Abstract:
Systems and methods for a smoke monitor are described. In one aspect, a smoke monitor includes a detector to sense when a user lights a smoking device such as a cigarette, pipe, etc. In one implementation, for example, such detection is made by detecting the audible sound of a lighter, via a smoke detector, and/or so on. In one implementation, the smoke monitor includes a counter that counts the number of smoking devices lit by a user, for example, over a predetermined amount of time. Exceeding a threshold number of smoking devices (e.g., lighting one or more smoking devices) over that period of time may cause the smoke monitor to implement one or more configurable events such as audio alarms, vibrations, etc. In one implementation, and responsive to the smoke monitor detecting smoke, a particle generator coupled to the smoke monitor generates particles to freshen surrounding air.

Description:
[0001]    This non-provisional patent application claims priority to Saudi Arabian Patent Application Serial Nos. 7280538 and 7280539, filed Oct. 3, 2007, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    A tobacco smoker may desire to quit smoking, for example, due to the adverse health consequences of smoking to the smoker. Moreover, smoking tobacco releases harmful particles into the air surrounding the smoker. This second-hand smoke may negatively affect health of those in proximity to the smoker. Smoking tobacco is an addictive habit and generally is not easily given up by a smoker. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    Systems and methods for a smoke monitor are described. In one aspect, a smoke monitor includes a detector to sense when a user lights a smoking device such as a cigarette, pipe, etc. In one implementation, for example, such detection is made by detecting the audible sound of a lighter, via a smoke detector, and/or so on. In one implementation, the smoke monitor includes a counter that counts the number of smoking devices lit by a user, for example, over a predetermined amount of time. Exceeding a threshold number of smoking devices (e.g., lighting one or more smoking devices) over that period of time may cause the smoke monitor to implement one or more configurable events such as audio alarms, vibrations, etc. In one implementation, and responsive to the smoke monitor detecting smoke, a particle generator coupled to the smoke monitor generates particles to freshen surrounding air. 
         [0004]    This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential 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. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0005]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplary system for a smoke monitor, according to one embodiment. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  shows an exemplary method for a smoke monitor, according to one embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
     Overview 
       [0007]    In one aspect, a smoke monitor is provided to remind a user that he/she is smoking. This may provide incentive for the user to change his/her habits and reduce the user&#39;s dependence on smoking. In one implementation, the apparatus also releases negative ions or ozone responsive to detecting smoke to reduce the quantity of harmful particles in the air in proximity to the smoker. This latter aspect generally improves air quality in the vicinity of the smoker. In one implementation, the smoke monitor may be combined with wearable devices, such as wrist watches, bracelets, necklaces, and/or so on. In other implementations, wearable devices for a smoke monitor may be attached to clothing, such as pants, shirts, hats, belts, or other articles of clothing. In one implementation, the apparatus may detect and monitor the number of smoking devices used by a smoker or smoking incidents over a predetermined time period. Such a count can be manually implemented (e.g., via a user button press) or automatically implemented (e.g., by detecting smoke device lighting events). The smoking devices may be cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc. 
       An Exemplary System for a Smoke Monitor 
       [0008]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplary system  100  for a smoke monitor according to one embodiment. System  100  includes smoke monitor  101 . In this implementation, for example, the smoke monitor  101  includes a processor  103  coupled to a system memory  105 . The system memory comprises computer-program instructions (shown as “program modules”) executable by the processor  103  to receive and process inputs  107  and generate outputs  109 . Inputs  107  may include, for example: smoke from a smoking device, photon information from a light source (e.g., a lighter or match), signals indicating such sensed phenomena (e.g., smoke, a light flash, etc.), audio data (e.g., sound of a lighter or match strike, etc.), one or more of signals from an on/off switch, a keypad, a keyboard, dials, buttons, a Universal Serial Bus (USB), a wireless interface, an infrared interface, and/or so on. In one implementation, at least a subset of the inputs  107  represent, for example, data downloaded from an external computing device. Outputs  109  include, for example, calculated and/or measured data, audio, physical outputs (e.g., vibrations, etc.), information for presentation to a user, etc. Outputs  109  may be directed to any of a number of different arbitrary targets, such as a USB, a wireless interface, an infrared interface, and/or so on. In one implementation, at least a subset of the outputs is used to transfer information from the smoke monitor  101  to an external computing device (e.g., a personal computer, a printer, a mobile device, etc.). 
