Field of the invention

The present invention relates to liquid vapori zer devices .

State of the prior art

Electronic cigarettes are devices conceived with the intention of replacing conventional cigarettes reducing the harmful ef fects thereof due to combustion of tobacco .

An electronic cigarette is substantially an electric device which, through a discharge of electric current , heats resistor elements which bring an "e- liquid" to a vaporisation temperature .

The e-liquid is a solution comprising a neutral base of propylene glycol , glycerol and one or more flavours to be added to the base to obtain a specific scent . These flavours are divided into organic, that is flavours extracted directly from the original product such as fruits , tobacco , etc . , and synthetic flavours produced in the laboratory .

Some flavours are prepared to resemble those of tobaccos used in cigarettes , and some of them attempt to mimic speci fic brands of cigarettes . Also available on the market are flavours with speci fic food scents for use in electronic cigarettes , such as for example mint , vanilla, strawberry etc .

Considering such variety of flavours , the points of sale for products for electronic cigarettes normally provide customers with a plurality of reusable electronic cigarette cartridges , each containing a di f ferent flavour, so that a customer, using a battery - so-called box - , may "test" the available flavours before buying them . Due to the restrictive health provisions introduced following the health emergency caused by the Covid- 19 virus , the possibility re-utilising the same cartridge by di f ferent customers was prohibited .

Considering the high cost of providing for a new cartridge for each flavour or scent test for each customer, currently the possibility of testing a flavour or scent before buying it is basically no longer provided for in the points of sale .

Summary of the invention

The obj ect of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned drawback, and with the aim of attaining such obj ect , the invention relates to a liquid vapori zer device whose primary characteristic lies in the fact that it comprises a plurality of vapori zers , wherein each vapori zer includes a tank provided with a vapori zation means for vapori zing the liquid therein, a plurality of switches , such switches being activatable to selectively actuate one of the vapori zation means , wherein the liquid contained in each of the tanks is mixed with a respective speci fic flavour used in liquids for electronic cigarettes , so-called e-liquids .

This allows to provide a plurality of test stations in a point of sale of products for electronic cigarettes , which allow a customer to test , that is smell and "taste" , di f ferent scents or flavours for e-liquids before buying them .

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the vapori zer device according to the invention comprises a bench and/or wall support provided with a console including the vapori zers and the switches , wherein each vapori zer is aligned with one of the switches so as to form a row of test stations .

In a di f ferent embodiment of the invention, the device according to the invention comprises a column support comprising a console including a plurality of vapori zers arranged in two rows , each switch being aligned with the corresponding vapori zer so as to form two rows of stations for selectively vapori zing liquids containing a plurality of flavours .

In a further embodiment o f the invention, the means for vapori zing the liquid comprises an ultrasonic vapori zer including a piezoelectric transducer, the transducer being actuatable by means of a respective switch .

In a further embodiment of the invention, in proximity of each of the vapori zers there is provided for a station for housing the package of the flavour mixed in the liquid contained in the proximal vapori zer .

Furthermore , the invention relates to the use of the aforementioned vapori zer device for providing, in a point of sale of products for electronic cigarettes , a plurality of stations for selectively vapori zing liquids containing a plurality of flavours for e-liquids .

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings , provided purely by way of non-limiting example , wherein :

- figure 1 is a schematic side elevational view of a first embodiment of the device for vapori zing flavours for electronic cigarettes according to the invention,

- figure 2 is a plan view of figure 1 ,

- figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of figure 1 ,

- figure 4 is a schematic side elevational view of a second embodiment of the vapori zer device according to the invention,

- figure 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of figure 4 , and

- figure 6 is a perspective view, in larger scale of a particular device according to the invention .

Detailed description of the invention

Initially with reference to figure 1 , a first embodiment of the liquid vaporizer device according to the invention, comprising a wall support 2 , a base 3 , a plurality of vapori zers 6 , and as many stations 14 each for housing the package of the flavour mixed in the liquid contained in the proximal vapori zer 6 , is indicated in its entirety with 1 . It should be observed that the support 2 could also be of the bench type .

