it makes contact with the skin.

Therefore, refilling units or devices have been proposed, which are configured to receive a bottle or other reservoir of aerosolisable material plus a refillable cartridge, and to automate the transfer of the material from the former to the latter. Alternative, improved or enhanced features and designs for such refilling devices are therefore of interest.

Summary

According to a first aspect of some embodiments described herein, there is provided a refilling device for filling an article from a reservoir, comprising: an article interface for receiving an article of an aerosol provision system for filling, the article having a storage area for fluid; and a controller configured to: communicate with a sensor to acquire information about an article to be filled; and determine from the information a capacity of the storage area of the article.

According to a second aspect of some embodiments described herein, there is provided an article for an aerosol provision system; comprising: a storage area for fluid, the storage area having a fluid inlet orifice via which fluid can be delivered into the storage area using a refilling device which receives the article; and a detectable feature from which the refilling device can acquire information in order to determine a capacity of the storage area.

According to a third aspect of some embodiments described herein, there is provided a refilling device for filling an article from a reservoir, comprising: an article interface for receiving an article of an aerosol provision system for filling, the article having a storage area for fluid; and at least one receiving surface, each receiving surface configured to be individually installed in the article interface, each receiving surface having at least one recess sized and/or shaped to receive for filling an article of different external dimensions than the recess or recesses of the other receiving surface or surfaces.

These and further aspects of the certain embodiments are set out in the appended independent and dependent claims. It will be appreciated that features of the dependent claims may be combined with each other and features of the independent claims in combinations other than those explicitly set out in the claims. Furthermore, the approach described herein is not restricted to specific embodiments such as set out below, but includes and contemplates any appropriate combinations of features presented herein. For example, apparatus for filling refillable articles for electronic aerosol provision systems may be provided in accordance with approaches described herein which includes any one or more of the various features described below as appropriate.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Various embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail by way of example only with reference to the following drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a simplified schematic cross-section through an example electronic aerosol provision system in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented; Figure 2 shows a simplified schematic representation of a refilling device to which embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable;

Figure 3 shows a simplified schematic representation of parts of an example refilling device configured with article storage area capacity sensing capability according to the present disclosure;

Figure 4 shows a simplified depiction of an example of stored information about an article for use with articles and refilling devices according the present disclosure;

Figure 5 shows a simplified depiction of an example of a data look-up table for use with a controller of a refilling device according to the present disclosure;

Figure 6 shows a simplified external side view of an example article according to aspects of present disclosure;

Figure 7 shows a simplified schematic representation of an example article interface with a wireless sensor according the present disclosure;

Figure 8 shows a simplified schematic representation of an example system in which a sensor is implemented in a personal electronic device, according to the present disclosure;

Figure 9 shows a simplified schematic representation of a first example article interface with a sensor comprising electrical contacts, according to the present disclosure;

Figure 10 shows a simplified schematic representation of a second example article interface with a sensor comprising electrical contacts, according to the present disclosure;

Figure 11 shows a simplified schematic representation of an example article interface with a sensor comprising electrical switches, according to the present disclosure; and

Figure 12 shows a simplified cross-sectional side view of an example article interface configured for receiving different articles, according to an aspect of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

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

As described above, the present disclosure relates to (but is not limited to) electronic aerosol or vapour provision systems, such as e-cigarettes. Throughout the following description the terms “e-cigarette” and “electronic cigarette” may sometimes be used; however, it will be appreciated these terms may be used interchangeably with aerosol (vapour) provision system or device. The systems are intended to generate an inhalable aerosol by vaporisation of a substrate (aerosol-generating material) in the form of a liquid or gel which may or may not contain nicotine. Additionally, hybrid systems may comprise a liquid or gel substrate plus a solid substrate which is also heated. The solid substrate may be for example tobacco or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine. The terms “aerosol-generating material” and “aerosolisable material” as used herein are intended to refer to materials which can form an aerosol, either through the application of heat or some other means. The term “aerosol” may be used interchangeably with “vapour”.

As used herein, the terms “system” and “delivery system” are intended to encompass systems that deliver a substance to a user, and include non-combustible aerosol provision systems that release compounds from an aerosolisable material without combusting the aerosolisable material, such as electronic cigarettes, tobacco heating products, and hybrid systems to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosolisable materials, and articles comprising aerosolisable material and configured to be used within one of these noncombustible aerosol provision systems. According to the present disclosure, a “noncombustible” aerosol provision system is one where a constituent aerosol generating material of the aerosol provision system (or component thereof) is not combusted or burned in order to facilitate delivery to a user. In some embodiments, the delivery system is a non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a powered non-combustible aerosol provision system. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device or electronic nicotine delivery (END) system, although it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol generating material is not a requirement. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is a hybrid system to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosolisable materials, one or a plurality of which may be heated. Each of the aerosolisable materials may be, for example, in the form of a solid, liquid or gel and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel aerosol generating material and a solid aerosol generating material. The solid aerosol generating material may comprise, for example, tobacco or a non-tobacco product.

Typically, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise a non- combustible aerosol provision device and an article (consumable) for use with the non- combustible aerosol provision device. However, it is envisaged that articles which themselves comprise a means for powering an aerosol generator or aerosol generating component may themselves form the non-combustible aerosol provision system. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise a power source and a controller. The power source may, for example, be an electric power source. In some embodiments, the article for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise an aerosol generating material, an aerosol generating component (aerosol generator), an aerosol generating area, a mouthpiece, and/or an area for receiving and holding aerosol generating material. In some systems the aerosol generating component or aerosol generator comprises a heater capable of interacting with the aerosolisable material so as to release one or more volatiles from the aerosolisable material to form an aerosol. However, the disclosure is not limited in this regard, and applies also to systems that use other approaches to form aerosol, such as a vibrating mesh.

In some embodiments, the article for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise aerosolisable material or an area for receiving aerosolisable material. In some embodiments, the article for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise a mouthpiece. The area for receiving aerosolisable material may be a storage area for storing aerosolisable material. For example, the storage area may be a reservoir. In some embodiments, the area for receiving aerosolisable material may be separate from, or combined with, an aerosol generating area.

As used herein, the term “component” may be used to refer to a part, section, unit, module, assembly or similar of an electronic cigarette or similar device that incorporates several smaller parts or elements, possibly within an exterior housing or wall. An aerosol provision system such as an electronic cigarette may be formed or built from one or more such components, such as an article and a device, and the components may be removably or separably connectable to one another, or may be permanently joined together during manufacture to define the whole system. The present disclosure is applicable to (but not limited to) systems comprising two components separably connectable to one another and configured, for example, as an article in the form of an aerosolisable material carrying component holding liquid or another aerosolisable material (alternatively referred to as a cartridge, cartomiser, pod or consumable), and a device having a battery or other power source for providing electrical power to operate an aerosol generating component or aerosol generator for creating vapour/aerosol from the aerosolisable material. A component may include more or fewer parts than those included in the examples.

The present disclosure relates to aerosol provision systems and components thereof that utilise aerosolisable material in the form of a liquid or a gel which is held in a storage area such as a reservoir, tank, container or other receptacle comprised in the system, or absorbed onto a carrier substrate. An arrangement for delivering the material from the reservoir for the purpose of providing it to an aerosol generator for vapour / aerosol generation is included. The terms “liquid”, “gel”, “fluid”, “source liquid”, “source gel”, “source fluid” and the like may be used interchangeably with terms such as “aerosol-generating material”, “aerosolisable substrate material” and “substrate material” to refer to material that has a form capable of being stored and delivered in accordance with examples of the present disclosure.

