Tray for an electronic smoking device or parts thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11753229-B2
Application number	US-202217568712-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2022
Priority date	Sep 18, 2015
Publication date	Sep 12, 2023
Grant date	Sep 12, 2023

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to electronic smoking devices and in particular to a tray for at least a portion of an electronic smoking device.
The tray ( 100 ) comprises at least one cavity ( 101 ) for containing the portion. The tray ( 100 ) is configured to be reversibly deformed from a default form into a deformed form by finger interaction with interaction elements of the tray ( 100 ) having a distance to each other of at least 90% of the average distance between thumb tip and index finger tip or a middle finger tip of an adult. The tray ( 100 ) is configured to return to the default form once the finger interaction is terminated. The default form provides the at least one cavity ( 101 ) for containing the portion in an inaccessible manner and the deformed form is required for accessing the portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tray adapted for accommodating an electronic smoking device in a child-safe manner, the tray comprising at least one cavity, wherein the cavity is sized and configured to securely hold the electronic smoking device, wherein the tray is configured to be reversibly deformed from an undeformed shape into a deformed shape, wherein the tray comprises a rotatable portion configured to be rotated around a normal of a top surface of the tray, wherein the rotatable portion is accessible for rotation when in the deformed shape, and wherein a portion of the electronic smoking device is visible when the tray is in the undeformed shape.

2. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein, in the undeformed shape, the rotatable portion is inaccessible for rotation by a hand of a user.

3. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein the rotatable portion is configured to be rotatable in the deformed shape for accessing said electronic smoking device.

4. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein the tray is configured to be reversibly deformed from an undeformed shape into a deformed shape by simultaneous finger interaction of a user with at least two interaction elements of the tray.

5. The tray according to claim 4 , wherein the at least two interaction elements are located on opposite surfaces of the tray.

6. The try according to claim 4 , wherein the at least two interaction elements are spaced apart from each other at a distance of at least 6 cm.

7. The tray according to claim 4 , wherein the finger interaction comprises applying pressure on the interaction elements.

8. The tray according to claim 7 , wherein the pressure required for deforming the tray into the deformed shape is between 0.1 N to more than 5 N using a thumb tip and an index finger tip or a middle finger tip.

9. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein the undeformed shape is configured such that the at least one cavity locks said electronic smoking device to the tray.

10. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein the deformed shape is configured such that the at least one cavity unlocks said electronic smoking device from the tray.

11. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one cavity is configured such that, by deforming the tray, an opening is opened in the tray of the cavity having a width such that said electronic smoking device or said portion of the electronic smoking device is unlocked from the tray.

12. The tray according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one cavity is configured such that, by deforming the tray, said electronic smoking device is further moved through the opening.

13. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein the tray is configured to return to the undeformed shape after being deformed.

14. The tray according to claim 13 , wherein the rotatable portion has to be rotated in the deformed shape from a starting point to a predetermined point for accessing the said electronic smoking device or said portion of the electronic smoking device.

15. The tray according to claim 14 , wherein the rotatable portion of the tray has to be rotated in the deformed shape to the starting point before the finger interaction is terminated for the tray to return to the undeformed shape.

16. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein the cavity is configured for accommodating an electronic smoking device.

17. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic smoking device comprises a portion of an electronic smoking device.

18. The tray according to claim 17 , wherein the portion of the electronic smoking device is one of a mouthpiece portion, a liquid reservoir portion, a cartomizer or an atomizer/liquid reservoir portion.

19. A tray adapted for accommodating an electronic smoking device in a child-safe manner, the tray comprising at least one cavity, at least a portion of an electronic smoking device disposed within the tray, wherein the tray is configured to be reversibly deformed from an undeformed shape into a deformed shape, and wherein the tray comprises a rotatable portion, wherein the rotatable portion is accessible for rotation when in the deformed shape, and wherein, in the undeformed shape, the rotatable portion is inaccessible for rotation by a hand of a user.

20. A tray adapted for accommodating an electronic smoking device in a child-safe manner, the tray comprising at least one cavity, wherein the tray is configured to be reversibly deformed from an undeformed shape into a deformed shape, and wherein the tray comprises a rotatable portion configured to be rotated around a normal of a top surface of the tray, and wherein the rotatable portion is accessible for rotation when in the deformed shape, wherein the at least one cavity is configured such that, by deforming the tray, an opening is opened in the tray and wherein the at least one cavity is configured such that, by deforming the tray, said electronic smoking device is further moved through the opening.

Assignees

• Fontem Holdings 1 Bv
• Fontem Ventures Bv

Inventors

• Rehders Thorben
• Senftleben Sebastian
• Robinson Duncan B

Classifications

• B65D81/113 Primary

  of a shape specially adapted to accommodate contents {(B65D81/053 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B65D85/10

  for cigarettes · CPC title

• B65D2215/02

  requiring the combination of simultaneous actions · CPC title

• B65D2215/06

  based on the difference in size between children's and adults' hands · CPC title

• A24F15/01

  specially adapted for simulated smoking devices or cigarettes therefor (battery charging means structurally associated with the case A24F40/95) · CPC title