Vapor provision system with aerosolizable substrate material carrying portion detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12447291-B2
Application number	US-202418428745-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2024
Priority date	Mar 29, 2018
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

An electronic vapor provision system includes: a control unit configured to provide power from a battery in the control unit, and including a controller configured to control components of the system; and an aerosolizable substrate material carrying portion separably connectable to the control unit to obtain power from the battery, and including first and second electrical circuits including respectively a characteristic-carrying element and a vapor generating element. The second electrical circuit can be selectively provided with power from the battery when power is supplied to the aerosolizable substrate material carrying portion. The controller is configured to operate in a first mode in which a characteristic of the characteristic-carrying element is determined by providing power from the battery to the first electrical circuit, and in a second mode in which the vapor generating element is operated by providing power from the battery to the second electrical circuit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic vapor provision system comprising:
a control unit configured to provide power from a battery in the control unit to components of the system, and comprising a controller configured to control components of the system; and
an aerosolizable substrate material carrying portion separably connectable to the control unit to obtain power from the battery, and comprising:
an electrical circuit including a characteristic-carrying element, the characteristic-carrying element comprising a readable memory storing data, and a vapor generating element configured to generate an inhalable vapor from an aerosolizable substrate material; and
a switching arrangement operable by the controller to selectively provide power from the battery to the vapor generating element;
wherein the controller is configured to operate in a first mode in which a characteristic of the characteristic-carrying element is determined from the data stored by the readable memory of the characteristic-carrying element, and if it is found from the determined characteristic that the aerosolizable substrate material carrying portion is incompatible with the control unit, the controller is further configured to operate the switching arrangement to prevent the supply of power from the battery to the vapor generating element.

2. An electronic vapor provision system according to claim 1 , wherein the data stored in the readable memory comprises identifier data stored in the readable memory.

3. An electronic vapor provision system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to identify the aerosolizable substrate material carrying portion from the identifier data of the characteristic-carrying identifier element.

4. An electronic vapor provision system according to claim 1 , wherein the data stored in the readable memory comprises property data stored in the readable memory.

5. An electronic vapor provision system according to claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to obtain one or more properties of the aerosolizable substrate material carrying portion from the property data.

6. An electronic vapor provision system according to claim 1 , wherein the characteristic-carrying element is configured in parallel to the vapor generating element.

7. An electronic vapor provision system according to claim 1 , wherein the aerosolizable substrate material carrying portion comprises two electrical connection terminals for connection with the control unit, the electrical connection terminals comprising an electrical connection terminal for providing power to the characteristic-carrying element and the vapor generating element, and an electrical earth connection for the characteristic-carrying element and the vapor generating element, and the switching arrangement is configured to switch between connecting the characteristic-carrying element with the said electrical connection terminal and connecting the vapor generating element with the said electrical connection terminal.

8. An electronic vapor provision system according to claim 7 , wherein the switching arrangement comprises a field-effect transistor configured as a switch operable to provide power from the battery to the vapor generating element in accordance with a voltage level set by the controller.

9. An electronic vapor provision system according to claim 8 , wherein the field-effect transistor switches power to the vapor generating element according to an applied voltage level which is less than a gate threshold voltage of the field-effect transistor, or equal to or above the gate threshold value.

10. An electronic vapor provision system according to claim 9 , wherein the field-effect transistor provides power to the vapor generating element when the applied voltage level is equal to or above the gate threshold value.

11. An electronic vapor provision system according to claim 8 , wherein the field-effect transistor comprises a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor.

12. An electronic vapor provision system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control components of the system according to the determined identity or properties of the aerosolizable substrate material carrying portion.

13. An electronic vapor provision system according to claim 1 , wherein the aerosolizable substrate material carrying portion is a cartomizer.

14. A method of operating an electronic vapor provision system comprising:
connecting an aerosolizable substrate material carrying portion to a control unit;
providing power from a battery in the control unit to a characteristic-carrying element in the aerosolizable substrate material carrying portion, the characteristic-carrying element comprising a readable memory storing data;
determining a characteristic of the characteristic-carrying element from the data stored by the readable memory of the characteristic-carrying element; and
preventing the providing power from the battery in the control unit to the vapor generating circuit if it is found from the determined characteristic that the aerosolizable substrate material carrying portion is incompatible with the control unit.

15. A control unit of an electronic vapor provision system, the control unit being separably connectable to an aerosolizable substrate material carrying portion, the control unit comprising:
a battery configured to provide power to the aerosolizable substrate material carrying portion separably connected to the control unit;
a controller configured to control components of the electronic vapor provision system; and
a switching arrangement operable by the controller to selectively provide power from the battery to a vapor generating element of the aerosolisable substrate material carrying portion, the vapor generating element being configured to generate an inhalable vapor from an aerosolisable substrate material;
wherein the controller is configured to operate in a first mode in which a characteristic of a characteristic-carrying element of the aerosolisable substrate material carrying portion is determined from data stored by a readable memory of the characteristic-carrying element, and if it is found from the determined characteristic that the aerosolizable substrate material carrying portion is incompatible with the control unit, the controller is further configured to operate the switching arrangement to prevent the supply of power from the battery to the vapor generating element.

Assignees

• Nicoventures Trading Ltd

Inventors

• Korus Anton
• Yang Justin Chan Han
• Moloney Patrick

Classifications

• A24F40/50

  Control or monitoring · CPC title

• H03K17/687

  the devices being field-effect transistors · CPC title

• A24F40/51

  Arrangement of sensors · CPC title

• A24F40/42

  Cartridges or containers for inhalable precursors · CPC title

• A24F40/10

  Devices using liquid inhalable precursors · CPC title