Figure 1 is a highly schematic diagram (not to scale) of a generic example electronic aerosol/vapour provision system such as an e-cigarette 10, presented for the purpose of showing the relationship between the various parts of a typical system and explaining the general principles of operation. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to a system configured in this way, and features may be modified in accordance with the various alternatives and definitions described above and/or apparent to the skilled person. The e- cigarette 10 has a generally elongate shape in this example, extending along a longitudinal axis indicated by a dashed line, and comprises two main components, namely a device 20 (control or power component, section or unit), and an article or consumable 30 (cartridge assembly or section, sometimes referred to as a cartomiser, clearomiser or pod) carrying aerosol-generating material and operating to generate vapour/aerosol.

The article 30 includes a storage area such as a reservoir 3 for containing a source liquid or other aerosol-generating material comprising a formulation such as liquid or gel from which an aerosol is to be generated, for example containing nicotine. As an example, the source liquid may comprise around 1 % to 3% nicotine and 50% glycerol, with the remainder comprising roughly equal measures of water and propylene glycol, and possibly also comprising other components, such as flavourings. Nicotine-free source liquid may also be used, such as to deliver flavouring. A solid substrate (not illustrated), such as a portion of tobacco or other flavour element through which vapour generated from the liquid is passed, may also be included. The reservoir 3 may have the form of a storage tank, being a container or receptacle in which source liquid can be stored such that the liquid is free to move and flow within the confines of the tank. In other examples, the storage area may comprise absorbent material (either inside a tank or similar, or positioned within the outer housing of the article) that holds the aerosol generating material. For a consumable article, the reservoir 3 may be sealed after filling during manufacture so as to be disposable after the source liquid is consumed. However, the present disclosure is relevant to refillable articles that have an inlet port, orifice or other opening (not shown in Figure 1) through which new source liquid can be added to enable reuse of the article 30. The article 30 also comprises an aerosol generator 5, comprising in this example an aerosol generating component, which may have the form of an electrically powered heating element or heater 4 and an aerosol-generating material transfer component 6. The heater 4 is located externally of the reservoir 3 and is operable to generate the aerosol by vaporisation of the source liquid by heating. The aerosol-generating material transfer component 6 is a transfer or delivery arrangement configured to deliver aerosolgenerating material from the reservoir 3 to the heater 4. In some examples, it may have the form of a wick or other porous element. A wick 6 may have one or more parts located inside the reservoir 3, or otherwise be in fluid communication with liquid in the reservoir 3, so as to be able to absorb source liquid and transfer it by wicking or capillary action to other parts of the wick 6 that are adjacent or in contact with the heater 4. This liquid is thereby heated and vaporised, and replacement liquid drawn, via continuous capillary action, from the reservoir 3 for transfer to the heater 4 by the wick 6. The wick may be thought of as a conduit between the reservoir s and the heater 4 that delivers or transfers liquid from the reservoir to the heater. In some designs, the heater 4 and the aerosol-generating material transfer component 6 are unitary or monolithic, and formed from a same material that is able to be used for both liquid transfer and heating, such as a material which is both porous and conductive. In still other cases, the aerosol-generating material transfer component may operate other than by capillary action, such as by comprising an arrangement of one or more valves by which liquid may exit the reservoir 3 and be passed onto the heater 4.

A heater and wick (or similar) combination, referred to herein as an aerosol generator 5, may sometimes be termed an atomiser or atomiser assembly, and the reservoir with its source liquid plus the atomiser may be collectively referred to as an aerosol source. Various designs are possible, in which the parts may be differently arranged compared with the highly schematic representation of Figure 1 . For example, and as mentioned above, the wick 6 may be an entirely separate element from the heater 4, or the heater 4 may be configured to be porous and able to perform at least part of the wicking function directly (a metallic mesh, for example). In the present example, the system is an electronic system, and the heater 4 may comprise one or more electrical heating elements that operate by ohmic/resistive (Joule) heating, although inductive heating may also be used, in which case the heater comprises a susceptor in an induction heating arrangement. A heater of this type could be configured in line with the examples and embodiments described in more detail below. In general, therefore, an atomiser or aerosol generator, in the present context, can be considered as one or more elements that implement the functionality of a vapour-generating element able to generate vapour by heating source liquid (or other aerosol-generating material) delivered to it, and a liquid transport or delivery element able to deliver or transport liquid from a reservoir or similar liquid store to the vapour-generating element by a wicking action I capillary force or otherwise. An aerosol generator is typically housed in an article 30 of an aerosol generating system, as in Figure 1 , but in some examples, at least the heater part may be housed in the device 20. Embodiments of the disclosure are applicable to all and any such configurations which are consistent with the examples and description herein.

Returning to Figure 1 , the article 30 also includes a mouthpiece or mouthpiece portion 30a having an opening or air outlet through which a user may inhale the aerosol generated by the heater 4.

The device 20 includes a power source such as cell or battery 7 (referred to hereinafter as a battery, and which may or may not be re-chargeable) to provide electrical power for electrical components of the e-cigarette 10, in particular to operate the heater 4. Additionally, there is a controller 8 such as a printed circuit board and/or other electronics or circuitry for generally controlling the e-cigarette. The controller may include a processor programmed with software, which may be modifiable by a user of the system. The control electronics/circuitry 8 operates the heater 4 using power from the battery 7 when vapour is required. At this time, the user inhales on the system 10 via the mouthpiece 30a, and air A enters through one or more air inlets 9 in the wall of the device 20 (air inlets may alternatively or additionally be located in the article 30). When the heater 4 is operated, it vaporises source liquid delivered from the reservoir 3 by the aerosol-generating material transfer component 6 to generate the aerosol by entrainment of the vapour into the air flowing through the system, and this is then inhaled by the user through the opening in the mouthpiece 30a. The aerosol is carried from the aerosol generator 5 to the mouthpiece 30a along one or more air channels (not shown) that connect the air inlets 9 to the aerosol generator 5 to the air outlet when a user inhales on the mouthpiece 30a.

More generally, the controller 8 is suitably configured I programmed to control the operation of the aerosol provision system to provide functionality in accordance with embodiments and examples of the disclosure as described further herein, as well as for providing conventional operating functions of the aerosol provision system in line with established techniques for controlling such devices. The controller 8 may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units I circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the aerosol provision system’s operation in accordance with the principles described herein and other conventional operating aspects of aerosol provision systems, such as display driving circuitry for systems that may include a user display (such as an screen or indicator) and user input detections via one or more user actuable controls 12. It will be appreciated that the functionality of the controller 8 can be provided in various different ways, for example using one or more suitably programmed programmable computers and/or one or more suitably configured application-specific integrated circuits I circuitry I chips I chipsets configured to provide the desired functionality.

