Personal vaporizing inhaler with adjustable airway

Abstract

A personal vaporizing inhaler having an airway that is adjustable without disassembly of the vaporizer device. Such a vaporizer may include a hollow shell having an opening at one end ending in a mouthpiece, and having at least one air passage in the side of the hollow shell; a rotatable rotary air valve disposed within the hollow shell having an air passage that can be brought into alignment with the air passage of the hollow shell and at least one rotary valve connector, and a build deck having a heating element and at least one build deck connector configured to interface with the rotary valve connector such that rotating the build deck rotates the rotary air valve. The alignment between the air passages of the rotary air valve and the hollow shell may be adjustable in order to allow more or less air into the vaporizer.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A personal vaporizing inhaler, comprising:
 a hollow shell having an opening at the dorsal end, the hollow shell having at least one air passage disposed on a lateral side of the hollow shell;   a rotary air valve disposed within the hollow shell and rotatable within the hollow shell, the rotary air valve having at least one air passage disposed on a lateral side of the rotary air valve, the rotary air valve comprising at least one rotary valve connector, the at least one rotary valve connector configured to interface with at least one build deck connector of a build deck such that a rotational force applied to the build deck produces a corresponding rotational force in the rotary air valve;   wherein the at least one air passage of the hollow shell and the at least one air passage of the rotary air valve are rotationally alignable, by rotational alignment of the air valve, between an aligned state, a partially aligned state, and a non-aligned state.   
     
     
         2 . The personal vaporizing inhaler of  claim 1 , further comprising a mouthpiece coupled to the opening at the dorsal end of the hollow shell. 
     
     
         3 . The personal vaporizing inhaler of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one air passage of the rotary air valve comprises a rectangular hole extending through the rotary air valve from an inner surface of the rotary air valve to an outer surface of the rotary air valve. 
     
     
         4 . The personal vaporizing inhaler of  claim 3 , wherein the rectangular hole has a dorsal edge and a ventral edge, the dorsal edge being parallel to a plane of a dorsal surface of the rotary air valve and the ventral edge being parallel to a plane of a ventral surface of the rotary air valve. 
     
     
         5 . The personal vaporizing inhaler of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one air passage of the hollow shell comprises at least one slot having a first end disposed at a first radial position of the hollow shell and a second end disposed at a second radial position of the hollow shell different from the first radial position. 
     
     
         6 . The personal vaporizing inhaler of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one rotary valve connector comprises a slot configured to accept a tab adapted to interface with the slot. 
     
     
         7 . The personal vaporizing inhaler of  claim 6 , wherein the slot is disposed at a ventral end of the rotary air valve and extends inward in a dorsal direction, and wherein the slot extends through the rotary air valve from an inner surface of the rotary air valve to an outer surface of the rotary air valve. 
     
     
         8 . The personal vaporizing inhaler of  claim 1 , wherein the rotary air valve is rotatable over a limited span. 
     
     
         9 . The personal vaporizing inhaler of  claim 1 , wherein the rotary air valve is freely rotatable. 
     
     
         10 . The personal vaporizing inhaler of  claim 1 , wherein a hollow inner portion of the hollow shell is round, and wherein the rotary air valve is concentrically disposed within the hollow inner portion of the hollow shell. 
     
     
         11 . The personal vaporizing inhaler of  claim 1 , wherein a hollow inner portion of the hollow shell is a polygonal shape, and wherein the rotary air valve is placed so as to be inscribed within the polygonal shape. 
     
     
         12 . The personal vaporizing inhaler of  claim 1 , further comprising a heating element adjustable between a plurality of levels of output, the plurality of levels of output comprising at least a high heat output setting and a low heat output setting. 
     
     
         13 . The personal vaporizing inhaler of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of heating elements configured to be selectively operated. 
     
     
         14 . A method of using a personal vaporizing inhaler, the personalized vaporizing inhaler comprising a hollow shell having a mouthpiece disposed on a dorsal end and an opening at a ventral end and at least one air passage disposed on a lateral side of the hollow shell, and a rotary air valve having at least one air passage disposed on a lateral side of the rotary air valve and comprising at least one rotary valve connector disposed on a ventral side of the rotary air valve, the method comprising:
 inserting the rotary air valve into the opening of the ventral end of the hollow shell, such that a ventral inner surface of the hollow shell contacts a dorsal end of the rotary air valve; and   rotationally adjusting the rotary air valve such that the at least one air passage of the hollow shell is at least partially aligned with the at least one air passage of the rotary air valve.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 inserting a build deck, the build deck having at least one build deck connector disposed on a dorsal end of the build deck, into the opening of the ventral end of the hollow shell following the insertion of the rotary air valve;   aligning the at least one build deck connector of the build deck with the at least one rotary valve connector of the rotary air valve such that the at least one build deck connector of the build deck interfaces with the at least one rotary valve connector of the rotary air valve; and   wherein the step of rotationally adjusting the rotary air valve comprises applying a rotational force to the build deck so as to produce a corresponding rotational force in the rotary air valve.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the build deck further comprises a connection to a battery and at least one heating element, and wherein the method further comprises:
 placing a quantity of liquid material in proximity to the at least one heating element; and   vaporizing, with the heating element, a portion of the quantity of liquid material.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step of vaporizing, with the heating element, a portion of the quantity of liquid material further comprises activating a switch to activate the heating element, and wherein the switch comprises at least one of a physical switch or an electroconductive switch. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the heating element is provided with multiple settings, the multiple settings of the heating element comprising a low setting and a high setting; and
 wherein the method further comprises operating the heating element at a high setting only when the at least one air passage of the hollow shell is fully aligned with the at least one air passage of the rotary air valve.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the build deck further comprises at least a first and second post separated by an air gap and a resistive element connected to the first and the second post and spanning the air gap; and
 wherein the step of placing a quantity of liquid material in proximity to the at least one heating element further comprises placing the quantity of liquid material within the air gap.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the at least one rotary valve connector comprises a slot and wherein the at least one build deck connector comprises a tab adapted to interface with the slot; and
 wherein the step of aligning the at least one build deck connector of the build deck with the at least one rotary valve connector of the rotary air valve comprises inserting the tab into the slot such that an edge of the tab is in contact with an edge of the slot.