Electronic cigarette having a flexible and soft configuration

[0001] This disclosure is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 13/528,472, titled ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE HAVING A FLEXIBLE AND SOFT CONFIGURATION that was filed by Craig Weiss and Mark Scatterday on Jun. 20, 2012. This disclosure also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/624,056 titled SOFT-ENDED ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE to Mark Scatterday that was filed on Apr. 13, 2012 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/614,973 titled ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE ATTACHMENTS, COMPONENTS AND HOLDERS to Craig Weiss and Mark Scatterday that was filed on Mar. 23, 2012.

[0002] This disclosure generally relates to electronic cigarettes, and more particularly, to features that make electronic cigarettes more able to mimic a traditional cigarette.

[0003] Electronic cigarettes currently available on the market are an increasingly popular smoking alternative for smokers of traditional cigarettes. Prior electronic utilize a tubular housing that retains therewithin the device components, which typically include a battery, cartridge, heating element, and a printed circuit. In the prior art, such housings comprise metal or hard plastic, so that the device does not have the precise feel of a traditional cigarette, whether to the user's touch or when placed in the user's mouth.

[0004] An electronic cigarette which more closely provides the feel of a traditional cigarette, according to its various embodiments, will be described in the present disclosure.

[0005] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the DESCRIPTION OF THE APPLICATION. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0006] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic cigarette is provided. The electronic cigarette comprises: a housing adapted to contain components of an electronic cigarette device; wherein the housing is comprised of a flexible and resilient material capable of protecting the components while allowing the housing to flex when handled by a user.

[0007] In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic cigarette is provided. The electronic cigarette comprises: a housing adapted to contain components of an electronic cigarette device; a label adapted to be placed over at least a portion of an exterior of the housing; wherein the label is comprised of paper; a plastic coating positioned over a portion of the label in an area where the label is intended to enter a user's mouth during use.

[0008] In accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic cigarette is provided. The electronic cigarette comprises: a housing adapted to contain components of an electronic cigarette device; wherein the housing is comprised of a flexible and resilient material capable of protecting the components while allowing the housing to flex when handled by a user; a label adapted to be placed over at least a portion of an exterior of the housing; wherein the label is comprised of paper; and a plastic coating positioned over a portion of the label in an area where the label is intended to enter a user's mouth during use.

[0014] The description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of presently preferred embodiments of the disclosure and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present disclosure can be constructed and/or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the application in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and sequences can be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of this application.

[0015] Generally described, the present disclosure relates to an electronic cigarette. In one illustrative embodiment, the electronic cigarette can include a flexible yet resilient housing, preferably formed from a suitable plastic material. Through the use of such material, a more tactile feel can be allowed, more accurately simulating the feel of a traditional cigarette, while still suitably protecting the internal device components contained within the housing. In one embodiment, a paper label is provided—whether on a prior art, steel housing, or more preferably, on a flexible housing as described herein—so as to more accurately simulate the paper feel of a traditional cigarette. A number of additional advantages will become apparent from the description provided below.

[0016] As will be shown, FIGS. 1 through 4 depict a single-use electronic cigarette. It should be noted, however, that electronic cigarettes consistent with one or more embodiments of the present invention can be provided as a single unit or in multiple pieces, (e.g. with the battery and cartridge comprising separable components), and in the form of a cigar rather than a cigarette.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a side view of a single-use electronic cigarette 500 in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 500, as shown, is provided as a one-piece assembly (i.e., with battery and cartridge both contained within a single housing) and may be disposable after the expiration of the battery or cartridge. When used, the tip of the device 500 can illuminate, simulating the effects of a traditional cigarette, as is known in the art.

[0018] Referring now to FIG. 2, the electronic cigarette 500 includes a housing 602 that contains the components of the device. This includes the battery 606, heating element and cartridge 608, as well as other components (not shown). The housing 602 must be sufficiently sturdy to provide structural support and also to protect the user from heat generated by the heating element and, as well, to prevent the user from damaging any of the interior components. Typical prior art housings are rigid and are comprised of steel, which provides structural support and which suitably protect the components housed therewithin, covered with a sheet of plastic material. Such a construction, however, is less appealing, from a tactile perspective, to a user of traditional cigarettes, since it is not deformable like a traditional cigarette, lacks the paper covering of a traditional cigarette, and because of its excessive weight as compared to that of a traditional cigarette.

