WO2023006418A1

WO2023006418A1 - Interactive aerosol provision system

Info

Publication number: WO2023006418A1
Application number: PCT/EP2022/069534
Authority: WO
Inventors: Patrick MOLONEY
Original assignee: Nicoventures Trading Limited
Priority date: 2021-07-29
Filing date: 2022-07-13
Publication date: 2023-02-02
Also published as: GB202110911D0; CO2024000464A2; EP4376651A1; IL309991A; CN117693303A; CA3226409A1; KR20240032855A; AU2022320819A1

Abstract

An aerosol delivery system comprises an aerosol delivery device, a first sensor configured to detect a first interaction related to subsequent use of the aerosol delivery device, a second sensor configured to detect a second, separate interaction related to subsequent use of the aerosol delivery device, a two- factor detection processor operable to calculate when detection of the first interaction and second interaction meet at least a first predetermined criterion, and a control processor operable to alter one or more operational parameters of the aerosol delivery device in response to the detection of the first interaction and second interaction being calculated to meet the at least first predetermined criterion.

Description

Interactive Aerosol Provision System

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an interactive aerosol provision system.

Background

The "background" description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.

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

As an example of an aerosol provision system, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) generally contain a reservoir of a source liquid containing a formulation, typically including nicotine, from which an aerosol is generated, e.g. through heat vaporisation. An aerosol source for an aerosol provision system may thus comprise a heater having a heating element arranged to receive source liquid from the reservoir, for example through wicking / capillary action. Other source materials may be similarly heated to create an aerosol, such as botanical matter, or a gel comprising an active ingredient and/or flavouring. Hence more generally, the e-cigarette may be thought of as comprising or receiving a payload for heat vaporisation.

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

Usually an electric current is supplied to the heater when a user is drawing/ puffing on the device. Typically, the electric current is supplied to the heater, e.g. resistance heating element, in response to either the activation of an airflow sensor along the flow path as the user inhales/draw/puffs or in response to the activation of a button by the user. The heat generated by the heating element is used to vaporise a formulation. The released vapour mixes with air drawn through the device by the puffing consumer and forms an aerosol. Alternatively or in addition, the heating element is used to heat but typically not burn a botanical such as tobacco, to release active ingredients thereof as a vapour / aerosol.

The secure, efficient and/or timely operation of such an aerosol provision system can benefit from responding appropriately to how the user interacts with it.

It is in this context that the present invention arises.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Various aspects and features of the present invention are defined in the appended claims and within the text of the accompanying description.

In a first aspect, an aerosol delivery system is provided in accordance with claim 1.

In another aspect, a method of control for an aerosol delivery system is provided in accordance with claim 11.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

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

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a delivery device in accordance with embodiments of the description.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a body of a delivery device in accordance with embodiments of the description.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a cartomiser of a delivery device in accordance with embodiments of the description.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a body of a delivery device in accordance with embodiments of the description.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a delivery ecosystem in accordance with embodiments of the description.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a delivery device in accordance with embodiments of the description.

Figure 7 is a flow diagram of a method of control for an aerosol delivery system in accordance with embodiments of the description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

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

The term 'interactive aerosol provision system', or similarly 'delivery device' may encompass systems that deliver a least one substance to a user, and include non-combustible aerosol provision systems that release compounds from an aerosol-generating material without combusting the aerosol-generating material, such as electronic cigarettes, tobacco heating products, and hybrid systems to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials; and aerosol-free delivery systems that deliver the at least one substance to a user orally, nasally, transdermally or in another way without forming an aerosol, including but not limited to, lozenges, gums, patches, articles comprising inhalable powders, and oral products such as oral tobacco which includes snus or moist snuff, wherein the at least one substance may or may not comprise nicotine.

The substance to be delivered may be an aerosol-generating material or a material that is not intended to be aerosolised. As appropriate, either material may comprise one or more active constituents, one or more flavours, one or more aerosol-former materials, and/or one or more other functional materials. Currently, the most common example of such a delivery device or aerosol provision system (e.g. a non combustible aerosol provision system) is an electronic vapour provision system (EVPS), such as an e- cigarette. Throughout the following description the term "e-cigarette" is sometimes used but this term may be used interchangeably with delivery device or aerosol provision system except where stated otherwise or where context indicates otherwise. Similarly the terms 'vapour' and 'aerosol' are referred to equivalently herein.

