US20160081391A1 - E-liquid dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

An e-liquid dispenser configured to contain and dispense e-liquids for use in e-cigarettes comprising an outer casing having a bottom housing and a pivotally-attached hinged lid, and a removable e-bottle used to hold and dispense the e-liquid. The e-bottle may be made of blow molded plastic and may include a raised portion on a wall of the e-bottle, which raised portion matches an opening in a wall of the bottom housing such that when the e-bottle is inserted into the bottom housing, it is securely held in the bottom housing. E-liquid is expelled from the e-bottle by a user pressing on the raised portion. The e-bottle may be removed by depressing the raised portion and pushing the e-bottle out of the bottom housing. The removable e-bottle may also include a spout that allows the e-bottle to be refilled so that the e-bottle is reusable.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE To RELATED APPLICATION
• This application claims the priority to U.S. (“U.S.”) Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/919,678, entitled “E-Liquid Dispenser,” filed on Dec. 20, 2013, to inventors Rabih Zahr, Shady Makarem, and Nedal Makarem, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention
• The invention relates generally to electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes), and more particularly to an e-liquid dispenser that holds the liquid that is atomized in the electronic cigarettes.
• 2. Description of the Related Art
• An electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette or smokeless cigarette, is an electronic device that simulates the act of tobacco smoking by converting a liquid into an inhaled mist or aerosol having the physical sensation, appearance, and the flavor (and nicotine) of inhaled tobacco smoke, without the odor and health risks associated with the burning of tobacco in cigarettes. Lighting a traditional cigarette causes the tobacco to burn, releasing smoke that contains nicotine. The user breathes in the smoke to deliver nicotine to the lungs, as well as harmful chemicals, such as carbon dioxide and carcinogenic tar.
• An electronic cigarette doesn't rely on this process of combustion of tobacco. Instead, it heats a liquid containing nicotine in varying concentrations and converts the liquid to a vapor or mist that the user inhales. Depending on the electronic cigarette, the user may simply inhale from the cartridge to begin the vaporization process that results in a vapor without the tar. An e-cigarette generally uses heat or ultrasonics to vaporize a propylene glycol- or glycerin-based liquid solution into a vapor for inhalation.
• Electronic cigarettes generally comprise three essential components. A “cartridge” serves as a mouthpiece and usually doubles as a small reservoir that holds the liquid that is to be vaporized. An atomizer serves as the heating element responsible for vaporizing the liquid to provide the aerosol mist and the cartridge may be attached to the atomizer. If the cartridge and the atomizer are combined, the combination may be referred to as a “cartomizer.” A rechargeable battery unit powers the electronic cigarette and when the user inhales, the atomizer is activated and heats and vaporizes the liquid, which is then inhaled through the mouthpiece.
• The contents of the liquid solution used to produce the aerosol mist in electronic cigarettes vary widely, but they commonly include distilled water and flavorings (e.g., tobacco smoke, menthol, mint, coffee, chocolate, etc.) in a propylene glycol or glycerin base. Nicotine may also be included in solutions in varying degrees intended to fulfill a nicotine replacement role, without the carcinogenic tar associated with tobacco smoke, but the liquid may also be nicotine free. This liquid solution may be referred to as an “e-liquid.”
• After the e-liquid is depleted, the user may replace the cartridge if it is a pre-filled cartridge or purchase bottles of e-liquid and refill the cartridge himself. In the latter case, e-liquids of varying compositions may be purchased in small glass bottles, such as small 5 ml bottles of various sizes, such as 5 ml, 10 ml, 20 ml, and 30 ml, or even larger, that may be capped. In some bottles, the cap may include an eye dropper for dispensing the e-liquid into a cartridge or cartomizer.
• As many consumers of e-cigarettes wish to experience the same sensations as tobacco smokers, a user may inhale the e-cigarette as he would a regular cigarette. As an example, some e-cigarettes include a light-emitting diode (LED) that lights up when the user inhales, giving the appearance of a flame at the end of the e-cigarette. Also, the e-cigarette may take the form of a cigarette in an old-fashioned holder and the smaller versions of e-cigarettes may take the form and shape of a traditional tobacco cigarette.
• With more widespread use of e-cigarettes, there is now a need for an improved design of e-liquid dispensers that is more acceptable to these consumers of e-cigarettes.
SUMMARY
• An e-liquid dispenser configured to contain and dispense e-liquids for use in e-cigarettes is described. In general, an e-liquid dispenser comprises an outer casing having a bottom housing and a pivotally-attached hinged lid, and a removable e-bottle used to contain and dispense the e-liquid. The e-bottle may be made of blow molded plastic and may include a raised portion on the front side of the e-bottle, where this raised portion matches an opening in the front or rear face of the bottom housing into which the e-bottle is inserted, allowing the e-bottle to be securely held in the bottom housing. The e-bottle may be removed by depressing the raised portion and pushing the e-bottle out of the bottom housing. The e-bottle may include a spout allowing the e-liquid to be dispensed from the e-bottle into an e-cigarette, as well as allowing refills of the e-bottle. The spout may be detachable and interchangeable or may be integrated into the e-bottle.
• Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
