Smoking substitute device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11989756-B2
Application number	US-202017002185-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2020
Priority date	Feb 26, 2018
Publication date	May 21, 2024
Grant date	May 21, 2024

Abstract

A computer implemented method, a smoking substitute device, a mobile device, and a remote server all for updating firmware of a smoking substitute device. The computer implemented method having the steps of: logging one or more errors encountered by the smoking substitute device; transmitting the one or more errors to a second device; selecting, based on the one or more errors encountered by the smoking substitute device, an updated firmware for use by a processor in the smoking substitute device; transmitting, from the second device to the smoking substitute device, the updated firmware; and updating the firmware of the smoking substitute device with the updated firmware received from the second device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer implemented method for updating firmware of a smoking substitute device, the method comprising the steps of:
logging one or more errors encountered by the smoking substitute device, wherein the logged one or more errors includes an indication of the number of times that the smoking substitute device failed to connect to a mobile device within a given period;
transmitting the one or more errors to the mobile device, wherein the mobile device is connected to the smoking substitute device;
transmitting the one or more errors from the mobile device to a remote server, wherein the remote server is connected to the mobile device;
the remote server determining that a timeout period for connection as set in the smoking substitute device is too short and the remote server selecting, from a store of firmware stored in a memory of the remote server, based on the one or more errors encountered by the smoking substitute device, an updated firmware for use by a processor in the smoking substitute device, wherein the updated firmware selected by the remote server is configured to address the failure to connect;
transmitting, from the remote server to the mobile device, the updated firmware;
transmitting, from the mobile device to the smoking substitute device, the updated firmware; and
updating the firmware of the smoking substitute device with the updated firmware received from the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the errors are logged by the smoking substitute device into memory of the smoking substitute device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein updating the firmware of the smoking substitute device includes overwriting a firmware-storing portion of memory of the smoking substitute device with the updated firmware.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more errors further includes any one or more of:
a measurement of the voltage of a battery in the smoking substitute device;
a measurement of the resistance of a coil in the smoking substitute device;
an indication of the number of times a consumable is inserted into the smoking substitute device within a given period;
an indication that there is an issue with charging a battery within the smoking substitute device; and
an indication that a pressure within the smoking substitute device has dropped.

5. A smoking substitute device, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory, wherein the memory includes instructions which cause the processor to:
log one or more error(s) encountered by the smoking substitute device, the logged one or more errors includes an indication of the number of times that the smoking substitute device failed to connect to the mobile device within a given period;

transmit the one or more errors to a second device;
receive from the second device an updated firmware for use by the processor of the smoking substitute device, where the updated firmware is selected based on a timeout period for connection as set in the smoking substitute device being too short; and
update firmware of the smoking substitute device with the updated firmware received from the second device, the updated firmware configured to address the failure to connect.

6. A mobile device, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory, wherein the memory includes instructions which cause the processor to:
receive from a smoking substitute device one or more error(s) encountered by the smoking substitute device, the one or more errors includes an indication of the number of times that the smoking substitute device failed to connect to the mobile device within a given period;
either:
(i) select, based on the received one or more error(s), an updated firmware for use by a processor of the smoking substitute device based on a timeout period for connection as set in the smoking substitute device being too short; or
(ii) transmit the received one or more error(s) to a remote server, and receive from the remote server an updated firmware for use by the processor of the smoking substitute device, where the updated firmware is selected based on a timeout period for connection as set in the smoking substitute device being too short; and

transmit the updated firmware to the smoking substitute device for use in updating firmware of the smoking substitute device, the updated firmware configured to address the failure to connect.

Assignees

• Imperial Tobacco Ltd

Inventors

• Fard Daniel
• Talbot Oliver

Classifications

• G06Q30/0269 Primary

  based on user profile or attribute · CPC title

• A24F40/53

  Monitoring, e.g. fault detection · CPC title

• A24F40/65

  Devices with integrated communication means, e.g. wireless communication means · CPC title

• G06F8/65 Primary

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• H04L67/34

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title