Disposable tank electronic cigarette, method of manufacture and method of use

An electronic cigarette device having a disposable tank are described. The disposable tank may have a sealed liquid chamber, an atomizer element and a tank well. An electronic cigarette device, comprising: a housing having a power source; a disposable tank capable of holding an electronic cigarette liquid; the housing having a tank receptacle into which the disposable tank is removable attachable; and a connection mechanism that is part of the disposable tank and the tank receptacle that securely connects the disposable tank to the tank receptacle and provides power from the housing to the disposable tank.

Skip to: Description  ·  Claims  ·  References Cited  · Patent History  ·  Patent History
Description
PRIORITY CLAIM/RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation reissue of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/868,699, filed on Jul. 19, 2022, which is a continuation reissue of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/555,231, filed on Dec. 17, 2021, which is a continuation reissue of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/332,074, filed on May 27, 2021, which is a reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 10,299,513, which issued on May 28, 2019 from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/516,005, which is a national stage application of International Patent Application No. PCT/US2015/053836, filed on Oct. 2, 2015 and titled “DISPOSABLE TANK ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE, METHOD OF MANUFACTURE AND METHOD OF USE” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/059,095, filed Oct. 2, 2014 and titled “DISPOSABLE TANK ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE, METHOD OF MANUFACTURE AND METHOD OF USE”; all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Notice: More than one reissue application has been filed for the reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 10,299,513. The reissue applications include the present continuation reissue application and U.S. application Ser. No. 17/868,699, filed Jul. 19, 2022, U.S. application Ser. No. 17/555,231, filed Dec. 17, 2021 and U.S. application Ser. No. 17/332,074, filed on May 27, 2021, which is a reissue application of U.S. Pat. No. 10,299,513.

FIELD

The disclosure relates generally to an electronic cigarette and more specifically to an electronic cigarette having a disposable tank.

BACKGROUND

Recently, electronic cigarettes have become popular as it provides an alternative to tobacco and cigar smoking. An electronic cigarette is a device that contains liquid containing nicotine that is then vaporized by the electronic cigarette to allow the user to have the sensation of smoking in public places and receive the nicotine buzz without the other harmful side effects of smoking a regular cigarette or cigar.

Most electronic cigarettes sold today have a tank that the user must manually refill the liquid in the tank. The liquid for the electronic cigarette is commonly known as eLiquid and contains nicotine and may also contain other ingredients including flavoring and the like. The manual filing of the liquid into the tank is messy and puts the user in contact with the messy/sticky, nicotine-containing eLiquid. While the eLiquid is not toxic as the normal level of exposure, a user must go undergo this manually refilling process frequently to use what is known as a top “open-tank” system. This manually refilling process invariably leaves residue on the fingers of the user and in the various tanks and battery systems that are part of the open-tank systems.

With these open-tank systems, the replacement of the atomizers (wicks and coils) when they burn out (about once per week) is complicated and requires practice or the assistance of a specialist. Further, for open-tank systems that have a tubular design (“tubular device designs”), the tubular device designs are clumsy, roll off of surfaces they are placed on and are not easily pocketable.

Most of these open-tank systems use an industry standard 510 connection to connect the tank containing the liquid to the mouthpiece. The standard 510 connection is a weak-point for attachment of tanks to the battery units. Furthermore, attaching the tank by screwing the tank onto the rest of the device is not the most efficient attachment method and the connection is easily broken if a user has a device in their pocket and sits on it, for example. In addition, this connection may leak liquid which can cause a significant mess such as when the electronic cigarette is stored in a bag during airline travel or when the electronic cigarette is being carried by the user.

In addition, the swapping of flavors of the eLiquid for open tank systems is difficult. Specifically, since a tank can only hold one flavored liquid at a time, a user must have several costly tanks to swap flavors or the user must dump out the old liquid, wash and clean the tank and then re-fill it. This means that being able to use various flavored eLiquid in an open-tank system is either costly or messy and time-consuming.

Some systems use a custom bottle that attaches to the bottom of the battery unit in order to avoid exposure by the user to the eLiquid. However, while this design makes it easier to swap flavors, these systems still require the user to manually replace atomizers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1G are a top view, perspective left side back view, left side view, plan back view, right side view, perspective right side back view and a bottom view, respectively, of an embodiment of a disposable tank electronic cigarette;

FIG. 2 is an exploded assembly diagram of the disposable tank electronic cigarette;

FIG. 3 illustrates more details of the disposable tank of the disposable tank electronic cigarette;

FIG. 4 illustrates more details of a bottom portion of the disposable tank and the tank connector on the electronic cigarette;

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate a perspective view of the disposable tank being installed in the housing;

FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate a side view of the disposable tank being installed in the housing;

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate more details of the disposable tank being installed in the housing;

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a method for inserting a disposable tank onto the electronic cigarette and a method for removing a disposable tank from the electronic cigarette, respectively;

FIG. 10 illustrates a mechanism for sealing and unsealing the disposable tank;

FIGS. 11A-11E illustrate more details of the intermediate portion of the disposable tank;

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate more details of the intermediate portion of the disposable tank with the atomizer portion; and

FIG. 14 illustrates details of the connection between the housing and disposable tank;

FIGS. 15A and 15B show a side view and a cutaway view of the disposable tank electronic cigarette showing the airflow;

FIG. 16 illustrates another example of the tank body 210;

FIG. 17 illustrates more details of the atomizer element; and

FIGS. 18A and 18B illustrate of the assembly of the atomizer element, the wick and the heater portion of the device.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ONE OR MORE EMBODIMENTS

The disclosure is particularly applicable to an electronic cigarette device having a disposable tank with the design set forth below and it is in this context that the disclosure will be described. It will be appreciated, however, that the device, method for manufacture and method of use has greater utility since the device may have other configurations that are within the scope of the disclosure, other methods for operations that are within the scope of the disclosure and the like so that the embodiments described below are merely illustrative of the teachings of the disclosure.

The electronic cigarette device may have one or more atomizers (e.g., wicks and heating element) built into a disposable tank with the eLiquid completely sealed out of the reach of the user that is a much more effective solution than anything currently available.

FIGS. 1A-1G are a top view, perspective left side back view, left side view, plan back view, right side view, perspective right side back view and a bottom view, respectively, of an embodiment of a disposable tank electronic cigarette device 100. The device 100 may have a housing 102 that is made of an appropriate material like plastic or metal. The housing may house various components of the device 100 and may be, for example, the size that is smaller than a deck of cards. A disposable tank 104 may be removable attached to the housing. The disposable tank 104 may be made of the same material as the housing. The disposable tank 104 may store eLiquid that is vaporized by the device 100 as described below. The disposable tank 104 may be discarded when there the eLiquid within the tank 104 is exhausted or the user wants to change the type of eLiquid being vaporized. As described below in more detail, the tank may include the atomizing elements. Furthermore, the tank may have various different shapes and configurations. For the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A-1G, the tank may have a hollow rectangular shape so that it can fit into the housing 102 and hold the eLiquid.