As better observable in figure 2 , on the upper surface of the support 2 there is installed a console 5 , in this case partially consi sting of a plexiglass panel that is removable so as to allow the maintenance of the vapori zers 6 , in which there are arranged, linearly equally spaced along the entire length of the support 2 , five liquid vapori zers 6 , which will be addressed hereinafter, and five button switches 7 , each frontally aligned with one of the vapori zers 6 and provided with a return spring 12 . This allows to provide a row of stations for vapori zing the liquids contained in the five vapori zers 6 as disclosed hereinafter .

Now, with reference to figure 3 , each vapori zer 6 comprises a tank for the liquid 10 provided with vapori zation means . As observable in figure 6 , in the embodiments of the device 1 according to the invention shown in the figures , such vapori zation means consists of an ultrasonic vapori zer 18 which comprises , as generally known, a vibrating membrane 11 and a piezoelectric transducer 16 suitable to drive the membrane 11 in vibration .

When electrically supplied by means of the respective switch 7 and the respective electric connections 9 , the piezoelectric transducer 16 subj ects the membrane 11 to a rapid ultrasonic frequency mechanical oscillation/vibrat ion so as to form microdrops of the liquid contained in the respective tank 10 and in contact with the membra 11 , which are therefore atomised and proj ected into the surrounding environment .

It should be observed that various vapori zation means fall within the scope of protection of the present invention . For example , the liquid vapori zer means could be a device of the cartomi zer provided with a fan which pushes the vapour to the external of the respective tank 10 creating a vapour cloud .

Conveniently, according to the invention, in each tank 10 there is contained a liquid, for example water, mixed with a speci fic flavour used in liquids for electronic cigarettes , so-called e-liquids . Should the vapori zer means for example be of the cartomi zer type , the liquid contained in each tank could be a solution comprising a neutral base of propylene glycol and glycerol .

Figure 4 shows a further embodiment of the device 1 according to the invention, comprising a column support 12 , provided with a base 15 , and a parallelepiped-shaped upper portion 13 on which a console 5 is installed .

Linearly equally spaced on two rows , on the console 5 there are arranged ten liquid vapori zers 6 , each of which, as observable in figure 5 , comprises a tank 10 , a means 18 for vaporising the liquid contained therein, (visible in figure 6 ) , and a proximal switch 7 for actuating the vapori zer means 18 through electric connections 9 .

In proximity of each of the vapori zers 6 there is provided for a station 14 provided to house the package of the flavour for electronic cigarettes mixed in the liquid contained in the proximal tank 10.

Also in this embodiment, the means for vaporizing the liquid consist of ultrasonic vaporizers 18 of the type defined previously. Also in this case, various vaporization means fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Thanks to the aforementioned embodiment of the vaporizer device 1 according to the invention, there may be provided for two rows stations for vaporizing the liquids contained in the ten vaporizers 6 so as to provide a device 1 for vaporizing up to ten different flavours for e-liquids.

Now, herein described is a method of how to use the device 1 according to the invention.

When a user, in a point of sale, wants to test a flavour or scent for e-liquids before buying it, the user may access one of the stations of the vaporizer device 1 according to the invention, approach the vaporizer 6 in which there is contained a specific flavour or scent and, by pressing the button 7 corresponding to such vaporizer 6, the user can vaporize the liquid contained therein and smell and "taste" the specific flavour thereof.

Subsequently, the user may move to a different station of the device 1 according to the invention so as to test a different flavour or scent.

Thanks to this solution idea, a user may therefore test different flavours for e-liquids without the need to use an electronic cigarette, therefore complying with the health provisions in force introduced due to the health emergency caused by the Covid-19 virus.

Obviously, the construction details and the embodiments may widely vary with respect to what has been described and illustrated, without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention as defined in the claims that follow. Therefore, for example, the general conformation of the supports 2, 12 and/or the arrangement of the vaporizers 6 on the console 5 could be different from the one shown in the drawings.