Electronic vaping device with outlet-end illumination

• US 10,687,557 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2017
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tucker, Christopher S., Diana, Phillip, Tran, Nam, Caparrelli, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Hyeon, Hae Moon
• Application Number:
  US15/858,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20190200674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 131329, 131328
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/42 Cartridges or containers for inhalable precursors
• 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 47/00 Smokers' requisites not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0004 Personal or domestic articles
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0244 Heating of fluids H05B1/0247 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/46 heating conductor mounted on insulating base
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A cartridge for an e-vaping device includes a housing extending along a longitudinal axis of the cartridge, and an outlet-end insert coupled to the outlet end of the housing. The housing at least partially encloses a pre-vapor formulation reservoir and a vapor generator of the cartridge and further channels light via internal reflection through an interior of the housing. The outlet-end insert includes an outlet in flow communication with the vapor generator, directs the vapor generated by the vapor generator out of the cartridge through the outlet, and further emits the light channeled through the interior of the housing. One or more properties of the light are controllable.

Claims

1. A cartridge for an e-vaping device, the cartridge comprising:

an inner tube defining an inner longitudinal boundary of a reservoir that is annular and cylindrical, the reservoir configured to hold a pre-vapor formulation;

a vapor generator configured to draw the pre-vapor formulation from the reservoir and to heat the drawn pre-vapor formulation to form a generated vapor;

a housing extending along a longitudinal axis of the cartridge, the housing at least partially enclosing the reservoir and the vapor generator such that the housing defines an outer longitudinal boundary of the reservoir, the housing having a tip end and an outlet end, the housing configured to

receive light at the tip end of the housing such that the light is received into a thickness of the housing, and

channel the light from the tip end of the housing to the outlet end of the housing via internal reflection through the thickness of the housing between an inner surface of the housing and an outer surface of the housing; and

an outlet-end insert coupled to the outlet end of the housing, the outlet-end insert including at least one outlet air port in flow communication with the vapor generator, the outlet-end insert configured to direct the generated vapor out of the cartridge through the at least one outlet air port, the outlet-end insert further configured to emit the channeled light.

2. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein,

the outlet-end insert is configured to channel the channeled light substantially exclusively through an outlet-end surface of the outlet-end insert, the outlet-end surface extending substantially orthogonally to the longitudinal axis of the cartridge.

3. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein,

the housing and the outlet-end insert are integral with each other as an individual integral element.

4. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein,

at least the housing is transparent to visible light in a direction that is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the cartridge.

5. An e-vaping device, comprising:

a cartridge, the cartridge including,

an inner tube defining an inner longitudinal boundary of a reservoir that is annular and cylindrical, the reservoir configured to hold a pre-vapor formulation,

a vapor generator configured to draw the pre-vapor formulation from the reservoir and to heat the drawn pre-vapor formulation to form a generated vapor,

a housing extending along a longitudinal axis of the cartridge, the housing at least partially enclosing the reservoir and the vapor generator such that the housing defines an outer longitudinal boundary of the reservoir, the housing having a tip end and an outlet end, the housing configured to

receive light at the tip end of the housing such that the light is received into a thickness of the housing, and

channel the light from the tip end of the housing to the outlet end of the housing via internal reflection through the thickness of the housing between an inner surface of the housing and an outer surface of the housing,

an outlet-end insert coupled to the outlet end of the housing, the outlet-end insert including at least one outlet air port in flow communication with the vapor generator, the outlet-end insert configured to direct the generated vapor out of the cartridge through the at least one outlet air port, the outlet-end insert further configured to emit the channeled light, and

a cartridge connector interface that is coupled to the housing; and

a power supply section coupled to the cartridge via a power supply connector interface that is connected to the cartridge connector interface, the power supply section configured to supply electrical power to the cartridge to cause the vapor generator to form the generated vapor.

6. The e-vaping device of claim 5, further comprising:

a light source included in one of the cartridge and the power supply section, the light source configured to emit light based on electrical power received from the power supply section, the housing configured to receive at least a portion of the light emitted by the light source at the tip end of the housing.

7. The e-vaping device of claim 6, wherein

the power supply section includes control circuitry configured to activate the light source based on a determination that air is being drawn through at least a portion of the e-vaping device, the control circuitry further configured to cause the light source to remain activated for at least a particular period of elapsed time following a cessation of air being drawn through at least the portion of the e-vaping device.

8. The e-vaping device of claim 7, wherein,

the light source is configured to emit light having a particular property, the particular property being a color of the light and/or a brightness of the light;

and

the control circuitry is further configured to control the particular property of the light emitted by the light source, based on,

a determination that the light source has emitted light for at least a threshold period of elapsed time,

a determined amount of pre-vapor formulation held in the reservoir,

a determined amount of electrical charge held in the power supply section, and/or

a magnitude of generated vapor that is generated by the vapor generator.

9. The e-vaping device of claim 5, wherein,

the outlet-end insert is configured to channel the channeled light substantially exclusively through an outlet-end surface that extends at least partially orthogonally to the longitudinal axis of the cartridge.

10. The e-vaping device of claim 5, wherein,

the housing and the outlet-end insert are integral with each other as an individual integral element.

11. The e-vaping device of claim 5, wherein,

at least the housing is transparent to visible light in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cartridge.

12. The e-vaping device of claim 5, wherein,

the power supply section includes a housing that is separate from the housing of the cartridge and is opaque to visible light.

13. The e-vaping device of claim 5, wherein the power supply section and the cartridge are configured to be removably coupled together.

14. The e-vaping device of claim 5, wherein the power supply section includes a rechargeable battery.

15. A method for operating an e-vaping device, the method comprising:

determining whether at least a threshold flow of air is being drawn through at least an outlet-end insert of the e-vaping device; and

controlling a light source of the e-vaping device to emit light through an interior of the e-vaping device in response to determining that at least the threshold flow of air is being drawn through at least the outlet-end insert of the e-vaping device, such that

the light is transmitted through a thickness of a housing of the e-vaping device to the outlet-end insert such that the housing channels the light from a tip end of the housing to an outlet end of the housing via internal reflection through the thickness of the housing between an inner surface of the housing and an outer surface of the housing, and

the outlet-end insert emits the channeled light.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein,

the light source is configured to emit light having a particular property, the particular property being a color of the light and/or a brightness of the light;

and

the controlling includes controlling the particular property of the light emitted by the light source, based on,

a determination that the light source has emitted light for at least a threshold period of elapsed time,

a determined amount of pre-vapor formulation held in a reservoir of the e-vaping device,

a determined amount of electrical charge held in a power supply section of the e-vaping device, and

a magnitude of generated vapor that is generated by a heating element of the e-vaping device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein,

the outlet-end insert is configured to channel the channeled light substantially exclusively through an outlet-end surface that extends at least partially orthogonally to a longitudinal axis of the e-vaping device.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein,

the housing and the outlet-end insert are integral with each other as an individual integral element.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein,

at least the housing is transparent to visible light in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the e-vaping device.