The disposable tank 104 may be a closed tank system in which the eLiquid is stored in a separate compartment from the housing 102 until the disposable tank 104 is connected to the housing 102 that includes the other components of the device 100. The closed tank system means that the eLiquid stays separate from the heating element of the device 100 during transport. Furthermore, when the disposable tank 104 is removed from the housing 102, the disposable tank 104 reseals itself so that the liquid does not leak.

The tank 104 may have a mouthpiece portion 106 that may be located at various locations on the tank. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A-1G, the mouthpiece is located adjacent a side of the tank. The housing 102 may have a user interface device 108, such as a button, that permits the user to turn on or off the device 100. In addition, the user interface device 108 may be depressed/activated to cause the atomizer element to activate and vaporize some of the eLiquid so that the user can inhale/suck in the vaporized eLiquid through the mouthpiece portion 106. The user interface device 108, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A-1G may be located on top of the housing as shown in FIGS. 1A, 1E and 1F, but the user interface device 108 may also be located on other parts of the housing.

In one embodiment, the user interface device 108 may be used to turn on the device, such as by depressing the user interface device 108 three times in rapid succession. The device 100 can also be turned off by using the same 3-press sequence. After the device is in the “on” mode, a single press of the user interface device 108 may place the device 100 in a “fire” mode which means power will be transmitted through the 2 metal “posts” on the device in contact with the metal coil on the disposable tank when the tank is installed. This power to the coil is what will cause that element to heat up and thus vaporize the liquid being wicked from the tank. The release of the user interface device 108 may immediately stop current flow and stop vaporization.

The device 100 may also have a display screen 110 that may display various data about the device 100. For example, in one embodiment, the display 110 may display the current wattage of the power being applied to the atomizer to vaporize the eLiquid and the battery power remaining for the device 100. The display 110, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A-1G may be located on a side of the housing as shown in FIGS. 1E and 1F, but the display 110 may also be located on other parts of the housing. The housing may also have a set of controls 112, such as buttons, that allow the user to adjust the power level of the device. The set of controls 112, when activated, send a signal to the device's software to regulate how much power flows to the tank's coil next time the main button is pressed to fire the device 100. Each press either up or down sets a new upper limit to the wattage. A user will set the wattage level based on personal preference as each setting potentially change the flavor experience when using the device 100. The set of controls 112, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A-1G may be located on a side of the housing as shown in FIGS. 1E and 1F, but the set of controls 112 may also be located on other parts of the housing.

FIG. 2 is an exploded assembly diagram of the disposable tank electronic cigarette 100. As shown, the housing 102 may further comprise a first outside portion 200, a middle portion 202 and a second outside portion 204 that fit together to form the housing 102 that has a tank receptacle 209 once the housing is assembled for the disposable tank. The tank receptacle 209 may be opposite the display 110 and may receive a user-inserted disposable tank. The disposable tank 104 may be secured into place by a tank spring on one side and held on the bottom and other side by the tank connector. The tank connector also contains metal posts that pass through it and connect to the atomizer coil when the tank is inserted by the user.

The second outside portion may have one or more detents 205 that mate with the first outside portion 200 to connect the first outside portion 200, the middle portion 202 and the second outside portion 204. As shown in FIG. 2, the assembled housing 102 may further have a battery 206 that provides power to the device 100 and a circuit board 208 that contains the electronics and wiring to provide power to each component, such as the atomizer element, the user interface features and the display and control each of these components. The circuit board 208 may, for example, have at least one microprocessor or microcontroller, memory and software that is stored in the memory and executed by the processor to manage the operations of the circuits in the device 100.

FIG. 3 illustrates more details of the disposable tank of the disposable tank electronic cigarette. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the disposable tank 104 may further comprise a tank body 210 that has the mouthpiece 106 and contains an eLiquid. The disposable tank 104 may further comprise an intermediate portion 212, the atomizer element 214 (that may include a heater element and a wick element as described below in more detail) and a tank well portion 216 into which the atomizer element 214 is secured. The intermediate portion 212 may be made of silicone. The intermediate portion 212, the atomizer portion 214 and the lower portion 216 are connected together. The intermediate portion 212, the atomizer portion 214 and the tank well portion 216 ensure that the eLiquid does not leak from the tank, houses the atomizer portion 214 and routes and permits the eLiquid to come into contact with the atomizer portion 214 to vaporize the eLiquid. The eLiquid is released from the disposable tank 104 and can be vaporized when the disposable tank 104 is inserted into the housing 102, for example. The intermediate portion 212, the atomizer portion 214 and the tank well portion 216 may also provide a receptacle if any eLiquid leaks. In some embodiments, the tank 104 (and its parts) may be pre-assembled, pre-filled with eLiquid and sealed before coming in contact with the user. In one embodiment, the choice of tank body materials and atomizer components may be chosen assuming that the disposable tank will be discarded after about 24 hours of use for a normal user.

The tank body 210 may be made of a plastic polycarbonate-like material designed to hold various formulas of liquid safely while prevent leaking or cracking of the tank. The intermediate portion 212 that seals the atomizer portion 214, the tank body 210 and the tank well 216 to each other may be made of silicone. The intermediate portion 212 may also contain a groove which holds the atomizer element 214.

Returning to FIG. 2 and as shown in FIG. 4, the housing 102 may further comprise one or more metal posts 220 and a bottom portion 222 into which the one or more posts 220 are connected. The housing may also have a metal strip 224 that is electrically connected to the one or more posts 220. The one or more metal posts 220, the bottom portion 222 and the strip 224 may be secured to the housing. The strip 224 may have an elbow region 225 (biased by a spring force of the metal away from the wall of the housing 102) that sits against the housing when installed in the housing 102 and provides a snap fitting connection between the housing 102 and the disposable tank 104. The elbow region 225 is not shown in FIG. 4. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the assembled regions 212-216 may have one or more shoulder regions 400 into which the elbow region 225 may snap when the disposable tank 104 is installed in the housing.

As further shown in FIG. 4, the bottom portion 222 may hold a set of upper posts 402 (on an upper side of the bottom portion 222) that make contact with the atomizer element 214 (and provide electrical energy when activated) when the disposable tank 104 (that includes the atomizer element 214) is installed in the housing. The bottom portion 222 may further comprise a positive terminal 404 and a negative terminal 406 on a bottom side of the bottom portion 222 that connect to the power source in the housing 102 and thus provides the connection from the power source to the set of upper posts 402.

As shown in FIG. 2, the middle/central portion 202 may be made of plastic or metal and may act as the element to which various other elements of the housing are connected. To facilitate this, the central portion 202 may have an interior rack to which the other internal components are attached. For example, the interior rack may hold the power source, such as a battery, circuit boards and inductive charging receiver coil that allows the power source to be recharged using well known inductive coupling charging. On an interior-side of the device 100, there may be the display 110 that may be an OLED display screen that may show the device current status and display the state of the various user-customizable settings. The display 110 may be viewed through the display lens on the side of the device. The first and second outside portion 200, 204 may be side-panels that are both decorative and practical. The outside portions may help seal the device 100 from mild exposure to debris and the elements. In addition, the user can replace these panels with various aftermarket designs to suit their tastes.