Generally, the electronic vapour / aerosol provision system may be an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device or electronic nicotine delivery device (END), although it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol-generating (e.g. aerosolisable) material is not a requirement. In some embodiments, a non-combustible aerosol provision system is a tobacco heating system, also known as a heat-not-burn system. An example of such a system is a tobacco heating system. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is a hybrid system to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials, one or a plurality of which may be heated. Each of the aerosol-generating 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. Meanwhile in some embodiments, the non combustible aerosol provision system generates a vapour / aerosol from one or more such aerosol generating materials.

Typically, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise a non-combustible aerosol provision device and an article (otherwise referred to as a consumable) for use with the non combustible aerosol provision system. However, it is envisaged that articles which themselves comprise a means for powering an aerosol generating component (e.g. an aerosol generator such as a heater, vibrating mesh or the like) may themselves form the non-combustible aerosol provision system. In one embodiment, the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise a power source and a controller. The power source may be an electric power source or an exothermic power source. In one embodiment, the exothermic power source comprises a carbon substrate which may be energised so as to distribute power in the form of heat to an aerosolisable material or heat transfer material in proximity to the exothermic power source. In one embodiment, the power source, such as an exothermic power source, is provided in the article so as to form the non-combustible aerosol provision. In one embodiment, the article for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise an aerosolisable material.

In some embodiments, the aerosol generating component is 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. In one embodiment, the aerosol generating component is capable of generating an aerosol from the aerosolisable material without heating. For example, the aerosol generating component may be capable of generating an aerosol from the aerosolisable material without applying heat thereto, for example via one or more of vibrational, mechanical, pressurisation or electrostatic means.

In some embodiments, the aerosolisable material may comprise an active material, an aerosol forming material and optionally one or more functional materials. The active material may comprise nicotine (optionally contained in tobacco or a tobacco derivative) or one or more other non-olfactory physiologically active materials. A non-olfactory physiologically active material is a material which is included in the aerosolisable material in order to achieve a physiological response other than olfactory perception. The aerosol forming material may comprise one or more of glycerine, glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso- Erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, a diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate. The one or more functional materials may comprise one or more of flavours, carriers, pH regulators, stabilizers, and/or antioxidants.

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 one embodiment, 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 one embodiment, the area for receiving aerosolisable material may be separate from, or combined with, an aerosol generating area.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vapour / aerosol provision system such as an e-cigarette 10 (not to scale), providing a non-limiting example of a delivery device in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

The e-cigarette has a generally cylindrical shape, extending along a longitudinal axis indicated by dashed line LA, and comprises two main components, namely a body 20 and a cartomiser 30. The cartomiser includes an internal chamber containing a reservoir of a payload such as for example a liquid comprising nicotine, a vaporiser (such as a heater), and a mouthpiece 35. References to 'nicotine' hereafter will be understood to be merely an example and can be substituted with any suitable active ingredient. References to 'liquid' as a payload hereafter will be understood to be merely an example and can be substituted with any suitable payload such as botanical matter (for example tobacco that is to be heated rather than burned), or a gel comprising an active ingredient and/or flavouring. The reservoir may be a foam matrix or any other structure for retaining the liquid until such time that it is required to be delivered to the vaporiser. In the case of a liquid / flowing payload, the vaporiser is for vaporising the liquid, and the cartomiser 30 may further include a wick or similar facility to transport a small amount of liquid from the reservoir to a vaporising location on or adjacent the vaporiser. In the following, a heater is used as a specific example of a vaporiser. However, it will be appreciated that other forms of vaporiser (for example, those which utilise ultrasonic waves) could also be used and it will also be appreciated that the type of vaporiser used may also depend on the type of payload to be vaporised.

The body 20 includes a re-chargeable cell or battery to provide power to the e-cigarette 10 and a circuit board for generally controlling the e-cigarette. When the heater receives power from the battery, as controlled by the circuit board, the heater vaporises the liquid and this vapour is then inhaled by a user through the mouthpiece 35. In some specific embodiments the body is further provided with a manual activation device 265, e.g. a button, switch, or touch sensor located on the outside of the body.

