CIGARETTE DISPENSING DEVICE

• US 20150272212A1
• Filed: 11/28/2013
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CIT,S.A.
• Original Assignee: CIT,S.A.
• Inventors: Fabregas Pedrell, Jose Maria
• Granted Patent: US 9,648,906 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 15/005 with means for limiting the frequency of smoking, e.g. with time-control, counting means

Abstract

A cigarette dispensing device includes a case provided with a lid including a closure element controlled by an electric actuator, an electronic plate, and a rechargeable battery for powering the electronic plate and the electric actuator. The opening of the case is actuated using an application installed on a mobile terminal. The application is designed to: receive a request for the remote opening of the case from the user; establish a variable delay time between the case opening request from the user and the transmission of an opening command to the case via a wireless communication; and, during the variable delay time, transmit an information message to the screen of the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. Cigarette dispensing device, designed for smokers who want to regulate their smoking habit, in which said device comprises a cigarette case with a body which defines an interior receptacle for the arrangement of the cigarettes to be dispensed, a lid with a closure controlled by an electric actuator, an electronic plate and a rechargeable battery for powering the electronic plate and the electric actuator, characterised in that the opening of said cigarette case is carried out via an application installed in a mobile handset carried by the user, in which said mobile handset comprises:

a microprocessor with memory, a screen which is suitable for presenting menus and a variety of information, a battery to power it and wireless means of communication suitable for establishing communication with, at least, means of wireless communication associated with the electronic plate in the cigarette case and controlling remotely the activation of the electric actuator and the opening of the cigarette case;

said application is set up to;

receive a remote request from the user to open the cigarette case;

establish a variable delay time between the user'"'"'s request to open the cigarette case and the transmission to the cigarette case, by wireless communication, of an order to open; and

to emit during the variable delay time an information message on the screen of the mobile handset.

2. Device, according to claim 1, characterised in that the application is associated with a database to record a variety of information such as places, times, activities and company.

3. Device, according to claim 2, characterised in that, at the moment when the user makes a request to open the cigarette case, the application determines, via geo-positioning means in the mobile handset, coordinates for the user'"'"'s position and compares them with coordinates recorded previously in the database, together with the times and added information;

it processes said information and said application thus cancels or delays the remote request to open the cigarette case when said coordinates coincide.

4. Device, according to claim 2, characterised in that, once a certain time has elapsed from the opening of the cigarette case, the application asks the user for information related to the cigarette smoked and records the information provided by the customer in the database.