The device 100 may be assembled in different manners that are within the scope of the disclosure. For example, the process to assemble the housing may include: a) internal rack is screwed into outer frame; b) circuit boards and buttons are inserted into the device and attached to the internal rack; c) display lens is inserted on the inside-side of the device and the display is placed inside the lens; d) battery is inserted onto the rack and connected to the circuit boards; e) inductive charging coil is attached to the charging circuits and the battery; f) tank connector with metal posts, and tank spring are screwed into the device frame; and g) metal posts are wired to the circuit boards for power. For example, the process of assembling the disposable tank 104 may include: a) atomizer element 214 may be fit into groves molded in the intermediate portion 212; b) the tank body 210, the intermediate portion 212 and the tank well 216 may be sandwiched together creating a water-tight seal; c) the tank may be permanently sealed around its outer edges using sonic welding. In some embodiments, the bottom of the tank well 216 may have an absorbent material to catch any excess fluid that may accidently escape the bottom of the intermediate portion 212. This absorbent material may be cut such that the shape will not interfere with the pressure the Tank Connector creates when the User attaches the into the device.

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate a perspective view of the disposable tank 104 being installed in the housing 102 and FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate a side view of the disposable tank 104 being installed in the housing 102. FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate more details of the disposable tank 104 being installed in the housing 103. As shown in FIGS. 5A-6C, a disposable tank is being installed into the housing 102. In FIG. 6A, the one or more metal posts 220, the bottom portion 222 and the strip 224 are installed into the housing 102 and secured to the housing as shown in FIG. 6B. As shown in FIG. 7B, the housing 102 may have a shoulder region 700 that helps to retain the disposable tank 104 in the housing. As shown in FIG. 7C in detail C and detail D, when the disposable tank 104 is installed in the housing 102, the shoulder region 700 interfaces with a portion of the disposable tank 104 and the spring biased elbow region 225 of the strip 224 may interface with the one or more shoulder regions 400 of the housing 102 to create a friction fit to hold the disposable tank 104 in the housing 102. However, the friction fit may be overcome by a user applying force to remove the disposable tank 104.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a method 800 for inserting a disposable tank onto the electronic cigarette and a method 900 for removing a disposable tank from the electronic cigarette, respectively. As shown in FIG. 8, the method 800 for inserting the disposable tank may include a user obtaining a disposable tank and removing any packaging (802.) The user may then place the disposable tank into the tank receptacle of the housing (804). For example, the user may hook a bottom side corner of the tank on the shoulder region 700 and snaps the disposable tank into place. Alternatively, the user can drop the disposable tank straight onto the tank connector (the one or more metal posts 220, the bottom portion 222 and the strip 224 are installed into the housing 102) and snaps the disposable tank into place. In each case, the disposable tank 104 may be held in place by the appropriate level of force from the elbow 225 and the tank connector. Once the tank is inserted, pressure from the tank connector on the intermediate portion may start the flow of liquid into the atomizing chamber (806.)

As shown in FIG. 9, the method 900 may include a user applying a lateral force to the disposable tank (902) away from the housing. As a result of the force (that overcomes the force from the elbow 225 and the tank connector), the disposable tank may be released (904.) When the disposable tank is released, the intermediate portion may return to its neutral position stopping the wicking of liquid into the vaporization chamber so that the removed tank is sealed (906.) The user can then discard the tank and replace the tank with a new disposable tank.

FIG. 10 illustrates a mechanism for sealing and unsealing the disposable tank 104 that has the mouthpiece 106. When the disposable tank 104 is installed in the housing, a post portion 1000 of the intermediate portion 212 is pushed up by a raised portion of the bottom portion 222 as shown which allows the liquid in the tank to flow down and wet the wick of the atomizer 214. Similarly, when the tank is detached from the housing 102, the post portion 100 returns to its closed position so that the tank is sealed.

As shown in FIG. 10, the tank well 216 may have a pooling reservoir and overflow tank 1002. In one embodiment, the pooling reservoir 1002 may be at the bottom left directly opposite the mouthpiece to hold any excess liquid that was wicked from the other side of the tank, but not vaporized. This space prevents fluid from flowing into other areas of the tank our out through the air hole and in contact with the user. Since the tank is disposable, it is only designed to hold any excess that may accumulate from a normal 24-hour use.

FIGS. 11A-11E illustrate more details of the intermediate portion 212 of the disposable tank. The intermediate portion 212 may have the terminals 406, 408 on the underside, the post portion 1000 and a groove 1002. Before a disposable tank 104 is attached to the housing 102, the components of the tank create a positive seal to prevent liquid from leaving the upper tank before it is inserted into the housing 102. The design of the tank's silicone part is such that as the tank is attached to the housing, it displaces the silicone inside the tank (by pressing on the post portion 1000) enough to start the liquid flow into the lower tank area containing the atomizing element 214. The pressure from the main device on the silicone of the inserted tank also causes the silicone to expand to create a secondary seal at the bottom of the tank to prevent liquid from flowing from the bottom of the tank into the main device.

The tank can be removed from the housing at any time, for example when a user wishes to switch to a tank with a different flavored liquid. Immediate upon removal of the tank, the inner silicone part returns to its previous sealed position creating a seal for the liquid once again. The result is that liquid will only flow when the tank is fully inserted into a suitable base unit and not when the tank is separated as in during shipment or after a partially used tank is manually removed.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate more details of the intermediate portion 212 of the disposable tank with the atomizer portion 214. The atomizer portion 214 may have a wick element 1200 that may be U-shaped. The atomizer portion 214 may also have a heating element 1202 that may be located, for example, at the middle of the U-shaped wick. In one embodiment, the heating element 1202 may further comprise a coil portion 1204 that vaporizes the eLiquid, a first electrode 1206 and a second electrode 1208 at each end of the coil portion. As shown in FIG. 13, when the atomizer portion 214 is placed into the intermediate portion 212, each electrode 1206, 1208 electrically connects to the terminals 406, 408. The terminals 406, 408 are electrically connected to the power source so that the atomizer portion 214 is also directly connected to the power source. In one embodiment, the wick 1200 may be made of silica, cotton or a ceramic material. Each electrode/wire 1206, 1208 and the coil portion 1204 may be made of nickel-chromium or other conductive metal. In another embodiment, the wick element 1200 and the heating element 1202 may be both made of a ceramic material that both wicks and heats the eLiquid. FIG. 14 illustrates details of the connection between the housing 102 and disposable tank 104 when the disposable tank 104 is installed in the housing 102.

