Electronic vapor provision device

• US 9,918,497 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2013
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd. (British American Tobacco PLC)
• Original Assignee: Nicoventures Holdings Limited (British American Tobacco PLC)
• Inventors: Lord, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Yaary, Eric
• Application Number:
  US14/401,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20150114408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,771 Days
• Field of Search: 392386-406, 12820011-20718, 320157, 320166-167
• 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: A61M 1/34 Filtering material out of the blood by passing it through a membrane, i.e. hemofiltration or diafiltration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0244 Heating of fluids H05B1/0247 takes precedence

Abstract

An electronic vapor provision device comprising a battery assembly 8 and a vaporizer 24, wherein the battery assembly 8 comprises a power cell 10 and a computer 12, the vaporizer 24 is releasably connectable to the battery assembly 8 and the computer 12 comprises a computer processor 16 and a memory 18; wherein the computer 12 is configured to detect whether the vaporizer 24 is connected to the battery assembly 8 without use of the electronic vapor provision device by a user; and to substantially remain in a sleep mode until the vaporizer 24 is connected to the battery assembly 8.

Claims

1. An electronic vapor provision device comprising:

a battery assembly including a power cell and a computer, the computer having a computer processor and a memory; and

a vaporizer releasably connectable to the battery assembly,

wherein the computer is configured to;

periodically determine whether or not the vaporizer is connected to the battery assembly;

enter a sleep mode if it is determined that the vaporizer is not connected to the battery assembly; and

substantially remain in the sleep mode until it is determined that the vaporizer is connected to the battery assembly,

wherein substantially remaining in the sleep mode comprises;

waking from the sleep mode after a predetermined sleep time to determine whether or not the vaporizer is connected to the battery assembly, and

if it is determined that the vaporizer is not connected to the battery assembly, reentering the sleep mode, or

if it is determined that the vaporizer is connected to the battery assembly, entering a connected mode, wherein the sleep mode is a lower power mode than the connected mode.

2. The electronic vapor provision device of claim 1, wherein the sleep mode is a low power mode.

3. The electronic vapor provision device of claim 2, wherein the computer is configured such that a time between consecutive sleep modes when the vaporizer is not connected is less than the sleep time.

4. The electronic vapor provision device of claim 2, wherein the sleep time has a value between 0.5 and 5 seconds.

5. The electronic vapor provision device of claim 2, wherein the battery assembly further includes a capacitor, and the computer is configured to first cause the capacitor to be charged, and then detect whether a vaporizer is connected to the battery assembly by measuring whether the capacitor is discharged.

6. The electronic vapor provision device of claim 5, wherein the computer is configured to determine that the vaporizer is not connected to the battery assembly when the capacitor is not substantially fully discharged, and/or to determine that the vaporizer is connected to the battery assembly when the capacitor is substantially fully discharged.

7. The electronic vapor provision device of claim 5, wherein the battery assembly further includes first and second battery assembly connection terminals, and the vaporizer comprises first and second vaporizer connection terminals, the vaporizer connected to the battery assembly when the first battery assembly connection terminal is connected to the first vaporizer connection terminal and the second battery assembly connection terminal is connected to the second vaporizer connection terminal;

and wherein the capacitor is connected in parallel with the first and second battery assembly connection terminals.

8. The electronic vapor provision device of claim 7, wherein the battery assembly further includes a resistor in series with the capacitor, and the capacitor and the resistor are in parallel with the first and second battery assembly connection terminals.

9. The electronic vapor provision device of claim 5, wherein the computer is configured to send out a pulse such that the capacitor is charged for a period of time substantially equal to the width of the pulse.

10. The electronic vapor provision device of claim 9, further comprising a transistor, the electronic vapor provision device configured such that the pulse is sent to the transistor, thereby allowing current to flow from the power cell to the capacitor.

11. An electronic smoking device comprising:

a battery assembly including a power cell and a computer, the computer comprising a computer processor, a memory and an input-output device; and

a vaporizer releasably-attachable to the battery assembly,

wherein the computer is configured, in use, to;

periodically determine whether or not the vaporizer is connected to the battery assembly;

enter a sleep mode if it is determine that the vaporizer is not connected to the battery assembly; and

substantially remain in the sleep mode until it is determined that the vaporizer is connected to the battery assembly,

wherein substantially remaining in the sleep mode comprises;

waking up from the sleep mode after a predetermined sleep time to determine whether or not the vaporizer is connected to the battery assembly, and

if it is determined that the vaporizer is not connected to the battery assembly, reentering the sleep mode, or

if it is determine that the vaporizer is connected to the battery assembly, entering a connected mode, wherein the sleep ode is a lower power mode than the connected mode.

12. A method of controlling an electronic vapor provision device comprising a battery assembly including a power cell and a computer, the computer having a computer processor and a memory, and a vaporizer releasably connectable to the battery assembly, the computer configured to carry out the method comprising:

periodically determining whether or not the vaporizer is connected to the battery assembly;

entering a sleep mode if it is determined that the vaporizer is not connected to the battery assembly; and

substantially remaining in the sleep mode until it is determined that the vaporizer is connected to the battery assembly, wherein substantially remaining in the sleep mode comprises;

waking from the sleep mode after a predetermined sleep time to determine whether or not the vaporizer is connected to the battery assembly, and

if it is determined that the vaporizer is not connected to the battery assembly, reentering the sleep mode, or

if it is determined that the vaporizer is connected to the battery assembly, entering a connected mode, wherein the sleep mode is a lower power mode than the connected mode.