The device 20 and the article 30 are separate connectable parts detachable from one another by separation in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis, as indicated by the doubleheaded arrows in Figure 1. The components 20, 30 are joined together when the system 10 is in use by cooperating engagement elements 21 , 31 (for example, a screw or bayonet fitting) which provide mechanical and in some cases electrical connectivity between the device 20 and the article 30. Electrical connectivity is required if the heater 4 operates by ohmic heating, so that current can be passed through the heater 4 when it is connected to the battery 5. In systems that use inductive heating, electrical connectivity can be omitted if no parts requiring electrical power are located in the article 30. An inductive work coil can be housed in the device 20 and supplied with power from the battery 5, and the article 30 and the device 20 shaped so that when they are connected, there is an appropriate exposure of the heater 4 to flux generated by the coil for the purpose of generating current flow in the material of the heater. The Figure 1 design is merely an example arrangement, and the various parts and features may be differently distributed between the device 20 and the article 30, and other components and elements may be included. The two sections may connect together end-to- end in a longitudinal configuration as in Figure 1 , or in a different configuration such as a parallel, side-by-side arrangement. The system may or may not be generally cylindrical and/or have a generally longitudinal shape. Either or both sections or components may be intended to be disposed of and replaced when exhausted, or be intended for multiple uses enabled by actions such as refilling the reservoir and recharging the battery. In other examples, the system 10 may be unitary, in that the parts of the device 20 and the article 30 are comprised in a single housing and cannot be separated. Embodiments and examples of the present disclosure are applicable to any of these configurations and other configurations of which the skilled person will be aware, but are most generally concerned with configurations comprising an article with a refillable storage area.

The present disclosure relates to the refilling of a storage area for aerosol generating material in an aerosol provision system, whereby a user is enabled to conveniently provide a system with fresh aerosol generating material when a previous stored quantity has been used up. It is proposed that this be done automatically, by provision of apparatus which is termed herein a refilling device, refilling unit, refilling station, or simply dock. The refilling device is configured to receive an aerosol provision system, or more conveniently, the article from an aerosol provision system, having a storage area which is empty or only partly full, plus a larger reservoir holding aerosol generating material. A fluid communication flow path is established between the reservoir and the storage area, and a controller in the refilling device controls a transfer mechanism or arrangement operable to move aerosol generating material along the flow path from the reservoir to the storage area. The transfer mechanism can be activated in response to user input of a refill request to the refilling device, or activation may be automatic in response to a particular state or condition of the refilling device detected by the controller. For example, if both an article and a reservoir are correctly positioned inside the refilling unit, refilling may be carried out. Once the storage area is replenished with a desired quantity of aerosol generating material (the storage area is filled or a user specified quantity of material has been transferred to the article, for example), the transfer mechanism is deactivated, and transfer ceases. Alternatively, the transfer mechanism may be configured to automatically dispense a fixed quantity of aerosol generating material in response to activation by the controller, such as a fixed quantity matching the capacity of the storage area.

Figure 2 shows a highly schematic representation of an example refilling device. The refilling device is shown in a simplified form only, to illustrate various elements and their relationship to one another. More particular features of one or more of the elements with which the present disclosure is concerned will be described in more detail below. The refilling device 50 may be referred to hereinafter for convenience as a “dock”. This term is applicable since a reservoir and an article are received or “docked” in the refilling device during use. The dock 50 comprises an outer housing 52. The dock 50 is expected to be useful for refilling of articles in the home or workplace (rather than being a portable device or a commercial device, although these options are not excluded). Therefore, the outer housing, made for example from metal, plastics or glass, may be designed to have an pleasing outward appearance such as to make it suitable for permanent and convenient access, such as on a shelf, desk, table or counter. It may be any size suitable for accommodating the various elements described herein, such as having dimensions between about 10 cm and 20 cm, although smaller or larger sizes may be preferred. Inside the housing 50 are defined two cavities or ports 54, 56. A first port 54 is shaped and dimensioned to receive and interface with a reservoir 40. The first or reservoir port 54 is configured to enable an interface between the reservoir 40 and the dock 50, so might alternatively be termed a reservoir interface. Primarily, the reservoir interface is for moving aerosol generating material out of the reservoir 40, but in some cases the interface may enable additional functions, such as electrical contacts and sensing capabilities for communication between the reservoir 40 and the dock 50 and determining characteristics and features of the reservoir 40.

The reservoir 40 comprises a wall or housing 41 that defines a storage space for holding aerosol generating material 42. The volume of the storage space is large enough to accommodate many or several times the storage area of an article intended to be refilled in the dock 50. A user can therefore purchase a filled reservoir of their preferred aerosol generating material (flavour, strength, brand, etc.), and use it to refill an article multiple times. A user could acquire several reservoirs 40 of different aerosol generating materials, so as to have a convenient choice available when refilling an article. The reservoir 40 includes an outlet orifice or opening 44 by which the aerosol generating material 42 can pass out of the reservoir 40. In the current context, the aerosol generating material 42 has a liquid form or a gel form, so may be considered as aerosol generating fluid. The term “fluid” may be used herein for convenience to refer to either a liquid or a gel material; where the term “liquid” is used herein, it should be similarly understood as referring to a liquid or a gel material, unless the context makes it clear that only liquid is intended.

A second port 56 defined inside the housing is shaped and dimensioned to receive and interface with an article 30. The second or article port 56 is configured to enable an interface between the article 30 and the dock 50, so might alternatively be termed an article interface. The article interface 56 is for receiving aerosol generating material into the article 30, and according to the present examples, the article interface enables additional functions, such as electrical contacts and sensing capabilities for communication between the article 30 and the dock 50 and determining characteristics and features of the article 30. In particular, the article interface 56 may have associated with it a sensing or detecting system 59 (indicated highly schematically only in Figure 2) which may be interrogated by a controller 55 in the refilling dock 50 in order to obtain information about the article 30 and/or about fluid in a storage area of the article 30 when the article 30 is received in the article interface 56.

The article 30 itself comprises a wall or housing 31 that has within it (but possibly not occupying all the space within the wall 31) a storage area 3 for holding aerosol generating material. The volume of the storage area 3 is many or several times smaller than the volume of the reservoir 40, so that the article 30 can be refilled multiple times from a single reservoir 40. The article also includes an inlet orifice or opening 32 by which aerosol generating material can enter the storage area 3. Various other elements may be included in the article, as discussed above with regard to Figure 1. For convenience, the article 30 may be referred to hereinafter as a pod 30.

The housing 52 of the dock also accommodates a fluid conduit 58, being a passage or flow path by which the reservoir 40 and the storage area 3 of the article 30 are placed in fluid communication, so that aerosol generating material can move from the reservoir 40 to the article 30 when both the reservoir 40 and the article 30 are correctly positioned in the dock 50. Placement of the reservoir 40 and the article 30 into the dock 50 locates and engages them such that the fluid conduit 58 is connected between the outlet orifice 44 of the reservoir 40 and the inlet orifice 32 of the article 30. For example, there may be an engagement mechanism (not shown) within the dock 50 that provides relative movement between the article interface and the fluid conduit (which may comprise a nozzle for fluid delivery for example) to engage the fluid conduit with the inlet orifice 32. Note that in some examples, all or part of the fluid conduit 58 may be formed by parts of the reservoir 40 and the article 30, so that the fluid conduit is created and defined only when the reservoir 40 and/or the article 30 are placed in the dock 30. In other cases, the fluid conduit 58 may be a flow path defined within a body of the dock 52, to each end of which the respective orifices are engaged.

Access to the reservoir port 54 and the article port 56 can be by any convenient means. Apertures may be provided in the housing 52 of the dock 50, through which the reservoir 40 and the article 30 can be placed or pushed. Doors or the like may be included to cover the apertures, which might be required to be placed in a closed state to allow refilling to take place. Doors, hatches and other hinged coverings, or sliding access elements such as drawers or trays might include shaped tracks, slots or recesses to receive and hold the reservoir 40 or the article 30, which bring the reservoir 40 or the article 30 into proper alignment inside the housing when the door etc. is closed. These and other alternatives will be apparent to the skilled person, and do not affect the scope of the present disclosure.

