VAPORIZER
An electronic cigarette or vaporizer may include a shell and a cartomizer receivable within a chamber within a portion of the shell. The cartomizer may hold a vaporizable fluid, dry substance, or other vaporizable substance such as a wax. A charger may also be included which in one embodiment may be insertable into the chamber, and in another embodiment may be connectable to an end of the shell. Various electrical components, such as a printed circuit board, a recharagable battery, various indicator lights, a sensor, and display screen, for instance, improve the functionality of the vaporizer from known vaporizers. Magnets may also be provided in order to secure the cartomizer or the charger to the shell.
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This application is a continuation in part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/539,801 filed Nov. 12, 2014, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/903,344 filed Nov. 12, 2013, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/937,851, filed Feb. 10, 2014, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/015,148, filed Jun. 20, 2014, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to the field of vaporizers, which may also be referred to as electronic cigarettes.
BACKGROUNDElectronic cigarettes have recently emerged as a new product for providing nicotine through a smokeless inhalation process. Typically, implementations consist of a power supply (typically a battery) and an atomizing device. In reusable electronic cigarettes the two items are separated into a battery and a cartomizer, to allow the disposal and replacement of a nicotine containing fluid cartomizer while preserving the more costly battery and associated circuitry (microcontroller, switch, indicating LED, etc.) for additional use. In disposable electronic cigarettes, the two items are combined to integrate the functions into one unit that is discarded after either the battery energy or the nicotine containing liquid is exhausted.
The electronic cigarette liquid used to vaporize ingredients such as nicotine is generally a solution of propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), or polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400), as well as their mixtures to which a flavor and/or nicotine has been added. The solution is often sold in a bottle (for refilling by the user) or in disposable cartridges or cartomizers. Many different flavors are incorporated into these liquids, including those that resemble the taste of regular tobacco, menthol, vanilla, coffee, cola and/or various fruits. Various nicotine concentrations are also available, and nicotine-free solutions are also common.
BRIEF SUMMARYEmbodiments of a vaporizer, in accordance with the disclosure, may include a shell having a battery segment and a cartomizer receiving segment, the cartomizer receiving segment defining a chamber having an insertion end distal from the battery segment and a base end proximate to the battery segment; a cartomizer insertable into the chamber at the insertion end, the cartomizer including: an outer cartomizer shell, a holding structure provided within, and secured to, the outer cartomizer shell, the holding structure including a basin dimensioned to hold a vaporizable substance, a heating element provided within the basin operable to heat the vaporizable substance, cartomizer electrical contacts provided on the exterior of the cartomizer, cartomizer electrical circuitry operable to direct an electronic current between the cartomizer electrical contacts and the heating element, and a mouthpiece fluidly communicable with the basin, the mouthpiece extending from the insertion end of the chamber when the cartomizer is inserted in the chamber, wherein the heating element is activated by the current and is operable to heat the vaporizable substance to a vaporization temperature; a battery housed within the battery segment; battery electrical contacts provided between the base end of the chamber and the battery segment, the battery electrical contacts positioned to contact the cartomizer electrical contacts when the cartomizer is inserted in the chamber; battery electrical circuitry housed within the battery segment and operable to direct an electrical current between the battery, the battery electrical contacts, the cartomizer electrical contacts, the heating element, and the inserted cartomizer.
The following detailed description and the appended drawings describe and illustrate some embodiments of the disclosure for the purpose of enabling one of ordinary skill in the relevant art to make and use these embodiments. As such, the detailed description and illustration of these embodiments are purely illustrative in nature and are in no way intended to limit the scope of the disclosure in any manner. It should also be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and in certain instances details may have been omitted, which are not necessary for an understanding of the embodiments, such as details of fabrication and assembly. In the accompanying drawings, like numerals represent like components.
Embodiments of a vaporizer, in accordance with the disclosure, may include a shell having a battery segment and a cartomizer receiving segment, the cartomizer receiving segment defining a chamber having an insertion end distal from the battery segment and a base end proximate to the battery segment; a cartomizer insertable into the chamber at the insertion end, the cartomizer including: an outer cartomizer shell, a holding structure provided within, and secured to, the outer cartomizer shell, the holding structure including a basin dimensioned to hold a vaporizable substance, a heating element provided within the basin operable to heat the vaporizable substance, cartomizer electrical contacts provided on the exterior of the cartomizer, cartomizer electrical circuitry operable to direct an electronic current between the cartomizer electrical contacts and the heating element, and a mouthpiece fluidly communicable with the basin, the mouthpiece extending from the insertion end of the chamber when the cartomizer is inserted in the chamber, wherein the heating element is activated by the current and is operable to heat the vaporizable substance to a vaporization temperature; a battery housed within the battery segment; battery electrical contacts provided between the base end of the chamber and the battery segment, the battery electrical contacts positioned to contact the cartomizer electrical contacts when the cartomizer is inserted in the chamber; battery electrical circuitry housed within the battery segment and operable to direct an electrical current between the battery, the battery electrical contacts, the cartomizer electrical contacts, the heating element, and the inserted cartomizer.
Further embodiments of a vaporizer may include a container having container walls provided proximate to the basin, the container dimensioned such that the vaporizable substance may pass from the container to the basin. The holding structure may further includes a stabilizing element connectable with the outer cartomizer shell, the basin secured to the stabilizing element. The stabilizing element may includes a first threaded portion threadably connectable with the outer cartomizer shell. The vaporizer may also include a container including container walls and a threaded container portion, the container dimensioned such that the vaporizable substance is passable from the between the container walls to the basin, and the stabilizing element includes a second threaded portion threadably engagble with the threaded container portion. The vaporizer may include at least one air passage provided through at least one hole in the outer shell and at least one hole in the container wall. The vaporizable substance may be a wax. The vaporizer may further include a cartomizer printed circuit board in electronic communication with the cartomizer electrical circuitry.
With reference now to
Electrical components for operating electronic cigarette 10 may be provided within battery housing segment 102. A battery 110 may be provided in order to provide electrical power as may be required by various features of the electronic cigarette 10. In some embodiments, battery 110 may be disposable, such as an AA or AAA cell battery, while in other embodiments, battery 110 may be of a rechargeable type, for example a 13450 lithium ion battery, an 18650 2600 mAh lithium ion cell, or flat lithium ion 903180 cell rated at 2300 mAh. Multiple batteries 110 may be used in series to generate higher voltages capable of shortening times to achieve vaporization temperatures in the cartomizer 200. A printed circuit board (PCB) 112 may also be provided for controlling one or more functions of electronic cigarette 10. PCB 112 may be electrically connected to battery 110 through circuitry in order to direct current flow as required in accordance with the disclosure. PCB 112 may include one or more integrated circuit chips as well as a micro control unit. A boost chip may also be provided in order to amplify voltage with at least portion of circuitry, as may be required in order to accomplish various functions described herein. PCB 112 may include a light emitting diode (LED), a microcontroller, a plurality of capacitors, a plurality of transistors, and a plurality of resistors or any combination thereof. An accelerometer for sensing gravity shifts of electronic cigarette 10 may be further provided. The accelerometer may be operable to detect tilting or changes in orientation of battery portion 100, and PCB 112 may be accordingly operable to react to a shift in orientation detected by the accelerometer. For instance, electronic cigarette 10 including an accelerometer may be activated by shaking or inverting electronic cigarette 10. Any known or to be discovered circuitry or arrangement of the components of PCB 112 are contemplated within the disclosure in order to achieve the desired functions of electronic cigarette 10 as described herein.
A variety of indicator lights forming one or more illuminative indicators may be provided in embodiments of the disclosure. One such indicator may be a battery end indicator 114 provided as a ring extending about at least a portion of shell 106 at or proximate to first end 102A. In one such embodiment, battery end indicator 114 may be provided at or proximate to first end 102A and includes one or more LED lights having one or more colors. Each color may, for instance, indicate a status of electronic cigarette 10. The status may be associated with the power remaining of battery 110, an activation state of electronic cigarette 10, the heating level of an inserted cartomizer 200, or any other status which may be desirable to communicate to a user of electronic cigarette 10 through a light color. For instance, when electronic cigarette 10 is activated such that a user is either actively inhaling cigarette 10, as described in accordance with disclosure, or cigarette 10 is in a state such that the user could inhale, indicator 114 may be red or reddish. In such an embodiment, battery end indicator 114 could extend about at least a portion of the first end 102A such that when indicator 114 emanates a red or reddish color a user may associate the red color at or proximate to first end 102A with the red glow of a lit cigarette. In another embodiment, an indicator ring may be provided to illuminate one or more colors associated with the charge or power state of battery 110. For instance, battery end indicator 114 may illuminate green or blue when the battery is operating with a sufficient charge, and yellow or red when the battery is operating with a low charge such that the user should consider charging battery 110, in accordance with the disclosure. A ring indicator 116 may be provided on or proximate to an activation button 118, which may function to activate cigarette 10 as described herein in accordance with the disclosure. While activation button 118 may be provided on the surface of outer shell 106, and ring indicator 116 may substantially circumference button 118. Ring indicator 116 may include one or more LED lights having one or more colors to indicate various statuses of electronic cigarette 10. Status changes of electronic cigarette 10, such as insertion of cartomizer 200, activation of electronic cigarette 10 by pressing button 118, or deactivation of electronic cigarette 10 by pressing button 118 an additional time may each result in a different associated and predetermined color. The activation of the appropriate LED light or lights may be controlled by PCB 112. In embodiments where button 118 is coplanar or aligned with the surface of outer shell 106, as described herein, ring indicator 116 may also be coplanar or aligned with button 118 and the surface of outer shell 106. Another indicator light may be provided at or proximate to cartomizer end 104A. In one embodiment, in order to transmit a lighting effect from the battery segment 102, where battery 110 and PCB 112 may be housed, to the cartomizer end 104A, one or more LED lights may be provided in the cartomizer receiving segment 104 at or proximate to the battery segment 102. One or more clear tubes or optic fibers may be also be provided within or just below the surface of outer shell 106, with the tubes or fibers terminating at or proximate to the cartomizer end 104A. The resulting effect is an attractive, illuminative effect where the LED lights provided in the cartomizer segment are projected into and transmitted along the fibers. PCB 112 could potentially alternate or change the LED light colors projected into the fibers. The color alternation could be periodic, creating a steady change of colors, or the color alteration could be responsive to a status change of the electronic cigarette 10.
In order to provide an electrical connection between PCB 112 and an inserted cartomizer 200, an electrical connector 120 may be provided and may include a plurality of pogo pins 120. Pogo pins are devices used to establish connections between two circuits, and each may take the form of a cylinder containing one or more spring-loaded pins 122, each retractable upon compression, for instance by cartomizer 200 when it is inserted in cartomizer chamber 108. In one such embodiment, three pogo pins 122 may be provided, one for establishing positive current connection, one for establishing a negative current connection, and one for establishing a ground current connection. Each pogo pin 122 may be connected to PCB 112, which may control current outputted to pogo pins 122. For instance, PCB 112 may operate to vary or intermittently activate current flow to connector 120, the variation thereby regulating the activation of a heating element in a connected cartomizer. When cartomizer 200 is not received in cartomizer chamber 108, a head portion of each pogo pin may extend into cartomizer chamber 108. When cartomizer 200 is received in cartomizer chamber 108, the pins 122 are contacted and at least partially compressed into battery portion 102. Pins 122 may be contacted or pressed against electrical receivers provided on cartomizer 200 as described herein, thereby establishing an electrical connection between PCB 112 and cartomizer 200. Additional pins 122 are contemplated in embodiments of the disclosure, such as a fourth pin for providing an electrical connection to another element, such as the LED lights described above or a temperature sensor 260 described herein and illustrated in
An additional embodiment of connector 120 may operate to identify information from an inserted cartomizer 200 based on voltage drop over one or more pins 122. For instance, connector 120 may include a controlling pin 122 from which connected PCB 112 may detect variations in voltage drop across the pin when connected to various types of cartomizers 200. Circuitry provided within a first type of cartomizer 200 may effectuate a first voltage drop over a controlling pin 122, while circuitry provided within a second type of cartomizer 200 may effectuate a second voltage drop over controlling pin 122 when cartomizer 200 is inserted in chamber 108. If PCB 112 detects a first voltage drop, the cartomizer 200 is identified as a first type of cartomizer, whereas if PCB 112 detects a second voltage drop, the cartomizer is identified as second type of cartomizer. A first cartomizer type may hold a first type of vaporizable substance 300, while a second cartomizer type may hold a second type of vaporizable substance 300. In one embodiment, connector 120 includes three pins 122: a positive pin, a ground pin, and a controlling pin. A controlling pin may also serve a dual function in that communication between a sensor 260 may also occur through a controlling pin 122. Other known or to be developed devices or connectors are contemplated within the disclosure for establishing an electrical current between PCB 112 and cartomizer 200.
Various features may be further provided in embodiments of electronic cigarette 10 in order to secure and align cartomizer 200 within cartomizer chamber 108. For instance, at least one magnet 124 may be provided in or proximate to chamber 108. A magnet 202 of opposing polarity to magnet 124 may be placed on a surface of cartomizer 200 so as to secure cartomizer 200 within chamber 108 when magnets 124, 202 (see
One or more alignment features or mechanism may be included in order to ensure proper placement of cartomizer 200 in cartomizer chamber 108. In one embodiment, two magnets 124 may be provided proximate to connector 120 (see
One or more windows 130 may be provided in outer shell 106 (see
One embodiment of cartomizer 200 for holding vaporizable material 300 is cartomizer 200A for holding a vaporizable fluid 300A, an embodiment of which is illustrated in
In order to vaporize fluid 300A, a heating element 214 and a wicking element 216 may be provided within cartomizer body 208. An electrical current may be transmitted to heating element 214 through circuitry in electrical communication with electrical contacts, which contact pins 122 (see
So that a user may refill fluid 300A held in body 208, mouthpiece 220 may be removable from body 208. Mouthpiece 220 may include a screw thread 224 so that mouthpiece 220 may be threadably engaged with mouthpiece end 212 of body 208 or, alternatively, may be press fit onto or into mouthpiece end 212 of body 208. A bushing 226, which may be a ring formed from plastic, rubber, or any other suitable material, may be provided to help stabilize and retain cartomizer 200 tightly fit in chamber 108. Additionally, a colored ring or logo 228 may be provided about a portion of cartomizer body 208 in order to identify the type or cartomizer being used.
