Calibrated dose control

• US 10,512,282 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2015
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JUUL Labs, Inc. (PAX Labs, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: JUUL Labs, Inc. (PAX Labs, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bowen, Adam, Monsees, James, Atkins, Ariel, Ingebrethsen, Bradley, Leon Duque, Esteban
• Primary Examiner(s): Boecker, Joseph D.
• Application Number:
  US14/960,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20160157524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/167 in liquid or vaporisable form, e.g. liquid compositions for electronic cigarettes
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid 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 40/65 Devices with integrated communication means, e.g. wireless communication means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/042 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0065 Inhalators with dosage or measuring devices A61M15/0028 takes precedence; dosage devices incorporated in aerosol cans B65D83/52
• 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 2016/0039 in the inspiratory circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/14 Detection of the presence or absence of a tube, a connector or a container in an apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/33 Controlling, regulating or measuring
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3368 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/581 by audible feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/582 by tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/583 by visual feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8237 Charging means
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/22 : the element being a non-linear resistance, e.g. thermistor G01K7/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0027 : concerning the detector
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0244 : Heating of fluids H05B1/0247 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods and vaporizer apparatuses that estimate, measure and/or predict the amount of vapor and/or material (including active ingredients) released by the vaporizer apparatus. In particular, described herein are electronic vaporizers and methods of using them that determine a dose/amount of vapor and/or a material in the vapor based primarily or exclusively on the electrical and thermal properties, e.g., power or energy applied to the vaporizing element (e.g., heating coil) and the temperature of the material immediately before and as it is vaporized. Dose information may be used to control operation of the device and/or reported to the user.

Claims

1. A method of determining a dose of a vaporizable material when using a vaporizing device over a time period, wherein the time period comprises a plurality of sequential time intervals, and wherein the vaporizing device includes a heater controller, a heater, a source of the vaporizable material including an active ingredient, and a dose predictor, the method comprising:

applying power, from the heater controller to the heater, to vaporize the vaporizable material during the time period;

transmitting a power reading of the power applied from the heater controller to the heater at each of the plurality of sequential time intervals, from the heater controller to the dose predictor;

calculating, for each of the plurality of sequential time intervals and at the dose predictor, a partial dose, wherein the partial dose is calculated based on subtracting a second term from a first term, wherein the first term comprises the power reading of the power applied from the heater controller to the heater to vaporize the vaporizable material during a partial dose time interval, and wherein the second term comprises a temperature of the vaporizable material during the partial dose time interval or a temperature of the vaporizable material before the partial dose time interval;

summing the calculated partial doses, at the dose predictor, to determine a total dose delivered during the time period;

determining an amount of active ingredient delivered to the user based on the total dose of vapor delivered; and

providing feedback, based on the total dose, to modify the operation of the vaporizer device.

2. A method of determining a dose of a vaporizable material when using a vaporizing device over a time period, wherein the time period comprises a plurality of sequential time intervals, and wherein the vaporizing device includes a heater controller, a heater, a source of the vaporizable material, and a dose predictor, the method comprising:

applying power, from the heater controller to the heater, to vaporize the vaporizable material during the time period;

transmitting a power reading of the power applied from the heater controller to the heater at each of the plurality of sequential time intervals, from the heater controller to the dose predictor;

calculating, for each of the plurality of sequential time intervals and at the dose predictor, a partial dose, wherein the partial dose is calculated based on subtracting a second term and a third term from a first term, wherein the first term comprises the power reading of the power applied from the heater controller to the heater to vaporize the vaporizable material during a partial dose time interval, wherein the second term comprises a temperature of the vaporizable material during the partial dose time interval, and wherein the third term comprises a temperature of the vaporizable material before the partial dose time interval;

summing the calculated partial doses, at the dose predictor, to determine a total dose delivered during the time period; and

providing feedback, based on the total dose, to modify the operation of the vaporizer device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining an amount of active ingredient delivered to a user based on the total dose delivered.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein calculating further comprises determining a change in temperature (Δ

