WO-2026093609-A1 - AEROSOL GENERATION DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A PROXIMITY BASED FEEDBACK

WO2026093609A1WO 2026093609 A1WO2026093609 A1WO 2026093609A1WO-2026093609-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and aerosol generation device, comprising a housing; an aerosol generating unit within the housing and configured to generate aerosol; a control unit configured to determine the location of the aerosol generation device; and control a feedback unit to provide feedback to user based on a relative proximity of the aerosol generation device to a predetermined area.

Inventors

CHATEAU, Maxime
FLAVARD, Xavier

Assignees

JT INTERNATIONAL SA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251104
Priority Date: 20241104

Claims (15)

1. An aerosol generation device, comprising: a housing; an aerosol generating unit within the housing and configured to generate aerosol; a control unit configured to: determine the location of the aerosol generation device; and control a feedback unit to provide feedback to user based on a relative proximity of the aerosol generation device to a predetermined area, wherein the relative proximity is defined as a distance and/ or direction of the aerosol generation device to the nearest point of the predetermined area’s boundary.
2. The aerosol generation device of claim 1, further comprising: a communication unit configured to communicate with a mobile device paired with the aerosol generation device, and wherein the control unit is further configured to: determine the location based on a communication with the mobile device; and control the feedback unit comprised in the mobile device to provide feedback to user based on relative proximity of the aerosol generation device to a predetermined area.
3. The aerosol generation device of claim 1, further comprising the feedback unit.
4. The aerosol generation device of claim 1 or 3, further comprising a location determination unit configured to determine the location of the aerosol generation device.
5. The aerosol generation device of any one of claim 1 to 4, wherein the feedback includes a status of the location and either one of the relative proximity of the aerosol generation device to the predetermined area or a direction to the predetermined area.
6. The aerosol generation device of claim 5, wherein the feedback includes both the relative proximity of the aerosol generation device to the predetermined area and the direction to the predetermined area.
7. The aerosol generation device of claim 5, wherein the control unit is further configured to control the feedback unit to provide the feedback including either one of the relative proximity of the aerosol generation device to the predetermined area or the direction to the predetermined area, if the relative proximity is equal to or less than a threshold value.
8. The aerosol generation device of claim 5, wherein the control unit is further configured to control the feedback unit to provide the feedback including either one of the relative proximity of the aerosol generation device to the predetermined area or the direction to the predetermined area, if the location is approaching the predetermined area.
9. The aerosol generation device of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the control unit is further configured to control the feedback unit so that the feedback changes as the location approaches to the predetermined area, or wherein the control unit is further configured to increase the number of the feedback unit providing the feedback as the location approaches to the predetermined area.
10. The aerosol generation device of any one of claims 1 to 9 further comprising an accommodation space being accommodated to the housing comprising the aerosol generating unit with a detachable manner, and wherein the control unit is arranged outside of the housing comprising the aerosol generation unit; wherein the control unit is further configured to: detect an event to open the accommodation space; and control the feedback unit to provide the feedback in response to a detection of the event.
11. The aerosol generation device of claim io, the control unit is further configured to enable or disable an operation of the aerosol generation unit based on the location of the aerosol generation unit in response to the detection of the event.
12. The aerosol generation device of any of claims 1 to 11, wherein different location techniques are dynamically selects or combined, including proximity-based measurements, fingerprinting, and signal travel time measurements, using the communication unit based on environmental conditions and required precision to optimize the determination of the aerosol generation device’s position relative to the predetermined area.
13. The aerosol generation device of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the control unit is further configured to control the operation of the aerosol generating unit based on the location of the aerosol generation device.
14. The aerosol generation device of any of claims 1 to 13, whether the control unit is configured to control device based on whether the device is within, approaching, or outside a predetermined area or to the nearest point of the predetermined area’s boundary.
15. A method of operating an aerosol generation device, comprising: determining the location of the aerosol generation device; and controlling a feedback unit to provide feedback to user based on a relative proximity of the aerosol generation device to a predetermined area, wherein the relative proximity is defined as a distance and/ or direction of the aerosol generation device to the nearest point of the predetermined area’s boundary.

Description

November 4, 2025national SA J177OO5WO CKA/Rip Aerosol generation device and method for providing a proximity based feedback Technical Field The present invention relates to aerosol generation devices, specifically a device that provides feedback to a user based on the device proximity to a predetermined area, such as a no-vaping zone. Background of the Invention Aerosol generation devices, such as electronic cigarettes and heat-not-burn (HnB) systems, are widely used. However, regulations around the use of these devices often designate specific areas where vaping or aerosol generation is prohibited. Furthermore, ad-hoc settings, which may be due to holding a temporaiy event such as a music festival, may also affect where the user may be able to use the device. Therefore, users may inadvertently use these devices in restricted areas due to a lack of information. Furthermore, the user may not immediately or fully understand where the restricted area is located, with may be challenging, particularly due to lack for instance clear physical marking. Existing aerosol generation devices provide insufficient information and control of the device. Thus, there is a need to ensure the use of the aerosol generation device is controlled and the user is suitably informed on the status of use of the device to ensure proper interaction with the device. Summary of the Invention In order to achieve the above objective, based on the determination of the location of the device relative to a predetermined area, a feedback can be provided to the user based on the relative proximity of the device to the predetermined area. The first aspect of the invention provides an aerosol generation device, comprising: a housing; an aerosol generating unit within the housing and configured to generate aerosol; a control unit configured to: determine the location of the aerosol generating device; and control a feedback unit to provide feedback to user based on a relative proximity of the aerosol generation device to a predetermined area. The subject matter described is an aerosol generation device designed to manage vaping by referring an area information. This device includes a housing that encases an aerosol generating unit, which is responsible for producing the aerosol. A control unit within the device is programmed to determine the device’s location and manage a feedback unit that informs the user based on how close the device is to a predefined area. The feedback unit is a mechanism that provides information to the user, which could be through visual indicators like LEDs, haptic feedback, or notifications on a connected smartphone. It means that the feedback unit is not always required to be comprised in the device. For the sake of easy awareness, the feedback unit may be consisted of a user interface mounted on the device itself and a user interface of the connected device (e.g., smartphone or smartwatch or charging and/or storage device). The feedback is based on the relative proximity of the device to a predetermined area, which could be a vaping-allowed zone or a no- vaping zone. This feature helps users comply with local regulations by informing them whether they are in an area where vaping is permitted or prohibited. The advantages of this subject matter include enhanced user information, and control of the device. The device’s ability to provide real-time feedback based on location ensures that users are always informed about the vaping status of their current area, thereby promoting responsible vaping behavior. This enables the users to rely less on manually monitoring area information, and thus may no longer need to be too self- aware about the information on the area. In a first implementation of the device according to the first aspect, further comprising: a communication unit configured to communicate with a mobile device paired with the aerosol generation device, and the control unit is further configured to: determine the location based on a communication with the mobile device; and control the feedback unit comprised in the mobile device to provide feedback to user based on relative proximity of the aerosol generation device to a predetermined area. This introduces additional features by incorporating a communication unit that is configured to communicate with a mobile device paired with the aerosol generation device. This communication unit facilitates the exchange of information between the aerosol generation device and the mobile device. The control unit is further enhanced to determine the location of the aerosol generation device based on the communication with the mobile device. This implies that the control unit can utilize data received from the mobile device, such as GPS coordinates or other location-based information, to ascertain the position of the aerosol generation device. Additionally, the control unit is configured to control the feedback unit that is comprised in the mobile device, thereby providing fe