The present invention relates to vaporiser, for inhaling (vaping) vapours of a liquid, which liquid may for example contain nicotine or nicotine derivatives.

Vaping devices now predominantly fall into one of two categories. The first category comprises vaping devices which are generally intended to be completely reusable and are commonly referred to as vape kits. These are normally relatively large in size and have both a relatively large battery and reservoir for a liquid to be vaporised, which reservoir is usually arranged to be refilled. Here, the heating element and wick are not intended to be disposable items and subsequently these may fail and need to be periodically replaced. Thus these“vape kits” may be considered as more of an enthusiasts or professional device and they are relatively expensive.

The second category of vaping device comprises more simple and less expensive devices. These usually have a reusable casing or main body holding a battery, which casing is arranged to receive a separate disposable pod at an upper end, which pod is pushed into the top of the casing. Electrical contacts on the pod, for energising a heating element in the pod, then make contact with the electrical contacts in the casing. These contacts are switchably connected to the battery within the casing.

With this second category of vaping device, the pod is intended to be disposable together with the wick and heating element, which form part of the pod. The pod may be selected from one of a number of interchangeable pods containing liquids of different strengths or flavours.

The pod normally has a central chimney extending from an upstream opening in the bottom of the pod to a downstream opening in the top of the pod, which downstream opening is in the form of a mouthpiece through which mouthpiece air can be sucked from the upstream opening at the bottom of the pod through the chimney. The chimney is normally surrounded by a reservoir of the liquid to be vaporised, with a wick, typically of cotton, silica or ceramic extending across the bottom portion of the chimney and through a hole in the wall of the chimney to the reservoir. The heating element, which is normally in the form of a coil wrapped around the wick, is connected to contacts on the bottom of the pod which make contact with the contacts in the casing, to enable the coil to be energised to vaporise the liquid in the wick for inhaling through the mouthpiece.

This type of vaping device is popular due to its ease of use and compactness.

The present invention is applicable to vaporisers of both the above types and to both disposable (non-refillable) or refillable pods.

According to the present invention there is provided a handheld vaporiser arranged to be used in a generally upright orientation for vaping, the vaporiser comprising: a reservoir for a liquid to be vaporised; a first passage extending through the vaporiser through which air may be drawn from an upstream opening of the vaporiser to a downstream opening of the vaporiser; a chimney forming at least a part of the first passage; a wick in the chimney arranged to receive liquid from the reservoir; a heating element for heating liquid in the wick to vaporise it and create vapour in the chimney; and a flow sensor connected to the first passage at a point upstream of the wick and arranged to detect the flow of air through the vaporiser in order to, at least in part, control operation of the heating element, characterised in that both the downstream opening of the vaporiser and the flow sensor are above the level of the wick when the vaporiser is in the generally upright orientation.

The present invention, in providing a flow sensor connected to the first passage upstream of the wick, may enable the flow sensor, or any passage leading to the flow sensor, to be connected to the passage through the vaporiser at a point remote from a mouthpiece for the vaporiser. This makes it less likely that the flow sensor, or a passage leading to it, will become contaminated by saliva from a user, which could result in malfunction and thus improper control of the heating element, possibly resulting in an unpleasant vaping experience, or a failure of the vaporiser.

In addition to the above, in providing a flow sensor connected to the passage upstream of the wick, the present invention should result in the flow sensor, or any passage leading to the flow sensor, being upstream of the vapour generated at the wick, thus avoiding or reducing contamination of the flow sensor, or any passage leading to it, by the vapour generated, which again could result in malfunction and thus improper control of the heating element, possibly resulting in an unpleasant vaping experience, or a failure of the vaporiser.

These advantageous effects are also obtained by providing both the downstream opening of the vaporiser and the flow sensor at positions above the level of the wick when the vaporiser is in the generally upright orientation.

In preferred embodiments, the flow sensor may be connected to the first passage by a second passage, the second passage connecting with the first passage, when the vaporiser is in the generally upright orientation, at a point below the level of the wick and extending to the flow sensor located above the level of the wick. In such embodiments, the second passage may connect to the first passage at a point just upstream of the wick, where the pressure in the first passage will be approximately the same as the pressure at the wick when air is being drawn through the first passage during normal operation of the vaporiser.

In alternative embodiments, the passage may have a downwardly inclined or vertical section through which, in use, air flows downwardly when being drawn from the upstream opening to the downstream opening and the flow sensor is

connected to the passage at a point upstream of at least a part of said section. In this manner the flow sensor, or a passage leading to it, will not only be upstream of the wick, but will also be upstream of a low point in the passage leading to the wick. Thus any saliva, condensed vapour, condensed water or non-vaporised liquid escaping from the wick, should collect at the low point prior to reaching and thus possibly contaminating the flow sensor, or any passage leading to the flow sensor.