• The examples of the invention described below can be better understood with reference to the following figures. In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.
• FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of an example implementation of an assembled e-liquid dispenser in accordance with the invention.
• FIG. 2 shows a rear perspective view of the assembled e-liquid dispenser shown inFIG. 1.
• FIG. 3 shows a front elevation view of the assembled e-liquid dispenser shown inFIG. 1.
• FIG. 4 shows a rear elevation view of the assembled e-liquid dispenser shown inFIG. 1.
• FIG. 5 shows a left side elevation view of the assembled e-liquid dispenser shown inFIG. 1.
• FIG. 6 shows a right side elevation view of the assembled e-liquid dispenser shown inFIG. 1.
• FIG. 7 shows a top plan view of the assembled e-liquid dispenser shown inFIG. 1.
• FIG. 8 shows a bottom plan view of the assembled e-liquid dispenser shown inFIG. 1.
• FIG. 9 shows a front perspective view of an example implementation of an outer casing of an e-liquid dispenser in accordance with the invention with its hinged lid partially open.
• FIG. 10 shows a rear perspective view of the outer casing of the e-liquid dispenser shown inFIG. 9.
• FIG. 11 shows another rear perspective view of the outer casing of the e-liquid dispenser shown inFIG. 9.
• FIG. 12 shows a front perspective view of an e-bottle in accordance with the invention.
• FIG. 13 shows a rear perspective view of the e-bottle shown inFIG. 12.
• FIG. 14 shows a left side elevation view of the e-bottle shown inFIG. 12.
• FIG. 15 shows a right side view of the e-bottle shown inFIG. 12.
• FIG. 16 shows a rear perspective view of another example implementation of an outer casing of an e-liquid dispenser in accordance with the invention with its hinged lid closed.
• FIG. 17 shows a front exploded perspective view of the outer casing of the e-liquid dispenser shown inFIG. 16.
• FIG. 18 shows a top exploded plan view of the outer casing of the e-liquid dispenser shown inFIG. 16.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• In the following description of the preferred and various alternative embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration a specific embodiment in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and various structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.
• FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of an example implementation of an assemblede-liquid dispenser100 in accordance with the invention. Thee-liquid dispenser100 comprises abottom housing102 and a hingedlid104, which pivots around a hinge (seeFIGS. 7 and 8) in order to cover the top of thebottom housing102 when thee-liquid dispenser100 is closed. InFIGS. 1 and 2, the hingedlid104 for illustrative purposes appears as being made of a transparent material, such as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) or acrylic glass, such as PLEXIGLAS® or ACRYLITE®, but may be made of any other suitable material, such as stainless steel, aluminum, chrome, various plastics and resins, and the like. Shown securely inserted into thebottom housing102 is a refillable blow molded e-bottle110 having a conical spout (seeFIG. 3). Thebottom housing102 also may be made of various materials, including stainless steel, aluminum, polished chrome, and other metals and metal-alloys, as well as various types of plastics or resins.
• FIG. 2 shows a rear perspective rear view of the assemblede-liquid dispenser100 shown inFIG. 1 with the hingedlid104 in a closed position over thebottom housing102. Also shown inFIG. 2 is acircular opening130 in a rear wall of thebottom housing102 through which a circular raisedportion132 on the rear surface of the e-bottle110 (see alsoFIGS. 10,11, and13) is projected. By pressing inwardly on this circular raisedportion132, the user of thee-liquid dispenser100 can expel e-liquid out of thee-liquid dispenser100. Also, this circular raised portion helps to retain the e-bottle110 in thebottom housing102, and by pressing on this circular raised portion and then pushing upward, the user is able to eject the e-bottle110 from thebottom housing102. Thus, an e-bottle in accordance with the invention provides a user of e-cigarettes a convenient container to hold and dispense his e-liquids using a “one handed operation” in contrast to a conventional e-bottle that requires two hands to open and expel the e-liquid.
• Turning toFIGS. 3 and 4, a front elevation and rear elevation view, respectively, of thee-liquid dispenser100 shown inFIG. 1 is shown with its hingedlid104 closed. The hingedlid104 may include anannular ring120 positioned inside the hingedlid104 such that theannular ring120 is in a position to completely cover thespout116 when the hingedlid104 is fully closed.FIG. 4 shows a rear elevation view of thee-liquid dispenser100 shown inFIG. 1 with its hingedlid104 closed. In this view, circular raisedportion132 on the rear surface of the e-bottle110 is shown as protruding throughcircular opening130 of thebottom housing102.
• Turning toFIGS. 5 and 6, left side and right side elevation views, respectively, of the assemblede-liquid dispenser100 shown inFIG. 1 are shown. InFIG. 5, thee-liquid dispenser100 includes abottom housing102 and a hingedlid104, with the e-bottle110 shown securely inserted intobottom housing102. Thebottom housing102 and the hingedlid104 are pivotally attached by ahinge assembly150, which is described in more detail below.
• FIGS. 7 and 8 are a top plan view and a bottom plan view, respectively, of the assemblede-liquid dispenser100 shown inFIG. 1. InFIG. 7, the hingedlid104 is shown with a firstinner hinge barrel152 and a secondinner hinge barrel154 that may be attached to an edge of the hingedlid104. InFIG. 8, thebottom housing102 is shown with a firstouter hinge barrel156 and a secondouter hinge barrel158 that may be attached to an edge of thebottom housing102. The hingedlid104 and thebottom housing102 are pivotally connected by inserting a roll pin166 (FIG. 8) through firstouter hinge barrel156, secondouter hinge barrel158, firstinner hinge barrel152, and secondinner hinge barrel154 such that roll pin166 holds the hingedlid104 and thebottom housing102 together, while allowing the hingedlid104 to rotate relative to thebottom housing102.
• The hinge assembly150 (FIG. 5) may also include a torsion spring160 (FIG. 7) and a lever164 (seeFIG. 10). Torsion spring160 (FIG. 7) andlever164 are configured such thatlever164 is spring biased to keep the hingedlid104 of thee-liquid dispenser100 closed or opened as the case may be, where the spring-biased pressure can be easily overcome by a user moving the hingedlid104 to the desired position. Accordingly, the purpose of the hingedassembly150 is to provide a slight spring tension to keep the hingedlid104 in the closed position when closed and in the open position when open, such that the lid is retained in the closed position but may be easily opened and closed by the user as required. It is appreciated by those skilled in the art that while thehinge assembly150 shown includes two pairs of hinge barrels, a torsion spring, and a lever, other implementations of a hinge assembly may include hinges having different configurations, such as three or five barrel hinges, hinges inside or outside the casing, leaf springs, coiled springs with plungers, cams, latches, and the like that will also exert pressure on the hinged lid when open and closed.
• FIG. 9 shows a front perspective view of thebottom housing102 and the hingedlid104 of thee-liquid dispenser100 ofFIG. 1 with its hingedlid104 partially open andFIG. 10 shows a rear perspective view of the samebottom housing102 and hingedlid104. InFIG. 10, thecircular opening130 in a rear wall of thebottom housing102 is shown. Also shown islever164 that is spring biased by thetorsion spring160 to exert pressure on the hingedlid104 to keep it in place when closed and when open.
• FIG. 11 shows another rear perspective view of thebottom housing102 and the hingedlid104 of thee-liquid dispenser100 ofFIG. 1. Also shown inFIG. 11 isannular ring120, which may be positioned inside a top surface of the hingedlid104. A silicone sealing cap (not shown) may be inserted inside theannular ring120 in order to help seal the contents of the e-bottle inserted inside thebottom housing102. Also shown attached to an inside wall of the hingedlid104 islatch140, which keeps the hingedlid104 closed when thelatch140 is held in place by insertion into notch144 (FIG. 10).
• Turning toFIGS. 12-15, various views of an example implementation of an e-bottle that is shown inFIG. 1 snugly secured in thebottom housing102 that is covered the hingedlid104. In general, e-bottle110 may be made of blow molded plastic, which is a material that is flexible and can be formed in any desired shape using various blow molding processes. InFIG. 12, e-bottle110 is shown with aspout116 on a top wall of the e-bottle110 with acap118 on top of thespout116. It is appreciated by those skilled in the art that spout116 may be integrated into the e-bottle110 during the blow molding process or may be detachable and interchangeable, that is, may be removed by unscrewing the spout and replacing it with another threaded spout. Likewise, thecap118 may be a snap-on cap attached to the spout by a plastic strip or may be a removable threaded cap.
• InFIG. 13, the circular raisedportion132 on the rear surface of the e-bottle110 is shown. In the assemblede-liquid dispenser100 shown inFIG. 1, thebottom housing102 has acircular opening130 in the rear wall, where the diameter of thecircular opening130 is approximately the same as the outside diameter of the circular raisedportion132. This allows a user of an e-liquid dispenser in accordance with the invention to insert an e-bottle110 into a bottom housing so that the circular raisedportion132 on will protrude through circular opening, thus securing the e-bottle110 in the e-liquid dispenser. It is appreciated by those skilled in the art that the circular raisedportion132 may take shapes other than circles, such as triangles, squares, rectangles, pentagons, heptagons, hexagons, octagons, etc., so long as the opening in the base housing of the e-liquid dispenser has a like shape.
• As for the shape and dimensions of an e-bottle, various embodiments of an e-bottle110 may hold 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 ml. of e-liquid, or any other volume desired by a manufacturer of an e-bottle. Such an e-bottle110 as shown inFIGS. 14 and 15 may have a raised portion having adiameter134 of approximately 1.50″ and aheight136 of the raised portion may be approximately 0.25″. Generally speaking, the raisedportion132 should have a height such that the e-bottle110 is snugly held in thebottom housing202 but may be removed when a user exerts upward pressure on the raisedportion132 of the e-bottle110 to remove it from thebottom housing202. Such an e-bottle would hold approximately 15 ml of e-liquid, and thespout116 may be integrated into the e-bottle110 or may be detachable and interchangeable with other types of spouts, such as a syringe top, a needle nose spout, a spout with attached cap, etc.
• Turning toFIGS. 16-18, another example implementation of anouter casing200 of an e-liquid dispenser in accordance with the invention is shown. Theouter casing200 comprises a hingedlid204 and abottom housing202 that are pivotally connected byhinge assembly250. In addition to the elements shown inFIGS. 7,8, and10, thehinge assembly250 may include a child-resistant feature that prevents small children from opening the e-liquid dispenser.
• Turning toFIGS. 17 and 18, the child-resistant feature may include amovable latch252 that slides intochannel258, wherespring254 exerts a bias on themovable latch252. When the hingedlid204 is closed,movable latch252 automatically snaps back into the “locked” position without any action by the user. Thereafter, the hingedlid204 cannot be opened until themovable latch252 is pushed inwards, thus preventing a small child from unintentionally or easily opening the e-liquid dispenser.
• The foregoing description of one or more implementations has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the claimed inventions to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above description or may be acquired from practicing the invention.

