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: Systems, devices, and methods are described herein for calculating a trust score. The trust score may be calculated between entities including, but not limited to, human users, groups of users, organizations, businesses/corporations, and locations. A system trust score may be calculated for an entity by combining a variety of factors, including verification data, a network connectivity score, publicly available information, and/or ratings data. A peer trust score targeted from a first entity to a second entity may also be calculated based on the above factors. In some embodiments, the peer trust score may be derived from the system trust score for the target entity and may take into account additional factors, including social network connections, group/demographic info, and location data. Finally, a contextual trust score may be calculated between the first and second entities based on a type of transaction or activity to be performed between the two entities.

Abstract: An electronic cigarette vaporiser is not dis-assembled for filling with e-liquid, but is instead filled from a user-replaceable e-liquid cartridge. The vaporiser includes a front section comprising a wick and heating assembly but no e-liquid cartridge, the front section being removably fitted to a body of the vaporiser to enable a replacement front section to be used once the original wick or heating element starts to degrade, that replacement front section being supplied to the end-user with no e-liquid in it.

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: 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 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: 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: 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: 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 e-liquid cartridge or other form of parent reservoir designed to supply e-liquid to an electronic cigarette vaporiser, in which the cartridge includes an air pressure valve. The air pressure valve is designed so that as the fluid level inside the cartridge/reservoir falls, atmospheric pressure enables the air pressure valve to allow air to flow into the cartridge/reservoir and ensure equalisation of the air pressure. The valve is an air-porous e-liquid impermeable PTFE or PTFE-coated layer or membrane.

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 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 system includes a piezo-electric pump (6) with multiple piezo-actuators, in which a microcontroller independently adjusts the phase or timing or power of each voltage pulse that triggers a piezo-actuator. The microcontroller continuously or regularly monitors the efficiency or performance of the entire pump (6) and adjusts the phase, timing, or power delivered to each piezo-actuator relationship until or so that the optimum pumping performance is achieved.

Abstract: A self-regulating gas generator that, in response to gas demand, supplies and automatically adjusts the amount of gas (e.g., hydrogen or oxygen) catalytically generated in a chemical supply chamber from an appropriate chemical supply, such as a chemical solution, gas dissolved in liquid, or mixture. In some embodiments, the gas generator may employ a piston, rotating rod, or other element(s) to expose the chemical supply to the catalyst in controlled amounts. In another embodiment, the self-regulating gas generator uses bang-bang control, with the element(s) exposing a catalyst, contained within the chemical supply chamber, to the chemical supply in ON and OFF states according to a self-adjusting duty cycle, thereby generating and outputting the gas in an orientation-independent manner. The gas generator may be used to provide gas for various gas consuming devices, such as a fuel cell, torch, or oxygen respiratory devices.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods are described herein for calculating a trust score. The trust score may be calculated between entities including, but not limited to, human users, groups of users, organizations, businesses/corporations, and locations. A system trust score may be calculated for an entity by combining a variety of factors, including verification data, a network connectivity score, publicly available information, and/or ratings data. A peer trust score targeted from a first entity to a second entity may also be calculated based on the above factors. In some embodiments, the peer trust score may be derived from the system trust score for the target entity and may take into account additional factors, including social network connections, group/demographic info, and location data. Finally, a contextual trust score may be calculated between the first and second entities based on a type of transaction or activity to be performed between the two entities.

Abstract: A fuel cell is disclosed which is formed on a semiconductor wafer by etching channel in the wafer and forming electronics on the substrate electronically coupled to the fuel cell that controls generation of power by the fuel cell through electrical communication with the fuel cell. A hydrogen fuel is admitted into one of the divided channels and an oxidant into the other. The hydrogen reacts with a catalyst formed on an anode electrode at the hydrogen side of the channel to release hydrogen ions (protons) which are absorbed into the PEM. The protons migrate through the PEM and recombine with return hydrogen electrons on a cathode electrode on the oxygen side of the PEM and the oxygen to form water.

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, whilst maintaining the PV whole and intact.

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, whilst maintaining the PV whole and intact.

Abstract: An e-cigarette PV that includes an air pressure valve or device so that excess air can escape from an e-liquid reservoir in the PV when that reservoir is being filled under pressure with e-liquid from a parent reservoir. The valve or device is a barrier made of an air-porous material, such as a sintered polymer or metal, coated with or otherwise including a barrier or layer of an air-porous substance that is not porous to e-liquid, such as an oleophobic material or a hydrophobic or super-hydrophobic material. The oleophobic material is one of: sintered phosphor bronze, sintered stainless steel and sintered PU plastic.

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, in which the case includes a hinged compartment that the PV is slotted into, and which guides an aperture of the PV into contact with a pump nozzle that fills a chamber in the PV with e-liquid.