On-demand, portable convection vaporizer

• US 10,517,331 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2017
• Issued: 12/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JUUL Labs, Inc. (PAX Labs, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: JUUL Labs, Inc. (PAX Labs, Inc.)
• Inventors: Atkins, Ariel, Bowen, Adam, Gould, Alexander J., Hatton, Nicholas J., Leon Duque, Esteban, Lomeli, Kevin, Monsees, James, Taschner, Matthew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hyeon, Hae Moon
• Application Number:
  US15/625,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20180000160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 131328, 131329
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/20 Devices using solid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/40 Constructional details, e.g. connection of cartridges and battery parts
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/46 Shape or structure of electric heating means
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/485 Valves; Apertures
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/53 Monitoring, e.g. fault detection
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/57 Temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/042 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0021 Mouthpieces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0024 with an on-off output signal, e.g. from a switch
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0027 pressure meter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3317 Electromagnetic, inductive or dielectric measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3368 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3606 cooled
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3653 by Joule effect, i.e. electric resistance
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/505 Touch-screens; Virtual keyboard or keypads; Virtual buttons; Soft keys; Mouse touches
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/581 by audible feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/582 by tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/583 by visual feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 : battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 1/284 : with water in reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/44 : heating conductor arranged within rods or tubes of insulating material

Abstract

On-demand, hand-held vaporizer that operates primarily by convection. The vaporizer is configured to permit very rapid heating of air drawn through an oven chamber to a predetermined or selectable vaporizing temperature to vaporize a material that is held in the oven chamber. The vaporizer provides efficient transfer of air being heated as well as rapid delivery of vaporizable material to a user.

Claims

1. A vaporizer comprising:

a vaporizer body comprising an outer housing;

a structural housing component configured to fit within the outer housing;

a heater contained within the structural housing component, the heater having at least one opening through which air is passed and heated;

an oven chamber configured to hold a vaporizable material to be heated by the air heated by the heater, causing the vaporizable material to at least partially vaporize into the heated air, the oven chamber contained within the structural housing component, wherein the oven chamber comprises side walls having a surface area, and wherein a majority portion of the surface area of the side walls is surrounded by an air gap;

a controller coupled to the heater, the controller contained within the structural housing component and configured to cause the heater to heat to a temperature; and

a mouthpiece coupled to an end of the vaporizer body, the mouthpiece configured to deliver the heated air and vaporized material.

2. The vaporizer of claim 1, further comprising an inlet air opening formed through a portion of the outer housing through which the air enters into the vaporizer body upon a user drawing on the mouthpiece.

3. The vaporizer of claim 2, further comprising a pressure sensor configured to detect an airflow of the air, wherein the pressure sensor is coupled to the controller and transmits a signal thereto upon the detection of the airflow.

4. The vaporizer of claim 3, wherein the signal causes the controller to heat the heater.

5. The vaporizer of claim 1,

wherein at least one internal side channel is formed between and extends along a length of an outer side wall of the structural housing component and an inner side wall of the outer housing between the oven chamber and the mouthpiece;

wherein the at least one internal side channel forms at least one cooling pathway for the heated air and vaporized material to travel to the mouthpiece.

6. The vaporizer of claim 1, wherein the heater comprises an elongate tube comprising a notched region at at least some point along a length of the elongate tube.

7. The vaporizer of claim 1, further comprising a screen at a bottom portion of the oven chamber, wherein the screen comprises a plurality of perforations to allow the heated air to pass to the oven chamber.

8. The vaporizer of claim 7, wherein the screen is electrically isolated from the oven chamber, and wherein the controller is further configured to determine a temperature of the screen from a measured resistance along a length of the screen.

9. The vaporizer of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a temperature of the screen from a measured voltage across the screen and the oven chamber.

10. The vaporizer of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine an air temperature of the heated air as a function of one or more of a heater temperature, flow rate, and time.

11. The vaporizer of claim 1, further comprising one or more thermocouple sensors between the heater and the oven chamber, the one or more thermocouple sensors configured to sense an air temperature of the heated air and provide temperature input to the controller.

12. The vaporizer of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a microcontroller coupled to measurement circuitry;

wherein the measurement circuitry measures a heater temperature of the heater.

13. The vaporizer of claim 12, wherein the measurement circuitry comprises a two-point measurement circuit.

14. The vaporizer of claim 12, wherein the measurement circuitry comprises a four-point measurement circuit.

15. The vaporizer of claim 12, wherein the microcontroller is configured to control energy applied to the heater based on a heater temperature and an air temperature of the heated air between the heater and the oven chamber.