The body 20 and cartomiser 30 may be detachable from one another by separating in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis LA, as shown in Figure 1, but are joined together when the device 10 is in use by a connection, indicated schematically in Figure 1 as 25A and 25B, to provide mechanical and electrical connectivity between the body 20 and the cartomiser 30. The electrical connector 25B on the body 20 that is used to connect to the cartomiser 30 also serves as a socket for connecting a charging device (not shown) when the body 20 is detached from the cartomiser 30. The other end of the charging device may be plugged into a USB socket to re-charge the cell in the body 20 of the e-cigarette 10. In other implementations, a cable may be provided for direct connection between the electrical connector 25B on the body 20 and a USB socket.

The e-cigarette 10 is provided with one or more holes (not shown in Figure 1) for air inlets. These holes connect to an air passage through the e-cigarette 10 to the mouthpiece 35. When a user inhales through the mouthpiece 35, air is drawn into this air passage through the one or more air inlet holes, which are suitably located on the outside of the e-cigarette. When the heater is activated to vaporise the nicotine from the cartridge, the airflow passes through, and combines with, the generated vapour, and this combination of airflow and generated vapour then passes out of the mouthpiece 35 to be inhaled by a user. Except in single-use devices, the cartomiser 30 may be detached from the body 20 and disposed of when the supply of liquid is exhausted (and replaced with another cartomiser if so desired).

It will be appreciated that the e-cigarette 10 shown in Figure 1 is presented by way of example, and various other implementations can be adopted. For example, in some embodiments, the cartomiser 30 is provided as two separable components, namely a cartridge comprising the liquid reservoir and mouthpiece (which can be replaced when the liquid from the reservoir is exhausted), and a vaporiser comprising a heater (which is generally retained). As another example, the charging facility may connect to an additional or alternative power source, such as a car cigarette lighter.

Figure 2 is a schematic (simplified) diagram of the body 20 of the e-cigarette 10 of Figure 1 in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Figure 2 can generally be regarded as a cross- section in a plane through the longitudinal axis LA of the e-cigarette 10. Note that various components and details of the body, e.g. such as wiring and more complex shaping, have been omitted from Figure 2 for reasons of clarity.

The body 20 includes a battery or cell 210 for powering the e-cigarette 10 in response to a user activation of the device. Additionally, the body 20 includes a control unit 205, for example a chip such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or microcontroller, for controlling the e-cigarette 10. The microcontroller or ASIC includes a CPU or micro-processor. The operations of the CPU and other electronic components are generally controlled at least in part by software programs running on the CPU (or other component). Such software programs may be stored in non-volatile memory, such as ROM, which can be integrated into the microcontroller itself, or provided as a separate component. The CPU may access the ROM to load and execute individual software programs as and when required. The microcontroller also contains appropriate communications interfaces (and control software) for communicating as appropriate with other devices in the body 10.

The body 20 further includes a cap 225 to seal and protect the far (distal) end of the e-cigarette 10. Typically there is an air inlet hole provided in or adjacent to the cap 225 to allow air to enter the body 20 when a user inhales on the mouthpiece 35. The control unit or ASIC may be positioned alongside or at one end of the battery 210. In some embodiments, the ASIC is attached to a sensor unit 215 to detect an inhalation on mouthpiece 35 (or alternatively the sensor unit 215 may be provided on the ASIC itself). An air path is provided from the air inlet through the e-cigarette, past the airflow sensor 215 and the heater (in the vaporiser or cartomiser 30), to the mouthpiece 35. Thus when a user inhales on the mouthpiece of the e-cigarette, the CPU detects such inhalation based on information from the airflow sensor 215. At the opposite end of the body 20 from the cap 225 is the connector 25B for joining the body 20 to the cartomiser 30. The connector 25B provides mechanical and electrical connectivity between the body 20 and the cartomiser 30. The connector 25B includes a body connector 240, which is metallic (silver- plated in some embodiments) to serve as one terminal for electrical connection (positive or negative) to the cartomiser 30. The connector 25B further includes an electrical contact 250 to provide a second terminal for electrical connection to the cartomiser 30 of opposite polarity to the first terminal, namely body connector 240. The electrical contact 250 is mounted on a coil spring 255. When the body20 is attached to the cartomiser 30, the connector 25A on the cartomiser 30 pushes against the electrical contact 250 in such a manner as to compress the coil spring in an axial direction, i.e. in a direction parallel to (co-aligned with) the longitudinal axis LA. In view of the resilient nature of the spring 255, this compression biases the spring 255 to expand, which has the effect of pushing the electrical contact 250 firmly against connector 25A of the cartomiser 30, thereby helping to ensure good electrical connectivity between the body 20 and the cartomiser 30. The body connector 240 and the electrical contact 250 are separated by a trestle 260, which is made of a non-conductor (such as plastic) to provide good insulation between the two electrical terminals. The trestle 260 is shaped to assist with the mutual mechanical engagement of connectors 25A and 25B.