         [0009]    In this implementation, for example, smoke monitor  101  is operatively coupled to one or more displays  111  (e.g., a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light Emitting Diode (LED), etc.). In one implementation, smoke monitor  101  provides a user interface (UI) such as a button or other user selectable interface (e.g., displayed graphical elements) to allow the user to selectively obtain various information via the one or more displays  111 , audio, etc. For example, smoke monitor  101  utilizes the one or more displays  111  to present a user with monitored, sensed, calculated, and/or measured information, e.g., an indication of the number of smoking devices lit by the user, an amount of time between lighting of respective ones of the smoking devices, etc. In one implementation, smoke monitor  101  includes measurement devices  113 , for example, a time piece, a calendar, a thermometer, a pulse reader, a blood pressure monitor, and/or other measurement devices. In this scenario, the one or more displays  111  may also display other information/indicators such as time, date, temperature, heart rate, current blood pressure and/or other data. 
         [0010]    In one implementation, the smoke monitor  101  includes particle generator  115 , such as a negative ion generator and/or an ozone generator. The particle generator  115  may generate negative ions or ozone while the particle generator  115  is active. In one implementation, for example, particle generator  115  is activated by detecting smoke emitted from a smoking device. The smoke may be detected by a smoke detector  117  operatively coupled to smoking monitor  101 . In one implementation, smoke detector  117  is calibrated to detect a quantity of smoke typically released by the smoking device. Smoke detector  117  may be calibrated depending on the anticipated location where the user will wear or carry the smoke monitor  101 . For example, the calibration may be different if the apparatus  101  is worn on the wrist as a bracelet as compared to on the neck as a necklace. The smoke detector  117 , after detecting the presence of the smoke, may send a signal to the processor  103 . Responsive to receipt of the signal, processor  103  may then automatically activate the particle generator  115 , generate an alarm (e.g., vibration, audio signal, etc). In another implementation, a user manually activates and/or deactivates particle generator  115 . 
         [0011]    In one implementation, particle generator  115  is mobile in that it is small and light enough to be worn by a user of the smoke monitor. 
         [0012]    In one implementation, smoke monitor  101  maintains one or more counters  119  indicating a number of smoking devices (cigarettes, cigars, etc.) used by a user over a configurable period of time. This provides a running tally of smoking devices used by the user, etc. In one implementation, the tally can be reset by the user. The counter  119  may be incremented responsive to detecting a sound/noise produced by a lighter being used by the user to light the smoking device. The noise of the lighter being used may be detected by an audio sensor  121  in the smoke monitor  101 . The audio sensor  121  may recognize the characteristic noise of a lighter. A signal from the audio sensor  121  may then be sent to the one or more processors  103  and then to the counter  119 . In another embodiment, the audio sensor  121  may send a signal directly to the counter  119 . As an alternative method of determining the number of smoking devices used by a user, if a smoke detector  117  is used, such as described above, a signal may be sent from the smoke detector  117  to the one or more processors  103  and then to the counter  119 . In another embodiment, the smoke detector  117  may send a signal directly to the counter  119 . Upon receipt of the signal, the counter  119  may increase the tally of smoking devices after each new detection of smoke by the smoke detector  117 . The counter  119  may send a signal to the one or more processors  103  for processing. The one or more processors  103  may then store the count information in the one or more memories  113 . 
         [0013]    In one implementation, a user enters into the smoke monitor (e.g., via the UI and/or a button) a target number/limit of smoking devices to be consumed by the user over a predetermined amount of time. For example, a user may set a limit of six (6) or some other arbitrary number of cigarettes (or smoking device lighting events) in a 24-hour period. If the user does not exceed this limit, no action related to smoking may be taken by the device  101 , except for processing the count of the number of smoking devices used by the user. If the user exceeds the target in the predetermined period, however, the smoke monitor  101  may respond by activating one or more sets of alerts  123 , the particular alerts being selectable by the user or a default set of alerts. In one implementation, the one or more alerts are active only while the user is smoking. Alerts  123  may include a vibration system  125  to vibrate the smoke monitor  101 . In one implementation, the vibration system  125  cannot be turned off by the user and may remain on for the entire time a user is smoking (e.g., until smoke is no longer detected, possibly delimiting the end of a particular smoking event for a particular smoking device) or for a set duration. 