In such alternative embodiments, the flow sensor may be connected to the first passage by a second passage, the second passage connecting with the first passage at a point upstream of said section. This makes it possible to locate the flow sensor remotely from the first passage, at a location convenient to the designer.

In embodiments of the present invention comprising a second passage connecting the flow sensor to the first passage, the second passage will normally be closed at one end where it is connected to the flow sensor. Thus air will not normally be drawn through the second passage, but instead this will effectively communicate a pressure drop in the first passage to the remotely located flow sensor.

The term flow sensor is used in the context of the present specification, including the claims, to refer to any sensor able to determine that air or vapour is flowing through the passage, thus that a user is inhaling through the vaporiser. Many different sensor types may be able to perform this flow sensing, for example the flow sensor may comprise a pressure sensor arranged to detect a change in pressure as a result of air being drawn through the downstream opening of the vaporiser.

The vaporiser may comprise of a main body and a replaceable pod arranged to be inserted into the main body, the pod having a top and a bottom and comprising: the reservoir for the liquid to be vaporised; at least a portion of the first passage; an upstream opening of the pod; a downstream opening of the pod; the chimney; the wick; and the heating element.

The flow sensor may be located in the main body remote from the pod, wherein the portion of the first passage which extends through the pod has a downwardly inclined or vertical section located in the pod, through which section, in use, air flows downwardly when being drawn from the upstream opening of the pod to the downstream opening of the pod. The flow sensor may then be connected to the first passage in the pod by a second passage in the pod, wherein the main body is arranged to seal with pod so as to connect the second passage to the flow sensor in the main body.

In the above described arrangement, the flow sensor may be connected to the first passage in the pod without requiring the flow sensor to be located in the pod. This is advantageous as the flow sensor may be located with other electronic components, such as a switch and battery, in the main body, with electrical contacts only then being necessary to connect with the heating element in the pod. This is particularly the case where the pod is disposable; avoiding the need to replace the flow sensor each time a pod is disposed of, or replaced by another.

In the above described arrangement the chimney forming at least part of the first passage can extend substantially vertically in the pod between an upper end at the downstream opening of the pod and a lower end towards the bottom of the pod. The wick and heating element may then be located towards the bottom of the chimney, a first passage in the pod extends from the bottom of the chimney to an opening in the top of the pod or towards the top of the pod, a second passage in the pod extends from the bottom of the chimney to the to a second opening in the top of the pod or towards the top of the pod, and the pod may be arranged to be mounted in the main body in one of two possible orientations, whereby in a first orientation the first passage in the pod forms part of the first passage, and the second passage in the pod forms the second passage sealed to the flow sensor in the main body and whereby, in a second orientation different to the first orientation, the second passage in the pod forms part of the first passage, and the first passage in the pod forms the second passage sealed to the flow sensor in the main body. The immediately above described arrangement is particularly advantageous where the first passage in the pod and first opening in the pod provide a different resistance to the drawing of air there through than do the second passage in the pod and second opening in the pod, as this may enable a different flow rate may be experienced by a user, depending on which way around the pod is inserted into the main body. Thus they may select the orientation of the pod in the main body depending on their preference.

The vaporiser may further comprise a mouth piece mounted on the main body which mouthpiece forms the downstream opening of the vaporiser, the vaporiser further comprising a seal between the main body and the pod to seal a passage from the mouthpiece on the main body to the downstream outlet of the pod.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures, of which:

Figure 1 A is an elevation of a front edge of a vaporiser in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 1 B is a side elevation of the vaporiser of Figure 1 A;

Figure 2 is a first perspective view of the vaporiser of Figures 1 A and 1 B with the pod removed;

Figure 3 is a second perspective view of the vaporiser of Figures 1 A and 1 B with the pod removed;

Figure 4 is a top perspective view of a pod of the vaporiser of Figures 1 A and 1 B;

Figure 5 is a bottom perspective view of the pod of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is the bottom perspective view corresponding to Figure 5, but with the base portion of the pod removed;

Figure 7 is a top perspective view of the base portion removed from the pod shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is an exploded view showing the components of the pod of Figure

4;

Figure 9 is a cross-section through the pod of Figure 4; Figure 10 is a side elevation of the main body of the vaporiser of Figure 2, schematically illustrating the location of the flow sensor within the main body; and

Figures 11 schematically illustrates the connection of the electrical components of the vaporiser of Figure 1 to 10

Referring now to Figures 1A and 1 B, here there is illustrated a vaporiser, indicated generally as 1. This comprises a main body 2 for receiving a pod 3, the main body 2 having a mouthpiece 4 screwed into it, by which a user may inhale vapours generated in the vaporiser 1.