Claims (14)

1. An e-liquid dispenser for containing an e-liquid for use in an electronic cigarette, the e-liquid dispenser comprising:

a bottom housing having a front wall and a rear wall;

a hinged lid pivotally connected to the bottom housing; and

a blow molded plastic e-bottle to hold the e-liquid, adapted to be removably fitted within the bottom housing and having a front wall and a rear wall,

wherein the e-bottle has a raised potion on its rear wall that fits snugly within an opening in the rear wall of the bottom housing.

2. The e-liquid dispenser ofclaim 1, where the raised portion is circular in shape with an outer diameter and the opening in the rear wall of the bottom housing is a circle having a diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter.

3. The e-liquid dispenser ofclaim 1, where the raised portion has a shape selected from the group consisting of triangles, squares, rectangles, pentagons, heptagons, hexagons, octagons, and ellipses, and the opening in the rear wall of the bottom housing is substantially similar to the shape of the selected shape.

4. The e-liquid dispenser ofclaim 2, where the e-bottle comprises a spout adapted to dispense e-liquid from the e-bottle.

5. The e-liquid dispenser ofclaim 4, where the spout is adapted to receive e-liquid for filling the e-bottle.

6. The e-liquid dispenser ofclaim 5, where the spout is integrated into the e-bottle during its molding process.

7. The e-liquid dispenser ofclaim 5, where the spout is removably attached to the e-bottle.

8. The e-liquid dispenser ofclaim 5, where the spout further comprises a cap.

9. The e-liquid dispenser ofclaim 1, where e-liquid is expelled from the e-bottle by depressing the raised portion.

10. The e-liquid dispenser ofclaim 1, further comprising a hinge assembly pivotally connecting the hinged lid to the bottom housing.

11. The e-liquid dispenser ofclaim 10, where the hinge assembly comprises:

one or more hinges attached to an edge of the hinged lid;

one or more hinges attached to an edge of the bottom housing; and

a roll pin configured to be inserted through openings in all of the hinges and pivotally connect the hinged lid to the bottom housing.

12. The e-liquid dispenser ofclaim 11, where the hinge assembly further comprises:

a lever in contact with the hinged lid; and

a torsion spring exerting a bias on the lever so as to hold the hinged lid in a closed position over the bottom housing and in an open position relative to the bottom housing.

13-19. (canceled)

20. The liquid dispenser ofclaim 1,

where the raised portion is configured to substantially match the opening in the rear wall of the bottom housing.

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