The dock 50 also includes an aerosol generating material (“liquid” or “fluid”) transfer mechanism, arrangement, apparatus or means 53, operable to move or cause the movement of fluid out of the reservoir 40, along the conduit 58 and into the article 30. Various options are contemplated for the transfer mechanism 53.

As already noted, a controller 55 is also included in the dock 50. This is operable to control components of the dock 50, in particular to generate and send control signals to operate the transfer mechanism 53. As noted, this may be in response to a user input, such as actuation of a button or switch (not shown) on the housing 52, or automatically in response to both the reservoir 40 and the article 30 being detected as present inside their respective ports 54, 56. The controller 55 may therefore be in communication with contacts and/or sensors (such as the sensing system 59, but otherwise not shown) at the ports 54, 56 in order to obtain data from the ports and/or the reservoir 40 and article 30 that can be used in the generation of control signals for operating the transfer mechanism 53. The controller 55 may comprise a microcontroller, a microprocessor, or any configuration of circuitry, hardware, firmware or software as preferred; various options will be apparent to the skilled person.

Finally, the dock 50 includes a power source 57 to provide electrical power for the controller 53, and any other electrical components that may be included in the dock, such as sensors, user inputs such as switches, buttons or touch panels, and display elements such as light emitting diodes and display screens to convey information about the dock’s operation and status to the user. Also, the transfer mechanism may be electrically powered. Since the dock may be for permanent location in a house or office, the power source 57 may comprise a socket for connection of an electrical mains cable to the dock 50, so that the dock 50 may be “plugged in”. Alternatively, the power source may comprise one or more batteries, which might be replaceable or rechargeable, in which case a socket connection for a charging cable can be included.

Further details relating to the article and the article interface will now be described.

As noted above, the refilling device or dock comprises a controller operable to control a filling action of the dock, where the filling action is the transfer or movement of fluid from the reservoir to the storage area of an article received in the article interface. For successful refilling, the filling action should transfer a correct or desired amount of fluid into the storage area, for example by the filling action operating for an appropriate amount of time necessary to transfer the required amount of fluid, taking into account the rate of fluid transfer. This could be done under control of the user, for example, where the user operates the refilling device to start the filling action, and stops the filling action when the required amount of fluid has been transferred, to either wholly or partially refill the storage area. More conveniently, however, the controller may be configured to automate the refilling action. In order to achieve the automation, the controller must determine how much fluid needs to be transferred into the storage area. This might be done, for example, by the use of a liquid level sensor associated with the article interface that is operable to detect the current amount of fluid in the storage area By monitoring an output of the sensor, the controller obtains information about the current fluid amount and can cease the refilling action when the storage area is determined to contain an appropriate amount of fluid, such as when the storage area is filled to a maximum fluid fill level. Capacitance sensing of the storage area can be used to detect the fluid amount, for instance.

An alternative approach can remove the requirement for monitoring of the fluid level or amount. Instead, it can be assumed that an article placed into the refilling device for refilling has a substantially empty storage area. If information about the capacity of the storage area is made available to the controller, the controller can then operate the filling action of the refilling device for an appropriate time so as to move an amount of fluid via the fluid conduit from the reservoir to the storage area corresponding to the capacity of the storage area. At the end of the filling action, the storage area can be considered to be full of fluid (or filled to its maximum fill level), and therefore is refilled and ready for use. In alternatives, an amount of fluid less than the determined capacity of the storage area can be moved into the storage area, for example if the user indicates to the refilling device (via a user input) that only a partial refill of the storage area is required.

Accordingly, the present disclosure relates to approaches for enabling the controller to ascertain a capacity of the storage area of an article in advance of a refilling action. In addition to enabling automation of the refilling action, the approaches allow the refilling dock to handle a range of articles having storage areas of different capacity. Note that articles with storage areas of different capacity may be otherwise the same as one another, so that a main difference between them is the size of the storage areas (different sizes of storage area inside identical or similar outer housings, for example), or may be different from one another (differently sized or shaped outer housings containing differently sized storage areas). Similarly, articles which are different from one another (differently sized or shaped outer housings for example) but have the same storage area capacity can also be handled.

In order to implement this, it is proposed to utilise a sensor which is configured to acquire information about an article to be filled. The information is communicated to the controller of the refilling device, and the controller is configured to determine a capacity of the storage area of the article from the acquired information. The information may directly include a value of the capacity of the storage area. In other examples, the information may represent or indicate a type of the article (model number or make, for example), and the controller is able to determine the capacity of the storage area from the article type, for example via a stored look-up table that maps article type to capacity. The sensor may be part of the refilling device, for example associated with the article interface and configured to acquire the information when the article is received in the article interface, or disposed elsewhere in the refilling device and configured to (possibly remotely) interrogate the article either before or after it is placed in the article interface, such as by wireless detection of an RFID tag or Bluetooth module in the article. Alternatively, the sensor need not be part of the refilling device, and may be comprised in another device, such as a mobile telephone which can detect and send the information to the controller, or provide the information to the user for user input of the information into the refilling device.

Figure 3 shows a highly schematic and simplified view of part of an example refilling dock or device configured to determine the capacity of an article’s storage area according to some alternatives of the disclosure. For simplicity, Figure 3 concentrates on the article interface and controller of a refilling device. In this example, the article interface 56 is configured to receive an article 30 for refilling, as described above with reference to Figure 2, the article 30 having a storage area 3 and a fluid inlet orifice 32 by which fluid F can be introduced into the storage area 3 during a refilling action. The article 30 comprises a detectable or readable feature 64 (examples of which are discussed further below). The detectable feature 64 stores, encodes, holds or otherwise is able to indicate or transmit information about the article 30 from which a capacity of the storage area 3 may be determined. In order to enable this information to be read, retrieved or otherwise obtained from the article 30, the article interface 56 has a sensor 59 associated with it. In the depicted configuration, the sensor 59 is immediately adjacent or within the article interface, allowing proximate, near-field or physical interrogation of, or interaction with, the detectable feature 64 of the article 30. In such an arrangement, the sensor 59 will typically read or detect the detectable feature 64 while the article 30 is received in the article interface 56. The sensor 59 may take any of various forms, depending on the nature of the detectable feature 64, and examples are discussed further below. In alternative configurations, the sensor 59 may be located elsewhere within or on the refilling dock, so that it is not proximate or adjacent the article interface 56, and may read the detectable feature 64 before the article 30 is placed in the article interface 56 (for example, by the user holding or placing the article 30 near to or in contact with the sensor 59), or after the article 30 is placed in the article interface 56, depending on the configuration and operation of the detectable feature 64 and the sensor 59. In these various alternatives, the sensor 59 is comprised in the refilling device, but may be located elsewhere; such arrangements are described further below.

The sensor 59 and the controller 55 are configured for communication between the sensor 59 and the controller 55, which may be one-way communication or two-way communication, depending on the implementation of the sensor 59, and similarly may be wired communication or wireless communication. The controller 55 may interrogate the sensor 59 to extract the information about the article 30, or to receive the information in a reply from the sensor 59, or the sensor 59 may be configured to transmit, send or otherwise communicate the information directly to the controller 55. Options are discussed further below. Overall, however, the communication results in the information I held by or embodied in the detectable feature 64 being acquired by the controller 55.