Figures 2 and 3 show the main body 2 with the pod 3 removed. In Figure 2 there can be seen a switch 5 for activating the vaporiser and a port 6 for receiving a connector to charge a battery 49 (shown only in Figure 11 ) of the vaporiser 1. Figure 2 also shows, in the region where the pod 3 is received in the main body 1 , a pair of rails 7 for engaging with a bottom surface of the pod 3 and a pair of spring loaded electrical contact pins 8, for contacting a corresponding pair of electrical contacts on the bottom surface of the pod 3.

Referring now to Figure 3, in the region where the pod 3 is received in the main body 2, there is shown: a pair of slots 9 for engaging with a top surface of the pod 3; a seal 10 for sealing an upstream opening (described below) on the pod 3 to a passage 45 (described below) in the main body 2; a spring loaded pin 11 for retaining the pod 3 in place in the main body 2; and a chimney extension portion 12, with a peripheral seal 13, for engaging with a chimney (described below) in the pod 3.

Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, these respectively show top and bottom views of the pod 3 of Figures 1 A and 1 B. The pod 3 comprises a one piece homogeneous moulded clear top portion 14 (seen in Figure 6) with a base portion 15 (shown in Figure 7) extending across a bottom edge of the top portion 14. The top portion 14 and the base portion 15 house a number of further components, as described below with reference to Figures 8 and 9. Returning to Figure 4, an upper face of the top portion 14 is shaped so as to define a pair of rails 17 for engaging corresponding slots 9 in the main body, seen in Figure 3. Also formed in the upper face 16 of the pod 3 is an opening 18, which is a downstream opening for air/vapour exiting a chimney 40 formed in the top portion 14 of the pod 3, which chimney 40 is described below with reference to Figure 9.

The upper face 16 of the top portion 14 has two recesses 19 and 20, a respective one of which (depending on the orientation of the pod 3) will engage with the spring loaded pin 11 of Figure 3, to retain the pod 3 in position within the main body 2.

Extending through the upper face 16 of the top portion 14 of the pod 3 is a small opening 21 and a slightly larger opening 22. Through either of these openings 21 or 22, air may be drawn into the pod, by air being drawn through the pod and out of the downstream opening 18. The seal 10, shown in Figure 3, is arranged to seal with and therefore close one of these opening 21 or 22, depending on which way round the pod 3 is received in the main body 2.

Referring now to Figure 5, this shows a bottom view of the pod 3 and particularly a lower face 23 of the base portion 15 of the pod 3. This has a pair of slots 24 formed in it which engage with the rails 7 of the main body 2, shown in Figure 2, to permit the pod 3 to slide into the main body 2. Also in the lower face 23 are positioned two electrical contacts 25, for connecting with the corresponding electrical contacts 8 of Figure 2.

Referring now to Figure 6, this perspective view from below the top portion 14 of the pod 3, with the base portion 15 removed, reveals one of two partition walls 26 and 27 (27 can be seen from Figure 9) which extend from the position seen in Figure 6 to the top of the top portion 14. (The other partition wall 27, not seen in Figure 6, is identical but is opposed to the partition wall 26). Referring now to Figure 7, this shows a top perspective view of base portion 15 of the pod 3, with the top portion 14 removed. This is a one piece moulding and seals with a bottom edge of the top portion 14. As represented by pairs of arrows 28 and 29, air may pass through respective passages 30 and 31 formed in the base portion 14, from peripheral outer regions of the base portion 15 to an inner region 32. The purpose of these passages 30 and 31 will become apparent from the description below of Figures 9 and 10.

Referring first to Figure 8, this shows the top portion 14 and base portion 15, previously described with reference to Figures 6 and 7 respectively. The additional components shown comprise the contacts 25, seen in Figure 5, a seal 33 for sealing the base portion 15 with a lower edge of the top portion 14, seals 34 for sealing respective ones of the contacts 25 in the base portion 15, a further seal 35 for extending across the top of and sealing with the top of the base portion 15, a ceramic wick 36, a coiled heating element 37 wound on the wick 36, a holder 38 for the wick 36 and a further seal 39 for sealing the top of the holder 38 with the bottom of the chimney 40, as shown in the Figure 9 cross-section of the assembled components.

