VAPORIZER APPARATUS

• US 20160374399A1
• Filed: 09/06/2016
• Published: 12/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JUUL Labs, Inc. (PAX Labs, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Adam Bowen, Ariel Atkins, James Monsees, Kevin Lomeli, Steven Christensen
• Inventors: MONSEES, James, BOWEN, Adam, HATTON, Nicholas Jay, CHRISTENSEN, Steven, LOMELI, Kevin, ATKINS, Ariel, KELLER, Aaron
• Granted Patent: US 10,076,139 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/40 Constructional details, e.g. connection of cartridges and battery parts
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/42 Cartridges or containers for inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/60 Devices with integrated user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/042 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/06 Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3653 by Joule effect, i.e. electric resistance
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0244 Heating of fluids H05B1/0247 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/021 Heaters specially adapted for heating liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/022 Heaters specially adapted for heating gaseous material
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/44 heating conductor arranged within rods or tubes of insulating material

Abstract

Vaporizers apparatuses, including cartridges and vaporizers having elongate and flattened (anti-roll) bodies as well as fluid-level windows formed between the cartridge and the vaporizer in which the cartridge is mechanically coupled to the vaporizer.

Claims

1. A vaporizer apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a cartridge having;

an elongate and flattened storage compartment configured to hold a liquid vaporizable material, wherein the liquid vaporizable material is visible through the storage compartment and wherein the storage compartment comprises a distal end and a proximal end;

a mouthpiece at the proximal end of the storage compartment;

an opening through the mouthpiece at a proximal end of the mouthpiece;

a heater at the distal end of the storage compartment, wherein the heater comprises a heating chamber, a wick within the heating chamber, and a resistive heating element in thermal contact with the wick; and

a vaporizer, the vaporizer having;

an elongate, flattened and opaque body having a distal end and a proximal end and a front side, a back side and a pair of lateral sides extending between the distal and proximal ends, wherein the elongate, flattened and opaque body is prevented from rolling when placed on a flat surface because the diameter of the front and back sides are larger than the diameter of the pair of lateral sides;

a cartridge receptacle formed at the proximal end of the elongate, flattened and opaque body, wherein the cartridge receptacle has a proximal-facing opening into the proximal end of the elongate, flattened and opaque body, further wherein the cartridge receptacle comprises a proximal edge around the distal-facing opening;

wherein the proximal edge of the cartridge receptacle forms a notch in the front side of the elongate, flattened and opaque body extending towards the distal end of the elongate, flattened and opaque body so that a portion of the storage compartment is visible through the notch when the cartridge is housed within the cartridge receptacle;

a pair of electrical contacts in a distal surface within the cartridge receptacle configured to connect to electrical contacts on the cartridge when the cartridge is housed within the cartridge receptacle; and

a detent on each of the pair of lateral sides, wherein the detents project into the cartridge receptacle and each engage a mating region on the storage compartment of the cartridge to hold the cartridge within the cartridge receptacle with the mouthpiece outside of the cartridge receptacle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece comprises an opaque mouthpiece.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage compartment is filled with the liquid vaporizable material.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage compartment is filled with the liquid vaporizable material, further wherein the liquid vaporizable material comprises a nicotine solution.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the notch in the front side of the elongate, flattened and opaque body comprises a rectangular, triangular or oval cutout region.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a cannula within the storage compartment is visible through the notch when the cartridge is housed within the cartridge receptacle.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the elongate, flattened and opaque body has a rectangular cross-section.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pair of electrical contacts in a proximal surface within the cartridge receptacle comprises pogo pins.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece comprises an opaque cover that is secured over the proximal end of the storage compartment, the opaque cover having a front side adjacent to a first side of the storage compartment extending between the proximal and distal ends of the storage compartment, wherein a distal end of the opaque cover terminates in a distal edge that extends around a perimeter of the storage compartment from a position only partially between the distal end and the proximal end of the storage compartment.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further wherein the cartridge further comprises a cartridge notch in the front side of the mouthpiece extending from the distal edge of the opaque cover towards the proximal end of the mouthpiece, wherein the cartridge notch exposes a region of the storage compartment beneath the mouthpiece, further wherein the cartridge notch aligns with the notch formed in the proximal edge of the cartridge receptacle when the cartridge is housed within the cartridge receptacle.

11. A vaporizer apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a cartridge having;

an elongate and flattened storage compartment configured to hold a liquid vaporizable material, wherein the liquid vaporizable material is visible through the storage compartment and wherein the storage compartment comprises a distal end and a proximal end;

a mouthpiece at the proximal end of the storage compartment;

an opening through the mouthpiece at a proximal end of the mouthpiece;

a heater at the distal end of the storage compartment, wherein the heater comprises a heating chamber, a wick within the heating chamber, and a resistive heating element in thermal contact with the wick;

a cannula within the storage compartment extending through the liquid vaporizable material from the heater to the proximal end of the storage compartment so that the liquid vaporizable material surrounds the cannula when the storage compartment is filled with liquid vaporizable material, further wherein the cannula forms a fluid connection between the heating chamber and the opening through the mouthpiece from which vaporized liquid vaporizable material may be inhaled; and

a vaporizer, the vaporizer having;

