# US 10,244,796 B2 · Electronic vaping devices

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- Number: US 10,244,796 B2
- Document ID: US10244796B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/148,276
- Filed: 2018-10-01
- Published: 2019-01-31
- Granted: 2019-04-02
- Earliest claimed: 2012-10-05
- Assignees: Altria Client Services LLC
- Applicants: Altria Client Services LLC
- Inventors: Loi Ying Liu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10244796B2

## CPC

- A24F 40/50: Control or monitoring
- A24F 40/40: Constructional details, e.g. connection of cartridges and battery parts
- A24F 40/57: Temperature control
- H05B 1/0244: {Heating of fluids (H05B1/0247 takes precedence)}
- A24F 40/10: Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
- A24F: SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES (inhaling appliances for medical purposes, shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes A61M15/06)
- H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

An electronic smoke apparatus comprising an inhale sensor, a smoke source containing vapor-able smoke flavored substances, an electric heater for heating up the smoke flavored substances, and a power management controller to control power supply to operate the heater; wherein the power management controller is to adaptively supply operating power to the heater according to characteristics of a smoking inhaling event detected at said inhale sensor.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic vaping device comprising:
a reservoir configured to hold a liquid;
a heater configured to heat liquid drawn from the reservoir;
a switching circuit configured to control supply of operating power to the heater; and
a controller configured to control the switching circuit to
supply the operating power at a first power level in response to detecting a first level of airflow through the electronic vaping device, the first level of airflow being at or above a first threshold level,
reduce the operating power from the first power level to a second power level after expiration of a first time period following detection of the first level of airflow,
reduce the operating power from the second power level to zero in response to detecting a second level of airflow through the electronic vaping device,
increase the operating power from zero to the first power level in response to detecting a third level of airflow through the electronic vaping device, the third level of airflow being at or above the first threshold level, and
reduce the operating power from the first power level to the second power level after expiration of a second time period following detection of the third level of airflow, the second time period being less than the first time period.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electronic vaping device of claim 1, wherein the second level of airflow is less than the first threshold level.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electronic vaping device according to claim 1, wherein the first power level is a maximum operating power applied to the heater.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The electronic vaping device according to claim 1, wherein the first time period is less than or equal to 1 second.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The electronic vaping device of claim 1, further comprising:
a sensor configured to output signals indicative of a level of airflow through the electronic vaping device; and wherein
the controller is further configured to detect the level of airflow through the electronic vaping device based on the signals output from the sensor.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The electronic vaping device according to claim 5, wherein
the sensor includes a capacitive airflow sensor having a capacitance value that varies in response to the level of airflow through the electronic vaping device.