With reference now to
An insulating material 242 may be further provided within body 208 in order to control or regulate the heat distribution. Insulating material 242 may be provided around at least a portion of the exterior of heating element 214A in order to insulate body 208 from excess heat temperature, which may transmit to outer shell 106 (See
One or more screens 250 may be provided within body 208 in order to contain dry material 300B within container 240, as well as to filter circulated air. Air may be circulated by providing one or more holes 252 in the cartomizer body 208. In one embodiment, holes 252 form a “t” shape (See
A sensor 260 may be included in some embodiments of cartomizer 200. Sensor 260 may operate to sense vaporizing temperature, and may be electronically communicative with PCB 112 so as to provide sensory information to PCB 112, which may be consequently transmitted to one of the LED indicators provided in electronic cigarette 10 as described in accordance with the disclosure. For instance, indicator 118 (See
As shown in
With regards to PCB 112, as previously discussed for instance in reference to
A battery charger 400A, having charging contacts 402, may be attached or connected to charging contacts 160 provided on outer shell 106, or otherwise exposable to the environment. In one embodiment, charging contacts 160 are positioned at or proximate to battery end 102A. Charging contacts 160, 402 may include a first positive contact and a second negative contact. In order to secure charging contacts 160 against corresponding charging contacts 402 of charger 400A, one or more magnets 162 may be provided proximate to charging contacts 160. Magnets 162 may then be capable of engaging with charger magnets 404 provided on portion of charger 400A such that magnets 162, 404 are adjacent to each other when contacts 160, 402 are contacting one another. In order to ensure the proper alignment of contacts 160, 402, two magnets 162 may be provided with opposed polarities, and two charger magnets 404 may be provided with opposed polarities. These opposed polarities may ensure proper orientation of charger 400A when it is connected to battery portion 100A. In some embodiments, battery portion magnet(s) 162 may operate to magnetically attract and connect a metallic charger surface 404, or charger magnets 404 may operate to magnetically attract and connect a metallic battery surface 162, each of these embodiments thereby operating to magnetically couple charger 400 with battery portion 100. An indicator light 420, which may be an LED, may be provided to indicate a charging status of battery 110. A charging extension 410 may be provided so as to connect charger 400A to a power source or, alternatively, a power source may be internally provided within charger 400A. Charging extension 410 may be an AC wall adapter to USB and USB cord to magnetic plug. Any charger 400 of the disclosure may contain OverVoltage and OverCurrent protection in order to prevent over charging of battery 110 thereby assuring long battery life and in order to reduce the likelihood of battery 110 overheating. In one embodiment, charger 400 is rated at approximately 1000 mA current, which for some embodiments will equate to approximately two hours of battery life. The battery life will vary depending on battery selection and number of batteries 110 used in a given embodiment.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Certain charger embodiments for rechargeable vaporizers or electronic cigarettes disclosed hereinabove, for example in
Still other embodiments for chargers and rechargeable vaporizers or electronic cigarettes are illustrated in
An alternative vaporizer electrical connector compatible with the charger shown in
Vaporizer or electronic cigarette charger kits useful in, for example, the recharging of batteries used to power the vaporization process in such devices, are also within the ambit of the present invention. These kits typically include one or more chargers of the present invention, or alternatively a charger with multiple interchangeable power connectors (e.g., wall plug and USB connector). Such kits may further include, if desired, one or more of various compatible vaporizers or electronic cigarettes, their components, such as for example, one or more interchangeable cartomizers, cartomizer refills, etc., as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Instructions, either as inserts or as labels, indicating quantities of the components contained in the kit, guidelines for operation or use, and/or guidelines for connecting any of the components and/or refilling the cartomizers, may also be included in the kit.
In accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention, there are provided methods which comprise contacting a charger of the present invention with a compatible vaporizer or electronic cigarette for a time and under conditions effective to recharge a rechargeable battery contained within said vaporizer or electronic cigarette sufficient to repower vaporizer or electronic cigarette for its continued use.
As will be understood by the ordinarily skilled artisan equipped with the disclosure herein, electrical contacts compatible with the charger must be provided for on or within the vaporizer or electronic cigarette.
Referring now to
A voltage indicator 608 may be provided to indicate a voltage level or temperature. The voltage indicator 608 may be, for example, three LEDs arranged axially along the outer shell 106C. In use, the LEDs may be illuminated to correspond to a greater voltage or temperature. For example, when the electronic cigarette 10 is not powered, zero indicators may be illuminated. One indicator illuminated may be illuminated to correspond to low voltage or low temperature, two indicators illuminated corresponding to medium voltage or medium temperature, and three indicators illuminated corresponding to high voltage or high temperature. A battery indicator 610 may be provided on the outer shell 106C proximate to a battery end 102C of the battery portion 100C to indicate a battery charge remaining. The battery indicator 610 may be, for example, a plurality of LEDs arranged radially along the outer shell 106C in one or more sections and illuminable in one or more colors. In use, when the battery 110 is fully charged, all sections of the battery indicator 610 may be illuminated in green. As the battery charge is diminished, sections of the battery indicator 610 may de-illuminate and the color of illumination in the remaining sections may change, for example, to yellow or red.
