Vaporizer, charger and methods of use

• US 10,653,186 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2018
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VMR Products LLC (PAX Labs, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMR Products LLC (PAX Labs, Inc.)
• Inventors: Verleur, Jan Andries, Recio, Dan, Lu, Yifeng, Zhang, Yinjun, Fajardo, Arturo, Verleur, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): Yaary, Eric
• Application Number:
  US16/179,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20190069604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/00 Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
• 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 40/42 Cartridges or containers for inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/44 Wicks
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/50 Control or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/53 Monitoring, e.g. fault detection
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/90 Arrangements or methods specially adapted for charging batteries thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/042 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0021 Mouthpieces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/06 Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/07 having air pumping means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/332 Force measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3368 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3633 thermally insulated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3653 by Joule effect, i.e. electric resistance
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/584 having a color code
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6027 Electric-conductive bridges closing detection circuits, with or without identifying elements, e.g. resistances, zener-diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6081 : Colour codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 : battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8237 : Charging means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2206/20 : having means for promoting or enhancing the flow, actively or passively
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2209/06 : Packaging for specific medical equipment
• 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 7/0045 : concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 : with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 : Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Vaporizer and/or electronic cigarette chargers useful for the recharging of rechargeable vaporizer or electronic cigarette power supplies such as batteries, compatible vaporizers and/or electronic cigarettes, their components, charging contacts, methods of their use and kits containing such chargers are disclosed.

Claims

1. A vaporizer comprising:

a battery portion comprising;

a chamber of a cartomizer receiving segment, the chamber configured for receiving a cartomizer inserted therein, the chamber having an opening at an end of the battery portion;

a battery segment disposed between the cartomizer receiving segment and an opposite end of the battery portion opposite from the opening, the battery segment comprising a battery and electrical circuitry; and

battery portion electrical contacts for completing a circuit with cartomizer electrical contacts of a cartomizer when a cartomizer is inserted into the chamber, the circuit comprising a heating element that is part of the cartomizer, the chamber configured to position the heating element between the opening and the battery segment when the cartomizer is inserted into the chamber, the battery portion electrical contacts configured to retract when the cartomizer is inserted into the chamber;

an outer shell; and

one or more light emitting diodes visible through the outer shell, the one or more light emitting diodes having one or more colors and configured to indicate a status of the vaporizer according to the one or more colors, wherein the status comprises receiving the cartomizer in the chamber.

2. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 1, wherein the outer shell is commonly shared by at least the battery segment and the cartomizer receiving segment of the battery portion.

3. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the cartomizer, the cartomizer configured to hold a vaporizable substance.

4. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 3, wherein the cartomizer further comprises a mouthpiece extending from the chamber of the battery portion when the cartomizer is inserted into the chamber.

5. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 1, wherein the status comprises a power remaining of the battery.

6. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 1, wherein the status comprises information about whether current to the heating element is shut off.

7. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 1, wherein the battery portion further comprises one or more electrical circuits, the one or more light emitting diodes being controllable by the one or more electrical circuits to indicate the status of the vaporizer.

8. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 7, wherein the one or more electrical circuits are further configured to control one or more functions of the vaporizer.

9. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 7, wherein the one or more electrical circuits are connected with one or more battery electrical contacts disposed in the chamber of the battery portion.

10. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 7, wherein the one or more electrical circuits are configured to switch the heating element between an active state and an inactive state.

11. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 7, wherein the one or more electrical circuits are connected with the battery housed in the battery segment of the battery portion.

12. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 7, wherein the one or more electrical circuits comprise one or more integrated circuits, a printed circuit board (PCB), and/or a micro control unit.

13. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 7, further comprising an accelerometer operable to detect tilting or changes in orientation of the battery portion.

14. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 13, wherein the one or more electrical circuits are configured to react to a shift in the orientation of the battery portion detected by the accelerometer.

15. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 13, wherein the one or more electrical circuits are configured to activate the vaporizer when the accelerometer detects a shaking or an inverting of the vaporizer.

16. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 7, wherein the electrical circuitry is operable to identify information from the cartomizer based on a voltage drop over the cartomizer electrical contacts.

17. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 16, wherein the cartomizer electrical circuitry is operable to detect a first voltage drop of a first cartomizer type and a second voltage drop of a second cartomizer type and to identify a cartomizer type of the cartomizer, wherein the first cartomizer type indicates that the cartomizer contains a first type of vaporizable substance and the second cartomizer type indicates that the cartomizer contains a second type of vaporizable substance.

18. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 1, wherein the battery portion comprises a connection mechanism to secure the cartomizer within the chamber.

19. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 18, wherein the connection mechanism comprises a magnet in or proximate the chamber.

20. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 1, wherein the outer shell is formed of metal.

21. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a window formed in the outer shell, the window provided on or proximate to the chamber to permit viewing of the cartomizer when the cartomizer is inserted in the chamber.

22. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 21, wherein the window comprises a translucent material.

23. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 21, wherein the window comprises a slit cut into the outer shell.

24. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 21, wherein at least a portion of the cartomizer comprises a substantially translucent material to permit viewing of the vaporizable substance, and wherein the at least a portion of the cartomizer aligns with the window when the cartomizer is inserted into the chamber.

25. The vaporizer in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cartomizer contains the vaporizable substance, and wherein the vaporizable substance comprises a liquid comprising nicotine.

27. The vaporizer of claim 13, wherein the one or light emitting diodes is further configured to illuminate a first color in response to the accelerometer detecting a movement of the battery portion.

26. A vaporizer comprising:

a battery portion comprising;

an outer shell having a battery end and a cartomizer receiving end, the cartomizer receiving end defining a chamber, the chamber configured for receiving a connector end of a cartomizer, the outer shell having at least one duct extending therethrough, the at least one duct configured to permit air flow through the cartomizer;

a plurality of battery portion electrical contacts disposed within the chamber and positioned in a plane along a line that bisects the battery portion, the plurality of battery portion electrical contacts configured to retract when the cartomizer is inserted into the chamber; and

one or more light emitting diodes visible through the outer shell, the one or more light emitting diodes having one or more colors and configured to indicate a status of the vaporizer according to the one or more colors.

28. The vaporizer of claim 26, wherein the battery portion further comprises an accelerometer, and wherein the one or light emitting diodes is further configured to illuminate a first color in response to the accelerometer detecting a movement of the battery portion.

29. The vaporizer of claim 26, further comprising a cartomizer, the cartomizer comprising:

a cartomizer body configured to hold a liquid vaporizable material;

a mouthpiece attached at a mouthpiece end of the cartomizer body;

a connector end disposed opposite the mouthpiece end, the connector end including a plurality of cartomizer electrical contacts disposed thereon and positioned in a plane along a line, the plurality of cartomizer electrical contacts configured to align with corresponding retractable battery portion electrical contacts on the vaporizer when the cartomizer is inserted into the vaporizer;

a heating element configured to vaporize the vaporizable material,

wherein the heating element and at least part of the cartomizer body are configured to be positioned between an opening and an opposite base end of a chamber of the vaporizer battery portion when the cartomizer is inserted into the chamber and the plurality of cartomizer electrical contacts connect to the retractable battery portion electrical contacts disposed at the base end.