As mentioned above, a button 265, which represents a form of manual activation device 265, may be located on the outer housing of the body 20. The button 265 may be implemented using any appropriate mechanism which is operable to be manually activated by the user - for example, as a mechanical button or switch, a capacitive or resistive touch sensor, and so on. It will also be appreciated that the manual activation device 265 may be located on the outer housing of the cartomiser 30, rather than the outer housing of the body 20, in which case, the manual activation device 265 may be attached to the ASIC via the connections 25A, 25B. The button 265 might also be located at the end of the body 20, in place of (or in addition to) cap 225.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the cartomiser 30 of the e-cigarette 10 of Figure 1 in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Figure 3 can generally be regarded as a cross-section in a plane through the longitudinal axis LA of the e-cigarette 10. Note that various components and details of the cartomiser 30, such as wiring and more complex shaping, have been omitted from Figure 3 for reasons of clarity.

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

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

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

The cartomiser connector 370 is provided with two lugs or tabs 380A, 380B, which extend in opposite directions away from the longitudinal axis of the e-cigarette 10. These tabs are used to provide a bayonet fitting in conjunction with the body connector 240 for connecting the cartomiser 30 to the body 20. This bayonet fitting provides a secure and robust connection between the cartomiser 30 and the body 20, so that the cartomiser and body are held in a fixed position relative to one another, with minimal wobble or flexing, and the likelihood of any accidental disconnection is very small. At the same time, the bayonet fitting provides simple and rapid connection and disconnection by an insertion followed by a rotation for connection, and a rotation (in the reverse direction) followed by withdrawal for disconnection. It will be appreciated that other embodiments may use a different form of connection between the body 20 and the cartomiser 30, such as a snap fit or a screw connection.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of certain details of the connector 25B at the end of the body 20 in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure (but omitting for clarity most of the internal structure of the connector as shown in Figure 2, such as trestle 260). In particular, Figure 4 shows the external housing 201 of the body 20, which generally has the form of a cylindrical tube. This external housing 201 may comprise, for example, an inner tube of metal with an outer covering of paper or similar. The external housing 201 may also comprise the manual activation device 265 (not shown in Figure 4) so that the manual activation device 265 is easily accessible to the user.

The body connector 240 extends from this external housing 201 of the body 20. The body connector 240 as shown in Figure 4 comprises two main portions, a shaft portion 241 in the shape of a hollow cylindrical tube, which is sized to fit just inside the external housing 201 of the body 20, and a lip portion 242 which is directed in a radially outward direction, away from the main longitudinal axis (LA) of the e- cigarette. Surrounding the shaft portion 241 of the body connector 240, where the shaft portion does not overlap with the external housing 201, is a collar or sleeve 290, which is again in a shape of a cylindrical tube. The collar 290 is retained between the lip portion 242 of the body connector 240 and the external housing 201 of the body, which together prevent movement of the collar 290 in an axial direction (i.e. parallel to axis LA). However, collar 290 is free to rotate around the shaft portion 241 (and hence also axis LA).

As mentioned above, the cap 225 is provided with an air inlet hole to allow air to flow when a user inhales on the mouthpiece 35. However, in some embodiments the majority of air that enters the device when a user inhales flows through collar 290 and body connector 240 as indicated by the two arrows in Figure 4. Referring now to Figure 5, the e-cigarette 10 (or more generally any delivery device as described elsewhere herein) may operate within a wider delivery ecosystem 1. Within the wider delivery ecosystem, a number of devices may communicate with each other, either directly (shown with solid arrows) or indirectly (shown with dashed arrows).

In Figure 5, as an example delivery device an e-cigarette 10 may communicate directly with one or more other classes of device (for example using Bluetooth ^® or Wifi Direct ^®), including but not limited to a smartphone 100, a dock 200 (e.g. a home refill and/or charging station), a vending machine 300, or a wearable 400. As noted above, these devices may cooperate in any suitable configuration to form a delivery system.

Alternatively or in addition the delivery device, such as for example the e-cigarette 10, may communicate indirectly with one or more of these classes of device via a network such as the internet 500, for example using Wifi ^®, near field communication, a wired link or an integral mobile data scheme. Again, as noted above, in this manner these devices may cooperate in any suitable configuration to form a delivery system.

Alternatively or in addition the delivery device, such as for example the e-cigarette 10, may communicate indirectly with a server 1000 via a network such as the internet 500, either itself for example by using Wifi, or via another device in the delivery ecosystem, for example using Bluetooth ^® or Wifi Direct ^® to communicate with a smartphone 100, a dock 200, a vending machine 300, or a wearable 400 that then communicates with the server to either relay the e-cigarette's communications, or report upon its communications with the e-cigarette 10. The smartphone, dock, or other device within the delivery ecosystem, such as a point of sale system / vending machine, may hence optionally act as a hub for one or more delivery devices that only have short range transmission capabilities. Such a hub may thus extend the battery life of a delivery device that does not need to maintain an ongoing WiFi^® or mobile data link. It will also be appreciated that different types of data may be transmitted with different levels of priority; for example data relating to the user feedback system (such as user factor data or feedback action data, as discussed herein) may be transmitted with a higher priority than more general usage statistics, or similarly some user factor data relating to more short-term variables (such as current physiological data) may be transmitted with a higher priority than user factor data relating to longer-term variables (such as current weather, or day of the week). A non-limiting example transmission scheme allowing higher and lower priority transmission is LoRaWAN.

Meanwhile, the other classes of device in the ecosystem such as the smartphone, dock, vending machine (or any other point of sale system) and/or wearable may also communicate indirectly with the server 1000 via a network such as the internet 500, either to fulfil an aspect of their own functionality, or on behalf of the delivery system (for example as a relay or co-processing unit). These devices may also communicate with each other, either directly or indirectly.

It will be appreciated that the delivery ecosystem may comprise multiple delivery devices 10, for example because the user owns multiple devices (for example so as to easily switch between different active ingredients or flavourings), or because multiple users share the same delivery ecosystem, at least in part (for example cohabiting users may share a charging dock, but have their own phones or wearables). Optionally such devices may similarly communicate directly or indirectly with each other, and/or with devices within the shared delivery ecosystem and/or the server. Turning now to Figure 6, in which features similar to those of Figure 1 are similarly numbered, an aerosol delivery device may comprise at least one interaction sensor 610 operable to generate signals in response to a predetermined interaction. The predetermined interaction is one related to subsequent use of the aerosol delivery device, as described elsewhere herein.

Alternatively or in addition to the at least one interaction sensor 610 on the aerosol delivery device, optionally at least one interaction sensor 610 may be provided on a companion device, e.g. a closely associated device within the delivery ecosystem, such as the user's phone, smartwatch, fitness tracker, or the like.

Overall, however, a total of at least two interaction sensors are provided.

Accordingly, in embodiments of the present description an aerosol delivery system 1 comprises an aerosol delivery device 10, a first sensor 610 configured to detect a first interaction related to subsequent use of the aerosol delivery device; and a second sensor 610 configured to detect a second, separate interaction related to subsequent use of the aerosol delivery device.

In addition, the aerosol delivery system comprises a two-factor detection processor operable to calculate when detection of the first interaction and second interaction meet at least a first predetermined criterion. The two-factor detection processor may comprise the control unit 205 of the delivery device (operating under suitable software instruction), and/or a CPU of the companion device, or another device of the delivery ecosystem, again operating under suitable software instruction.

Similarly, the aerosol delivery system comprises a control processor operable to alter one or more operational parameters of the aerosol delivery device in response to the detection of the first interaction and second interaction being calculated to meet the at least first predetermined criterion.

