Methods and devices for delivering and monitoring of tobacco, nicotine, or other substances

• US 10,517,530 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2014
• Issued: 12/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JUUL Labs, Inc. (PAX Labs, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: JUUL Labs, Inc. (PAX Labs, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cohen, Gal A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wecker, Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US14/461,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20140378790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,964 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/51 Arrangement of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/65 Devices with integrated communication means, e.g. wireless communication means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/082 Evaluation by breath analysis, e.g. determination of the chemical composition of exhaled breath A61B5/083, A61B5/091 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14507 specially adapted for measuring characteristics of body fluids other than blood devices for taking samples of body liquids A61B10/0045
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/497 of gaseous biological material, e.g. breath
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4975 other than oxygen, carbon dioxide or alcohol, e.g. organic vapours

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices are described for providing risk evaluation and mitigation strategies for use with modified risk products or other tobacco products, and in particular, associated with nicotine and tobacco products.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sampling, via a sensor, a sample of breath of a user of an electronic vaporizer, the sensor disposed on a mouthpiece of the electronic vaporizer;

generating, via the sensor, a current corresponding to a level of carbon monoxide gas in the sample of the breath of the user;

comparing, via electronic circuitry, the corresponding level of the carbon monoxide gas with a threshold to determine whether the user has previously used a tobacco product; and

enabling operation, via the electronic circuitry, of the electronic vaporizer based on determining that the corresponding level of the carbon monoxide gas in the sample of the breath of the user exceeds the threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold is five parts per million of carbon monoxide.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold is ten parts per million of carbon monoxide.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold comprises a value indicative of whether the user has consumed the tobacco product within the last twenty-four hours.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold comprises a value indicative of whether the user has previously consumed combustible tobacco.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold comprises a value indicative of whether the user has previously consumed tobacco from an electronic cigarette, an electronic pipe, an electronic cigar, an electronic water pipe, or an electronic vaporizer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

verifying, based on matching a code entered via an electronic dongle or an electronic security key fob, whether the user is eligible to operate the electronic vaporizer, wherein the enabling operation of the electronic vaporizer is also based on the verifying that the user is eligible to operate the electronic vaporizer.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an electrochemical sensor.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensor.

8. An electronic vaporizer comprising:

a sensor configured to sample a user'"'"'s breath and to generate a current corresponding to a level of carbon monoxide gas in the sample, the sensor disposed on a mouthpiece of the electronic vaporizer; and

electronic circuitry configured to perform operations comprising;

comparing the corresponding level of the carbon monoxide gas with a threshold to determine whether the user has previously used a tobacco product; and

enabling operation of the electronic vaporizer based on determining that the corresponding level of the carbon monoxide gas in the sample exceeds the threshold.

9. The electronic vaporizer of claim 8, wherein the sensor comprises a carbon monoxide sensor.

10. The electronic vaporizer of claim 9, wherein the threshold is five parts per million of carbon monoxide.

11. The electronic vaporizer of claim 9, wherein the threshold is ten parts per million of carbon monoxide.

12. The electronic vaporizer of claim 8, wherein the threshold comprises a value indicative of whether the user has consumed a tobacco product within the last twenty-four hours.

13. The electronic vaporizer of claim 8, wherein the threshold comprises a value indicative of whether the user has previously consumed combustible tobacco.

14. The electronic vaporizer of claim 8, wherein the threshold comprises a value indicative of whether the user has previously consumed tobacco from an electronic cigarette, an electronic pipe, an electronic cigar, an electronic water pipe, or an electronic vaporizer, or other non-combustion tobacco product.

17. The electronic vaporizer of claim 8, wherein the sensor comprises an electrochemical sensor.

18. The electronic vaporizer of claim 8, wherein the sensor comprises a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensor.