Abstract:
A reservoir for inhalant product used in electronic cigarettes and electronic pens is provided which incorporates a convex or conical smooth bottom wall catch basin that, combined with a dual wick design, ensures that substantially all the inhalant product is directed to the wicks for maximum consumability of the inhalant product. Therefore, regardless of how much or how little oil/liquid inhalant product is remaining in the reservoir or the position of the reservoir, it is always being directed toward at least one wick so there is substantially no unusable space in the reservoir where product can collect and not be useable.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention deals with reservoirs for use in electronic cigarettes and electronic pens. More particularly, the reservoir of the present invention incorporates a convex catch basin for its bottom wall which, when combined with a dual wick design, ensures that all product is directed to the wicks for maximized use of the inhalant product within the reservoir. Therefore, regardless of how much or how little oil/liquid inhalant remains in the reservoir, or the relative position thereof, it is always being directed toward the wicks so there is no unusable space in the reservoir where product can collect and be wasted. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Heretofore reservoirs of this type are known to have incorporated a substantially centralized single siphon wick which allows inhalant product to be left in the tank which is unable to be wicked to the vaporizing area. Also, a single wicking point or wick increases the likelihood of failure if the wick should become clogged or degraded. Further, the prior art reservoirs all have a substantially, flat inside base or bottom wall with a wick about 7 cm higher than the base. What this means is that when the wick has vaporized the e-liquid inhalant product it can contact, there will typically always be a little product left at the bottom, below the wick which cannot be contacted by the wick and burned. When the wick becomes dried out and is burned, it produce an undesirable burned taste as it is not be able to burn all the remaining e-liquid inhalant product, and creates waste and means money lost for the buyer. 
         [0003]    The proposed reservoir or tank of the present invention includes a convex shaped bottom wall. The material of the bottom is smooth so that the e-liquid inhalant product easily travels down to the outer bottom edge of the central convex shaped bottom wall to at least one of the dual wicks with which the bottom is in contact. The dual wicks delivers the e-liquid inhalant product to a vaporization chamber, and the convex shape of the bottom provides that substantially all of the e-liquid inhalant product will all be used, without any substantial waste and therefore substantially no money lost for the buyer. Moreover, the dual ended wick stays wet so that a burned taste is not produced. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    According to the invention there is provided a reservoir for inhalant product used in electronic cigarettes and electronic pens which incorporates a bottom wall convex catch basin that, combined with a dual wick design, ensures that substantially all the inhalant product is directed to at least one of the dual wicks for maximized use of the inhalant product held therewithin. Therefore, regardless of how much or how little oil/liquid inhalant product is in the reservoir, it is always being directed toward at least one of the dual wicks so there is substantially no unusable space in the reservoir where inhalant product can collect and become waste. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  shows a prior art single wick reservoir for an electronic cigarette and electronic pens, including a mouthpiece thereof; 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  shows a longitudinal exterior view of the reservoir made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention; and 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  shows a longitudinal cross sectional view of the reservoir of  FIG. 2  including the convex bottom wall catch basin with dual wicks of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
       [0008]    The following detailed embodiments presented herein are for illustrative purposes. That is, these detailed embodiments are intended to be exemplary of the present invention for the purposes of providing and aiding a person skilled in the pertinent art to readily understand how to make and use of the present invention. 
         [0009]    Accordingly, the detailed discussion herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the metes and bounds of the patent protection afforded the present invention, in which the scope of patent protection is intended to be defined by the claims and equivalents thereof. Therefore, embodiments not specifically addressed herein, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, should be and are considered to be implicitly disclosed by the illustrative embodiments and claims described herein and therefore fall within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0010]    Further, it should be understood that, although steps of various claimed methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal order, the steps of any such method are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or order, absent an indication otherwise. That is, the claimed method steps are considered capable of being carried out in any sequential combination or permutation order while still falling within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0011]    Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which a person skilled in the relevant art would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used herein, as understood by the person skilled in the relevant art based on the contextual use of such term, differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the person skilled in the relevant art should prevail. 
