# US 10,499,688 B2 · Electronic vapor provision system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,499,688 B2 - Document ID: US10499688B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/317,854 - Filed: 2015-03-30 - Published: 2017-05-18 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2014-06-09 - Assignees: Nicoventures Holdings Limited - Applicants: Nicoventures Holdings Limited - Inventors: Colin John Dickens - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10499688B2 ## CPC - A61M 11/042: {electrical} - A24F 40/50: Control or monitoring - A24F 40/51: Arrangement of sensors - A61M 15/06: Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes - H05B 1/0244: {Heating of fluids (H05B1/0247 takes precedence)} - A24F 40/10: Devices using liquid inhalable precursors - A61M 2016/0024: {with an on-off output signal, e.g. from a switch} - A61M 2016/0039: {in the inspiratory circuit} - A61M 2205/3372: Temperature compensation - A61M 2205/8206: battery-operated - A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)} - 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 vapor provision system includes a vaporizer for vaporizing liquid for inhalation by a user of the electronic vapor provision system; a power supply comprising a cell or battery for supplying power to the vaporizer; a sensor for measuring the rate of airflow through the electronic vapor provision system as a result of the inhalation by the user; and a control unit for controlling the power supplied to the vaporizer based on a cumulative airflow for this inhalation by the user, wherein the cumulative airflow is determined based on the measurements of airflow rate by the sensor. Such a system allows the user control over the amount of vaporized liquid obtained in a given inhalation based on the cumulative airflow for the given inhalation. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic vapor provision system including: a vaporizer configured to vaporize liquid for inhalation by a user of the electronic vapor provision system; a power supply comprising a cell or battery and configured to supply power to the vaporizer; a sensor configured to measure the rate of airflow through the electronic vapor provision system as a result of a single inhalation by the user; and a control unit configured to control the power supplied to the vaporizer for the single inhalation by the user, wherein during each iteration of time within the single inhalation the electronic vapor provision system is adapted to: measure the current airflow rate at the sensor; update a cumulative airflow by summing the measurements of current airflow rate by the sensor so far during all iterations of time within the single inhalation; and control, by the control unit, the power supplied to the vaporizer based on the updated cumulative airflow for the most recent iteration of time within the single inhalation and a desired relationship between the cumulative airflow for the single inhalation and amount of vapor output to the user for the single inhalation; thereby allowing the user control over the amount of vaporized liquid obtained in an individual single inhalation based on the cumulative airflow for that individual single inhalation. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic vapor provision system of claim 1, wherein the vaporizer is a heater which is supplied with power from the power supply to heat and thereby vaporize the liquid for inhalation by a user based upon a signal provided by the controller. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electronic vapor provision system of claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the power supplied to the heater to control the temperature of the heater. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electronic vapor provision system of claim 1, wherein the liquid is nicotine. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electronic vapor provision system of claim 1, wherein the sensor for measuring the rate of airflow measures a pressure drop, and the control unit estimates a measured airflow rate from the measured pressure drop. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electronic vapor provision system of claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the cumulative airflow based on the measurements of airflow rate by the sensor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electronic vapor provision system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured so that a cumulative vapor output within the single inhalation is maintained approximately proportional to the cumulative airflow. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electronic vapor provision system of claim 1, wherein the system controls the power supplied to the vaporizer based on (i) the measured airflow rate A(t), (ii) the desired relationship between the cumulative airflow for the given inhalation and the amount of vaporized liquid provided to the user for the given inhalation, and (iii) a system relationship between the power input to the vaporizer and the amount of vaporized liquid produced by the vaporizer. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electronic vapor provision system of claim 1, wherein the system controls the power supplied to the vaporizer based at least on a predicted cumulative airflow, wherein the predicted cumulative airflow is derived from the measured rate of airflow for the given inhalation and a predetermined model for a puff profile. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The electronic vapor provision system of claim 1, wherein the system controls the power supplied to the vaporizer to provide the user with a real-time response in terms of amount of vapor output with respect to the cumulative airflow for the inhalation by the user. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The electronic vapor provision system of claim 10, wherein the system controls the power supplied to the vaporizer to provide the user with a real-time response of 0.3 seconds or less. ### Claim 12 A method of operating an electronic vapor provision system including a vaporizer for vaporizing liquid for each of a series of single inhalations by a user of the electronic vapor provision system; a power supply comprising a cell or battery for supplying power to the vaporizer; a sensor and a control unit for iteratively controlling the power supplied to the vaporizer for each of the single inhalations by the user, said method comprising, for each iteration of time within each of the single inhalations: measuring, by the sensor, the current airflow rate through the electronic vapor provision system as a result of the inhalation by the user; updating a cumulative airflow by summing the measurements of current airflow rate by the sensor so far during the inhalation; and controlling, by the control unit, the power supplied to the vaporizer based on the updated cumulative airflow for this iteration and a desired relationship between the cumulative airflow for the inhalation by the user and amount of vapor output to the user for the corresponding single inhalation; thereby allowing the user control over the amount of vaporized liquid obtained in a given inhalation based on the cumulative airflow for the given inhalation. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The electronic vapor provision system of claim 1, wherein the desired relationship between the cumulative airflow for the single inhalation and amount of vapor output to the user for the single inhalation includes: a first stage during which power to the vaporizer is set to 100%; and a second stage following the first stage, in which the controller is configured to power the vaporizer to provide an approximately constant proportion of vapor within the airflow. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising controlling the power supplied to the vaporizer such that during a first stage the power to the vaporizer is set to 100%; and controlling the power supplied to the vaporizer such that during a second stage the power to the vaporizer is controlled to provide an approximately constant proportion of vapor within the airflow.