Gesture recognition user interface for an aerosol delivery device

• US 10,500,600 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2014
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RAI STRATEGIC HOLDINGS, INC. (British American Tobacco PLC)
• Original Assignee: RAI STRATEGIC HOLDINGS, INC. (British American Tobacco PLC)
• Inventors: Henry, Jr., Raymond Charles, Lamb, Wilson Christopher, Stone, Mark Randall, Kimsey, Glen Joseph, Ampolini, Frederic Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Yaary, Eric
• Application Number:
  US14/565,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20160158782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,827 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/51 Arrangement of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/53 Monitoring, e.g. fault detection
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/65 Devices with integrated communication means, e.g. wireless communication means
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/08 responsive to condition of liquid or other fluent material to be discharged, of ambient medium or of target ; responsive to condition of spray devices or of supply means, e.g. pipes, pumps or their drive means
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 1/284 with water in reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric

Abstract

An aerosol delivery device is provided that includes a housing, motion sensor and microprocessor. The motion sensor is within the housing and configured to detect a defined motion of the aerosol delivery device caused by user interaction with the housing to perform a gesture. The motion sensor may be configured to convert the defined motion to an electrical signal. The microprocessor or motion sensor, then, may be configured to receive the electrical signal, recognize the gesture and an operation associated with the gesture based on the electrical signal, and control at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to perform the operation.

Claims

1. An aerosol delivery device comprising:

a housing;

a microprocessor; and

a motion sensor within the housing and configured to detect a defined motion of the aerosol delivery device caused by user interaction to trace a character with the housing and thereby perform a gesture, the motion sensor being configured to convert the defined motion to an electrical signal that conveys data about the defined motion of the aerosol delivery device, the data including samples of velocity of the aerosol delivery device, or data from which the samples of velocity are determinable,

wherein the microprocessor is configured to receive the electrical signal, recognize the character and thereby the gesture, and an operation associated with the gesture, based on the electrical signal, and control at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to perform the operation, the microprocessor being configured to recognize the character including the microprocessor being configured to recognize a pattern in the samples of velocity, the pattern being associated with the character and thereby the gesture, the character and thereby the gesture being user-defined for the operation comprising altering a locked state of the aerosol delivery device.

2. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the motion sensor includes a tilt sensor, microelectromechanical systems-based (MEMS-based) accelerometer, MEMS -based gyroscope or a combination of one or more thereof.

3. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations.

4. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is configured to recognize the gesture,

wherein before the microprocessor is configured to recognize the gesture, the microprocessor is configured to receive user selection of the operation and learn to recognize the gesture with which the operation is associated based on training data conveyed by another electrical signal from the motion sensor, the other electrical signal being converted from a training motion that is the same as or substantially similar to the defined motion.

5. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations that also comprises altering a power state of the aerosol delivery device.

6. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1 further comprising a battery configured to supply power to the aerosol delivery device,

wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations,

wherein the microprocessor is further configured to control at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to perform another operation of the respective plurality of operations, including the microprocessor being configured to control a sensory-feedback member to provide an indication of a charge-level of the battery.

7. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1 further comprising a reservoir configured to retain an aerosol precursor composition therein,

wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations, and

wherein the microprocessor is further configured to control at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to perform another operation of the respective plurality of operations, including the microprocessor being configured to control a sensory-feedback member to provide an indication of a level of the aerosol precursor composition retained in the reservoir.

15. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the samples of velocity are samples of linear velocity of the aerosol delivery device in each of a plurality of directions.

16. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the character and thereby the gesture is an unlock code to lock or unlock the aerosol delivery device, and

wherein the microprocessor is further configured to detect and log a number of times an incorrect unlock code is attempted.

17. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1 further comprising:

a communication interface to enable the aerosol delivery device to connect to a software application on a computing device,

wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations, and the respective plurality of gestures include another gesture that causes an interaction between the aerosol delivery device and the software application.

18. The aerosol delivery device of claim 17, wherein the character and thereby the gesture is an unlock code to lock or unlock the aerosol delivery device,

wherein the microprocessor is further configured to detect and log a number of times an incorrect unlock code is attempted, and

wherein the other gesture of the respective plurality of gestures causes the interaction through a transfer of an indication of the number of times the incorrect code is attempted, from the aerosol delivery device to the software application.

8. A method of controlling operation of an aerosol delivery device including a motion sensor within a housing thereof, and including a microprocessor, the method comprising:

detecting with the motion sensor, a defined motion of the aerosol delivery device caused by user interaction to trace a character with the housing and thereby perform a gesture, the motion sensor converting the defined motion to an electrical signal that conveys data about the defined motion of the aerosol delivery device, the data including samples of velocity of the aerosol delivery device, or data from which the samples of velocity are determinable;

recognizing with the microprocessor or motion sensor, the character and thereby the gesture, and an operation associated with the gesture, based on the electrical signal, recognizing the character including recognizing a pattern in the samples of velocity, the pattern being associated with the character and thereby the gesture, the character and thereby the gesture being user-defined for the operation comprising altering a locked state of the aerosol delivery device; and

controlling at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to perform the operation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the motion sensor includes a tilt sensor, microelectromechanical systems-based (MEMS-based) accelerometer, MEMS-based gyroscope or a combination of one or more thereof.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the gesture is recognized by the microprocessor, and before the microprocessor recognizes the gesture, the method further comprises:

receiving user selection of the operation at the microprocessor; and

with the microprocessor,

learning to recognize the gesture with which the operation is associated based on training data conveyed by another electrical signal from the motion sensor, the other electrical signal being converted from a training motion that is the same as or substantially similar to the defined motion.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations that also comprises altering a power state of the aerosol delivery device.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the aerosol delivery device further includes a battery configured to supply power to the aerosol delivery device,

wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations, and

wherein the method further comprises controlling at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to perform another operation of the respective plurality of operations, including controlling a sensory-feedback member to provide an indication of a charge-level of the battery.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the aerosol delivery device further includes a reservoir configured to retain an aerosol precursor composition therein,

wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations, and

wherein the method further comprises controlling at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to perform another operation of the respective plurality of operations, including controlling a sensory-feedback member to provide an indication of a level of the aerosol precursor composition retained in the reservoir.

19. The method of claim 8, wherein the samples of velocity are samples of linear velocity of the aerosol delivery device in each of a plurality of directions.

20. The method of claim 8, wherein the character and thereby the gesture is an unlock code to lock or unlock the aerosol delivery device, and

wherein the method further comprises detecting and logging a number of times an incorrect unlock code is attempted.

21. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

connecting the aerosol delivery device to a software application on a computing device,

wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations, and the respective plurality of gestures include another gesture that causes an interaction between the aerosol delivery device and the software application.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the character and thereby the gesture is an unlock code to lock or unlock the aerosol delivery device,

wherein the method further comprises detecting and logging a number of times an incorrect unlock code is attempted, and

wherein the other gesture of the respective plurality of gestures causes the interaction through a transfer of an indication of the number of times the incorrect code is attempted, from the aerosol delivery device to the software application.