Device agnostic PSA for aerosol generation device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12133559-B2
Application number	US-202117469229-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2021
Priority date	Sep 11, 2020
Publication date	Nov 5, 2024
Grant date	Nov 5, 2024

Abstract

A method of preventing unauthorized use of an aerosol provision device may include receiving a wireless signal including an unlock code for unlocking the aerosol provision device, processing the wireless signal to determine host device characterization information or environmental context information, tuning processing circuitry to process the unlock code based on the host device characterization information or environmental context information, and transitioning the aerosol provision device from a locked state to an unlocked state responsive to processing the unlock code.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. An aerosol provision system comprising:
an aerosol provision device configured to interface with a consumable comprising aerosol generating material;
an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol from the aerosol generating material;
a lock assembly configured to prevent operation of the aerosol generator for generating the aerosol in a locked state, and enable operation of the aerosol generator for generating the aerosol in an unlocked state, the lock assembly being configured to transition from the locked state to the unlocked state responsive to authentication of an unlock code received in a control signal from a host device in communication with an authentication agent via a network; and
an adaptive signal detector comprising processing circuitry configured to process a control signal received wirelessly from the host device to extract the unlock code,
wherein the adaptive signal detector is configured to determine host device characterization information or environmental context information to facilitate extracting the unlock code from the control signal,
wherein the control signal is an optical signal,
wherein the adaptive signal detector comprises an optical detector configured to receive the optical signal, and processing circuitry configured to process the optical signal to determine the host device characterization information or the environmental context information prior to extracting the unlock code,
wherein the adaptive signal detector comprises a context monitor configured to determine the environmental context information,
wherein the context monitor is configured to determine a change in ambient lighting that occurs during transmission of the optical signal, and
wherein the context monitor is further configured to detect edges in the optical signal based on automatic threshold detection comprising a comparison of an average level of a given number of prior symbols to a threshold defined as a percentage of the average level.

2. An aerosol provision system comprising:
an aerosol provision device configured to interface with a consumable comprising aerosol generating material;
an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol from the aerosol generating material;
a lock assembly configured to prevent operation of the aerosol generator for generating the aerosol in a locked state, and enable operation of the aerosol generator for generating the aerosol in an unlocked state, the lock assembly being configured to transition from the locked state to the unlocked state responsive to authentication of an unlock code received in a control signal from a host device in communication with an authentication agent via a network; and
an adaptive signal detector comprising processing circuitry configured to process a control signal received wirelessly from the host device to extract the unlock code,
wherein the adaptive signal detector is configured to determine host device characterization information or environmental context information to facilitate extracting the unlock code from the control signal,
wherein the adaptive signal detector comprises a host device evaluator configured to determine the host device characterization information,
wherein the host device characterization information is determined from processing a preamble of the control signal, and
wherein the host device characterization information comprises information indicative of a code version for the unlock code that is being received from the host device based on information indicative of the code version in the preamble.

3. An aerosol provision system comprising:
an aerosol provision device configured to interface with a consumable comprising aerosol generating material;
an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol from the aerosol generating material;
a lock assembly configured to prevent operation of the aerosol generator for generating the aerosol in a locked state, and enable operation of the aerosol generator for generating the aerosol in an unlocked state, the lock assembly being configured to transition from the locked state to the unlocked state responsive to authentication of an unlock code received in a control signal from a host device in communication with an authentication agent via a network; and
an adaptive signal detector comprising processing circuitry configured to process a control signal received wirelessly from the host device to extract the unlock code,
wherein the adaptive signal detector is configured to determine host device characterization information or environmental context information to facilitate extracting the unlock code from the control signal,
wherein the adaptive signal detector comprises a host device evaluator configured to determine the host device characterization information,
wherein the host device characterization information is determined from processing a preamble of the control signal, and
wherein the host device evaluator is configured to detect one or both of a start symbol and an end symbol in the control signal marking a beginning and end, respectively, of the unlock code.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to, in response to failure to decode all symbols of the unlock code, determine a missing symbol from the unlock code based on comparing symbols from multiple iterations of the unlock code based on the start symbol or the end symbol.

5. An aerosol provision system comprising:
an aerosol provision device configured to interface with a consumable comprising aerosol generating material;
an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol from the aerosol generating material;
a lock assembly configured to prevent operation of the aerosol generator for generating the aerosol in a locked state, and enable operation of the aerosol generator for generating the aerosol in an unlocked state, the lock assembly being configured to transition from the locked state to the unlocked state responsive to authentication of an unlock code received in a control signal from a host device in communication with an authentication agent via a network; and
an adaptive signal detector comprising processing circuitry configured to process a control signal received wirelessly from the host device to extract the unlock code,
wherein the adaptive signal detector is configured to determine host device characterization information or environmental context information to facilitate extracting the unlock code from the control signal, and
wherein the processing circuitry is configured to employ flexible duration limits defining a window size for each symbol of the unlock code.

6. An aerosol provision system comprising:
an aerosol provision device configured to interface with a consumable comprising aerosol generating material;
an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol from the aerosol generating material;
a lock assembly configured to prevent operation of the aerosol generator for generating the aerosol in a locked state, and enable operation of the aerosol generator for generating the aerosol in an unlocked state, the lock assembly being configured to transition from the locked state to the unlocked state responsive to authentication of an unlock code received in a control signal from a host device in communication with an authentication agent via a network; and
an adaptive signal detector comprising processing circuitry configured to process a control signal received wirelessly from the host device to extract the unlock code,
wherein the adaptive signal detector is configured to determine host device characterization information or environmental context information to facilitate extracting the unlock code from the control signal, and
wherein the processing circuitry

Assignees

• Rai Strategic Holdings Inc

Inventors

• Daugherty Sean
• Lukan Sean
• Garris Robert Logan
• Anderson Keith

Classifications

• A24F40/65

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

• H04B10/11

  Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum · CPC title

• H04W4/20

  Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel · CPC title

• A24F40/51

  Arrangement of sensors · CPC title

• A24F40/20

  Devices using solid inhalable precursors · CPC title