The information enables the controller 55 to determine the capacity of the storage area 3. The capacity is considered to be a total or maximum amount or quantity of fluid which the storage area 3 is intended to hold when the storage area 3 is deemed to be full. This quantity of fluid may correspond to a total internal volume of the storage area 3, or may be somewhat less than the total internal volume, in order to accommodate a small volume of air within the otherwise full storage area 3. This can allow for an inability to completely extract air from the storage area which is displaced by incoming fluid during refilling. Typically, the storage area 3 will include some capability for the egress of displaced air, such as via the fluid inlet orifice 32 or via some other outlet for air flow such as a dedicated venting orifice (not shown).

The controller comprises or includes a processor 60 which is configured to determine, from the acquired information I, a capacity of the storage area 3 of the article 30. In response to the determination of the capacity, and based on the determined capacity, and when the article 30 is correctly received in the article interface 56 for refilling, the processor 60 generates one or more control signals C and send these to the fluid transfer mechanism 53 of the refilling device which, in response, implements a refilling action to move fluid F from the reservoir (not shown) to the storage area 3 of the article 30. On completion of the refilling action, the storage area 3 is considered to be refilled and the article 30 is ready for a next use.

In a simple arrangement, it is assumed that the storage area 30 is initially empty, and the controller 55 controls the refilling action in order to move an amount of fluid F into the storage area 3 which substantially corresponds to the determined capacity of the storage area 3. In this way, the storage area is completely refilled by the filling action. In other arrangements, the controller may control the refilling action in order to move an amount of fluid into the storage area 3 which is less than the determined capacity. This can allow partial refill of an empty storage area, or can allow a storage area which is not completely empty to be topped up to a full or fuller state. T ransfer of a lesser amount of fluid might be implemented by user selection of a fractional refill, such as half or three-quarters of the capacity, for example via a user input device such as a button, switch or touch-screen on the refilling device. Based on the determined capacity, the controller 55 can calculate the amount of fluid required to fulfil the fractional requirement. Otherwise, the refilling dock may comprise a liquid or fluid level sensor or liquid or fluid amount sensor (not shown) which can detect an amount of fluid currently in the storage area 3 of the article 30 when received in the article interface 56, and supply this to the controller, which can then subtract the current fluid amount from the determined capacity to ascertain the amount of fluid which can added to the storage area to achieve a filled state, or a desired partially filled state, and control the fluid transfer mechanism accordingly. Overall, the controller is configured to control a filling action of the refilling device to move fluid into the storage area, where the control is based on the determined capacity.

The information about the article which is held by the detectable feature 64 of the article 30 and acquirable by the controller 55 may contain or directly indicate the capacity of the storage area 3, or may allow the capacity to be determined from it or by using it.

Figure 4 shows a simplified schematic representation of an example of information which contains the capacity of a storage area. The information I comprises a data set or metadata that records details and features of the article. The details include a value V of the capacity of the storage area, in this example shown to be 5 ml. Other details X, Y, Z with corresponding values xxx, yyy, zzz may be included in the data set, for example being a model number of the article, a date of manufacture of the article, a place of manufacture of the article, a type of heater in the article, or other information which the skilled person will appreciate may be of use or interest for operation of the article. If the information has this format or a similar format in which the capacity is directly recorded, the controller 55 is configured to extract the value of the capacity from the information I. Examples of detectable features 64 which can record or hold the actual capacity value in this way include computer memory chips and RFID tags inside the article, in which data representing the capacity is stored (in encoded or unencoded format), or printed labels, engravings or embossings on a surface of the article which can be read by a camera or optical reader/detector which show the capacity directly in written form, or coded within a barcode, a QR code or some other indicia, for example. In examples where the information directly includes or comprises the value of the storage area capacity, the controller may acquire all the information from the detectable feature and extract the value from the information, or the controller may acquire only a part of the available information that includes the value.

An alternative to the direct extraction of the capacity from the information about the article is to enable the controller to determine or ascertain the capacity from suitably formatted information after the information is acquired by the controller. As an example, the controller 55 may comprise a memory 62 in which is stored a look-up table or other data association structure which maps or otherwise connects information about the article 30 which is acquirable by the controller 55 from the detectable feature 64 via the sensor 59 to a value of the capacity of the storage area 3 of the article 30. In such a case, the information can indicate to the controller a model name of number of the article, or some other kind of indicator of a type or category of the article. The stored data maps the article type to the known capacity for that type of article, so that the controller can determine the capacity by consulting the stored data and extracting the appropriate capacity value corresponding to the determined article type. In this way, the controller can deal with articles by type or category where it is known that all articles of the same type or category have the same capacity of storage area. This can remove the need for the information to specifically include the capacity of the storage area, allowing the use of markers which may already be present in or on articles as the detectable feature, such as model numbers or serial numbers marked on or stored in the articles.

Figure 5 shows a simple example of a look-up table that may be stored in memory 62 in the controller 55. The table includes multiple entries, in this case for four article types, in which each entry comprises a different type T1-T4 of article (such as a different model, or different groups of models having a same storage area capacity, where the models are identifiable by model number or serial number, or similar, or some other detectable feature of the article which is assigned to the article in correspondence to its storage area capacity) recorded in association with its corresponding capacity, shown as a volume V in millilitres. The type T1-T4 is the information I which the controller acquires from the article, via the sensor detecting or reading the detectable feature. Clearly, a fewer or greater number of article types than four may be captured in the look-up table.

There are multiple ways to format both the detectable feature and the sensor, which will allow the controller to determine the storage area capacity of articles. In some cases, the detectable feature can be a feature of the article included for other reasons, such as a model number or serial number marked on the article, or an indicator of provenance of the article used to detect and prevent use of counterfeit articles. This avoids the need to configure articles to comprise a detectable feature dedicated to or specifically included for the purpose of capacity determination. In other cases, the inclusion of dedicated detectable features may be appropriate, and can be catered for when designing the article, perhaps then also making the feature serve additional functions. Similarly, the sensor can be configured having regard to the nature of the detectable feature chosen for particular articles, in that different formats of the detectable feature will require different formats of sensor to be able to read or detect the information. Various examples of sensor and detectable feature will now be described. These examples are not limiting however, and the invention covers other formats of detectable feature and/or sensor that are operable to enable capacity determination by the controller.

Figure 6 shows a simplified schematic side view of an example article with a detectable feature that can be read optically. The article 30 has a detectable feature 64 visible on or through its outer surface. The detectable feature 64 may be applied to the outer housing as a sticker, by printing or engraving onto the surface of the housing, or by embedding in or under the surface of the housing if the housing material is transparent to optical radiation that will be utilised by the sensor to read the detectable feature. The detectable feature 64 therefore may comprise an applied marker 68 that displays an indicia 70. The indicia 70 may be a barcode, a QR code, a pattern, an image or writing, for example. The sensor (not shown here) can therefore be an optical sensor or optical detector comprising a camera, an optical scanner, or other optical or light detector, with an associated light source if the sensor requires illumination of the marker 68 with white light or a specific wavelength of light in order to detect, image or read the indicia 70. If ambient illumination is adequate, the associated light source may be omitted. If the indicia 70 comprises a barcode or a QR code, the sensor or the controller can comprise software configured to extract data or otherwise decode the barcode or the QR code in any known manner, where the extracted or decoded data is the information about the article 30. If the indicia comprises a pattern, image or writing, the software is configured to recognise the information from the indicia, such as by the use of artificial intelligence or a neural network trained using a training set of example indicias corresponding to known information about the article. The output of the optical sensor after the marker 68 has been scanned or read is the required information about the article, so the sensor is connected (wired or wirelessly) to the controller in order to communicate the information to the controller.

