# US 10,500,600 B2 · Gesture recognition user interface for an aerosol delivery device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,500,600 B2 - Document ID: US10500600B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/565,137 - Filed: 2014-12-09 - Published: 2016-06-09 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2014-12-09 - Assignees: RAI Strategic Holdings, Inc. - Applicants: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company - Inventors: Raymond Charles Henry, Jr.; Wilson Christopher Lamb; Mark Randall Stone; Glen Joseph Kimsey; Frederic Philippe Ampolini - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10500600B2 ## CPC - B05B 12/08: responsive to condition of liquid or other fluent material {to be} discharged, of ambient medium or of target {; responsive to condition of spray devices or of supply means, e.g. pipes, pumps or their drive means} - A24F 40/51: Arrangement of sensors - A24F 40/53: Monitoring, e.g. fault detection - F22B 1/284: {with water in reservoirs} - G05B 15/02: electric - A24F 40/10: Devices using liquid inhalable precursors - A24F 40/65: Devices with integrated communication means, e.g. wireless communication means - B05B: SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES (spray-mixers with nozzles B01F25/72; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces by spraying B05D) - A24F: SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES (inhaling appliances for medical purposes, shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes A61M15/06) - F22B: METHODS OF STEAM GENERATION; STEAM BOILERS - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) ## Abstract An aerosol delivery device is provided that includes a housing, motion sensor and microprocessor. The motion sensor is within the housing and configured to detect a defined motion of the aerosol delivery device caused by user interaction with the housing to perform a gesture. The motion sensor may be configured to convert the defined motion to an electrical signal. The microprocessor or motion sensor, then, may be configured to receive the electrical signal, recognize the gesture and an operation associated with the gesture based on the electrical signal, and control at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to perform the operation. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An aerosol delivery device comprising: a housing; a microprocessor; and a motion sensor within the housing and configured to detect a defined motion of the aerosol delivery device caused by user interaction to trace a character with the housing and thereby perform a gesture, the motion sensor being configured to convert the defined motion to an electrical signal that conveys data about the defined motion of the aerosol delivery device, the data including samples of velocity of the aerosol delivery device, or data from which the samples of velocity are determinable, wherein the microprocessor is configured to receive the electrical signal, recognize the character and thereby the gesture, and an operation associated with the gesture, based on the electrical signal, and control at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to perform the operation, the microprocessor being configured to recognize the character including the microprocessor being configured to recognize a pattern in the samples of velocity, the pattern being associated with the character and thereby the gesture, the character and thereby the gesture being user-defined for the operation comprising altering a locked state of the aerosol delivery device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the motion sensor includes a tilt sensor, microelectromechanical systems-based (MEMS-based) accelerometer, MEMS -based gyroscope or a combination of one or more thereof. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is configured to recognize the gesture, wherein before the microprocessor is configured to recognize the gesture, the microprocessor is configured to receive user selection of the operation and learn to recognize the gesture with which the operation is associated based on training data conveyed by another electrical signal from the motion sensor, the other electrical signal being converted from a training motion that is the same as or substantially similar to the defined motion. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations that also comprises altering a power state of the aerosol delivery device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The aerosol delivery device of claim 1 further comprising a battery configured to supply power to the aerosol delivery device, wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to control at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to perform another operation of the respective plurality of operations, including the microprocessor being configured to control a sensory-feedback member to provide an indication of a charge-level of the battery. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The aerosol delivery device of claim 1 further comprising a reservoir configured to retain an aerosol precursor composition therein, wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations, and wherein the microprocessor is further configured to control at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to perform another operation of the respective plurality of operations, including the microprocessor being configured to control a sensory-feedback member to provide an indication of a level of the aerosol precursor composition retained in the reservoir. ### Claim 8 A method of controlling operation of an aerosol delivery device including a motion sensor within a housing thereof, and including a microprocessor, the method comprising: detecting with the motion sensor, a defined motion of the aerosol delivery device caused by user interaction to trace a character with the housing and thereby perform a gesture, the motion sensor converting the defined motion to an electrical signal that conveys data about the defined motion of the aerosol delivery device, the data including samples of velocity of the aerosol delivery device, or data from which the samples of velocity are determinable; recognizing with the microprocessor or motion sensor, the character and thereby the gesture, and an operation associated with the gesture, based on the electrical signal, recognizing the character including recognizing a pattern in the samples of velocity, the pattern being associated with the character and thereby the gesture, the character and thereby the gesture being user-defined for the operation comprising altering a locked state of the aerosol delivery device; and controlling at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to perform the operation. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the motion sensor includes a tilt sensor, microelectromechanical systems-based (MEMS-based) accelerometer, MEMS-based gyroscope or a combination of one or more thereof. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the gesture is recognized by the microprocessor, and before the microprocessor recognizes the gesture, the method further comprises: receiving user selection of the operation at the microprocessor; and with the microprocessor, learning to recognize the gesture with which the operation is associated based on training data conveyed by another electrical signal from the motion sensor, the other electrical signal being converted from a training motion that is the same as or substantially similar to the defined motion. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations that also comprises altering a power state of the aerosol delivery device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the aerosol delivery device further includes a battery configured to supply power to the aerosol delivery device, wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations, and wherein the method further comprises controlling at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to perform another operation of the respective plurality of operations, including controlling a sensory-feedback member to provide an indication of a charge-level of the battery. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the aerosol delivery device further includes a reservoir configured to retain an aerosol precursor composition therein, wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations, and wherein the method further comprises controlling at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device to perform another operation of the respective plurality of operations, including controlling a sensory-feedback member to provide an indication of a level of the aerosol precursor composition retained in the reservoir. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the samples of velocity are samples of linear velocity of the aerosol delivery device in each of a plurality of directions. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the character and thereby the gesture is an unlock code to lock or unlock the aerosol delivery device, and wherein the microprocessor is further configured to detect and log a number of times an incorrect unlock code is attempted. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The aerosol delivery device of claim 1 further comprising: a communication interface to enable the aerosol delivery device to connect to a software application on a computing device, wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations, and the respective plurality of gestures include another gesture that causes an interaction between the aerosol delivery device and the software application. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The aerosol delivery device of claim 17, wherein the character and thereby the gesture is an unlock code to lock or unlock the aerosol delivery device, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to detect and log a number of times an incorrect unlock code is attempted, and wherein the other gesture of the respective plurality of gestures causes the interaction through a transfer of an indication of the number of times the incorrect code is attempted, from the aerosol delivery device to the software application. ### Claim 19 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the samples of velocity are samples of linear velocity of the aerosol delivery device in each of a plurality of directions. ### Claim 20 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the character and thereby the gesture is an unlock code to lock or unlock the aerosol delivery device, and wherein the method further comprises detecting and logging a number of times an incorrect unlock code is attempted. ### Claim 21 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 further comprising: connecting the aerosol delivery device to a software application on a computing device, wherein the pattern is one of a plurality of patterns associated with a respective plurality of gestures associated with a respective plurality of operations, and the respective plurality of gestures include another gesture that causes an interaction between the aerosol delivery device and the software application. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the character and thereby the gesture is an unlock code to lock or unlock the aerosol delivery device, wherein the method further comprises detecting and logging a number of times an incorrect unlock code is attempted, and wherein the other gesture of the respective plurality of gestures causes the interaction through a transfer of an indication of the number of times the incorrect code is attempted, from the aerosol delivery device to the software application.