Imperial Tobacco Limited

Nerudia Limited

Imperial Tobacco Limited Bristol

Oliver Talbot

Daniel Fard

Daniel Harden

KaiKai Liu

Chris Lord

Thomas Sudlow

Jonathan Marchbank

Brian Leach

David Newns

Britt Jensen

David Jones

Tom Sudlow

Edward Ross Shenton

Pete Lomas

Alfred Madden

Ben Illidge

Cole Derby

David Thomas

A system for managing a smoking substitute device, the system comprising; a smoking substitute device comprising; a control unit; a memory configured to store firmware for operating the smoking substitute device and a device-specific encryption key; and a communications interface; and an application server configured to communicate to the smoking substitute device a firmware update message that is encrypted with the device-specific encryption key, wherein the smoking substitute device is configured to obtain an encrypted firmware image, wherein the firmware update message includes a firmware key for decrypting the encrypted firmware image, and wherein the smoking substitute device is configured to use the device-specific encryption key to decrypt the firmware update message, to obtain the firmware key for decrypting the encrypted firmware image.

Smoking substitute devices and associated methods, systems and apparatuses

A system for managing a smoking substitute device is described. The system comprises a smoking substitute device; and a mobile device configured to have a wireless connection with the smoking substitute device; wherein the system is configured to activate a geographic lock function on the smoking substitute device thereby disabling the smoking substitute device if the smoking substitute device and/or the mobile device is determined to have a geographical location that is within one or more predetermined geographical areas.

Smoking substitute device

A smoking substitute device is configured to record and store user data that is generated during operation of the device. Analyzing the user data can provide the user with useful information regarding their use of the smoking substitute device as well as useful information regarding the operational performance of the device. Typically, the analysis of the data would be conducted by a remote device and the smoking substitute device therefore includes a communication interface to connect and communicate with the remote device. The smoking substitute device and method of managing the smoking substitute device allows user data to be deleted from the device upon identification of a reset operation wherein the reset operation is able to be triggered from the connected remote device and/or the smoking substitute device. Providing a function to delete user data upon identification of a reset operation provides the user with some control over their information.

Disclosed is a smoking substitute system comprising a connector configured to receive a main power supply from a mobile device and to supply the main power supply to a vaporizer. The system further comprises an auxiliary power source configured to provide an auxiliary power supply to the vaporizer and/or at least one auxiliary component of the smoking substitute system.

Smoking substitute device having an auxiliary power supply

A smoking substitute device is provided comprising a body housing a power source, an auxiliary component, and an airflow sensor for detecting airflow through the body. The body includes a coupling portion arranged to receive a consumable and is selectively operable in a shipping mode and an active mode. In the active mode, the power source is configured to supply power to the auxiliary component. In the shipping mode, the power source is restricted from supplying power to the auxiliary component. The body is configured to transition from the shipping mode to the active mode upon detection of a consumable being received in the coupling portion and a flow of air through the body.

A smoking substitute device having: a control unit; a battery configured to supply power to the smoking substitute device; a movement sensing component configured to sense movement of the smoking substitute device; and a battery level indicator configured to, when activated, provide an indication of charge remaining in the battery. The control unit is configured to activate the battery level indicator when a predetermined movement of the smoking substitute device is detected using the movement sensing component.

Smoking substitute device and system for managing a smoking substitute device

A method of forming a consumable for use in a smoking substitute device, the method including: providing a machine readable component which stores information associated with the consumable; overmoulding the machine readable component with an overmoulding material to coat at least part of the machine readable component with the overmoulding material; and including the overmoulded machine readable component in the consumable. Associated devices and systems are also disclosed.

Methods, devices, and systems associated with smoking substitute devices

A smoking substitute device and a method of operating a smoking substitute device. The smoking substitute device comprising: a control unit; and an accelerometer, configured to detect an orientation of the smoking substitute device and provide data indicative of the detected orientation to the control unit. The control unit is configured to trigger an alert when it determines from the data indicative of the detected orientation that the smoking substitute device will function improperly. The control unit is configured to determine from the data indicative of the detected orientation that the smoking substitute device will function improperly when the data indicative of the detected orientation indicates that a gravity fed heating device of the smoking substitute device has been located above a tank containing a vaporizable liquid for a predetermined period of time (t), wherein the predetermined period of time is at least 30 minutes.

Disclosed is a smoking substitute consumable insertable into a smoking substitute device in at least a first orientation and a second orientation. The consumable comprising: an electrical contact configured to interface with a corresponding electrical contact of the smoking substitute device, the electrical contact located at a contact end of the consumable; and at least one data contact region configured to interface with at least one corresponding data contact region of the smoking substitute device for data exchange when the smoking substitute consumable is inserted into the smoking substitute device in either the first orientation or the second orientation.

Smoking substitute consumable, device and kit

A smoking substitute device having a wireless interface configured to communicate wirelessly with a computing device. The smoking substitute device may be able to send information relating to usage of the smoking substitute device wirelessly to the computing device using the wireless interface and/or to change its behaviour based on instructions from the computing device that have been received wirelessly at the wireless interface. A system including the smoking substitute device is also disclosed.

A system for managing a smoking substitute device, the system including: a smoking substitute device, including a main body and a consumable configured to be physically coupled to the main body; wherein the consumable is associated with validity state information from which it can be determined whether the consumable is valid for use with the main body; wherein the system is configured to determine from the validity state information whether the consumable is valid for use with the main body and, if the system determines from the validity state information that the consumable is not valid for use with the main body, inhibit use of the consumable with the main body. An associated method is also disclosed.

Systems for managing smoking substitute devices and associated methods

A smoking substitute device and a system for managing a smoking substitute device. In one example, the smoking substitute device comprises a control unit; and an interface configured to communicate with an external device. In this example, the control unit is configured to, after a predetermined action is performed using the smoking substitute device, disable the smoking substitute device when a predetermined criteria relating to usage of the smoking substitute device is met and/or a predetermined length of time has elapsed. In this example, the control unit is configured to enable the smoking substitute device when a signal indicating that an age verification test has been passed by a user of the smoking substitute device is received by the smoking substitute device. Other techniques relating to disabling the smoking substitute device are also disclosed.

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.

The disclosure relates to a technique that enables a status of a battery in a smoking substitute device to be monitored through a portable communication terminal (e.g. mobile phone). The smoking substitute device is configured to communicate wirelessly with the portable communication terminal, e.g. via a wireless personal area network, to transmit status information concerning the battery. The status information is processed either locally or in the cloud to provide feedback or other notifications to a user of the device. Usage data may also be transmitted, whereby the battery status can be expressed in terms of a predicted remaining usage, e.g. predicted number of remaining activation events.

Apparatus and method for battery status monitoring in a network-enabled smoking substitute device

A mobile device is described. The mobile device includes an application installed thereon. The application is configured to communicate with a smoking substitute device, wherein the application is configured to: instruct a user to perform an operation at the smoking substitute device; verify whether the operation has been correctly performed by the user at the smoking substitute device; and inform the user whether the operation has been correctly performed.

Growing community of inventors

Liverpool, United Kingdom

Oliver Talbot