When the pod 3 is assembled, as shown in Figure 9, the chimney 40 and partition walls 26 and 27, together with the seal 35, form an annular reservoir 41 about the chimney 40, which reservoir 41 is filled with a liquid 42 to be vaporised. The partition walls 26 and 27 also define respective passages 26a and 27a which connect respective openings 21 and 22 in the upper face 16 with respective passages 30 and 31 in the base portion 15 of the pod 3.

The liquid 42 is in contact with the wick 36, which extends into the reservoir 41. This liquid in the wick is heated by the heating element 37, in order to vaporise it. The heating element is operated by the switch 5 shown in Figure 2 and provides electrical energy from a battery within the main body to the contacts 8 of Figure 2, which are in electrical contact with the contacts 25 in the base portion 15. With reference to Figure 10, there is shown, in broken line, the position of the chimney extension portion 12 running through an upper portion of the main body 2. When the pod 3 is inserted in the main body 3, as shown, the seal 13 at the bottom end of the chimney extension portion 12 engages and seals with the upper face 16 of the pod 3, about the downstream opening 18 in the pod 3, connecting the chimney 40 with the mouthpiece 4.

Also shown in broken line in Figure 10 is a pressure sensor 44 located in the main body 2. The pressure sensor 44 is connected, by a passage 45 in the main body 2 and the seal 10, to a respective one of the openings 21 or 22 in the upper face of the pod 3 and thus to one of the respective passages 26a or 27a of the pod as shown in Figure 9.

Referring to Figure 11 , this shows schematically the electrical circuit, indicated generally as 50, and the interconnection of the electrical components of the vaporiser 1. These comprise the heating element 37 coiled on the wick 36, which heating element 37 is connected across the terminals of battery 49 by the manually operable switch 5 and the pressure switch 44. The switches 5 and 44 are arranged in series, so that both need to be closed to energise the heating element 37 in order to vaporise liquid in the wick 36.

In operation, a user will close the switch 5, then inhale at the mouthpiece 4, drawing air (as represented by the arrows 46 of Figure 10) up the chimney 40 to the mouthpiece 4. This draws air through one of the passages 26a, or 27a, (depending on the orientation of the pod 3 in the main body 2) of Figure 9, with air being drawn in to the pod 3 through the respective one of the openings 21 or 22 in the upper face of the pod 3, as represented by the arrow 47 of Figure 10.

Simultaneously, this action lowers the pressure at the base of the chimney 40, which is detected by the pressure sensor 44 being in fluid communication with the base of the chimney 40 via the other of the passages 26a, or 27a, and the passage 45 in the main body 2, as represented by the arrows 48 of Figure 10. The pressure sensor 44 then in effect functions as a flow sensor, detecting the flow of air up the chimney 40 and closing the circuit 50 of Figure 11 in response thereto. This energises the heating element 37, causing liquid to be vaporised from the wick 36 as air is drawn up the chimney 40. Then, when the user finishes inhaling and the flow up the chimney stops, the pressure at the base of the chimney falls, causing the pressure sensor 44 to open the circuit 50 of Figure 11 , disconnecting the heating element 37.

As will be appreciated, only one of the openings 21 or 22 will be open, for the other will be closed by the seal 10, shown in Figures 3 and 10, sealing it to the pressure sensor 44 via the passage 45. Thus, the flow of air will be restricted by the size of the openings, either 21 or 22, depending with which orientation the pod 3 is inserted into the main body 2. Thus, a user may select, by inserting the pod in a particular orientation, the amount of vapour that will be drawn through the pod for a given inhaling force.

The pressure sensor 44 could be any type of sensor arrangement suitable for detecting air flowing through the pod 3. Flowever, regardless of the detector type, locating the sensor 44, or connecting the sensor 44 to the flow path through the pod upstream of the wick 36 and above the level of the wick 36 (when the vaporiser 1 is in the generally upright orientation) reduces the exposure of the sensor to the vapour generated. It also makes it less likely that the sensor will come into contact with any saliva received through the mouthpiece. In addition, because the sensor is mounted above the point at which it connects to the flow path through the pod, any liquid or saliva will accumulate at the bottom of the chimney 40 and thus not contaminate the sensor 44.

Many modifications are possible to the embodiments disclosed, in particular the present invention has been described above with reference to a vaporiser having a replaceable pod, however the invention is equally applicable to vaporising devices not having a separate pod. Also, in the embodiments illustrated, the pod shown may be inserted with one of two possible orientations. Flowever, it will be appreciated that where a vaporiser does comprise a pod of the general type illustrated, the pod could be arranged to be inserted in the main body with one orientation only. The scope of the invention should thus be determined by reference to the following claims.