Electronic nicotine delivery device assessment system and method of use thereof
Inventors
FUEMMELER, Bernard • EISSENBERG, Thomas • Martin, Corby • SOULE, Eric
Assignees
Pennington Biomedical Research Institute • Virginia Commonwealth University • East Carolina University
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Publication Number
US-12745803-B2
Publication Date
2026-09-29
Expiration Date
Abstract
Provided are systems and methods of identifying the functional characteristics and operational settings of any electronic inhalants or apparatuses that are designed to provide nicotine vapors to a user. The system includes a mobile device having a built-in camera to receive images of a nicotine delivery device, a system of remote backend servers with at least one image database for identifying the nicotine delivery device, and at least one processor for calculating an amount of nicotine delivered by the nicotine delivery device.
Core Innovation
The disclosed invention determines an amount of active agent emitted from multiple electronic vaporizers to a subject over a period of time. It uses mobile-device images to identify each vaporizer through comparison with an image database, detects volume depletion from sequential images, and calculates fluid consumed. Device information and the calculated fluid volumes are then used to compute the amount of active agent emitted.
The disclosed mobile interfaces support image capture, user-entered device or liquid details, consumption logging, and reporting. The content also describes a time-resolved coil-wick model for predicting nicotine emissions from device design and operating conditions. The background section is not included in the provided content, so the problem identified there is not explicitly described in patent.
Claims Coverage
The provided relevant claims identify three independent claims: a computer-implemented method, a non-transitory computer-readable medium, and a system. They cover the same central process in different forms with three inventive features.
Image-based vaporizer identification
The method obtains mobile-device images of vaporizers used over a period of time and identifies each vaporizer by matching it to an image in a database associated with device information.
Fluid depletion and consumption calculation
The claims use sequential images associated with each identified vaporizer to detect depletion in volume and calculate the volume of fluid consumed over the period of time.
Active-agent delivery determination
The claims use device information and calculated fluid volumes to compute the amount of active agent emitted to the subject from the vaporizers over the period of time. The computer-readable medium claim recites executable instructions for these steps, and the system claim recites a remote server, processors, memory, an image database, and a communicating mobile device.
The three independent claims cover image-based identification of multiple electronic vaporizers, estimation of fluid consumption from sequential images, and computation of active-agent delivery using device information and consumed-fluid volumes.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Determining the amount of active agent emitted to a subject from multiple electronic vaporizers over a period of time, including estimating a nicotine consumption metric.
Smartphone interfaces support image capture, user-entered device or liquid details, consumption logging, and reporting.
The described coil-wick model predicts nicotine emissions from device design and operating conditions.
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