FIGS. 15A and 15B show a side view and a cutaway view of the disposable tank electronic cigarette showing the airflow. As shown, air for the device may enter an air input, travel downwards and interact with the wick element 1200 and the coil 1204 that generate the vaporized liquid that is inhaled by the user through the mouthpiece portion 106. The airflow shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B reduces the likleyhood of condensation in the system.

FIG. 16 illustrates another example of the tank body 210. The disposable tank 104 may further comprise a tank body 210 that has the mouthpiece 106 and contains an eLiquid. The disposable tank 104 may further comprise an intermediate portion 212, the atomizer element 213 (that may include a heater element and a wick element as described below in more detail) and a tank well portion 216 into which the atomizer element 214 is secured. The intermediate portion 212 may be made of silicone. The intermediate portion 212, the atomizer portion 214 and the lower portion 216 are connected together. The intermediate portion 212, the atomizer portion 214 and the tank well portion 216 ensure that the eLiquid does not leak from the tank, houses the atomizer portion 213 and routes and permits the eLiquid to come into contact with the atomizer portion 213 to vaporize the eLiquid. The eLiquid is released from the disposable tank 104 and can be vaporized when the disposable tank 104 is inserted into the housing 102, for example. The intermediate portion 212, the atomizer portion 213 and the tank well portion 216 may also provide a receptacle if any eLiquid leaks. In some embodiments, the tank 104 (and its parts) may be pre-assembled, pre-filled with eLiquid and sealed before coming in contact with the user. In one embodiment, the choice of tank body materials and atomizer components may be chosen assuming that the disposable tank will be discarded after about 24 hours of use for a normal user.

The tank body 210 may be made of a plastic polycarbonate-like material designed to hold various formulas of liquid safely while prevent leaking or cracking of the tank. The intermediate portion 212 that seals the atomizer portion 213, the tank body 210 and the tank well 216 to each other may be made of silicone. The intermediate portion 212 may also contain a groove which holds the atomizer element 213.

FIGS. 17 and 18A-18B illustrates the assembly of the atomizer unit including the wick element 102 and the coil element 104. As shown in FIG. 15B, the elements form an intergrated component that partially guides the liquid to be vaporized, retains the coil 214 and retains the coil adjacent to the heater element 212.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the disclosure and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

While the foregoing has been with reference to a particular embodiment of the disclosure, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes in this embodiment may be made without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electronic cigarette device, comprising:

a housing having a power source and a tank receptacle;
a removable tank configured to be at least partially received in the tank receptacle, the removable tank comprising: a first side extending from a top side of the removable tank to a bottom side of the removable tank; a second side opposite the first side; an air inlet; a cavity capable of holding an electronic cigarette liquid and being at least partially received in the tank receptacle; a mouthpiece that forms an air outlet, the mouthpiece formed on the top side of the removable tank, wherein the mouthpiece extends along the first side and is laterally spaced away from the second side and the cavity; an atomizer portion located at a lower portion adjacent the bottom side of the removable tank, the atomizer portion having a tank well and a heater element; and a mechanical connection configured to removably attach the removable tank to the tank receptacle when engaged, wherein the tank receptacle is configured to support the bottom side and the second side of the removable tank while exposing at least the mouthpiece, the air inlet and the first side of the removable tank when the removable tank is attached to the tank receptacle.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the heater element is configured to be connected to the power source in the housing and vaporize the electronic cigarette liquid when the removable tank is attached to the tank receptacle.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the removable tank is a closed tank.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the vaporized electronic cigarette liquid is configured to exit the device through the mouthpiece.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the atomizer portion further comprises a wick element so that the wick element is wetted by the electronic cigarette liquid and the wetted wick element is heated by the heater element to vaporize the electronic cigarette liquid.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the heater element is a coil.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the coil is a sub-ohm coil.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the heater element further comprises a first and second electrode at each side of the coil wherein the first and second electrodes electrically connect the coil to the power source.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises an attachment mechanism that retains the removable tank in the housing.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the mechanical connection of the removable tank is configured to mate with the attachment mechanism of the housing.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the attachment mechanism of the housing is a biased strip and the mechanical connection of the removable tank is one or more shoulders wherein the one or more shoulders interact with the biased strip to retain the removable tank in the housing.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the removable tank has a sealing mechanism that seals the liquid in the disposable tank when the removable tank is not coupled to the housing.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the sealing mechanism releases the liquid from the removable tank into a region abutting the heater element when the removable tank is coupled to the housing.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the power source is a battery.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the power source further comprises an inductive charging element.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the removable tank has an airflow mechanism.

17. A method, comprising:

inserting a removable tank into a tank receptacle of a housing configured to receive the removable tank, wherein the removable tank comprises: a first side extending from a top side of the removable tank to a bottom side of the removable tank; a second side opposite the first side; an air inlet; a cavity holding a liquid and capable of being at least partially received in the tank receptacle; a mouthpiece that forms an air outlet, the mouthpiece formed on the top side of the removable tank, wherein the mouthpiece extends along the first side and is laterally spaced away from the second side and the cavity; and an atomizer portion located at a lower portion adjacent the bottom side of the removable tank, the atomizer portion having a tank well and a heater element; wherein the tank receptacle is configured to support the bottom side and the second side of the removable tank while exposing at least the mouthpiece, the air inlet and the first side of the removable tank when the removable tank is inserted to the tank receptacle;
releasing the liquid in the cavity into the atomizer portion when the removable tank is inserted into the housing; and
vaporizing, using the heater element in the atomizer portion, the liquid released into the atomizer portion.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising removing the removable tank from the housing and inserting a new removable tank into the housing.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein removing the removable tank further comprises automatically sealing the disposable tank to prevent leakage of any liquid remaining in the removable tank.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein vaporizing the liquid further comprises wetting a wick element of the atomizer portion using the liquid and heating the wetted wick element using the heater element to vaporize the liquid.

21. The method of claim 17 further comprising retaining, by an attachment mechanism of the housing, the removable tank in the housing and providing power from the housing to the removable tank.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein retaining the removable tank further comprises mating a mechanical connection in the removable tank with the attachment mechanism in the housing to retain the removable tank in the housing.

23. A closed tank apparatus for use with an electronic cigarette, the apparatus comprising:

a removable tank that is configured to hold a liquid to be vaporized by the electronic cigarette, the removable tank comprising: a first side extending from a top side to the bottom side of the removable tank; a second side opposite the first side; an air inlet; a heater element; a cavity capable of holding a liquid; and a mouthpiece that forms an air outlet, the mouthpiece formed on the top side of the removable tank, wherein the mouthpiece extends along the first side and is laterally spaced away from the second side and the cavity; wherein the tank apparatus is configured so that air travels through a first path down from the air inlet towards the heater element, and then past the heater element and then through a second path upwards through the air outlet and the mouthpiece, the second path positioned between the cavity and the first side.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the removable tank is a closed tank.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the removable tank further comprises a mechanical connection configured to mate mechanism that mates with an attachment mechanism of a housing of the electronic cigarette.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the mechanical connection is one or more shoulders wherein the one or more shoulders are configured to interact with a biased strip of the housing to retain the removable tank in the housing.