an elongate, flattened and opaque body having a distal end and a proximal end and a front side, a back side and opposite lateral sides extending between the distal and proximal ends, wherein the elongate, flattened and opaque body is prevented from rolling when placed on a flat surface because the diameter of the front and back sides are larger than the diameter of the opposite lateral sides;

a cartridge receptacle formed at the proximal end of the elongate, flattened and opaque body, wherein the cartridge receptacle has a proximal-facing opening into the proximal end of the elongate, flattened and opaque body, further wherein the cartridge receptacle comprises a proximal edge around the proximal-facing opening;

wherein the proximal edge of the cartridge receptacle forms a notch in the front side of the elongate, flattened and opaque body extending towards the distal end of the elongate, flattened and opaque body so that a portion of the storage compartment and the cannula within the storage compartment are visible through the notch when the cartridge is housed within the cartridge receptacle;

a pair of electrical contacts in a distal surface within the cartridge receptacle configured to connect to electrical contacts on the cartridge when the cartridge is housed within the cartridge receptacle; and

a detent on each of the opposite lateral sides, wherein the detents project into the cartridge receptacle and each engage a mating region on the storage compartment of the cartridge to hold the cartridge within the cartridge receptacle with the mouthpiece outside of the cartridge receptacle.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the mouthpiece comprises an opaque mouthpiece.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the storage compartment is filled with the liquid vaporizable material.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the notch in the front side of the elongate, flattened and opaque body comprises a rectangular, triangular or oval cutout region.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the elongate, flattened and opaque body has a rectangular cross-section.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the pair of electrical contacts in a distal surface within the cartridge receptacle comprises pogo pins.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the mouthpiece comprises an opaque cover that is secured over the distal end of the storage compartment, the opaque cover having a front side adjacent to a first side of the storage compartment extending between the proximal and distal ends of the storage compartment, wherein a distal end of the opaque cover terminates in a distal edge that extends around a perimeter of the storage compartment from a position only partially between the distal end and the proximal end of the storage compartment.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further wherein the cartridge further comprises a cartridge notch in the front side of the mouthpiece extending from the distal edge of the opaque cover towards the proximal end of the mouthpiece, wherein the cartridge notch exposes a region of the storage compartment beneath the mouthpiece, further wherein the cartridge notch aligns with the notch formed in the proximal edge of the cartridge receptacle when the cartridge is housed within the cartridge receptacle.

19. A vaporizer apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a cartridge having;

an elongate and flattened storage compartment holding a liquid vaporizable material that is visible through the storage compartment, wherein the storage compartment comprises a distal end and a proximal end, and a first side extending between the distal end and the proximal end;

a mouthpiece at the proximal end of the storage compartment, wherein the mouthpiece comprises an opaque cover that is secured over the proximal end of the storage compartment, the opaque mouthpiece having a front side adjacent to the first side of the storage compartment, wherein a distal end of the opaque cover terminates in a distal edge that extends around a perimeter of the storage compartment from a position only partially between the distal end and the proximal end of the storage compartment of the opaque cover;

a cartridge notch in the front side of the mouthpiece extending from the distal edge of the opaque cover towards the proximal end of the mouthpiece, wherein the cartridge notch exposes a region of the storage compartment beneath the mouthpiece;

an opening through the mouthpiece at a distal end of the mouthpiece;

a heater at the distal end of the storage compartment, wherein the heater comprises a heating chamber, a wick within the heating chamber, and a resistive heating element in thermal contact with the wick;

a cannula within the storage compartment extending through the liquid vaporizable material from the heater to the proximal end of the storage compartment so that the liquid vaporizable material surrounds the cannula, further wherein the cannula forms a fluid connection between the heating chamber and the opening through the mouthpiece from which vaporized liquid vaporizable material may be inhaled, wherein the cannula is visible through the cartridge notch; and

a vaporizer, the vaporizer having;

an elongate, flattened and opaque body having a distal end and a proximal end and a front side, a back side and opposite lateral sides extending between the distal and proximal ends, wherein the elongate, flattened and opaque body is prevented from rolling when placed on a flat surface because the diameter of the front and back sides are larger than the diameter of the opposite lateral sides;

a cartridge receptacle formed at the proximal end of the elongate, flattened and opaque body, wherein the cartridge receptacle has a proximal-facing opening into the proximal end of the elongate, flattened and opaque body, further wherein the cartridge receptacle comprises a proximal edge around the distal-facing opening;

wherein the proximal edge of the cartridge receptacle forms a notch in the front side of the elongate, flattened and opaque body extending towards the distal end of the elongate, flattened and opaque body so that a portion of the storage compartment and the cannula are visible through the notch when the cartridge is housed within the cartridge receptacle;

a pair of electrical contacts in a distal surface within the cartridge receptacle configured to connect to electrical contacts on the cartridge when the cartridge is housed within the cartridge receptacle; and

a friction capture between the cartridge receptacle and the storage compartment of the cartridge to hold the cartridge within the cartridge receptacle with the mouthpiece outside of the cartridge receptacle,

wherein the cartridge notch aligns with the notch formed in the proximal edge of the cartridge receptacle when the cartridge is housed within the cartridge receptacle.