Electronic vaping device and vapor generating apparatus
AssigneeAltria Client Services LLC
InventorLoi Ying Liu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flavored vapor generator (100, 200, 300, 400) used for an electronic smoking apparatus (10) comprises a housing; a liquid retention material (155, 255) which is filled, soaked or immersed with a flavored liquid and received inside the housing; an electric heater (150, 350, 450) for heating the liquid retention material (155, 255) to generate flavored vapor; and a sensor (156, 356, 456) for monitoring soaking or wetness conditions of the liquid retention material (155, 255) and providing signals for determining whether the flavored liquid in the liquid retention material (155, 255) is exhausted or almost exhausted.
Claims16
An electronic vaping device comprising:
- a reservoir configured to store a liquid;
- a wick configured to draw liquid from the reservoir;
- a heater configured to heat the liquid on the wick to generate a vapor;
- and
- a control circuit connected to the heater through a first terminal and a second terminal, the control circuit connected to ends of the wick through a third terminal at a first end of the wick and a fourth terminal at a second end of the wick, the third terminal and the fourth terminal forming a sensor, the control circuit configured to
- measure an electrical resistance of the wick using the sensor, and detect depletion of the liquid in the reservoir based on the electrical resistance of the wick;
- wherein the first terminal, the second terminal, the third terminal and the fourth terminal extend through a base portion of the reservoir.
An electronic vaping device comprising:
- a reservoir configured to store a liquid;
- a wick configured to draw liquid from the reservoir;
- a heater configured to heat the liquid on the wick to generate a vapor;
- and
- a control circuit connected to the heater through a first terminal and a second terminal, the control circuit connected to ends of the wick through a third terminal at a first end of the wick and a fourth terminal at a second end of the wick, the third terminal and the fourth terminal forming a sensor, the control circuit configured to
- measure an electrical resistance of the wick using the sensor, and
- determine whether the liquid on the wick or in the reservoir is at or above an operation threshold value based on the electrical resistance of the wick;
- wherein the first terminal, the second terminal, the third terminal and the fourth terminal extend through a base portion of the reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.