27. A removable tank apparatus for use with an electronic cigarette, the apparatus comprising:

a tank that is configured to hold a liquid to be vaporized by the electronic cigarette, the tank comprising: a first side extending from an upper side to a lower side of the tank; a second side opposite the first side; an air inlet; a heater element; a wick; a cavity having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the cavity is capable of holding the liquid; and an atomization chamber sealed to the bottom surface of the cavity, the atomization chamber comprising: a plurality of side walls; an upper surface sealed to the plurality of side walls; and an opening configured to permit wicking of the liquid from the cavity into the atomization chamber; wherein the heater element and the wick are secured within the atomization chamber; and
a mouthpiece that forms an air outlet, the mouthpiece located on the upper side of the tank;
wherein the tank apparatus is configured so that air travels through a first path from the air inlet towards the heater element, and then past the heater element and through a second path through the air outlet of the mouthpiece.

28. The tank apparatus of claim 27, wherein the upper surface of the atomizing chamber comprises flexible silicone.

29. The tank apparatus of claim 28, wherein the upper surface has a post positioned to interface with a receptacle in a housing.

30. The removable tank apparatus of claim 27, wherein the tank further comprises an inhalation tube coupled to the air outlet and the mouthpiece.

31. The removable tank apparatus of claim 27, wherein the plurality of side walls are made of plastic.

32. A system for vaporization of a liquid containing nicotine, the system comprising:

a removable tank apparatus comprising: a tank that is configured to hold a liquid to be vaporized, the tank comprising: a first side extending from an upper side to a lower side of the tank; a second side opposite the first side; an air inlet; a heater element; a wick; a cavity having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the cavity is capable of holding the liquid; and an atomization chamber sealed to the bottom surface of the cavity, the atomization chamber comprising: a plurality of side walls; an upper surface sealed to the plurality of side walls; and an opening configured to permit wicking of the liquid from the cavity into the atomization chamber; wherein the heater element and the wick are secured within the atomization chamber; and a mouthpiece that forms an air outlet, the mouthpiece located on the upper side of the tank; and wherein the tank apparatus is configured so that air travels through a first path from the air inlet towards the heater element, and then past the heater element and through a second path through the air outlet of the mouthpiece; and a housing comprising: a receptacle configured to removably receive the removable tank apparatus; and a battery.
Referenced Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
1823554 September 1931 Mewborne
1839505 January 1932 Schulz
2057353 October 1936 Whittemore
2250943 July 1941 Arnold
2561286 July 1951 Montgomery
2670137 February 1954 Jordan et al.
3200819 August 1965 Gilbert
3304944 February 1967 Badertscher
3585774 June 1971 Rowell et al.
3589371 June 1971 LaPorte
3590825 July 1971 Davis
3608716 September 1971 Rowell et al.
3625227 December 1971 Fether
3703902 November 1972 Sargrove
3707975 January 1973 Davis
3760814 September 1973 Fether et al.
3769990 November 1973 Williams
3861400 January 1975 Perkins et al.
3888160 June 1975 Westcott et al.
4153063 May 8, 1979 Roselius et al.
4657032 April 14, 1987 Dorr et al.
4666763 May 19, 1987 King et al.
4676259 June 30, 1987 Ellis et al.
4735217 April 5, 1988 Gerth et al.
4736755 April 12, 1988 Oldham et al.
4771295 September 13, 1988 Baker et al.
4777131 October 11, 1988 Long et al.
4777967 October 18, 1988 Bale et al.
4783418 November 8, 1988 Long et al.
4832056 May 23, 1989 Bryant et al.
4832057 May 23, 1989 Bale et al.
4848374 July 18, 1989 Chard et al.
4881555 November 21, 1989 Bolt et al.
4917120 April 17, 1990 Hill
4945929 August 7, 1990 Egilmex
4947874 August 14, 1990 Brooks et al.
4969476 November 13, 1990 Bale et al.
5025913 June 25, 1991 Colley
5046514 September 10, 1991 Bolt
5105835 April 21, 1992 Drewett et al.
5144962 September 8, 1992 Counts et al.
5167242 December 1, 1992 Turner et al.
5271940 December 21, 1993 Cleary et al.
5293883 March 15, 1994 Edwards
D347490 May 31, 1994 Gee
5388594 February 14, 1995 Counts et al.
5403595 April 4, 1995 Kitchell et al.
D368552 April 2, 1996 Adams
5505214 April 9, 1996 Collins et al.
D370300 May 28, 1996 Gottvald
5533995 July 9, 1996 Corish et al.
D373443 September 3, 1996 Gottvald
D373847 September 17, 1996 Gottvald
5649554 July 22, 1997 Spinkel et al.
5666977 September 16, 1997 Higgins et al.
D386637 November 25, 1997 St-Pierre et al.
D393171 April 7, 1998 St-Pierre et al.
D393924 April 28, 1998 Wright
5738120 April 14, 1998 Chard
5740817 April 21, 1998 Cunningham
D394180 May 12, 1998 St-Pierre et al.
D394365 May 19, 1998 St-Pierre et al.
D394774 June 2, 1998 St-Pierre et al.
D395184 June 16, 1998 St-Pierre et al.
D398470 September 22, 1998 St-Pierre et al.
5820876 October 13, 1998 Hoffmann
D402835 December 22, 1998 Cyr et al.
5845770 December 8, 1998 James et al.
5878752 March 9, 1999 Adams et al.
D408173 April 20, 1999 Walrath et al.
D418940 January 11, 2000 Luton et al.
D421151 February 22, 2000 Luton et al.
D422113 March 28, 2000 Higgins
6082369 July 4, 2000 Nevett et al.
6125855 October 3, 2000 Nevett et al.
6155268 December 5, 2000 Takeuchi
D438105 February 27, 2001 Conner et al.
6206008 March 27, 2001 Matteau et al.
6209835 April 3, 2001 Walrath et al.
6216861 April 17, 2001 James et al.
6223744 May 1, 2001 Garon
6340320 January 22, 2002 Ogawa
6394098 May 28, 2002 Cunningham
6474469 November 5, 2002 Luton et al.
6481441 November 19, 2002 Cunningham
6553999 April 29, 2003 Cardone et al.
6684879 February 3, 2004 Coffee et al.
6790496 September 14, 2004 Levander et al.
6803545 October 12, 2004 Blake et al.
6955842 October 18, 2005 Koch et al.
7201613 April 10, 2007 Sasaki
D545494 June 26, 2007 Soeprapto
D547440 July 24, 2007 Louet-Feisser
7293565 November 13, 2007 Griffin et al.
D590988 April 21, 2009 Hon
D590989 April 21, 2009 Hon
D590990 April 21, 2009 Hon
D590991 April 21, 2009 Hon
7658613 February 9, 2010 Griffin et al.
D614346 April 20, 2010 Lik
7717756 May 18, 2010 Yin et al.
7726320 June 1, 2010 Robinson et al.
D624437 September 28, 2010 Leclezio
7832410 November 16, 2010 Hon
D649708 November 29, 2011 Oneil
8156944 April 17, 2012 Han
8205622 June 26, 2012 Pan
D665270 August 14, 2012 Leclezio
D668140 October 2, 2012 Collins
D668141 October 2, 2012 Collins
D668533 October 9, 2012 Collins
D668534 October 9, 2012 Collins
D668535 October 9, 2012 Collins
8314591 November 20, 2012 Terry et al.
8333197 December 18, 2012 Cross et al.
8347684 January 8, 2013 Coderre
D676741 February 26, 2013 Van Landsveld et al.
8365742 February 5, 2013 Hon
8375957 February 19, 2013 Hon
8393331 March 12, 2013 Hon
D681445 May 7, 2013 Van Landsveld et al.
8464867 June 18, 2013 Holloway et al.
8490628 July 23, 2013 Hon
8499766 August 6, 2013 Newton
8511318 August 20, 2013 Hon
D690461 September 24, 2013 Chen
8528569 September 10, 2013 Newton
8550068 October 8, 2013 Terry et al.
8556071 October 15, 2013 Holloway et al.
D693670 November 19, 2013 Van Landsveld et al.
8689804 April 8, 2014 Fernando
8689805 April 8, 2014 Hon
8794231 August 5, 2014 Thorens et al.
8863752 October 21, 2014 Hon
8881738 November 11, 2014 Bryman
8893726 November 25, 2014 Hon
8897628 November 25, 2014 Conley et al.
8899239 December 2, 2014 Hon
8910641 December 16, 2014 Hon
D728855 May 5, 2015 Liu
D729444 May 12, 2015 Leidel
D730572 May 26, 2015 LeideL
9060548 June 23, 2015 Zheng et al.
9078473 July 14, 2015 Worm et al.
D738569 September 8, 2015 Saide
D741001 October 13, 2015 Alarcon et al.
D742062 October 27, 2015 Almsberger
9155336 October 13, 2015 Liu
D745213 December 8, 2015 Alima
D748325 January 26, 2016 Leidel
D748329 January 26, 2016 Bagai et al.
D751756 March 15, 2016 Hearn
D753336 April 5, 2016 Chen
D754919 April 26, 2016 Alarcon et al.
9301548 April 5, 2016 Liu
9320300 April 26, 2016 Hon
D755057 May 3, 2016 Mutter
9326546 May 3, 2016 Garcia Urbano et al.
9326548 May 3, 2016 Hon
9326549 May 3, 2016 Hon
9326550 May 3, 2016 Hon
9326551 May 3, 2016 Hon
9332787 May 10, 2016 Liu
9339062 May 17, 2016 Hon
D758656 June 7, 2016 Freshwater
D761999 July 19, 2016 Liu
9386805 July 12, 2016 Liu
D764703 August 23, 2016 Liu
9408416 August 9, 2016 Monsees et al.
9420831 August 23, 2016 Liu
9427022 August 30, 2016 Levin et al.
D767820 September 27, 2016 Jordan et al.
D767822 September 27, 2016 Jordan et al.
D768331 October 4, 2016 Chen
D769520 October 18, 2016 Hua
D771309 November 8, 2016 Ward
D771867 November 15, 2016 Leidel
D773114 November 29, 2016 Leidel
D773116 November 29, 2016 Liu
D775414 December 27, 2016 Ampolini
9510624 December 6, 2016 Li
9516899 December 13, 2016 Plojoux et al.
D775762 January 3, 2017 Chen
D776051 January 10, 2017 Wang
9532604 January 3, 2017 Conley et al.
9549573 January 24, 2017 Monsees et al.
D780373 February 28, 2017 Bennett
9609893 April 4, 2017 Novak et al.
D788362 May 30, 2017 Qiu
D790766 June 27, 2017 Li
D790767 June 27, 2017 Rush
9675114 June 13, 2017 Timmermans
D792020 July 11, 2017 Mendoza
D792642 July 18, 2017 Mendoza
D799743 October 10, 2017 Qiu
D799746 October 10, 2017 Leidel
D800377 October 17, 2017 Liu
9801415 October 31, 2017 Tu
D802834 November 14, 2017 Mathias
9814265 November 14, 2017 Rinker
9814268 November 14, 2017 Robinson et al.
9820509 November 21, 2017 Newton et al.
D805685 December 19, 2017 Lee
D805687 December 19, 2017 Perez
9839238 December 12, 2017 Worm et al.
D807576 January 9, 2018 Liu
D807579 January 9, 2018 Wu
D809191 January 30, 2018 Li
D809192 January 30, 2018 Liu
9861138 January 9, 2018 Liu
9901120 February 27, 2018 Liu
9901123 February 27, 2018 Robinson et al.
D814693 April 3, 2018 Qiu
D815347 April 10, 2018 Jones
9930915 April 3, 2018 Worm et al.
D819880 June 5, 2018 Qiu
10058129 August 28, 2018 Monsees et al.
10104911 October 23, 2018 Thorens et al.
10130123 November 20, 2018 Hatton et al.
10143242 December 4, 2018 Weigensberg et al.
10219548 March 5, 2019 Robinson et al.
10226079 March 12, 2019 Robinson et al.
10299513 May 28, 2019 Perez
10299517 May 28, 2019 Hawes et al.
10334881 July 2, 2019 Conley et al.
10362809 July 30, 2019 Worm et al.
10420374 September 24, 2019 Liu
10485269 November 26, 2019 Hawes et al.
10492541 December 3, 2019 Lau et al.
10492542 December 3, 2019 Worm et al.
D872932 January 14, 2020 Powell et al.
10555556 February 11, 2020 Malgat et al.
10588357 March 17, 2020 Hawes et al.
D881461 April 14, 2020 Wright
10709173 July 14, 2020 Monsees et al.
D914278 March 23, 2021 Luo
D930236 September 7, 2021 Fornarelli
11134722 October 5, 2021 Verleur et al.
11202470 December 21, 2021 Rabinowitz et al.
11229239 January 25, 2022 Galloway et al.
RE49114 June 28, 2022 Newton
D969399 November 8, 2022 Sakamaki