Again this control processor may be the control unit 205 of the delivery device and/or a CPU of the companion device or another device in the deliver ecosystem, operating under suitable software instruction.

Depending on the predetermined interaction, a given sensor may be a physical sensor or a logical sensor. Examples of physical sensors include one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, and one or more cameras, and detectors for the insertion or physical adjustment of a consumable payload (for example a tobacco heating product or gel, but similarly an e-liquid or similar). Examples of logical sensors include sensing (e.g. flagging) a selection of a payload or an adjustment of a consumable payload formulation via a user interface, or any other predetermined interaction with a user interface of the aerosol delivery system considered to relate to (e.g. be indicative of) subsequent use of the aerosol delivery device.

Flence the first and second sensors may detect respective interactions from a non-limiting list consisting of: i. an insertion of a consumable payload - for example physically loading consumable payload into the delivery device, either directly, or in a capsule or package, or by refilling a capsule or package; ii. a selection of a consumable payload - for example if an array of different gels is provided as a payload, indicating the selective heating of one, either logically or by physically adjusting the gels to move one over a heating region; iii. an adjustment of a consumable payload formulation - for example by adjusting a dynamic mix of active ingredient and flavouring, or a concentration of either, or by selecting relative heating profiles of two or more gels, or the like; iv. an engagement of a power supply - for example, by plugging in a power bank battery, mains charger or docking the delivery device with a charging unit; v. a disengagement of such a power supply; vi a predetermined interaction with a user interface of the aerosol delivery system - for example to determine an amount of remaining payload or battery charge, or an amount of usage left within a usage management scheme (for example indicating a remaining number of puffs in a day or hour according to so some set schedule); vii. a change of orientation of the aerosol delivery device above a threshold rate - for example indicative of being picked out of a bag or pocket, as opposed to a bag's swing or the motion within a pocket; viii. a change of orientation to one characteristic of use - for example an arcuate change from vertical to horizontal as if being lifted to the mouth; ix. a change of grip to one characteristic of use; x. a vertical transition within a predetermined range - for example in a range of 40-80cm such as from back or pocket to head; and xi. a proximity to a user's face - for example as detected by a camera.

It will be appreciated that as a mechanism to detect imminent use, the first and second sensors are not the sensors used to detect and/or cause full activation of the delivery device (e.g. delivery of vapour). Hence for example they do not include a button press that activates the aerosol delivery device, and/or an inhalation action on a mouthpiece of the aerosol delivery device.

Optionally one sensor may be from the subset i-vi of the list above, whilst the other sensor may be from the subset vii-xi. However, in principle any pairing of the above interactions provides a two-factor authentication of indicators of imminent use of the delivery device that may then allow the control processor to alter one or more operational parameters of the aerosol delivery device, typically in service of imminent use of the delivery device.

A particular operational parameter for tobacco heating products 'THPs', and similarly for gels, is activating a pre-heating step. THPs and gels take a relatively long time to heat up to a vaporisation temperature (compared for example to e-liquids) and so a typically earlier and longer pre-heating step is desirable to bring the payload to near-vaporisation temperature in anticipation of actual activation by the user to generate an aerosol.

However, if such a pre-heating step is triggered unnecessarily, it can more rapidly drain the battery of the delivery device, and potentially reduce the life of the delivery device if the heating cycle either affects the heater, or causes small amounts of vaporisation and subsequent condensation of payload within the device. Consequently it is beneficial for the pre-heating step to be activated when there is a strong likelihood of imminent use, and the above two-factor authentication of imminent use provides a robust means to reduce the number of false-positive activations.

This principle may be extended to any aspect of the aerosol delivery system that may be associated with a transition from a standby or sleeping state to a ready or-pre-use state, including as non-limiting examples one or more selected from the list consisting of: i. display of a set of information (separate to or superset of a set displayed in a preceding state) - for example if in a standby state the delivery device only showed a battery status, then in a second, pre-use state it may also show a payload-remaining status; ii. display of a higher level of detail of information than displayed in a preceding state - for example if in a standby state the delivery device only showed a battery status, then in a second, pre-use state it may also show a prediction of how many puffs that battery power may equate to; iii. a higher duty cycle or higher power data transmission than in a preceding state - for example increasing the range or frequency of occurrence of communications with a companion device; iv. a higher duty cycle or higher power heating than in a preceding state - for example providing more power to the heater, either as a higher percentage 'on' in a duty cycle, and/or as more power. The preceding state may have a lower duty cycle or power, or indeed not supply power for heating to the heater at all, in which case this may equate with turning the heater on at a predetermined power (e.g. to a pre-vaporisation temperature); v. a higher duty cycle or higher power lighting than in a preceding state - for example backlighting a display of the delivery device; and vi. a higher duty cycle or higher power situational awareness than in a preceding state - for example activating or increasing the sensitivity of a threshold of one or more other sensors of the aerosol provision system, for example to more responsively react to imminent and/or actual start of use.