An optical sensor can be placed adjacent to the article interface in a location where it can capture an image of the marker 68 on an article placed in the article interface in order to process the image to obtain the information about the article represented or encoded by the indicia 70. The article 30 is received in the article interface such that the marker 68 lies within the field of view of the optical sensor. Once the information is obtained, the sensor passes the information to the controller. Alternatively, an optical sensor may be located elsewhere in or on the refilling device, still connected with or in communication with the controller. For example, the optical sensor may be located on an outer surface of the housing of the refilling device, where a user can hold an article that requires refilling in the field of view of the optical sensor in order for the optical sensor to capture an image of the marker.

Markers configured for optical sensing or reading may be configured other than by the inclusion of an indicia. For example, the marker may have a size or a shape, or a position or an orientation on the article that corresponds with the storage area capacity so that the capacity can be deduced from an image of the marker or an image of the marker and the article. The marker may have a colour or a reflectivity level that corresponds with the storage area capacity so that the capacity may be deduced from a wavelength or an intensity of detected light reflected from the marker. These latter approaches do not require image processing or decoding, and merely require assessment of characteristics of the light detected by the optical sensor, so may be considered simpler. However, they may be subject to interference or uncertainty arising from ambient light conditions, so the optical sensor may usefully include a light source with a known emission spectrum arranged to illuminate the marker.

In other examples, non-contact based electromagnetic interrogation of the detectable feature other than optical interrogation may be used. Wireless communication may be used between the sensor and the detectable feature. Figure 7 shows a highly simplified schematic representation of an article interface and associated sensor configured for non-optical wireless reading of the detectable feature of the article. The article interface 56 receives the article 30, the article 30 comprising within it, or attached to its surface, a detectable feature 64 in the form of a computer memory chip or a readable data tag such as an RFID tag, in which is stored the information about the article 30. The sensor 59 is located adjacent to the article interface 56 and is configured to read the information from the detectable feature 64 via contactless communication or other wireless means. This may comprise near-field communication (NFC) or Bluetooth communication, for example; other wireless communication protocols may also be used, where the protocol is selected with reference to the format of the detectable feature 64 and the data held therein. Once the sensor 59 has retrieved the information from the detectable feature 64, the sensor can communicate the information I to the controller. The sensor 59 may be configured to automatically read the detectable feature 64 to obtain the information and pass the information to the controller, for example by continuously, periodically or intermittently scanning for the presence of a detectable feature in its vicinity, and initiating the data reading and communication process when a detectable feature is found. In other examples, the controller may send a request for information to the sensor 69, such as in response to an indication that an article 30 has been placed in the article interface 56, which responds by reading the detectable feature 64 to obtain the information and send the information in a reply to the controller.

A wireless or contactless sensor may be located elsewhere in or on the refilling device; it does not need to be adjacent to the article interface, or otherwise have a clear line of sight to the article, unlike an optical sensor. Provided the article is placed such that the detectable feature is within the range of the sensor, the sensor can obtain the information from the detectable feature of the article. Hence, the sensor can be placed wherever is considered convenient within the refilling device, which may be beneficial as regards the interior layout of the refilling device, which contains a number of other components as discussed with reference to Figure 2. The sensor may read the detectable feature before or after the article is placed in the article interface. Alternatively, the sensor may be located on the exterior of the refilling device, with the expectation that the user will present the article to the sensor (bring the article into the range of the sensor) before placing the article into the article interface.

Sensing which does not require any physical contact between the article and the sensor, such as the optical sensing and wireless or contactless sensing discussed with reference to Figures 6 and 7, can be implemented by using a sensor which is not comprised in and does not form part of the refilling device. This can simplify the refilling device. For example, it is proposed that sensors already present in other devices accessible to the user may be utilised to obtain information about an article, the information then being communicated to the controller of the refilling device by the sensor/other device. As an example, a mobile telephone (cell phone) may be used for this.

Figure 8 shows a simplified schematic view of a system arranged to make use of a sensor which is located elsewhere than in the refilling device. Instead, the sensor is comprised within a mobile telephone 72 or similar electronic personal device such as a tablet computer or a laptop computer. As is well known, current mobile telephones and related devices contain sensors and communication and data transfer elements as a matter of routine. These can include a camera 76 and a Bluetooth module 78 or other near field communication module, plus modules for mobile telecommunication and wireless communication protocols such as WiFi, 3G, 4G and 5G. Accordingly, an electronic personal device is well-adapted to both read information from a suitable detectable feature in an article, and communicate that information to a controller in a refilling device. Hence, when a user wishes to refill an article 30, the user can cause a sensor 76, 78 in, for example, a mobile telephone 72, to scan or read the detectable feature 64 by holding the article in the appropriate proximity to the mobile telephone 72. This allows detection or reading of the detectable feature via imaging with the camera 76 or interrogation with the Bluetooth module 78, for example. In this way, the mobile telephone obtains the information I about the article 30, and is then able to send the information I to the controller 55 via a Bluetooth connection or WiFi if the controller is provided with or otherwise has access to, a corresponding communication protocol capability, via a module 80. The obtained information may be passed directly from the mobile telephone 72 to the controller 55 for any required processing, such as image processing or decoding (depending on nature of the detectable feature 64). Alternatively, the mobile telephone 72 may be configured to perform any such processing itself before passing the information to the controller 55. The mobile telephone 72 may have an app 74 or other software installed that implements the detection, processing and communication of the information.

In other examples, the sensor may be configured to require contact with the article when it is received in the article interface, so that the sensor is directly associated with the article interface, and is able to obtain the information from the detectable feature of the article when the article is correctly received in the article interface. In some examples, this is enabled by the use of a sensor in the form of a number of electrical contacts configured to connect with electrical contacts on the received article to complete an electrical circuit.

Figure 9 shows a simplified schematic representation of a first example of a sensor comprising electrical contacts. In this example, the sensor 59 comprises a pair of electrical contacts 59a, 59b arranged to face inwardly into the article interface 56. Each contact 59a, 59b is connected to the controller 55, so that a partial electrical circuit runs from one contact 59a to the other contact 59b via the controller 55. The article 30 comprises a corresponding pair of electrical contacts 64a, 64b on its outer surface, in a location such that the electrical contacts 64a, 64b of the article 30 are brought into electrical connection with the sensor electrical contacts 59a, 59b when the article 30 is corrected received in the article interface 56. The article 30 comprises a detectable feature 64 in the form of computer readable data storage or memory, such as a chip. The chip has connections to the article’s electrical contacts 59a, 59b, to form a second partial electrical circuit. Accordingly, when the article 30 in inserted into the article interface 56, the partial circuit in the article 30 and the partial circuit of the sensor 59 and the controller 55 are brought together to form a completed circuit, by which the controller 55 is able to access data stored on the chip. The chip has stored on it, in a readable form, data representing the information required by the controller 55 to determine the capacity of the storage area of the article 30. The controller 55 is thus able, via the sensor 59, to interrogate the chip to acquire the information, and to determine the capacity of the storage area of the article 30, as described above.