11497864 November 15, 2022 Conley et al.
D972773 December 13, 2022 Barody
D981035 March 14, 2023 Barody
11606981 March 21, 2023 Verleur et al.
20010026788 October 4, 2001 Piskorz
20030176467 September 18, 2003 Andersson et al.
20040034068 February 19, 2004 Warchol et al.
20040055613 March 25, 2004 Horian
20040065324 April 8, 2004 Pivinski
20040084044 May 6, 2004 Childers et al.
20040191301 September 30, 2004 Van Duren
20050268911 December 8, 2005 Cross et al.
20060130857 June 22, 2006 Roth et al.
20060191546 August 31, 2006 Takano et al.
20060196518 September 7, 2006 Hon
20060233714 October 19, 2006 Assie et al.
20060283468 December 21, 2006 Lipowicz
20070072442 March 29, 2007 DiFonzo et al.
20070267031 November 22, 2007 Hon
20070283972 December 13, 2007 Monsees et al.
20080092912 April 24, 2008 Robinson et al.
20080292634 November 27, 2008 Bakaletz et al.
20080308113 December 18, 2008 Nencioni
20080314398 December 25, 2008 Fish
20090126745 May 21, 2009 Hon
20090169606 July 2, 2009 Andersen et al.
20090246264 October 1, 2009 Andersen et al.
20090255534 October 15, 2009 Paterno
20090272379 November 5, 2009 Thorens et al.
20090283103 November 19, 2009 Nielsen et al.
20100031968 February 11, 2010 Sheikh et al.
20100242974 September 30, 2010 Pan
20110011396 January 20, 2011 Fang
20110036346 February 17, 2011 Cohen et al.
20110094523 April 28, 2011 Thorens et al.
20110168194 July 14, 2011 Hon
20110209717 September 1, 2011 Han
20110226236 September 22, 2011 Buchberger
20110308521 December 22, 2011 Kofford
20120090630 April 19, 2012 Hon
20120111347 May 10, 2012 Hon
20120199663 August 9, 2012 Qiu
20120211015 August 23, 2012 Li et al.
20120234315 September 20, 2012 Li et al.
20120261285 October 18, 2012 Holloway et al.
20120261286 October 18, 2012 Holloway et al.
20120266902 October 25, 2012 Drezen et al.
20120273589 November 1, 2012 Hon
20120279512 November 8, 2012 Hon
20120285476 November 15, 2012 Hon
20120318882 December 20, 2012 Abehasera
20130037041 February 14, 2013 Worm et al.
20130042865 February 21, 2013 Monsees et al.
20130081642 April 4, 2013 Safari
20130125906 May 23, 2013 Hon
20130139833 June 6, 2013 Hon
20130167854 July 4, 2013 Shin
20130168880 July 4, 2013 Duke
20130192617 August 1, 2013 Thompson
20130192623 August 1, 2013 Tucker et al.
20130206152 August 15, 2013 Garcia Urbano et al.
20130213419 August 22, 2013 Tucker et al.
20130213420 August 22, 2013 Hon
20130220315 August 29, 2013 Conley et al.
20130228191 September 5, 2013 Newton
20130255702 October 3, 2013 Griffith et al.
20130276798 October 24, 2013 Hon
20130276804 October 24, 2013 Hon
20130284194 October 31, 2013 Newton
20130284623 October 31, 2013 Groulx et al.
20130319438 December 5, 2013 Liu
20140000638 January 2, 2014 Sebastian et al.
20140014125 January 16, 2014 Fernando
20140060554 March 6, 2014 Collett et al.
20140107815 April 17, 2014 Lamothe
20140150783 June 5, 2014 Liu
20140150810 June 5, 2014 Hon
20140174458 June 26, 2014 Katz
20140182608 July 3, 2014 Verleur
20140190478 July 10, 2014 Liu
20140190502 July 10, 2014 Liu
20140209110 July 31, 2014 Hon
20140261486 September 18, 2014 Potter
20140261495 September 18, 2014 Novak et al.
20140261499 September 18, 2014 Hon
20140283824 September 25, 2014 Wheelock
20140305453 October 16, 2014 Hon
20140318559 October 30, 2014 Thorens et al.
20140318560 October 30, 2014 Hon
20140332021 November 13, 2014 Li
20140339213 November 20, 2014 Bao
20140363314 December 11, 2014 Jiang et al.
20150020831 January 22, 2015 Weigensberg et al.
20150034103 February 5, 2015 Hon
20150040926 February 12, 2015 Saydar
20150040927 February 12, 2015 Li
20150040929 February 12, 2015 Hon
20150047658 February 19, 2015 Cyphert
20150128971 May 14, 2015 Verleur
20150128974 May 14, 2015 Hon
20150136124 May 21, 2015 Aronie
20150136155 May 21, 2015 Verleur
20150181944 July 2, 2015 Li
20150208729 July 30, 2015 Monsees
20150216230 August 6, 2015 Loos et al.
20150245658 September 3, 2015 Worm et al.
20150250229 September 10, 2015 Hon
20150250230 September 10, 2015 Hon
20150250231 September 10, 2015 Hon
20150250232 September 10, 2015 Hon
20150272224 October 1, 2015 Hon
20150305406 October 29, 2015 Li
20150335075 November 26, 2015 Minskoff
20160021933 January 28, 2016 Thorens et al.
20160057811 February 25, 2016 Alarcon et al.
20160073692 March 17, 2016 Alarcon et al.
20160120218 May 5, 2016 Schennum
20160120222 May 5, 2016 Bagai et al.
20160128389 May 12, 2016 Lamb et al.
20160135506 May 19, 2016 Sanchez et al.
20160165955 June 16, 2016 Horne
20160213866 July 28, 2016 Tan
20160271347 September 22, 2016 Raichman
20160353800 December 8, 2016 Di Carlo
20160366946 December 22, 2016 Murison et al.
20160374397 December 29, 2016 Jordan et al.
20170006918 January 12, 2017 Chen
20170064999 March 9, 2017 Perez et al.
20170318861 November 9, 2017 Thorens
20170354180 December 14, 2017 Fornarelli
20200315250 October 8, 2020 Chen et al.
Foreign Patent Documents
2884987 August 2017 CA
2719043 August 2005 CN
100593982 March 2010 CN
10183368 September 2010 CN
202697716 January 2013 CN
2002819631 March 2013 CN
202919037 May 2013 CN
203087525 July 2013 CN
203152491 August 2013 CN
203327954 December 2013 CN
204377940 June 2015 CN
103355745 August 2016 CN
206453243 September 2017 CN
209234986 August 2019 CN
202010002041 May 2010 DE
0101227 February 1984 EP
0102247 March 1984 EP
0165704 December 1985 EP
0188916 July 1986 EP
0227424 July 1987 EP
0227425 July 1987 EP
0229709 July 1987 EP
0229710 July 1987 EP
0234115 September 1987 EP
0239184 September 1987 EP
0239245 September 1987 EP
0242202 October 1987 EP
0264195 April 1988 EP