Hence such a ready or-pre-use state can be thought of as a set of one or more altered operational parameters.

The two-factor authentication approach helps to avoid unnecessary activation of such a state or alteration of such operational parameters in response to a false positive indication of imminent use.

Example scenarios include loading or adjusting a payload into the device. To a first approximation this may be considered indicative that the user wishes to use the new or updated payload. However, often a user is simply using the delivery device as a means of pre-loading and carrying the payload for later use, perhaps for example loading their device as a precursor to a commute to work. The user may not therefore be guaranteed to use the delivery device within a period of time after loading or modifying the payload in which it would be economical from a battery life perspective to pre-heat the heater, for example.

However, if the user then raised the device up by a characteristic amount (e.g. in a 40-80 cm range) or adopted a grip characteristic of when inhaling on the mouthpiece, these events in conjunction with the change in payload are indicative of likely imminent use and a pre-heat of the delivery device is likely to be advantageous.

Conversely, the user holding the device in a use-like grip only may not be a sufficient indicator of imminent use. A user may hold their device in this manner for a prolonged period because it is easier to carry help in the same position as it is used. It would be inefficient to keep pre-heating the delivery device between uses for this reason. However, if the device is also moved on an arcuate path through 180 or 90 degrees (180 also encompassing 90) to a position roughly horizontal, this in conjunction with being held in a usage grip is indicative of likely imminent use and a pre-heat of the delivery device is likely to be advantageous.

Hence more generally the two-factor detection processor is configured to calculate when detection of the first interaction (e.g. from signals from the first sensor) and second interaction (e.g. from signals from the second sensor) meet at least a first predetermined criterion. That criterion can be separate for each interaction (in which case both must be met) or a combined criterion.

For example, the or each criterion can be a respective one selected from the list consisting of: i. a duration of at least one of the interactions exceeding a duration threshold (for example a duration of grip); ii. the two interactions overlapping by at least predetermined period (e.g. grip and arcuate motion); and iii. the two interactions occurring within an interval of predetermined length (e.g. loading a payload and subsequently raising the device by a characteristic amount within, for example, 15, 30, 45, or 60 seconds).

Hence the control processor is operable to place the aerosol delivery device in a predetermined state in response to the detection of the first interaction and second interaction being calculated to meet the at least a first predetermined criterion.

It will be appreciated that some combinations of interaction may indicate imminent usage other than inhalation on the device. For example, holding the device at a certain angle may be indicative of a Ul, payload, or battery indicator being inspected. Meanwhile tapping or toying with the device by spinning or otherwise changing its orientation without significant other gross motion may indicate an expectation that the device becomes more interactive. In such cases, a different predetermined state appropriate to the imminent action most likely based on the combination of first and second interactions is chosen. For example, when toying with the device, more information may be shown in a Ul, or a Ul may be backlit. Meanwhile if the device is being rotated, paused, and rotated again, as if being inspected, then more detailed information may be presented, and so on.

Hence optionally the control processor may be operable to place the aerosol delivery device in a respective predetermined state in response to the detection of a respective combination of first interaction and second interaction being calculated to meet the at least a first predetermined criterion.

Turning now to Figure 7, in an embodiment of the present description a method of control for an aerosol delivery system comprising an aerosol delivery device comprises the following steps.

A first detection step s710 of detecting a first interaction related to subsequent use of the aerosol delivery device, for example using a first sensor as described elsewhere herein.

A second detection step s720 of detecting a second, separate interaction related to subsequent use of the aerosol delivery device, for example using a second sensor as described elsewhere herein.

