E-cigarette personal vaporizer

• US 10,149,497 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2015
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AYR Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Beyond Twenty Ltd.
• Inventors: Memari, Kaveh, Bennett, Adrian, Murison, Ian, Marsh, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Yaary, Eric
• Application Number:
  US14/842,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20160150824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 15/015 with means for refilling of liquid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/40 Constructional details, e.g. connection of cartridges and battery parts
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/48 Fluid transfer means, e.g. pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/485 Valves; Apertures
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/50 Control or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/60 Devices with integrated user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/90 Arrangements or methods specially adapted for charging batteries thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/95 structurally associated with cases
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2209/045 for filling, e.g. for filling reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 3/04 Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 37/06 by pistons or pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/005 Side walls formed with an aperture or a movable portion arranged to allow removal or insertion of contents B65D5/16, B65D7/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/00 Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2023/0025 on containers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 : with light sensitive cells

Abstract

An e-cigarette PV that includes an air pressure valve or device so that excess air can escape from an e-liquid reservoir in the PV when that reservoir is being filled under pressure with e-liquid from a parent reservoir. The valve or device is a barrier made of an air-porous material, such as a sintered polymer or metal, coated with or otherwise including a barrier or layer of an air-porous substance that is not porous to e-liquid, such as an oleophobic material or a hydrophobic or super-hydrophobic material. The oleophobic material is one of: sintered phosphor bronze, sintered stainless steel and sintered PU plastic.

Claims

1. An e-cigarette PV system that includes a PV and a re-filling device that re-fills the PV with e-liquid, in which the PV includes an air pressure valve or device configured to permit air but not e-liquid to escape from an e-liquid child reservoir in the PV when that child reservoir is being repeatedly filled with pressurized e-liquid from a parent reservoir by an electric or electronic pump in the re-filling device, and in which the parent reservoir is an e-liquid cartridge that is removable from the e-liquid re-filling device and the child reservoir is in e-liquid communication with an atomising unit.

2. The e-cigarette PV system of claim 1 in which the re-filling device stores, re-fills with e-liquid and re-charges the PV with power.

3. The e-cigarette PV system of claim 1 in which the child reservoir is designed to enable an atomizing unit to draw in controlled amounts of e-liquid for vaping.

4. The e-cigarette PV system of claim 1 in which the parent reservoir is a user-removable and replaceable, sealed or closed e-liquid capsule or cartridge, of capacity 10 mL or less, and is slotted into or otherwise used by the re-filling device, and a fluid transfer mechanism operates to transfer e-liquid from the capsule or cartridge into the child reservoir in the PV, of capacity 3 mL or less.

5. The e-cigarette PV system of claim 1 in which the child reservoir is connected to one or more small channels that lead into a second child reservoir which surrounds the atomising unit and from which e-liquid is drawn by a wick or other porous member into an atomising chamber.

6. The e-cigarette PV system of claim 1 in which the valve or device permits air to enter into the child reservoir in the PV as e-liquid is consumed in normal use.

7. The e-cigarette PV system of claim 1 in which the valve or device permits air to enter into the child reservoir if the ambient air pressure changes.

8. The e-cigarette PV system of claim 1 in which the valve or device is a barrier made of an air-porous material, coated with or otherwise including a barrier or layer of an air-porous substance that is not porous to e-liquid.

9. The e-cigarette PV system of claim 8 in which the barrier or layer of the air-porous substance that is not porous to e-liquid is an oleophobic material or a hydrophobic or super-hydrophobic material.

10. The e-cigarette PV system of claim 9 in which the oleophobic material is one of:

sintered phosphor bronze, sintered stainless steel and sintered PU plastic.

11. The e-cigarette PV system of claim 8 in which the air-porous material is a sintered polymer or metal.

12. The e-cigarette PV system of claim 1 in which the re-filling device is a portable charging and refilling case.

13. The e-cigarette PV system of claim 1 in which the re-filling device is a desktop charging and refilling station.

14. The e-cigarette PV system of claim 1 in which the pump is a peristaltic or rotary pump.