0277519 August 1988 EP
0286256 October 1988 EP
0295122 December 1988 EP
0309220 March 1989 EP
0369697 May 1990 EP
0380324 August 1990 EP
0407022 January 1991 EP
0475580 March 1992 EP
0531075 March 1993 EP
0693441 January 1996 EP
0706331 April 1996 EP
0724391 August 1996 EP
0782534 July 1997 EP
0848914 June 1998 EP
0853893 July 1998 EP
0862865 September 1998 EP
0878999 November 1998 EP
0924997 June 1999 EP
0967897 January 2000 EP
1006818 June 2000 EP
1014810 July 2000 EP
1017593 July 2000 EP
1033327 September 2000 EP
1048230 November 2000 EP
1094724 May 2001 EP
1098574 May 2001 EP
1098825 May 2001 EP
1144253 October 2001 EP
1184300 March 2002 EP
0981485 January 2003 EP
1313653 May 2003 EP
2022349 February 2009 EP
1736065 June 2009 EP
2110034 October 2009 EP
2113178 November 2009 EP
2272386 January 2011 EP
2325093 May 2011 EP
2376334 October 2011 EP
2376335 October 2011 EP
2399636 December 2011 EP
2404515 January 2012 EP
2415363 February 2012 EP
2443946 April 2012 EP
2681130 January 2014 EP
2821356 January 2015 EP
2878215 June 2015 EP
2885986 June 2015 EP
2489391 September 2015 EP
1656173 December 2015 EP
2313140 March 2016 EP
3009019 April 2016 EP
3086671 September 2018 EP
2875740 October 2018 EP
3469934 April 2019 EP
3508080 July 2019 EP
3513673 July 2019 EP
3456214 November 2020 EP
3491948 December 2020 EP
3504991 January 2021 EP
3791739 March 2021 EP
3504989 June 2021 EP
3430921 August 2021 EP
3498115 September 2021 EP
3613453 September 2021 EP
3504990 November 2021 EP
3928646 December 2021 EP
3626092 July 2023 EP
6264834 August 2022 GB
6264831 April 2023 GB
6264832 April 2023 GB
6264833 April 2023 GB
6264835 April 2023 GB
2009-070654 April 2009 JP
200453400 April 2011 KR
200453424 May 2011 KR
20-0454110 June 2011 KR
200457694 December 2011 KR
10-2012-0050568 May 2012 KR
2012-0074625 July 2012 KR
WO-91/18535 December 1991 WO
WO 1995/001108 January 1995 WO
WO 1995/010952 April 1995 WO
WO 1996/009230 March 1996 WO
WO-96/32854 October 1996 WO
WO 1997/014322 April 1997 WO
WO 1997/028706 August 1997 WO
WO-97/38595 October 1997 WO
WO 1998/007338 February 1998 WO
WO 1998/026676 June 1998 WO
WO 1998/026677 June 1998 WO
WO 1998/050288 November 1998 WO
WO 1998/054060 December 1998 WO
WO 1999/065320 December 1999 WO
WO 2000/002464 January 2000 WO
WO 2000/005151 February 2000 WO
WO 2000/007467 February 2000 WO
WO 2000/040465 July 2000 WO
WO 2000/051912 September 2000 WO
WO 2000/065939 November 2000 WO
WO 2001/022839 April 2001 WO
WO 2001/054520 August 2001 WO
WO 2001/087738 November 2001 WO
WO 2001/093705 December 2001 WO
WO 2002/018236 March 2002 WO
WO-2002/019107 March 2002 WO
WO-2004/080216 September 2004 WO
WO 2006/029723 March 2006 WO
WO-2007/078273 July 2007 WO
WO 2008/064463 June 2008 WO
WO 2008/122589 October 2008 WO
WO-2010/145805 December 2010 WO
WO 2011/003525 January 2011 WO
WO 2011/054650 May 2011 WO
WO 2011/060930 May 2011 WO
WO 2011/060931 May 2011 WO
WO 2011/064351 June 2011 WO
WO-2011/065754 June 2011 WO
WO-2011/160788 December 2011 WO
WO 2012/016641 February 2012 WO
WO 2012/119607 September 2012 WO
WO 2012/119611 September 2012 WO
WO-2012/142293 October 2012 WO
WO 2012/160369 November 2012 WO
WO 2013/016846 February 2013 WO
WO-2013/076098 May 2013 WO
WO-2013/083634 June 2013 WO
WO-2013/093695 June 2013 WO
WO-2013/116572 August 2013 WO
WO 2013/155645 October 2013 WO
WO 2013/159245 October 2013 WO
WO-2014/039308 March 2014 WO
WO 2014/194972 December 2014 WO
WO 2014/205456 December 2014 WO
WO 2015/000798 January 2015 WO
WO 2015/014704 February 2015 WO
WO 2015/018479 February 2015 WO
WO 2015/049046 April 2015 WO
WO 2015/090490 June 2015 WO
WO-2015/100361 July 2015 WO
WO 2015/131991 September 2015 WO
WO-2015/153443 October 2015 WO
WO 2015/161459 October 2015 WO
WO 2015/173105 November 2015 WO
WO 2015/197165 December 2015 WO
WO 2016/008150 January 2016 WO
WO 2016/023651 February 2016 WO
WO 2016/029225 February 2016 WO
WO 2016/040575 March 2016 WO
WO 2016/046116 March 2016 WO
WO 2016/054580 April 2016 WO
WO 2016/058992 April 2016 WO
WO 2016/059000 April 2016 WO
WO 2016/059003 April 2016 WO
Other references
  • Bold Tobacco Vape Pods, By Cue, No publicattion date listed. Found Online (Dec. 8, 2023); (https://www.cue-vapor.com/ products/bold-tobacco-vape-pods) (Year: 2023).
  • Cue Vapor by Digirette. found online [Mar. 2, 2017] https://www.cuevapor.com/cue-vapor-system/.
  • Cue Vapor System. By “UK ECig Store”. No Publication Date Listed. Found Online (Nov. 30, 2023). (https://www.ukecigstore.com/products/cue-vapor-pod-kit?_pos=2&_sid=ab67b8d59&_ss=r) (Year: 2023).
  • International Search Report and Written Opinion received in PCT Application No. PCT/EP2023/073732 dated Dec. 4, 2023, 16 pgs.
  • HoneyStick Phantom Squeeze Box2-In-1 Cartridge Vape. By “Dope Boo”. No Publication Date Listed. Found Online (Nov. 30, 2023) . (https://www.dopeboo.com/products/honeystick-phantom-squeeze-box-2-in-1 -cartridge-vape) (Year: 2023).
  • ISR received in PCT Application No. PCT/US2015/053836 dated Dec. 22, 2015.
Patent History
Patent number: RE50713
Type: Grant
Filed: Feb 10, 2023
Date of Patent: Dec 30, 2025
Assignee: Cue Vapor Limited (Walton on Thames)
Inventors: Ruben Hector Perez (Sherman Oaks, CA), Alexander Basile (Sherman Oaks, CA), Alan Crawford (Sherman Oaks, CA)
Primary Examiner: Elizabeth L McKane
Application Number: 18/108,212
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Tobacco Users' Appliance (131/329)
International Classification: A24F 13/00 (20060101); A24F 47/00 (20200101); B41J 2/175 (20060101); B41J 29/02 (20060101); B41J 29/13 (20060101); B41J 29/38 (20060101);