In another embodiment, indicator holes are provided on the outer shell 106C proximate the voltage indicator 608 or battery indicator 610 so that the indicators may be seen by a user when illuminated. The indicator holes may be micro-drilled into the outer shell 106C so to appear substantially invisible to a user when the voltage indicator 608 or battery indicator 610 is not illuminated. Alternatively, the indicator holes may be hole punched or manufactured in another manner known to those of skill in the art. A mode activation button 612 may also be provided on the outer shell 106C proximate to the battery end 102C. The mode activation button 612 may function to deactivate, or at least dim, the voltage indicator 608 and/or battery indicator 610 when the vaporizer 10 is in use. Thus, vaporizer 10 may be used without indicators 608, 610 illuminating as brightly, or without them illuminating at all. Deactivating or dimming indicators 608, 610, thereby reducing or eliminating outwardly appearing indicators, allows a user to operate vaporizer 10 discretely, particularly in a dark or dimly lit environment.
The descriptions set forth above are meant to be illustrative and not limiting. Various modifications of the embodiments, in addition to those described herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the concepts described herein. Each patent, patent application and publication cited or described in this document are hereby incorporated herein by reference, in their entireties.
The foregoing description of possible implementations consistent with the present disclosure does not represent a comprehensive list of all such implementations or all variations of the implementations described. The description of some implementation should not be construed as an intent to exclude other implementations. For example, artisans will understand how to implement the embodiments in many other ways, using equivalents and alternatives that do not depart from the scope of the disclosure. Moreover, unless indicated to the contrary in the preceding description, none of the components described in the implementations are essential to the embodiments disclosed. It is thus intended that the embodiments be considered as illustrative, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.
LIST OF REFERENCES
- 10 Electronic Cigarette
- 100 Battery Portion
- 100A Battery Portion
- 100B Battery Portion
- 100C Battery Portion
- 102 Battery Housing Segment
- 102A First end of Battery Portion
- 102C First end of the Battery Portion
- 104 Cartomizer Receiving Segment
- 104A Second end of Battery Portion
- 106 Shell
- 106C Shell
- 108 Cartomizer Chamber
- 110 Battery
- 112 PCB
- 112A PCB
- 114 Indicator
- 116 Ring Indicator
- 118 Button
- 118A Switch
- 120 Electrical Connector
- 122 Pin
- 124 Magnet
- 126 Protrusion
- 130 Window
- 152 Hole
- 160 Charging Contact
- 162 Magnet
- 190 Fan
- 200 Cartomizer
- 200A Cartomizer
- 200B Cartomizer
- 200C Cartomizer
- 202 Magnet
- 204 Groove
- 208 Body
- 210 Insertion End
- 212 Mouthpiece End
- 214 Heating Element
- 214A Heating Element
- 214B Basin
- 216 Wick
- 218 Electrical Contact
- 220 Mouthpiece
- 222 Inhalation Tube
- 224 Threading
- 226 Bushing
- 228 Colored Ring
- 240 Container
- 242 Insulating Material
- 250 Screen
- 252 Hole
- 260 Sensor
- 262 Cartomizer PCB
- 300 Vaporizable Substance
- 300A Vaporizable Fluid
- 300B Vaporizable Dry Substance
- 300C Vaporizable Wax
- 400 Charger
- 400A Charger
- 402 Electrical Contact
- 404 Magnet
- 410 Plug
- 420 Light
- 501 Pogo pin
- 502 Spring
- 503 Negative Connection Pin
- 504 Exterior Housing
- 505 Magnet
- 506 Insulator
- 507 USB Terminus Connection
- 508 Wiper Contact
- 509 Positive Contact
- 510 Negative Contact
- 511 Insulation
- 512 Outer Shell
- 513 Magnet or Magnetic Metal
- 602 Additional PCB
- 604 Booster Chip
- 606 IC Charge Controller
- 608 Voltage Indicator
- 610 Battery Indicator
- 612 Mode Activation Button
Claims
1. A vaporizer comprising:
- a shell connectable with a cartomizer, the cartomizer including cartomizer electrical contacts;
- a battery housed within the shell;
- battery electrical contacts provided to contact cartomizer electrical contacts when the cartomizer is connected with the shell;
- a plurality of printed circuit boards housed within the shell;
- electrical circuitry housed within the shell and operable to direct an electrical current between the battery, the battery electrical contacts, the plurality of printed circuit boards, and the cartomizer electrical contacts when the cartomizer is connected with the shell; and
- a booster chip electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of printed circuit boards, and operable, in cooperation with the plurality of printed circuit boards, to provide a variable voltage to the cartomizer electrical contacts when the cartomizer is connected with the shell.
