Abstract: A portable, personal storage and carrying case for an e-liquid e-cigarette PV which is operable to re-fill the PV with e-liquid if the PV is inserted, fully or in part, into the case, while maintaining the PV whole and intact.

Abstract: A electronic cigarette vaporiser that includes a mechanical valve that is (i) pushed up from its seat to enable automatic filling of the vaporiser with e-liquid from a fluid transfer mechanism and (ii) returns to seal against its seat at other times when the vaporiser is being vaped or inhaled from (e.g. when filling is complete).

Abstract: An electronic cigarette vaporiser system including a vaporiser and a single piezo-electric pump that both withdraws liquid from a cartridge and also pumps controlled amounts of liquid into a reservoir in the vaporizer. The piezo-pump can be in a case that enables the vapouriser to be stored, and the cartridge is attached to or inserted into the case. The case both re-fills the vapouriser with liquid and re-charges a battery in the vapouriser.

Abstract: An electronic cigarette vaporiser system operable in a ‘power’ mode to increase the amount of vapour produced by a vaporiser that forms part of the system, compared to normal, whilst monitoring the temperature of a heating element in the vaporiser to ensure that excessively high temperatures, associated with undesirable compounds in the vapour produced by the heating element, are not reached. The system includes a button or sensor that alters the operation of the heating element in such a way as to increase the vapour produced, compared to normal.

Abstract: An electronic cigarette vaporiser system including a cartridge designed to provide a liquid or other substance for the electronic vaporiser system, the cartridge including a chip that stores data related to the batch number of the substance stored in the cartridge, and the cartridge being adapted to be inserted into or form an integral part of the electronic vaporiser system. The electronic vaporiser system reads the data from the chip and compares that data with stored data and, depending on the result of that comparison, either prevents or permits use of that substance.

Abstract: A case for an electronic cigarette vaporiser, the case including an automatic lifting mechanism that lifts the vaporiser up a few mm from the case to enable a user to easily grasp the vaporiser and withdraw it from the case. The lifting mechanism can be spring-based. The case both re-fills the vaporiser with liquid and also re-charges a battery in the vaporiser.

Abstract: An electronic cigarette vaporiser system includes a case and a vaporiser that is stored in the case; the system includes a non-contact sensor that detects release or withdrawal of the vaporiser from the case. When withdrawal of the vaporiser is detected, then the vaporiser electronic circuitry changes state, e.g. to a ready mode, or a pre-heating mode in which an inhalation detector is activated or to a heating mode, where an atomising unit in the vaporiser is at least partly activated so that the vaporiser is fully heated when the first inhalation is taken.

Abstract: An electronic cigarette vaporiser includes a heating element and a microcontroller; the microcontroller monitors or measures the airflow speed or pressure drop over an air-pressure sensor or other sensor and uses that as an input to control the power delivered to the heating element. The microcontroller can compensate for a very strong inhalation by applying more power during that inhalation as compared to a very light inhalation to ensure that the heating element is kept at its optimal heating temperature.

Abstract: An electronic cigarette vaporiser that is the same approximate size as a cigarette and has a square or rectangular cross-section with rounded corners and includes a long PCB inserted lengthwise into the vaporiser. The PBC is not mounted at the mid-point of the cross-section, but at a different position closer to a major face of the vaporiser to permit more room for a rechargeable battery. The cross-section is a ‘squircle’.

Abstract: An electronic cigarette vaporiser system including a piezo-electric pump that pumps e-liquid into an electronic vaporizer in which a sensor detects whether air or e-liquid is present in the liquid feed line into the piezo-electric pump and adjusts an operating parameter of the pump accordingly. The operating parameter that is adjusted can be the frequency of the actuators in the piezo-pump; it can be 300 Hz for air and 15 Hz for e-liquid. The frequency can also be adjusted in dependence on the viscosity or temperature of the e-liquid.

Abstract: A heating or atomising unit for an electronic cigarette vaporiser, in which the unit includes a protective elastomer wall or barrier configured to enable (i) the unit to fit inside a body in the vaporizer and to prevent leakage around the outside of the unit whilst e-liquid is being supplied under pressure to a reservoir surrounding the unit and (ii) e-liquid to pass from the e-liquid reservoir outside of the unit and into the unit. The unit can be a cylindrical ceramic cell and the elastomer wall can be a pair of silicone end-caps placed on each end of the cylinder, separated by a gap through which e-liquid can reach the outer surface of the ceramic cell and pass through the ceramic and into the atomizing chamber in the cell.

Abstract: An e-liquid cartridge designed to provide e-liquid for an electronic cigarette vaporiser system, the cartridge including a chip that stores and outputs (i) a unique identity for the cartridge and/or (ii) data defining the e-liquid stored in the cartridge, and the cartridge being adapted to be inserted into or form an integral part of the electronic vaporiser system. The data stored and output by the chip defines one or more of: flavor, nicotine strength, manufacturing batch number, date of manufacture, date of filling, tax data, quantity of e-liquid stored in the cartridge.

Abstract: An electronic cigarette vaporizer includes a heating element and a microcontroller; the microcontroller monitors or measures external or ambient temperature and uses that as a control input. The control input automatically controls the power delivered to the heating element to ensure that the heating element operates at its optimal temperature. Where ambient temperatures are monitored or measured as very cold, then the power to the heating element is automatically increased to compensate.

Abstract: An electronic cigarette vaporiser that includes an air pressure valve or device to enable excess air to escape from an e-liquid reservoir in the vaporiser during pressurized filling of the vaporizer with e-liquid. If the vaporizer includes a ceramic cell, then the air pressure device is the wall of the ceramic cell and the reservoir is the chamber arranged outside of the external wall of the ceramic cell.

Abstract: An e-liquid cartridge designed to provide e-liquid for an electronic cigarette vaporiser, the cartridge including two apertures, the first aperture being used to fill the cartridge on a filing line and then being covered with a bung or plug or other form of seal and the second aperture being sealed by a septum or other form of seal that is designed to be penetrated or punctured by a needle or stem that, in use, withdraws e-liquid from the cartridge. The first aperture is sized to enable rapid filling with e-liquid on an automated or semi-automated manufacturing line.

Abstract: An electronic cigarette vaporiser includes a heating element for heating an e-liquid and a microcontroller; the microcontroller determines the type and/or characteristics of the e-liquid being used and uses that as an input to automatically control the power delivered to the heating element to heat the e-liquid in a manner suitable for that specific type of e-liquid, or e-liquid with those characteristics. The e-liquid can be supplied from a cartridge and that cartridge then includes a record of the type of e-liquid stored in the cartridge and/or its characteristics and the microcontroller reads that record or is provided data from that record. A variable for the type of e-liquid and/or its characteristics is the water content of the e-liquid.