ELECTRONIC INHALATION DEVICE

• US 20150245660A1
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Published: 09/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd. (British American Tobacco PLC)
• Original Assignee: Nicoventures Holdings Limited (British American Tobacco PLC)
• Inventors: Lord, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 10,375,990 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/53 Monitoring, e.g. fault detection
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/60 Devices with integrated user interfaces
• 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 15/06 Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0027 pressure meter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3375 Acoustical, e.g. ultrasonic, measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• 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 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 1/284 with water in reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

An electronic inhalation device comprising a mouthpiece (2) and a control unit (24), the control unit (24) comprising a power cell (22) and a computer (20), where the computer (20) comprises a computer processor, a memory and an input-output means; wherein the device further comprises a transmitter (18) connected to the computer (20) and the computer (20) is configured in use to collect and store use data relating to a user'"'"'s use of the device in the computer memory and transmit the use data.

Claims

1. An electronic inhalation device comprising:

a mouthpiece;

a control unit, the control unit comprising a power cell and a computer, the computer including a computer processor, a memory and an input-output; and

a transmitter connected to the computer,

the computer configured to, in use, (1) collect and store use data relating to a user'"'"'s use of the device in the computer memory; and

(2) transmit the use data.

2. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the electronic inhalation device is an electronic cigarette.

3. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the computer is a microcontroller.

4. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the use data wirelessly.

5. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is an audio transmitter configured to transmit the use data by sound.

6. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the use data comprises at least one of:

(1) an inhalation count, and the inhalation count is a count of the number of inhalations a user has taken on the electronic inhalation device;

(2) an average inhalation time, and the average inhalation time is a mean average of the inhalations counted in the inhalation count; and

/or

(3) a session count, and the session count is a count of a number of inhalation sessions.

14. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the use data is optimized for transmission by sound.

15. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the use data includes at least one of:

(1) header data at the start of the data to indicate the start of the data;

(2) footer data at the end of the data to indicate the end of the data; and

/or

(3) configuration data towards the start of the data to indicate how the data is configured for transmission.

21. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the use data comprises details of individual inhalation events.

22. The electronic inhalation device of claim 21, wherein details of individual inhalation events include at least one of:

(1) a date and time of each inhalation; and

/or

(2) a duration of each inhalation.

24. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the computer is configured to transmit a first transmission version of the use data and a second transmission version of the use data successively.

25. The electronic inhalation device of claim 24, wherein the first transmission version is substantially the same as the second transmission version.

26. The electronic inhalation device of claim 24, wherein the first transmission version and the second transmission version each has at least one of:

(1) a different frequency range;

(2) a different duration; and

/or

(3) a different signal intensity.

29. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the computer is configured, in use, to at least one of:

(1) transmit three or more transmission versions of the use data successively;

(2) transmit the use data repeatedly;

(3) transmit the use data at a frequency substantially above a frequency range of typical background noise; and

/or

(4) transmit the use data at a frequency substantially above the human hearing frequency range.

30. The electronic inhalation device of any preceding claim, wherein the computer is configured in use to transmit the use data repeatedly.

31. The electronic inhalation device of any preceding claim, wherein the computer is configured in use to transmit the use data at a frequency substantially above the frequency range of typical background noise.

32. The electronic inhalation device of any preceding claim, wherein the computer is configured in use to transmit the use data at a frequency substantially above the human hearing frequency range.

33. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the computer is configured to clear the use data from the memory at least one of:

(1) after transmission; and

/or

(2) when controlled to do so by the user.

35. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the electronic inhalation device further comprises a pressure sensor connected to the computer.

36. The electronic inhalation device of claim 35, wherein the computer is configured, in use, to transmit the use data when the pressure sensor detects at least one of:

(1) operation of the electronic inhalation device outside of normal use;

(2) blowing into the electronic inhalation device;

(3) sucking on the electronic inhalation device;

(4) one or more short bursts of blowing into the electronic inhalation device; and

/or

(5) one or more short bursts of sucking on the electronic inhalation device.

43. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, the computer further configured to operate in a menu mode, the pressure sensor configured to activate the menu mode and select a menu option that starts transmission of the use data.

44. The electronic inhalation device of claim 43, wherein the computer is further configured to clear the use data from the memory when at least one of:

(1) a user selects a clear memory menu option; and

/or

(2) the menu mode is exited.

46. The electronic inhalation device of claim 43, wherein the computer is configured, in use to notify the user by sound at least one of:

when the electronic inhalation device has entered the menu mode, prior to transmission of the use data, when the transmission of the use data is underway, when the transmission of the use data is complete, when the transmission of the use data has been successfully received, and/or when the transmission of the use data has not been successfully received.

52. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the computer is further configured, in use, to notify the user by sound when the use data has been cleared from the computer memory.

53. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the electronic inhalation device further comprises a microphone connected to the computer.

54. The electronic inhalation device of claim 53, wherein the computer is further configured to at least one of:

(1) determine a background noise using the microphone and to transmit the use data so as to substantially avoid the background noise;

(2) start transmission when a start signal is received by the microphone;

(3) end transmission when an end signal is received by the microphone;

(4) retransmit the use data when a fail signal is received by the microphone; and

/or

(5) clear the use data from the memory when a clear signal is received by the microphone.

59. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the electronic inhalation device further comprises a mouthpiece end and a tip end, and the transmitter is located at the tip end.

60. The electronic inhalation device of claim 59, wherein the transmitter is configured such that, in use, the use data is transmitted out of the tip end.

61. The electronic inhalation device of claim 59, wherein the electronic inhalation device comprises a longitudinal central axis and the transmitter is configured such that in use, the use data is transmitted substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and out from the tip end.

62. The electronic inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is a speaker.

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