T) of the vaporizable material being vaporized for each of the sequential time intervals relative the temperature of the vaporizable material being vaporized.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the sequential time intervals are between about 200 msec and about 10 msec.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein calculating, for each of the sequential time intervals, the partial dose is further based upon a latent heat and a specific heat of the material.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein subtracting the second term and the third term from the first term comprises subtracting, from a first constant times the power reading of the power applied from the heater controller during the partial dose time interval, a second constant times the temperature of the vaporizable material during the partial dose time interval and a third constant times the temperature of the vaporizable material before the partial dose time interval.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the temperature of the vaporizable material during the partial dose time interval and the third term comprises the temperature of the vaporizable material being vaporized before the partial dose time interval are determined based on an electrical property of the heater that is proportional to the temperature of the heater.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein providing the feedback comprises alerting a user when the total dose delivered during the time period meets or exceeds a preset threshold.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein providing the feedback comprises disabling the device when the total dose delivered during the time period meets or exceeds a preset threshold.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising calculating and displaying a cumulative total dose delivered over a session period that includes the time period.

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising detecting a user'"'"'s puff on the vaporizer device, wherein the time period corresponds to a duration of the detected user'"'"'s puff.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the vaporizable material comprises a liquid.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein the vaporizable material comprises a tobacco-based material.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein the vaporizable material comprises a botanical.

16. The method of claim 2, wherein the vaporizable material comprises a nicotine compound.

17. The method of claim 2, wherein the vaporizable material comprises a cannabinoid.

18. The method of claim 2, wherein the vaporizable material comprises at least one of:

cetirizine, ibuprofen, naproxen, omeprazole, doxylamine, diphenhydramine, melatonin, or meclizine.

19. The method of claim 2, wherein the vaporizable material comprises at least one of:

albuterol, levalbuterol, pirbuterol, salmeterol, formoterol, atropine sulfate, ipratropium bromide, fluticasone, budesonide, mometasone, montelukast, zafirlukast, theophylline, fluticasone and salmeterol, budesonide and formoterol, and mometasone and formoterol.

20. The method of claim 2, wherein the vaporizable material comprises at least one of:

a polyphonel, a green tea catechin, caffeine, a phenol, a glycoside, a labdane diterpenoid, yohimbine, a proanthocyanidin, terpene glycoside, an omega fatty acid, echinacoside, an alkaloid, isovaleric acid, a terpene, gamma-aminobutyric acid, a senna glycoside, cinnamaldehyde, and Vitamin D.

21. The method of claim 2, wherein the vaporizable material comprises a nicotine salt, glycerin, and propylene glycol.

22. The method of claim 2, wherein the dose predictor is part of a controller comprising the heater controller.

23. The method of claim 2, wherein summing the calculated partial doses comprises aggregating the calculated partial doses as each partial dose is calculated.

24. A method of determining a dose of a vaporizable material when using a vaporizing device over a time period, wherein the time period comprises a plurality of sequential time intervals, and wherein the vaporizing device includes a heater controller, a heater, a source of the vaporizable material, and a dose predictor, the method comprising:

applying power, from the heater controller to the heater, to vaporize the vaporizable material during the time period;

transmitting a power reading of the power applied from the heater controller to the heater at each of the plurality of sequential time intervals, from the heater controller to the dose predictor;

calculating, for each of the plurality of sequential time intervals and at the dose predictor, a partial dose, wherein the partial dose is calculated based on subtracting a second term and a third term from a first term, wherein the first term comprises the power reading of the power applied from the heater controller to the heater to vaporize the vaporizable material during each of the plurality of sequential time intervals, wherein the second term comprises a temperature of the vaporizable material during each of the plurality of sequential time intervals, and wherein the third term comprises a temperature of the vaporizable material before each of the plurality of sequential time intervals;

summing the calculated partial doses, at the dose predictor, to determine a total dose delivered during the time period; and

providing feedback, based on the total dose, to modify the operation of the vaporizer device.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

transmitting the temperature of the vaporizable material during each of the plurality of sequential time intervals, from the heater controller to the dose predictor.