Electronic cigarette

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9301548-B2
Application number	US-201213703017-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2012
Priority date	Jul 23, 2012
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

An electronic cigarette comprises a smoking unit and a power unit. The smoking unit attachably connects with the power unit as a unitary member by magnetism. A connecting end of the smoking unit and a corresponding connecting end of the power unit respectively comprise a connecting element which is made of iron material. A permanent magnet is disposed in at least one of the connecting end of the smoking unit and the corresponding end of the power unit. The connecting element of the connecting end of the smoking unit and the connecting element of the corresponding connecting end of the power unit are removably and insertedly connected to each other, and engaged with each other via an attractive force of the permanent magnet. The electronic cigarette can be assembled and disassembled conveniently and efficiently, and is easy for maintenance and replacement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic cigarette, comprising a smoking unit and a power unit, wherein the smoking unit attachably connects with the power unit as a unitary member by magnetism;
a connecting end of the smoking unit and a corresponding connecting end of the power unit respectively comprise a connecting element which is made of iron material, a permanent magnet is disposed in at least one of the connecting end of the smoking unit and the corresponding end of the power unit, and the connecting element of the connecting end of the smoking unit and the connecting element of the corresponding connecting end of the power unit are removably and insertedly connected to each other, and engaged with each other via an attractive force of the permanent magnet;
a bottom of the permanent magnet is supported by a flexible element.

2. The electronic cigarette as claimed in claim 1 , wherein ends of the two connecting elements are attracted to each other and one of the ends of the two connecting elements abuts against a top of the permanent magnet, the permanent magnet is configured to be fixed in the connecting end of the smoking unit or the corresponding end of the power unit by an iron fixing sheath.

3. The electronic cigarette as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the connecting elements are cylindrical, and the permanent magnet is a ring structure, a first battery electrode is insertedly disposed in a center of the ring structure of the permanent magnet, and an insulator is disposed between the first battery electrode and the permanent magnet.

4. The electronic cigarette as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the fixing sheath is cylindrical, and comprises a sidewall, a bottom wall, and an inner chamber formed and surrounded by the sidewall and the bottom wall, the fixing sheath is snugly secured at an inner wall of the connecting end of the smoking unit or the corresponding connecting end of the power unit via an outer wall of the fixing sheath, a positioning step of the fixing sheath is formed at an inner wall of the fixing sheath for supporting the permanent magnet, the permanent magnet is installed in the inner chamber of the fixing sheath and the bottom of the permanent magnet is supported on the positioning step of the fixing sheath, an end of one of the connecting element and the corresponding connecting element is inserted into the fixing sheath and engages with a top of the permanent magnet in order to fix the permanent magnet, the bottom wall of the fixing sheath comprises a through hole.

5. The electronic cigarette as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the connecting element of the corresponding connecting end of the power unit is a female connecting element, correspondingly, a male connecting element is the connecting element of the connecting end of the smoking unit, the permanent magnet is disposed at the corresponding connecting end of the power unit, the first battery electrode insertedly disposed in the center of the permanent magnet is the first battery electrode of the power unit, and the female connecting element is a second battery electrode of the power unit.

6. The electronic cigarette as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the female connecting element is fixed at the corresponding connecting end of the power unit via the iron fixing sheath, and the fixing sheath is insertedly installed at an inner wall of the corresponding connecting end of the power unit, and the permanent magnet is fixed in the fixing sheath.

7. The electronic cigarette as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the female connecting element comprises a cylindrical first connecting part, a first chamber is defined inside the first connecting part in order to insertably connect and mate with the male connecting element, a positioning step of the first connecting part is disposed and extends outwardly from an outer wall of the first connecting part along a radial direction of the first connecting part in order for snugly matching with the corresponding connecting end of the power unit, and the female connecting element is snugly fixed at the inner wall of the corresponding connecting end of the power unit via the outer wall of the first connecting part.

8. The electronic cigarette as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the female connecting element further comprises a second connecting part used to insertedly connect with the connecting end of the smoking unit, the second connecting part is cylindrical and is formed by starting from the positioning step of the first connecting part and extending away from the first connecting part along an axial direction thereof, the second connecting part communicates with the first connecting part and forms a cylindrical second chamber therein for accommodating the connecting end of the smoking unit, an inner wall of the second connecting part and an outer wall of the connecting end of the smoking unit are interferentially engaged with each other.

9. The electronic cigarette as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the male connecting element comprises a cylindrical upper portion and lower portion, the upper portion of the male connecting element is used to connectively engage with the connecting end of the smoking unit, and the lower portion of the male connecting element is used to connectively engage with the female connecting element, a positioning step of the male connecting element is formed between the upper portion and the lower portion of the male connecting element by extending outwards along a radial direction of the male connecting element, and is used to engage with the connecting end of the smoking unit, the positioning step of the male connecting element is used to engage with the female connecting element at the same time for restricting relative locations thereof, an engaging ring is formed at an inner wall of the lower portion for installation of a first atomizing electrode of the smoking unit, the first atomizing electrode of the smoking unit is secured in the engaging ring via an insulating piece, a vent is formed at a center of the smoking unit and penetrates through the smoking unit along an axial direction thereof, and the male connecting element is used as a second atomizing electrode of the smoking unit.

10. The electronic cigarette as claimed in claim 5 , wherein a fixation hole is formed at a center of the permanent magnet and is used to install the first battery electrode therein, the first battery electrode is fixed in the fixation hole via an insulator, the first battery electrode is cylindrical, a circular positioning step of the first battery electrode is formed at a central periphery of the first battery electrode and separates the first battery electrode into an electrode upper portion and an electrode lower portion, an electrode vent is further formed and penetrates through the first battery electrode along an axial direction thereof.

11. The electronic cigarette as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the insulator is sheathingly installed outside the electrode upper portion of the first battery electrode, and is snugly inserted and fixed in the fixation hole of the permanent magnet together with the electrode upper portion, a bottom of the insulator engages with a top surface of the positioning step of the first battery electrode for positioning in order to fix the positioning step of the first battery electrode at a location spaced from the bottom of the permanent magnet.

12. The electronic cigarette as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the electrode lower portion of the first battery electrode is electrically insulated from the fixing sheath via an insulating pad, the insulating pad is disposed at the bottom wall of the fixing sheath, and a central through hole is formed at a center of the insulating

Assignees

• Liu Qiuming
• Huizhou Kimree Technology Co Ltd Shenzhen Branch

Inventors

• Liu Qiuming

Classifications

• A24F47/008 Primary

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A24F47/002

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61M15/06

  Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes · CPC title

• A61M2205/8206

  battery-operated · CPC title

• A61M15/0021

  Mouthpieces therefor · CPC title