         [0012]    In a standard prior art cartridge or reservoir, the wick is usually a one-piece siphon wick, which sticks up through the middle of the tank or reservoir, as shown in  FIG. 1 . This one-piece siphon wick creates two primary functionality issues. First, there is approximately 5 millimeters of space where inhalant product can collect underneath the wick which leads to a significant portion of the product remaining unused and unusable in the reservoir. This is especially true for thicker oil inhalant products, which tend to collect along the bottom of the reservoir near a silicon spacer (not shown) and cannot be moved to the wick unless the reservoir is heated and tilted, and even then there is no way to get all of the collected oil product to the wick. Secondly, because there is only a single pathway from the top of the wick through the silicon component and into the vaporization coil, any overload of the wick&#39;s capacity or degradation of the wick material due to plant matter and/or essential fatty acids in the plant oil creates a product failure either through leaking or through loss of functionality of the wicking process, which leads to no oil being delivered to the vaporization element. This creates the very common “burnt” or “metallic” taste which is produced by such single wick reservoirs. 
         [0013]    In the present embodiment of an inhalant reservoir  10  presented here, and which is shown from its exterior in  FIG. 2 , the issues noted in the prior art have been addressed through the design of a molded, convex or conical silicon bottom wall catch basin  12  and a dual wick  14 ,  16  design. The convex or conical smooth bottom wall  12  ensures that all oil inhalant product (not shown) is funneled to at least one of the two wicks  14 ,  16  in the cartridge or reservoir  10 , regardless of how much or how little oil inhalant product (not shown) is in the reservoir  10 . In one embodiment, the basin  12  is made of silicon. Additionally, the dual-wick  14 ,  16  configuration allows for controlled saturation of the vaporization element, preventing both the overload or the drying out of the wick  14 ,  16  along the vaporization element  20  ( FIG. 3 ). This not only prevents the burned or metallic taste from occurring, it also prevents the degradation of the wicks which may cause cartridge or reservoir  10  failure. 
         [0014]    As best illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the present embodiment of the inhalant cartridge  10  of the present invention incorporates all the structures known by those skilled in the art and so will not be addressed here. Only the modifications to the prior art are described herein and it will be understood that such modifications may be applied to any cartridge/tank style reservoir, making then modifications substantially universal. Again, in  FIG. 3 , it will be seen that the bottom wall has been modified to comprise a molded, convex or conical silicon bottom wall catch basin  12 . Also, two wicks  14  and  16  extend along edges of the basin  12  at opposite positions along a circumference of the basin  12 , each being diametrically opposite to the other. This configuration allows for the inhalant product in the reservoir  10  to be in contact with at least one of the dual wicks  14 ,  16  regardless of how much or how little product is in the reservoir  10  and regardless of what position the reservoir  10  is maintained. As stated above, the modifications prevent a burned taste from occurring and prevent degradation of the wicks  14 ,  16  which may cause failure of the reservoir  10 . 
         [0015]    As described above, the inhalant cartridge  10  provides a number of advantages, some of which have been described above and others of which are inherent in the invention. Also, modifications may be proposed without departing from the teachings herein. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is only to be limited as necessitated by the accompanying claims. 
         [0016]    As to the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. 
         [0017]    While embodiments of the device have been described in detail, it should be apparent that modifications and variations thereto are possible, all of which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
         [0018]    Throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” or the term “includes” or variations, thereof, or the term “having” or variations thereof will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element or integer or group of elements or integers but not the exclusion of any other element or integer or group of elements or integers. In this regard, in construing the claim scope, an embodiment where one or more features is added to any of the claims is to be regarded as within the scope of the invention given that the essential features of the invention as claimed are included in such an embodiment. 
         [0019]    Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. It is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations and modifications that fall within its spirit and scope. The invention also includes all of the steps, features, compositions and compounds referred to or indicated in this specification, individually or collectively, and any and all combinations of any two or more of said steps or features. 
         [0020]    Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.