Article including identification information for use in an electrically heated smoking system

• US 8,689,804 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philip Morris USA Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Philip Morris USA Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fernando, Felix, Cordey, Jean-Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Felton, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US12/645,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20100163063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 131/271
• CPC Class Codes: A24D 1/20 Cigarettes specially adapted for simulated smoking devices
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/20 Devices using solid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/50 Control or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/51 Arrangement of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/53 Monitoring, e.g. fault detection
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/57 Temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/85 Maintenance, e.g. cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/0808 by methods involving the use of tools, e.g. by brushes, scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/2253 Recognition of characters printed with magnetic ink G06V30/2247 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2003/0272 Labels for containers
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0244 Heating of fluids H05B1/0247 takes precedence

Abstract

A smoking article includes identification information encoded on the smoking article. The smoking article can be used with an electrically heated smoking system having a detector for detecting the smoking article and distinguishing the smoking article from other articles based on the identification information. A cleaning article includes identification information encoded on the cleaning article. The cleaning article cleans an electrically heated smoking system having a detector for detecting the cleaning article and distinguishing the cleaning article from other articles based on the identification information. An electrically heated smoking system for receiving an article configured for use with the smoking system includes: a cavity for receiving the article having identification information encoded thereon, a heating element, a power supply, electrical hardware, and a detector capable of detecting the presence of the article in the cavity and distinguishing the article from other articles based on the identification information.

Claims

1. An electrically heated smoking system for receiving an article configured for use with the smoking system, the system comprising:

a cavity for at least partially receiving an article, the article including encoded identification and discriminating information thereon;

at least one heating element;

a power supply for supplying power to the at least one heating element;

electrical hardware connected to the power supply and the at least one heating element; and

a detector capable of detecting the presence of an article in the cavity and distinguishing among a plurality of articles configured for use with the smoking system, based on the identification and discriminating information,

wherein the power supply is configured to optimize power consumption of the system based on the identification and discriminating information of the detected article in the cavity.

2. The electrically heated smoking system of claim 1, further including an article selected from the group consisting of a smoking article and a cleaning article.

3. The electrically heated smoking system of claim 1, wherein the system is arranged to initiate, when the detector detects an article in the cavity.

4. The electrically heated smoking system of claim 1, wherein the electrical hardware is arranged to establish a heating protocol for the at least one heating element based on a particular article identified by the detector.

5. The electrically heated smoking system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to receive a plurality of smoking articles including identification information, and the system is arranged to operate only with a subset of the plurality of smoking articles configured for use with the smoking system, each smoking article of the subset being distinguishable by the detector, based on the identification information.

6. The electrically heated smoking system of claim 1, wherein the detector comprises an optical sensor including at least one light emitter and at least one light sensor, and the identification information is printed on the article.

7. The electrically heated smoking system of claim 1, wherein the identification information is configured to be altered during heating so as to indicate whether the article has been used.

8. The electrically heated smoking system of claim 1, wherein the electrical hardware comprises a sensor to detect air flow indicative of a user taking a puff.

9. The electrically heated smoking system of claim 1, wherein the encoded identification and discrimination information includes one or more of smoking article type, aerosol-forming substrate, type, cleaning article type, cleaning means information, cleaning ingredient type, date of production, place of production batch number, production details, and use-by-date.

10. The electrically heated smoking system of claim 9, wherein the aerosol-forming substrate type is one of a solid substrate, a capsule, and a liquid substrate.

11. An electrically heated smoking system for receiving an article configured for use with the smoking system, the system comprising:

a cavity for at least partially receiving an article, the article including encoded identification and discriminating information thereon;

at least one heating element;

a power supply for supplying power to the at least one heating element;

electrical hardware connected to the power supply and the at least one heating element; and

a detector capable of detecting the presence of an article in the cavity and distinguishing among a plurality of articles configured for use with the smoking system, based on the identification and discriminating information on the article;

wherein the system is configured to receive a plurality of smoking articles including identification and discriminating information, and the system is arranged to operate only with a subset of the plurality of smoking articles configured for use with the smoking system and optimize power consumption of the system based on the identification and discriminating information of a received one of the subset of plurality of smoking articles, each smoking article of the subset being distinguishable by the detector based on the identification and discriminating information.

12. An electrically heated smoking system comprising:

a first type of article configured for use with the smoking system;

said first type of article including encoded identification and discriminating information thereon, said identification and discriminating information including an identification as to the article being an article of said first type;

a second type of article configured for use with the smoking system;

said second type of article including encoded identification and discriminating information thereon, said identification and discriminating information including an identification as to the article being an article of said second type;

a cavity for at least partially receiving the articles of said first and second types;

at least one heating element;

a power supply for supplying power sufficient to operate the at least one heating element;

an electrical controller connected with the power supply and the at least one heating element; and

a detector operative with an article received in the cavity, said detector capable of distinguishing between said first and second types of articles, based on the identification and discriminating information on the article;

said electrical controller configured to execute a first and second heating protocol for the first and second type of article, respectively, said controller supplying power from said power supply to said at least one heating element based on the particular type of smoking article identified by the detector;

wherein the identification and discriminating information comprises at least one of;

smoking article type, aerosol-forming substrate type, cleaning article type, cleaning means information, cleaning ingredient type, date of production, place of production, production batch number, other production details, and use-by date.