Also as described above, the stored information on the chip can comprise the information directly, in the form of a value of the storage area capacity, or may comprise data that indicates a type of the article 30, such as a model number or a serial number from which the controller 55can determine the storage area capacity via its own stored data (look-up table). The former option obviates the need for the controller 55 to be provided with a look-up table or similar, thereby simplifying the controller 55 and speeded the processing needed to determine the capacity. The latter option can make use of existing formats of chips in articles that store serial numbers or other data corresponding to an article type, so that no special configuration of the article is required. The chip may store other data in addition to the data for determining the storage area capacity.

Figure 10 shows a simplified schematic representation of a second example of a sensor comprising electrical contacts. In this example, the sensor 59 comprises a plurality of electrical contacts 59a, 59b, 59c (three in this example) arranged to face inwardly into the article interface 56. Each contact 59a, 59b, 59c is connected the other contacts via the controller 55 to form a plurality of partial electrical circuits. The article 30 comprises a detectable feature in the form of a pair of electrical contacts 64b, 64c which are connected together to form a partial electrical circuit. The pair of electrical contacts 64b, 64c are located on the outer surface of the article 30 in locations that bring them into connection with two of the electrical contacts 59a, 59b, 59c of the sensor 59 when the article 30 is received in the article interface 56. The particular pair of locations of the outer surface of the article 30 are designated as an indicator of the type of the article 30. Hence, when the article 30 is correctly inserted into the article interface 56, connection is made between the article’s electrical contacts 64b, 64c and the corresponding two 59b, 59c of the sensor’s electrical contacts, bringing together the two partial circuits to form a complete circuit. The controller 55 is configured to detect completion of a circuit, and to determine which two of the sensor’s electrical contacts 59a, 59b, 59c are comprised within the completed circuit. From this the controller 55 can correspondingly determine the locations of the electrical contacts 64a, 64b on the article 30, and thereby acquire, via the sensor 59, the required information about the article 30, namely that the article 30 is of a first type. The controller 55 can then determine the storage area capacity from the article type, as described above.

In order to enable discrimination between different articles, other types of articles are configured with two electrical contacts connected as a partial circuit in locations on the article surface corresponding to different pairs of sensor’s plurality of electrical contacts 59a, 59b, 59c. Figure 10 shows partial representations of such articles. An article 30A of a second type has electrical contacts 64a, 64c located to connect with electrical contacts 59a, 59c of the sensor 59, and an article 30B of a third type has electrical contacts 64a, 64b located to connect with electrical contacts 59a, 59b of the sensor 59. Hence, each type of article 30, 30A, 30B completes a different circuit with the sensor’s electrical contacts 59a, 59b, 59c, and the controller is configured to discriminate between the possible circuits which are available for completion and can thereby acquire information indicating the article type and hence determine the storage area capacity.

Using this approach therefore allocates two of the available sensor electrical contacts to each article type. Hence, with the three sensor electrical contacts shown in the Figure 10 example, it is possible to distinguish between three different article types (which may or may not have different storage area capacities). Increasing the number of sensor electrical contacts allows more article types to be distinguished, according to m = n(n-1)/2 where m is the number of article types and n is the number of sensor electrical contacts, i.e. the number of ways to choose two electrical contacts from n electrical contacts, or “n choose 2”. In an alternative arrangement, it is possible to connect the sensor electrical contacts differently and allocate one of the sensor electrical contacts to be common to all of the potential electrical circuits, and a different one of the remaining sensor electrical contacts to each of the potential electrical circuits. In the example depicted in Figure 10, therefore, if the sensor contact 59a was made a common contact, the controller 55 would be able to discriminate between articles 30A and 30B, which both have an electrical contact 64a located to correspond with the sensor electrical contact 59a. The controller 55 would not recognise the article 30A which lacks a corresponding electrical contact. This arrangement requires more sensor electrical contacts to handle the same number of article types, however, according m = n-1.

Figure 11 shows a simplified schematic representation of an example of a sensor that comprises electrical switches instead of electrical contacts. In this example, the sensor 59 comprises two electrical switches 84a, 84b. Each switch 84a, 84b is connected to the controller 55 via a separate dedicated circuit via corresponding electrical contacts 86a, 86b, so that closing or opening a switch 84a, 84b (actuating the switch) will make or break the corresponding circuit. Hence, actuation of a switch 84a, 84b can detected by the controller 55 according to either of the circuits changing state (closed to open or open to closed). Each switch 84a, 84b is arranged to as to protrude into inner space of the article interface 56, and configured to as to be depressible towards or into the wall defining the article interface 56 when actuated. As depicted, depression of a switch 84a, 84b brings it into connection with its corresponding electrical contacts 86a, 86b and therefore closes its dedicated circuit, but the opposite configuration might be used, so that depression of a switch opens its circuit.

In order to co-operate with the sensor 59 in this example, the article 30 is configured to that its outer surface (such as defined by the shape and size of its outer housing) provides the detectable feature 64. The detectable feature 64 comprises one or more formations on the outer surface of the article 30, where the formations comprise at least one protruding portion 82 that stands proud of the adjacent surface and is located to correspond to a position of one or more of the switches 84a, 84b. One or more recessed portions 83 that are set back from the protruding portion(s) 83 may also provided, located to correspond to a position of one or more other switches 84a, 84b. The location of the protruding portions, i.e. the configuration of the formation, is allocated according to the type of the article, so that the article type can be deduced from a determination of the formation configuration. The depicted example shows an article 30 with a protruding portion 82 corresponding to a first switch 84a and a recessed portion 83 correspond to a second switch 84b. When the article 30 is received in the article interface 56, the protruding portion 83 depresses and hence actuates the first switch 84a and changes the state of the circuit of the first switch (from open to closed in the depicted example), while the recessed portion 84 is set too far back to interact with second switch 84b which remains unpressed so the state of the circuit of the second switch is unchanged (it remains open in the depicted example). The controller 55 detects the change of state of the circuit of the first switch 84a only, so is able to determine that an article with a protruding portion 82 only at the first switch position is present and hence deduce that the article 30 has a particular formation and is therefore of a first type. Figure 11 also shows a portion of a second type of article 30B in which the formation providing the detectable feature 64 comprises a protruding portion 82 located to actuate the second switch 84b and a recessed portion located leave the first switch 84a unpressed. Hence, the circuit of the first switch remains unchanged and the circuit of the second switch undergoes a state change when the article 30A is received in the article interface 56, which is detected by the controller 55 and used to determine that the article 30A is of the second type. A third article type (not shown) may comprise two protruding portions located to actuate both switches 84a, 84b, so that a change of state in both circuits is detected by the controller 55 and used to recognise the article as being of a third type. Similarly, more switches can be included in the sensor in order to increase the number of article types that can be distinguished. Each article type may have a single switch allocated to it, so that the article formation for each article type comprises a single protruding portion aligned with the relevant switch only, or a range of different combinations of one or more switches out of a plurality of switches might be used, in order to discriminate between a greater number of articles using a smaller number of switches.

In order to better handle articles which may have different external geometries, in other words that have exterior housings of different sizes and/or shapes (which may or may not correspond to different capacities of storage area, the article interface may be configured to receive differing articles in specific ways. In particular, where the sensor is configured to require contact with the article, the article interface may be configured to ensure that a received article is correctly located and oriented within the article interface to make the required contact with the sensor, for example in the case of electrical contact- or switch-based sensors as in the Figures 9, 10 and 11 examples. To the end, the article interface may comprise a receiving surface onto which the article is received such that it is properly positioned.