2. The vaporizer of claim 1, further comprising an integrated circuit charge controller.
3. The vaporizer of claim 1, further comprising at least one illuminable indicator housed within the shell and electrically connected to the electrical circuitry.
4. The vaporizer of claim 3, wherein the at least one illuminable indicator includes a plurality of light emitting diodes, and wherein at least one of the plurality of printed circuit boards operates to illuminate a predetermined number of the plurality of light emitting diodes corresponding to a level of the variable voltage.
5. The vaporizer of claim 4, wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes includes three light emitting diodes, and
- wherein all three diodes illuminate if the variable voltage is at least at a first predetermined level of volts, two diodes illuminate if the variable voltage is at a second predetermined level of volts, one diode illuminates if the variable voltage is at a third predetermined level of volts, and no diode illuminates if the battery has less than the third predetermined level of volts.
6. The vaporizer of claim 3, wherein the at least one illuminable indicator includes a plurality of light emitting diodes, and wherein at least one of the plurality of printed circuit boards operates to illuminate a predetermined number of the plurality of light emitting diodes corresponding to a charge state of the battery.
7. The vaporizer of claim 6, wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes are arranged radially along the shell.
8. The vaporizer of claim 6, wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes includes six light emitting diodes, and
- wherein all six diodes illuminate if the charge state of the battery is at least at a first predetermined charge state, five diodes illuminate if the charge state of the battery is at a second predetermined charge state, four diodes illuminate if the charge state of the battery is at a third predetermined charge state, three diodes illuminate if the charge state of the battery is at a fourth predetermined charge state, two diodes illuminate if the charge state of the battery is at a fifth predetermined charge state, one diode illuminates if the charge state of the battery is at a sixth predetermined charge state, and no diode illuminates if the charge state of the battery is less than the sixth predetermined charge state.
9. The vaporizer of claim 8, wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes illuminate a predetermined color corresponding to the charge state of the battery.
10. The vaporizer of claim 9, wherein the color is green if the charge state of the battery is at a seventh predetermined charge state, yellow if the charge state of the battery is at an eighth predetermined charge state, red if the charge state of the battery is at a ninth predetermined charge state.
11. The vaporizer of claim 3, wherein the shell includes at least one hole aligned with the at least one illuminable indicator to allow a user to view the at least one illuminable indicator when illuminated.
12. The vaporizer of claim 11, wherein the at least one hole is micro-drilled.
13. The vaporizer of claim 3, further comprising a switch positioned on the shell and capable of deactivating the at least one illuminable indicator.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 2, 2015
Publication Date: Oct 29, 2015
Applicant: VMR Products, LLC (Miami, FL)
Inventors: Jan Andries Verleur (Miami Beach, FL), Dan Recio (Miami, FL), Yifeng Lu (Miami, FL), Yinjun Zhang (Miami, FL), Arturo Fajardo (Miami, FL), Hans Verleur (El Dorado, CA)
Application Number: 14/790,566