16. The vaporizer of claim 1, wherein the heater is suspended within the vaporizer body.

17. The vaporizer of claim 1, wherein the heater and the at least one opening cause turbulent air flow as the air is passed over and through the heater.

18. The vaporizer of claim 1, wherein vaporizer operation begins when airflow caused by a user using the mouthpiece is detected.

19. The vaporizer of claim 1, wherein the oven chamber is at a distal end of the vaporizer body, and wherein the mouthpiece is coupled to a proximal end of the vaporizer body, the proximal end of the vaporizer body opposite the distal end of the vaporizer body.

20. A vaporizer comprising:

a vaporizer body comprising an outer housing and an inner structural housing component contained within the outer housing and defining a cavity;

an air inlet extending through a portion of the outer housing and into the cavity of the inner structural housing component, through which air enters into the cavity;

a heater suspended within the cavity of the inner structural housing component, the heater having one or more openings through which the air is passed, the heater and the one or more openings generating turbulence in the air as the air is passed over and through the heater for heating;

an oven chamber within the cavity of the inner structural housing component and in which a vaporizable material is held configured to be heated by the air heated by the heater, causing the vaporizable material to vaporize into the heated air;

a controller coupled to the heater and configured to cause the heater to heat to a predetermined temperature upon air flow to the heater being detected; and

a mouthpiece coupled to the outer housing and configured to deliver the heated air and vaporized material.

21. A method of operating a vaporizer, the method comprising:

sensing a draw on a mouthpiece of the vaporizer,

applying energy to a heater of the vaporizer;

monitoring an air temperature of heated air from the heater;

limiting an oven temperature of an oven chamber by modifying the energy applied to the heater; and

regulating a heater temperature of the heater to control the heater temperature in response to changes in resistance of the heater;

wherein the vaporizer comprises;

a vaporizer body comprising an outer housing;

a structural housing component configured to fit within the outer housing; and

a controller contained with the structural housing component;

wherein the heater is contained within the structural housing component and is coupled to the controller, the heater having at least one opening through which air is passed and heated;

wherein the oven chamber is contained within the structural housing component, the oven chamber configured to hold a vaporizable material to be heated by the air heated by the heater, causing the vaporizable material to at least partially vaporize into the heated air, wherein the oven chamber comprises side walls having a surface area, and wherein a majority portion of the surface area of the side walls is surrounded by an air gap;

wherein the mouthpiece is coupled to the vaporizer body and is configured to deliver the heated air and vaporized material; and

wherein the controller is configured to perform at least the sensing, applying, monitoring, limiting, and regulating operations.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the draw on the mouthpiece is detected by the controller from a sensed pressure drop of ambient air within a cavity of the vaporizer.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the air temperature of the heated air is measured from one or more thermocouple sensors between the heater and the oven chamber.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein regulating the heater temperature comprises determining a target resistance set point of the heater and regulating the heater temperature so as not to exceed a predetermined threshold.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining the heater temperature of the heater from a four-point measurement.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising adjusting the energy applied to the heater in response to the four-point measurement by adjusting one or more of a frequency and a duty cycle of the energy applied to the heater.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein adjusting the energy applied to the heater is in response to the air temperature of the air between the heater and the oven chamber of the vaporizer.

28. A vaporizer comprising:

a vaporizer body comprising an outer housing;

a heater within the outer housing, the heater configured to disturb a flow of air and heat the air flowing in a region of the heater;

an oven chamber fluidly coupled to the heater, the oven chamber configured to hold a vaporizable material to be heated by the air heated by the heater, causing the vaporizable material to vaporize into the heated air, wherein walls of the oven chamber are surrounded by an air gap; and

a mouthpiece coupled to the vaporizer body and configured to deliver the heated air and vaporized material.

29. The vaporizer of claim 28, further comprising a channel region to further distribute the flow of, and cool, the heated air and vaporized material as the heated air and the vaporized material travel within the outer housing to the mouthpiece.

30. The vaporizer of claim 28, further comprising a controller coupled to the heater and configured to cause the heater to heat to a predetermined temperature.

31. The vaporizer of claim 28, further comprising an inlet air opening formed through a portion of the outer housing through which the air enters into the vaporizer body upon a user drawing on the mouthpiece.

32. The vaporizer of claim 28, wherein the heater comprises an elongate tube comprising a notched region along its length.