         [0014]    In one implementation, and if an audio sensor  121  is used to detect a smoking device ignition event, vibration system  125  is activated responsive to detecting a noise attributed/mapped to a lighter or match. In this scenario, the vibrations may remain active for a set configurable duration. If a smoke detector  117  is used, such as described above, the vibration system  125  may be initiated upon the first detection of smoke and may remain active until smoke is no longer detected. The one or more alerts  123  may also include an audio alert  127 . The audio alert  127  may be a loud and/or annoying noise. The audio alert  127  may be generated by a speaker or other similar device. In one implementation, the audio alert  127  cannot be turned off by the user and remains on for a configurable or other set duration. If an audio sensor  121  is used, such as described above, the audio alert  127  may be activated upon detection of noise from a lighter and may remain active for a set duration. If a smoke detector  117  is used, such as described above, the audio alert  127  may be initiated upon the first detection of smoke and may remain active until smoke is no longer detected. Such alerts and responses are configurable in one or more of type, duration, and intensity, to meet the particular needs of the user. 
         [0015]      FIG. 2  shows an exemplary procedure  200  for a smoke monitor according to one embodiment. At block  203 , procedure  200  provides a smoke monitor (e.g., smoke monitor  101  of  FIG. 1 ). In one implementation, the smoke monitor  101  includes a smoke detector  117 , a particle generator  115 , an audio sensor  121 , an optical sensor  118 , and an alert system  123 . At block  205 , the procedure configures the smoke monitor  101  for operation. In one implementation, such operations are automatically based on hardwired default values implemented by an operating system (“OS,” shown as a respective portion of program modules in memory  105  of  FIG. 1 ). For example, the monitor is automatically configured to generate negative ions or ozone responsive to a first detection of a lit smoking device. In another example, the smoke monitor  101  is configured to generate an alarm after detection of the user lighting a second smoking device (e.g., in a predetermined amount of time, etc.), and/or so on. These default operations are exemplary, and many other arbitrary default configurations can be considered based on the desired smoke monitor operation. Operations of block  205  also configure the smoke monitor  101  based on user configured preferences (e.g., no alarm/alert generated until after user has lit three smoking devices, etc.). 
         [0016]    Operations of block  207  determine if a smoking device lighting or ignition event has been detected. In one implementation, inputs/events received from a smoke detector, a sound detector, and/or an optical sensor are used to detect whether a user of the smoke monitor  101  has lit a smoking device. If such event has not been detected, the operations of procedure  200  wait to detect such an event. Otherwise, operations continue at block  209 , where one or more of the detectors  117  ( FIG. 1 ),  118 , and  121  sends one or more signals/events to processor  103  indicating that a smoking device ignition event has been detected. In one implementation, for example, such a signal may be generated by the smoke detector indicating the lighting of a smoking device  205 . Responsive to receiving the signal, the processor may activate particle generator  115 . 
         [0017]    At block  211 , and responsive to receiving the event, the processor  103  updates a count  119  of the number of smoking devices lit by the user (e.g., over a predetermined time period). At block  213 , the processor  103  performs other operations based on the detection event and any other combination of criteria (e.g., the number of smoking devices lit, etc.) such as one or more of activating a particle generator  115 , activating an alert  123 , etc., for predetermined duration, intensity, etc. Operations of procedure  200  continue at block  207 , as described above. For example, an alert system  123  may be activated if the count exceeds a predetermined number of times the user lights a smoking device in the predetermined time period  217 . In one implementation, a user of the smoke monitor  101  may reset the device to zero out the counter  119 , user preferences, and/or so on, by pushing a button on the device, removing power from the device, etc. 
       CONCLUSION 
       [0018]    Although the above sections describe systems and methods for a smoke monitor in language specific to structural features and/or methodological operations or actions, the implementations defined in the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described. Rather, the specific features and operations for the smoke monitor are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claimed subject matter.