Figure 12 shows a simplified schematic side view of an example article interface configured in this way. The article interface 56 comprises a receiving surface 90 which is a shaped tray-like portion that sits in the base of the article interface 56. The receiving surface 90 may be a separate element or may be integrally formed with the base wall of the article interface 56. The upper surface of the receiving surface comprises a first shaped and/or sized recess depression 92 which is shaped to receive an article 30 of first external dimensions. The first recess 92 is shaped to closely receive the article 30 so as to grip the article 30 and hold it firmly or securely in the required position relative to the sensor (not shown). A second recess 94, smaller than the first, is formed in the base of the first recess 92, and shaped/sized to firmly hold a different article (not shown) of second external dimensions smaller than the first article 30.

The receiving surface 90 may be removable from the article interface 56, to be replaced by a second receiving surface 90a. Hence, each receiving surface may be individually installed in the article interface 56. The second receiving surface comprises two recesses 96, 98, differently sized and/or shaped from each other and hence configured to hold articles of different external dimensions. The recesses 96, 98 of the second receiving surface 90a are usefully sized differently from at least one of the recesses 92, 94 of the first receiving surface 90 in order to enable the article interface 56 to handle a greater variety of articles 30. The second receiving surface 90a differs from the first receiving surface 90 in that the recesses 92, 94 are both formed in the upper surface of the receiving surface 80a in a side-by-side arrangement, in contrast to the layered or stacked arrangement of the recesses 92, 94 in the first receiving surface 90. However, both receiving surfaces may have stacked or side-by-side arrangements, or a combination of both arrangements if more than two recesses are provided on a single receiving surface. The disclosure is not limited in this way, and a refilling device may comprise two or more separately installable receiving surfaces each having at least one recess configured to hold articles of different external dimensions from the other recess or recesses. In another example, the recess of a receiving surface may be configured to hold more than one shape or size of article by being formed with adjustable side walls that maybe moved to accommodate different articles. For the example, the side walls may be formed from a resilient material such as foamed rubber which is compressible so that articles larger than the inherent uncompressed size of the recess can be received. In an alternative, the side walls might be sliding so they can be moved inwardly or outwardly to change the size and shape of the recess, and might be spring-mounted to provide an inwardly gripping force on a received article.

The ability to handle differently sized and shaped articles in the same refilling device is not limited to the handling of articles with different capacities of storage area. Hence, the receiving surfaces described above are of relevance for refilling devices which are not configured with sensor and controller capability to determine storage area capacity. Therefore, an aspect of the disclosure is also directed to:

A refilling device for filling an article from a reservoir, comprising: an article interface for receiving an article of an aerosol provision system for filling, the article having a storage area for fluid; and at least one receiving surface, each receiving surface configured to be individually installed in the article interface, each receiving surface having at least one recess sized and/or shaped to receive for filling an article of different external dimensions than the recess or recesses of the other receiving surface or surfaces; and also to:

A refilling system comprising: a refilling device of the above aspect; and at least one article having external dimensions for the article to be received for filling in a recess of at least one of the receiving surfaces.

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 . A refilling device for filling an article from a reservoir, comprising: an article interface for receiving an article of an aerosol provision system for filling, the article having a storage area for fluid; and a controller configured to: communicate with a sensor to acquire information about an article to be filled; and determine from the information a capacity of the storage area of the article.

2. A refilling device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control a filling action of the refilling device for moving fluid from a reservoir in the refilling device into the storage area of the article received in the article interface.

3. A refilling device according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to control the filling action based on the determined capacity of the storage area.

4. A refilling device according to claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to control the filling action to move an amount of fluid into the storage area corresponding to the determined capacity of the storage area.

5. A refilling device according to claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to control the filling action to move an amount of fluid into the storage area which is less than the determined capacity of the storage area.

6. A refilling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the information includes a value of the capacity of the storage area, and the controller determines the capacity of the storage area by extracting the value from the information.

7. A refilling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the information represents a type of article, different types of article having different storage capacities, and wherein the controller is provided with a value of storage capacity for each type of article from which the storage capacity is determined.

8. A refilling device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the sensor is located elsewhere than in the refilling device.

9. A refilling device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and further comprising the sensor, wherein the sensor is located in or on the refilling device.

10. A refilling device according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the sensor is configured to wirelessly interrogate the article to obtain the information from the article.

11. A refilling device according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the sensor comprises an optical detector configured to detect an optically readable marker on the article, the marker containing the information from which the capacity of the storage area is determined.

12. A refilling device according to any one of claims 9 to 11 , wherein the sensor is associated with the article interface such that the controller can acquire the information when the article is received in the article interface.

13. A refilling device according to claim 12, wherein the sensor comprises one or more electrical contacts arranged to contact a corresponding electrical contact or contacts on the article received in the article interface.

14. A refilling device according to claim 13, wherein the sensor is configured to interrogate data storage in the article via the one or more electrical contacts to retrieve the information from which the controller determines the capacity of the storage area.

15. A refilling device according to claim 13, wherein the sensor comprises two or more electrical contacts that each form part of a separate electrical circuit able to be completed by a corresponding electrical contact on the article received in the article interface such that completion of one of the electrical circuits is detected by the controller as the information from which the capacity of the storage area is determined.

16. A refilling device according to claim 12, wherein the sensor comprises two or more electrical switches configured to be actuated by a corresponding formation on a surface of the article received in the article interface such that actuation of one or more of the electrical switches is detected by the controller as the information from which the capacity of the storage area is determined.

17. A refilling device according to any preceding claim, wherein the article interface includes a receiving surface having a recess therein into which the article can be inserted to be received in the article interface.

18. A refilling device according to claim 17, wherein the receiving surface has two or more recesses each configured to receive an article of different external dimensions.

19. A refilling device according to claim 17 or claim 18, wherein the receiving surface can be removed for substitution with a further receiving surface having a recess or recesses configured to receive an article of different external dimensions than the recess or recesses of the said receiving surface.

20. A refilling system comprising: a refilling device according to claim 19; and two or more receiving surfaces each configured to be individually installed in the article interface, each receiving surface having a recess or recesses configured to receive an article of different external dimensions than the recess or recesses of the other receiving surface or receiving surfaces.

21. A refilling system according to claim 20, and further comprising at least one article having external dimensions suitable to allow the article to be received for refilling in a recess of one of the two or more receiving surfaces.

22. A refilling system comprising: a refilling device according to claim 16; and at least one article having a formation configured to actuate one or more of the electrical switches when the article is received in the article interface.

23. An article for an aerosol provision system; comprising: a storage area for fluid, the storage area having a fluid inlet orifice via which fluid can be delivered into the storage area using a refilling device which receives the article; and a detectable feature from which the refilling device can acquire information in order to determine a capacity of the storage area.

24. An article for an aerosol provision system according to claim 23, wherein the detectable feature comprises data storage which can be interrogated to retrieve information stored therein, the data storage storing the information for determining a capacity of the storage area.

25. An article for an aerosol provision system according to claim 23, wherein the detectable feature comprises an optically readable marker.

26. A refilling device for filling an article from a reservoir, comprising: an article interface for receiving an article of an aerosol provision system for filling, the article having a storage area for fluid; and at least one receiving surface, each receiving surface configured to be individually installed in the article interface, each receiving surface having at least one recess sized and/or shaped to receive for filling an article of different external dimensions than the recess or recesses of the other receiving surface or surfaces.

27. A refilling system comprising: a refilling device according to claim 26; and at least one article having external dimensions for the article to be received for filling in a recess of at least one of the receiving surfaces.