[0019] In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the prior art rigid housing is replaced with a housing 602 that is flexible, yet resilient—providing sufficient structural integrity and protecting the interior components while also providing users with a device that is flexible, yet resilient, and that is also lighter. One preferred such material is polycarbonate (PC). The use of PC permits the fabrication of a housing that satisfies each of the following criteria: (a) protects interior components; (b) is flexible to the touch, yet resilient; (c) can be provided with an interior diameter large enough to house internal components and an outer diameter small enough to mimic that of a traditional cigarette (approximately 8 mm); and (d) is resistant to heat generated by the heating element.

[0020] The use of other synthetic materials, such as polystyrene or polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, or polypropylene, may also be suitable, though such materials would need to be provided in a greater wall thickness than PC to achieve the objects of the present invention (the desired combination of strength, flexibility, lighter weight, and heat resistance), necessitating a shrinking of the internal device components if a traditional cigarette outer diameter is to be maintained, the provision of an electronic cigarette that is thicker than a traditional cigarette, the provision of an insulation layer, or other modifications.

[0021] Referring now to FIG. 3, in one embodiment, a label 702 is provided over all or at least some portion of the housing 602. In some prior art electronic cigarettes, labels are comprised of a sheet plastic type of material, which can be fashioned so as to simulate the appearance of cigarette paper, but which lacks the paper feel of actual cigarette paper. In this embodiment, the label 702 may be provided from a paper material. The label 702 may be provided as a laminate, with an adhesive film layer thereunder, and may be laminated to the exterior surface of the housing 602. Preferably, the label 702 is slightly overlapped, to compensate for manufacturing tolerances.

[0022] Additionally, it is preferable to laminate the portion of the label 702 that may enter the mouth of the user during use, generally corresponding to the portion overlaying the cartridge 608, with a plastic such as polypropylene or polyethylene terephthalate. Without such lamination, the label 702 will degrade after coming into contact with the interior of the user's mouth or if it otherwise comes into contact with moisture. At the same time, by providing the lamination only over the portion that contact's the mouth, the remainder of the cigarette 500 retains a paper-like feel and appearance.

[0023] In one embodiment, the housing 602 is provided with an interior diameter of approximately 7.7 mm, though an interior diameter in the range of about 7.59 mm to about 7.86 mm would be permissible. The label 702, including the adhesive layer, may have a thickness of approximately 0.09 mm, though a thickness in the range of about 0.06 to about 0.15 mm would be permissible. The polypropylene layer may be provided in a thickness of approximately 0.03 mm, though a thickness in the range of about 0.01 to about 0.06 mm would be permissible. This combination, even allowing for an overlapping of the label 702, permits the construction of an electronic cigarette 500 having the same outer diameter of a traditional cigarette (i.e., approximately 8 mm).

[0024] In the preferred embodiment, the label 702 as herein described is placed over a flexible housing 602, as also herein described. It should be noted, however, that substantial benefit may be obtained from providing an electronic cigarette utilizing a prior art, rigid housing, and a paper label 702 as herein described, or by providing a flexible housing 602 as herein described, with a label designed printed thereon or with a plastic label. Any such configuration would provide substantial benefit over prior art devices.

[0025] It should be noted that it may be desired to provide an insulation sleeve (not shown) in the interior of housing 602, interposed between the interior diameter of the housing 602 and the internal device components.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a side view of electronic cigarette 500, illustrating the flexibility provided by the housing 602 as herein described. The device 500, because of the flexible yet resilient qualities of housing 602, can be indented typically anywhere along the length of the device 500. When pressed in, the device 500 can bend at the point of where the pressure was applied. When released, the conduit 500 can return to its normal state.

[0027] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the relevant art to practice the various embodiments described herein. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the relevant art, and generic principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown and described herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically stated, but rather “one or more.” All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims.