Disabling control for an electronic smoking device

• US 9,907,337 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2014
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fontem Ventures BV (Imperial Tobacco Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Fontem Holdings 4 B.V. (Imperial Tobacco Group PLC)
• Inventors: Alarcon, Ramon, Healy, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Daniels, Matthew J
• Application Number:
  US14/529,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20150053214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/46 Shape or structure of electric heating means
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/485 Valves; Apertures
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/50 Control or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/51 Arrangement of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/65 Devices with integrated communication means, e.g. wireless communication means
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/90 Arrangements or methods specially adapted for charging batteries thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/95 structurally associated with cases
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 47/00 Smokers' requisites not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/30 designed to control volume of flow, e.g. with adjustable passages B05B11/0094 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for controlling disabling of an electronic smoking device. An electronic smoking device includes a body through which a flow path at least partially extends, an air inlet in the body that is fluidly connected to the flow path, a liquid compartment for storing a liquid within the body, a vaporizer positioned in the body and configured to receive liquid from the liquid compartment and air from the flow path to generate vaporized liquid, an outlet in the body configured to receive vaporized liquid from the vaporizer, and circuitry connected to the vaporizer. In one embodiment, the circuitry is configured to shut off the electronic smoking device based on activation time of the vaporizer. In another embodiment, the circuitry is configured to shut off the electronic smoking device after a determined amount of usage has occurred.

Claims

1. An electronic smoking device comprising the following:

a body through which a flow path at least partially extends;

an air inlet in the body that is fluidly connected to the flow path;

a liquid compartment for storing a liquid within the body;

a vaporizer positioned in the body and configured to receive liquid from the liquid compartment and air from the flow path to generate vaporized liquid;

an outlet in the body configured to receive vaporized liquid from the vaporizer; and

controller circuitry connected to the vaporizer, the controller circuitry configured to shut off the electronic smoking device based on activation time of the vaporizer exceeding a predetermined period of time indicative of a predefined life of the vaporizer by executing the following commands;

determine how long a vaporizer has been cumulatively active,

activate the vaporizer if the vaporizer has been activated a cumulative amount of time less than a predetermined total time limit, and

permanently disable the electronic smoking device if the cumulative amount of time the vaporizer has been activated is equal to or greater than the predetermined total time limit.

2. The electronic smoking device of claim 1, wherein the controller circuitry is further configured to use the predetermined total time limit as a constant that sets a total period of time the vaporizer may stay turned on during a product life of the electronic smoking device.

3. The electronic smoking device of claim 1, wherein the controller circuitry is further configured to use the cumulative amount of time as a count value that indicates the total time the vaporizer has been turned on during a product life of the electronic smoking device.

4. The electronic smoking device of claim 1, wherein the controller circuitry is further configured to control periodic dosage over a predefined time interval less than a predefined life of the electronic smoking device.

5. The electronic smoking device of claim 4, wherein the controller circuitry is further configured to execute the following commands:

determine how long a vaporizer has been periodically active;

activate the vaporizer if the vaporizer has been activated a periodic amount of time less than a predetermined interval time limit; and

idle the vaporizer if the vaporizer has been activated a periodic amount of time equal to or greater than the predetermined interval time limit.

6. The electronic smoking device of claim 5, wherein the controller circuitry is further configured to use the periodic amount of time as a period of time the vaporizer has been turned on since the last time the vaporizer has been turned on.

7. The electronic smoking device of claim 5, wherein the controller circuitry is further configured to use the predetermined interval time limit as a constant that sets a limit for the time period the vaporizer may stay turned on during any given period of time.

8. An electronic smoking device comprising the following:

a housing;

a liquid compartment for storing a liquid within the housing;

a vaporizer positioned in the housing and configured to receive liquid from the liquid compartment; and

controller circuitry connected to the vaporizer, the controller circuitry is configured to permanently disable the electronic smoking device after a cumulative vaporizer activation time exceeds a predetermined limit.

9. The electronic smoking device of claim 8, wherein the cumulative vaporizer activation time is periodic vaporizer activation time.

10. The electronic smoking device of claim 9, wherein the controller circuitry is configured to halt operation of the vaporizer if the cumulative vaporizer activation time exceeds the predetermined limit stored in the controller circuitry.

11. The electronic smoking device of claim 8, further comprising a sensor for determining usage, wherein the controller circuitry is configured to incapacitate the sensor if the cumulative vaporizer activation time exceeds the predetermined limit stored in the controller circuitry.