DEVICE, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR LOGGING SMOKING DATA

• US 20150142387A1
• Filed: 11/21/2014
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fontem Ventures BV (Imperial Tobacco Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: LOEC Incorporated (British American Tobacco PLC)
• Inventors: Alarcon, Ramon, Kepner, Chris, Starman, Michael, Howard, Dennis Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 10,973,258 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/187
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/50 Control or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/53 Monitoring, e.g. fault detection
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/65 Devices with integrated communication means, e.g. wireless communication means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/042 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0083 Timers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/06 Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0021 with a proportional output signal, e.g. from a thermistor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0027 pressure meter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/003 with a flowmeter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3331 Pressure; Flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3368 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3553 remote, e.g. between patient's home and doctor's office
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3584 using modem, internet or bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6054 Magnetic identification systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8237 Charging means
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/005 Solid-state data loggers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 : for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 : delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation

Abstract

A system, a method, a device, and a computer program for detecting, monitoring and logging smoking activity related data. The device can comprise a housing, a power supply located within the housing, an atomizer electrically coupled to the power supply, a liquid solution fluidly coupled to the atomizer, and a data logging device configured to be located within the housing and that can comprise a microcontroller, a memory, and a data interface. The data logging device can be configured to detect, monitor, and log smoking activity data, and a data logging device that can comprise a microcontroller, a memory, and a data interface. The data logging device can be configured to detect, monitor, and log smoking activity data.

Claims

1. An electronic cigarette comprising:

a housing;

a power supply located within the housing;

an atomizer electrically coupled to the power supply;

a liquid solution fluidly coupled to the atomizer; and

a data logging device configured to be located within the housing and comprising a microcontroller, a memory, and a data interface, wherein the data logging device is configured to detect, monitor, and log smoking activity data.

2. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the data logging device further comprises a clock.

3. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the data logging device further comprises a timer.

4. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the data logging device further comprises at least one sensor.

5. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the data logging device is further configured to log the smoking activity data on the memory.

6. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the data logging device is further configured to transmit the stored smoking activity data.

7. The electronic cigarette according to claim 6, wherein the data logging device is further configured to transmit the stored smoking data wirelessly.

8. A method of logging smoking data, the method comprising:

sending a first signal indicating that a puff has been initiated;

receiving the first signal that a puff has been initiated by a data logging device;

storing a first time incident in a memory by the data logging device;

sending a second signal indicating that the puff has stopped;

storing a second time incident in the memory by the data logging device; and

determining a puff duration using the first time incident and the second time incident.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the steps of claim 8 are repeated at least one time, and further comprising the data logging device storing a puff count value in the memory.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising incrementing a puff count value in the memory after the puff has stopped.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising detecting a number of puffs that have been taken since a defined event.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the defined event comprises a manufacture date of a cartomizer.

13. The method according to claim 8, further comprising tracking and storing a total duration of time that puffs have been taken.

14. A method for transmitting stored smoking data comprising:

broadcasting a data set comprising smoking data stored by a data logging device;

waiting a predetermined period of time;

rebroadcasting the data set a predetermined number of times; and

ending broadcasting of the data set.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising detecting a connection event before broadcasting the data set.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising deleting the smoking data after ending broadcasting of the data set.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising detecting a discontinuation of the connection event and deleting the smoking data after the connection event has been discontinued.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising detecting a discontinuation of the connection event, detecting a level of charge in a charging device coupled to the data logging device and deleting the smoking data if the level of charge is above a predetermined threshold level.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein broadcasting data further comprises controlling the level of the current flowing through the system to transmit the smoking data.

20. The method according to claim 14, wherein broadcasting data further comprises transmitting the smoking data over a dedication communication pathway.