Electronic vapour provision system and method

Abstract

An electronic vapour provision system ‘EVPS’ comprises an aerosol generator configured to generate aerosol for delivery to a user, a timer to measure timings of inhalation actions of the user, and an inhalation prediction processor configured to predict inhalation actions of the user based upon timing measurements from the timer, wherein the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initialise a first predetermined pre-heat mode of the aerosol generator if a predicted inhalation action meets a first predetermined pre-heat criterion.

1 . An electronic vapour provision system ‘EVPS’, comprising:
 an aerosol generator configured to generate aerosol for delivery to a user; 
 a timer to measure timings of inhalation actions of the user; and 
 an inhalation prediction processor configured to predict inhalation actions of the user based upon timing measurements from the timer; 
 wherein the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initialise a first predetermined pre-heat mode of the aerosol generator if a predicted inhalation action meets a first predetermined pre-heat criterion. 
 
     
     
         2 . The EVPS of  claim 1 , in which
 the first predetermined pre-heat criterion is whether the predicted inhalation action is predicted to occur within a predetermined period after the last actual inhalation action, the predetermined period being a threshold period within which the user is assumed to be within an ongoing usage session of the EVPS; and   the first predetermined pre-heat mode heats a heater of the aerosol generator to a first temperature that is higher than a pre-heat mode used if the user is assumed to be engaging in occasional use.   
     
     
         3 . The EVPS of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initialise a second predetermined pre-heat mode of the aerosol generator if a predicted inhalation action meets a second predetermined pre-heat criterion.   
     
     
         4 . The EVPS of  claim 3 ,
 wherein the second predetermined pre-heat criterion is whether the predicted inhalation action is predicted to occur outside a predetermined period after the last actual inhalation action, the predetermined period being a threshold period outside which the user is assumed to be engaging in occasional use; and   the second predetermined pre-heat mode heats a heater of the aerosol generator to a second temperature that is lower than a pre-heat mode used if the user is assumed to be within an ongoing usage session.   
     
     
         5 . The EVPS of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the inhalation prediction processor is configured to predict the elapsed time between the last actual inhalation action of the user and the next expected inhalation action.   
     
     
         6 . The EVPS of  claim 5 , in which
 the inhalation prediction processor is configured to predict the elapsed time between the last actual inhalation action of the user and the next expected inhalation action based on the timings between two or more previous inhalation actions.   
     
     
         7 . The EVPS of  claim 6 , in which
 the inhalation prediction processor is configured to predict the elapsed time between the last actual inhalation action of the user and the next expected inhalation action based on the timings between two or more previous inhalation actions of a usage session; and   the inhalation prediction processor is configured to identify a usage session as being when an inhalation action occurs after a predetermined period of non-use, followed by one or more inhalation actions within a predetermined period of time being a threshold period within which the user is assumed to be within an ongoing usage session.   
     
     
         8 . The EVPS of  claim 7 , in which
 the threshold period is one selected from the list consisting of:
 i. 1 minute; 
 ii. 2 minutes; 
 iii. 3 minutes; and 
 iv. a period based on an inter-inhalation period averaged over multiple previous usage sessions. 
   
     
     
         9 . The EVPS of  claim 1 , wherein one or more threshold periods selected based upon additional factors including one or more selected from the list consisting of:
 i. the time of day;   ii. the day of the week;   iii. the location;   iv. the duration of non-use prior to the current usage session;   V. profile data associated with the user; and   vi. periodicity averaged over multiple prior usage sessions.   
     
     
         10 . The EVPS of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initialise a warm-down mode of the aerosol generator if inhalation actions meet a predetermined warm-down criterion.   
     
     
         11 . The EVPS of  claim 10  in which:
 the predetermined warm-down criterion comprises one or more selected from the list consisting of:
 i. the user having performed a threshold number of inhalation actions within a current usage session; 
 ii. the period between the last inhalation action and the next inhalation exceeds a predetermined period of time being a threshold period within which the user is assumed to be within an ongoing usage session; 
 iii. the user removes or otherwise functionally disengages from the EVPS a component required for normal use; and 
 iv. the user removes or otherwise functionally disengages from the EVPS a consumable required for normal use. 
 
 
     
     
         12 . The EVPS of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the inhalation prediction processor is configured to predict whether back to back usage sessions will occur, back to back usage sessions being usage sessions with an intervening non-use period greater than a predetermined period of time being a threshold period within which the user is assumed to be within an ongoing usage session but less than a second, longer threshold period indicative of protracted non-use; and   if the inhalation prediction processor predicts a back to back usage session, the inhalation prediction processor is configured to initialise an interim heating mode that heats a heater of the aerosol generator to a third temperature that is lower than in a pre-heat mode used if the user is assumed to be within an ongoing usage session.   
     
     
         13 . An electronic vapour provision method comprising:
 an aerosol generation step comprising generating aerosol for delivery to a user;   a timing step comprising measuring timings of inhalation actions of the user;   an inhalation prediction step comprising predicting inhalation actions of the user based upon timing measurements from the timing step; and   an initialisation step comprising initialising a first predetermined pre-heat mode for the aerosol generation step if a predicted inhalation action meets a first predetermined pre-heat criterion.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , in which
 the first predetermined pre-heat criterion is whether the predicted inhalation action is predicted to occur within a predetermined period after the last actual inhalation action, the predetermined period being a threshold period within which the user is assumed to be within an ongoing usage session of the EVPS; and   the first predetermined pre-heat mode heats a heater of an aerosol generator to a first temperature that is higher than a pre-heat mode used if the user is assumed to be engaging in occasional use.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein
 the inhalation prediction step comprises initialising a second predetermined pre-heat mode of the aerosol generation step if a predicted inhalation action meets a second predetermined pre-heat criterion.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , in which
 the second predetermined pre-heat criterion is whether the predicted inhalation action is predicted to occur outside a predetermined period after the last actual inhalation action, the predetermined period being a threshold period outside which the user is assumed to be engaging in occasional use; and   the second predetermined pre-heat mode heats a heater of an aerosol generator to a second temperature that is lower than a pre-heat mode used if the user is assumed to be within an ongoing usage session.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein
 the inhalation prediction step comprises predicting the elapsed time between the last actual inhalation action of the user and the next expected inhalation action.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , in which
 the inhalation prediction step comprises predicting the elapsed time between the last actual inhalation action of the user and the next expected inhalation action based on the timings between two or more previous inhalation actions.   
     
     
         19 - 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein
 the inhalation prediction step comprises initialising a warm-down mode of the aerosol generator if inhalation actions meet a predetermined warm-down criterion.   
     
     
         23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . A computer program comprising computer executable instructions adapted to cause a computer system to perform the method of  claim 13 .