A calculation step s730 of calculating when detection of the first interaction and second interaction meet at least a first predetermined criterion, for example using a calculation processor as described elsewhere herein. And a control step s740 of altering one or more operational parameters of the aerosol delivery device in response to the detection of the first interaction and second interaction being calculated to meet the at least first predetermined criterion, for example using a control processor as described elsewhere herein.

It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that variations in the above method corresponding to operation of the various embodiments of the apparatus as described and claimed herein are also considered within the scope of the present invention.

It will also be apparent that the above methods may be carried out on conventional hardware suitably adapted as applicable by software instruction or by the inclusion or substitution of dedicated hardware. Examples of this hardware include the control unit 205 of the delivery device, and/or a CPU of a companion device such as a phone 100.

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

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

Claims

1. An aerosol delivery system, comprising: an aerosol delivery device; a first sensor configured to detect a first interaction related to subsequent use of the aerosol delivery device; a second sensor configured to detect a second, separate interaction related to subsequent use of the aerosol delivery device; a two-factor detection processor operable to calculate when detection of the first interaction and second interaction meet at least a first predetermined criterion; and a control processor operable to alter one or more operational parameters of the aerosol delivery device in response to the detection of the first interaction and second interaction being calculated to meet the at least first predetermined criterion.

2. The aerosol delivery system of claim 1, further comprising: a companion device.

3. The aerosol delivery system of claim 2, in which: the companion device comprises one or more selected from the list consisting of: i. the two-factor detection processor; and ii. the control processor.

4. The aerosol delivery system of any preceding claim in which: the first and second sensors detect respective ones of: i. an insertion of a consumable payload; ii. a selection of a consumable payload; iii. an adjustment of a consumable payload formulation; iv. an engagement of an external power supply; v. a disengagement of an external power supply; vi a predetermined interaction with a user interface of the aerosol delivery system; vii. a change of orientation of the aerosol delivery device above a threshold rate; viii. a change of orientation to one characteristic of use; ix. a change of grip to one characteristic of use; x. a vertical transition within a predetermined range xi. a proximity to a user's face.

5. The aerosol delivery system of any preceding claim, in which: the first and second sensors respectively do not detect a single interaction that causes activation of the aerosol delivery device.

6. The aerosol delivery system of claim 5, in which: the first and second sensors do not detect any selected from the list consisting of: i. a button press to activate the aerosol delivery device; and ii. an inhalation action on a mouthpiece of the aerosol delivery device.

7. The aerosol delivery system of any preceding claim, in which: the control processor is operable to place the aerosol delivery device in a predetermined state in response to the detection of the first interaction and second interaction being calculated to meet the at least a first predetermined criterion.

8. The aerosol delivery system of claim 7, in which: the control processor is operable to place the aerosol delivery device in a respective predetermined state in response to the detection of a respective combination of first interaction and second interaction being calculated to meet the at least a first predetermined criterion.

9. The aerosol delivery system of claim 7 or claim 8, in which: the predetermined state may include one or more selected from the list consisting of: i. display of a set of information (separate to or superset of a set displayed in a preceding state); ii. display of a higher level of detail of information than displayed in a preceding state; iii. a higher duty cycle or higher power data transmission than in a preceding state; iv. a higher duty cycle or higher power heating than in a preceding state; v. a higher duty cycle or higher power lighting than in a preceding state; and vi. a higher duty cycle or higher power situational awareness than in a preceding state.

10. The aerosol delivery system of any preceding claim, in which: the or each criterion can be a respective one selected from the list consisting of: i. a duration of at least one of the interactions exceeding a duration threshold; ii. the two interactions overlapping by at least predetermined period; and iii. the two interactions occurring within an interval of predetermined length.

11. A method of control for an aerosol delivery system comprising an aerosol delivery device, the method comprising: a first detection step of detecting a first interaction related to subsequent use of the aerosol delivery device; a second detection step of detecting a second, separate interaction related to subsequent use of the aerosol delivery device; a calculation step of calculating when detection of the first interaction and second interaction meet at least a first predetermined criterion; and a control step of altering one or more operational parameters of the aerosol delivery device in response to the detection of the first interaction and second interaction being calculated to meet the at least first predetermined criterion.

12. A computer program comprising computer executable instructions adapted to cause a computer system to perform the method of claim 11.