NZ779837B2 - Electronic aerosol provision systems and methods - Google Patents

Abstract

Communications between electronic aerosol provision devices and computing devices can be used to support a wide range of functions, for example, to upgrade firmware on the electronic aerosol provision device, to retrieve usage and/or diagnostic data from the electronic aerosol provision device, to reset or unlock the electronic aerosol provision device, to control settings on the electronic aerosol provision device, etc. The present disclosure relates to a system comprising an electronic aerosol provision device for selectively providing an aerosol to a user of the electronic aerosol provision device, a computing device configured to communicate with the electronic aerosol provision device to exchange operating data associated with the operation of the electronic aerosol provision device, and a biometric sensor configured to measure a biometric parameter of the user of the electronic aerosol provision device and to communicate with the computing device to exchange sensor data indicating a measurement of the biometric parameter. The computing device is further configured to control an aspect of its operation relating to the electronic aerosol provision device in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor. The biometric sensor communicates with the computing device so that it is possible to provide a system with additional functionality that takes account of biometric measurements for the user of the electronic aerosol provision device and the computing device.

Claims (15)

1.Claims 1. A system comprising: an electronic aerosol provision device for selectively ing an aerosol to a user of the electronic aerosol provision device; 5 a computing device configured to communicate with the electronic aerosol provision device to exchange operating data associated with the operation of the electronic aerosol provision ; and a biometric sensor configured to measure a biometric parameter of the user of the electronic aerosol provision device and to communicate with the computing device to 10 exchange sensor data ting a measurement of the biometric parameter; and wherein the computing device is configured to l an aspect of its operation relating to the electronic aerosol provision device in response to the sensor data ed from the biometric sensor, wherein the electronic aerosol provision device and the biometric sensor are combined into a single device, and wherein the biometric sensor is provided within a part 15 of the electronic aerosol provision device that the user will typically contact in use.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to control an aspect of its operation relating to the electronic l provision device in response to the sensor data by updating a user interface providing a user of the electronic aerosol provision 20 device with information ng to the operation of the electronic aerosol provision device to include an indication of the sensor data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the indication of the sensor data included in the user interface comprises an indication of the measurement of the biometric parameter.

4. The system of claim 2 or 3, wherein the indication of the sensor data included in the user interface comprises an indication of r or not the ement of the biometric parameter falls with a predefined range. 30

5. The system of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ing device is configured to control an aspect of its operation ng to the electronic aerosol provision device in response to the sensor data by providing operating data to the electronic aerosol provision device that comprises control information for controlling an aspect of the operation of the electronic aerosol provision device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein controlling an aspect of the operation of the electronic l provision device comprises configuring an indicator of the electronic l provision device to provide an indication relating to the sensor data. 5

7. The system of claim 5 or 6, wherein controlling an aspect of the operation of the electronic aerosol provision device comprises restricting the ability of the onic aerosol provision device to provide aerosol to the user.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the onic aerosol provision device comprises a 10 heater for heating an aerosol precursor material to provide an aerosol to the user, and wherein restricting the ability of the electronic l provision device to provide aerosol to the user comprises preventing or limiting the supply of power to the heater for a period of time. 15

9. The system of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the computing device is configured to communicate with the biometric sensor to t sensor data from the biometric sensor in response to receiving operating data from the electronic aerosol provision device comprising use data indicating that the electronic aerosol provision device has been used to provide aerosol to the user.

10. The system of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the biometric sensor is selected from the group comprising: a heart rate sensor for measuring user’s heart rate, a blood pressure sensor for measuring a user’s blood pressure, a breathing rate sensor for measuring a user’s breathing rate, and a user activity sensor for measuring an aspect of a user’s activity.

11. The electronic aerosol provision device of any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A method of operating a system comprising an electronic aerosol provision device, a computing device configured to communicate with the electronic aerosol provision device to 30 exchange operating data associated with the operation of the onic aerosol provision device, and a ric sensor configured to measure a biometric parameter of a user of the electronic l ion device and to communicate with the computing device to exchange sensor data ting a measurement of the biometric parameter; wherein the method ses: 35 the biometric sensor measuring the biometric ter of a user of the electronic aerosol provision device and communicating sensor data indicating a measurement of the biometric parameter to the computing device; and the computing device controlling an aspect of its operation relating to the electronic aerosol provision device in se to the sensor data ed from the biometric , wherein the electronic aerosol provision device and the biometric sensor are ed into a single device, and wherein the biometric sensor is provided within a part of 5 the electronic aerosol provision device that the user will typically contact in use.

13. A computing device configured to communicate with an electronic aerosol provision device to exchange operating data associated with the operation of the electronic aerosol provision device and to communicate with a biometric sensor to receive sensor data from the 10 biometric sensor indicating a measurement of a biometric parameter of a user of the electronic aerosol provision device, wherein the computing device is further ured to control an aspect of its operation relating to the electronic aerosol provision device in response to the sensor data received from the ric sensor, wherein the electronic aerosol provision device and the biometric sensor are combined into a single , and 15 wherein the biometric sensor is provided within a part of the electronic aerosol provision device that the user will typically contact in use.

14. A method of operating a computing device configured to communicate with an electronic aerosol ion device to ge operating data associated with the operation 20 of the electronic l provision device, the method comprising icating with a biometric sensor to e sensor data from the biometric sensor ting a measurement of a biometric parameter of a user of the electronic aerosol provision device and controlling an aspect of the computing device’s operation relating to the electronic aerosol ion device in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor, wherein the 25 electronic aerosol provision device and the biometric sensor are combined into a single device, and wherein the biometric sensor is provided within a part of the electronic l provision device that the user will typically contact in use.

15. A computer program product comprising machine readable instructions which when 30 executed on a computing device configure the computing device to communicate with an electronic aerosol provision device to exchange operating data ated with the operation of the electronic aerosol provision device, to communicate with a biometric sensor to receive sensor data from the biometric sensor ting a measurement of a biometric parameter of a user of the electronic aerosol provision device, and to control an aspect of the computing 35 device’s operation relating to the electronic aerosol ion device in response to the sensor data received from the biometric sensor, wherein the electronic aerosol provision device and the biometric sensor are combined into a single device, and wherein the biometric sensor is provided within a part of the onic aerosol provision device that the user will typically contact in use. ............................ ON “m 1/ Bm??mm 33mm .. Bart? magma 950.0192 ................ mN .n mum Wm PEME mam LNHNOI 335.. om .__o>._mmwm ................. uso Ease—2 mm \’ ,__< one: 3 mm E5 33:0 83% SN «m .228 9:23: 3323. \V 32:3 2:322 hemcwm mm cm nEw... S mm ES mam .8835 Nu 32% 9:5me Smcmm ou N EN PSME '.v.V '..I 90; A Ao?‘ 6 Q 4:.L5 202019:0:'4A 3:238 Lou—umccou mam cm Lager—mu OHM Nam Lam—mm... “Ego: “5mm: 823mg: .93.. 223.5: Nam x5.— m oi mSmE 0.3 wm?-mm< Ham 93 9.00 $25 m5».— 111 H (r, AV nj \qIIIJ Sou Hmm mmm .25. E 98 e-cigarette 10 Wireless Communications l‘ Smai'tphone 400 RIC SENSOR 800 ‘ Wireless Communications L 600