Electronic cigarette with encoded cartridge

Abstract

An electronic cigarette with an atomizer cartridge and a battery assembly. The atomizer cartridge has an atomizer coupled to a first and second terminal of a cartridge interface. A passive electrical circuit is coupled between the first terminal and a sensing terminal. The battery assembly has an interface with a first, second, and sensing contact. The interface engages the cartridge interface to provide electrical continuity between the terminals and contacts. The battery assembly has an atomizer drive circuit connected between the first and second contact, and a controller that activates the atomizer drive circuit in response to negative pressure at a draw sensor. A sensing circuit coupled to the sensing contact outputs a parameter signal indicative of the electrical parameters of the passive electrical circuit. The controller activates an RGB LED to produce discrete colors of light corresponding to discrete values of the parameter signal.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic cigarette apparatus, comprising:
 an atomizer cartridge, further comprising;
 a cartridge interface having three electrical terminals, consisting of a first terminal, a second terminal, and a sensing terminal; 
 an atomizer coupled to said first terminal and a said second terminal of a said cartridge interface; 
 a first resistor, coupled between said first terminal and a said sensing terminal of said cartridge interface, and 
 
 a battery assembly, further comprising;
 an assembly interface having a first contact, a second contact, and a sensing contact, and adapted to engage said cartridge interface to supportively engage said atomizer cartridge to said battery assembly while providing electrical continuity between corresponding terminals and contacts; 
 a second resistor disposed within said battery assembly and coupled between said sensing contact and said second contact, thusly forming a voltage divider circuit with said first resistor; 
 an atomizer drive circuit coupled between said second contact and said first contact; 
 a controller coupled to a draw sensor, and operable to activate said atomizer drive circuit in response to negative pressure detected by said draw sensor; 
 a sensing circuit coupled to said sensing contact and said controller, which generates a parameter signal indicative of a divided voltage at said sensing contact that results from said voltage divider circuit formed by said first resistor and said second resistor; 
 a multi-color light source coupled to said controller, and wherein 
 said controller activates said multi-color light source to produce discrete colors of light corresponding to discrete values of said divided voltage. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , and wherein:
 said sensing circuit is an analog to digital converter. 
 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 1 , and wherein:
 said sensing circuit comprises a bridge circuit. 
 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 1 , and wherein:
 said sensing circuit comprises an inductance, capacitance, and resistance meter. 
 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 1 , and wherein:
 discrete values of said first resistor and said second resistor correspond to discrete flavors of said atomizer cartridge. 
 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 1 , and wherein:
 said first resistor indicates the flavor of said atomizer cartridge, and said second resistor indicates nicotine concentration of said atomizer cartridge. 
 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 1 , and wherein:
 said sensing circuit is an analog to digital circuit that outputs a digital word having a value corresponding to the value of said divided voltage. 
 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 1 , and wherein:
 said multi-colored light source comprises plural light emitting diodes. 
 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 1 , and wherein:
 said multicolored light source is comprised of a red-green-blue light emitting diode. 
 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an actuator coupled to said controller, and wherein said controller is responsive to actuation of said actuator to alter said discrete colors of light that are produced corresponding to said discrete values of said divided voltage. 
 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 10 , and wherein:
 said discrete colors of light are altered to correspond with colors associated with each discrete flavor. 
 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 10 , and wherein:
 said controller alters said discrete colors of light to be randomly selected upon each negative pressure detection by said draw sensor. 
 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 10 , and wherein: said discrete colors of light are altered to be amber for all of said discrete values of said divided voltage. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 10 , and wherein: said discrete colors of light are altered to be blue for all of said discrete values of said divided voltage. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 10 , and wherein:
 said discrete colors of light are altered to be inactive for all of said discrete values of said divided voltage. 
 
     
     
       16. An electronic cigarette apparatus, comprising:
 an atomizer cartridge, comprising;   a cartridge interface having three electrical terminals, consisting of a first terminal, a second terminal, and a sensing terminal;   an atomizer coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal of the cartridge interface; and   a first resistor, coupled between the first terminal and the sensing terminal of the cartridge interface, and   a battery assembly, comprising;   an assembly interface having a first contact, a second contact, and a sensing contact, and the assembly interface configured to couple with the cartridge interface in order to engage the atomizer cartridge to the battery assembly while providing electrical continuity between corresponding terminals and contacts;   a second resistor disposed within the battery assembly and coupled between the sensing contact and the second contact, the second resistor forming a voltage divider circuit with the first resistor;   an atomizer drive circuit coupled between the second contact and the first contact;   a controller coupled to a draw sensor, the controller configured to activate the atomizer drive circuit in response to a negative pressure detected by the draw sensor;   a sensing circuit coupled to the sensing contact and the controller, the sensing circuit configured to generate a parameter signal indicative of a divided voltage at the sensing contact that results from the voltage divider circuit formed by the first resistor and the second resistor.   
     
     
       17. An electronic cigarette apparatus, comprising:
 an atomizer cartridge, comprising:   a cartridge interface having a first terminal, a second terminal, and a sensing terminal;   an atomizer coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal of the cartridge interface;   a first resistor coupled between the first terminal and the sensing terminal of the cartridge interface; and   a battery assembly, comprising:   an assembly interface having a first contact, a second contact, and a sensing contact, the assembly interface configured to engage with the cartridge interface to supportively engage the atomizer cartridge with the battery assembly while providing electrical continuity between corresponding terminals and contacts;   a second resistor disposed within the battery assembly, the second resistor coupled between the sensing contact and the second contact to form a voltage divider circuit with the first resistor;   an atomizer drive circuit coupled between the first contact and the second contact;   a controller coupled to a draw sensor, the controller configured to activate the atomizer drive circuit in response to the draw sensor detecting a negative pressure; and   a sensing circuit coupled to the sensing contact and the controller, the sensing circuit configured detect, at the sensing contact, a divided output from the voltage divider circuit, and generate a parameter signal indicative of the divided voltage.   
     
     
       18. The electronic cigarette apparatus of claim 17, wherein the controller is further coupled to a wireless interface and radio for communicating with an application at a mobile device. 
     
     
       19. The electronic cigarette apparatus of claim 18, wherein at least a portion of data collected by the controller is sent to the application via the wireless interface and radio, and wherein the application controls, based on at least the portion of the data, one or more functionalities of the apparatus. 
     
     
       20. The electronic cigarette apparatus of claim 19, wherein the data includes one or more of a flavor of the atomizer cartridge, a nicotine content of the atomizer cartridge, a quantity of puffs associated with the atomizer cartridge, and a duration of each puff associated with the atomizer cartridge. 
     
     
       21. The electronic cigarette apparatus of claim 19, wherein the data includes a first usage data associated with a first atomizer cartridge currently coupled with the apparatus and/or a second usage data associated with a second atomizer cartridge previously coupled with the apparatus. 
     
     
       22. The electronic cigarette apparatus of claim 19, wherein the application includes a user interface displaying at least a result of the application analyzing at least the portion of the data. 
     
     
       23. The electronic cigarette apparatus of claim 18, wherein the wireless interface and radio operate in accordance with a Bluetooth protocol or a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol. 
     
     
       24. The electronic cigarette apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:
 a multi-color light source coupled with the controller, the controller activating the multi-color light source to produce one or more colors of light corresponding to one or more values of the divided voltage.   
     
     
       25. The electronic cigarette apparatus of claim 24, wherein each value of the divided voltage corresponds to a flavor and/or a nicotine content of the atomizer cartridge.