Abstract:
A USB electronic cigarette has an atomizer section. The atomizer section has a heat chamber configured to receive liquid from a fluid reservoir. A USB connector is formed on the atomizer section. The USB connector includes a USB socket mounted to the atomizer section. A battery section is releasable and detachable from the atomizer section at the USB connector. The USB connector includes a USB protrusion configured to fit into the USB socket. The USB protrusion is mounted to the battery section. A rechargeable battery is housed within the battery section and configured to be recharged via the USB protrusion. A user is provided a smokable USB stick that is USB rechargeable.

Description:
[0001]    The present invention is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/541,945 filed Nov. 14, 2014 by same inventor Dan Wang aka Tan Wong and Yanming Nie, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The present invention also claims priority from China utility model Application No. 201520356994.0 filed May 29, 2015, entitled An Inhaler Of Liquid Chewing Gum, by applicant Shanghai Green Vaper Technology Co., Ltd. and inventors Dan Wang aka Tan Wong and Yanming Nie, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention is in the field of electronic cigarettes. 
       DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART 
       [0003]    The USB stick is a ubiquitous memory storage device that is convenient for file transfer and storage use with personal computers. Unfortunately, it suffers the drawback of not being smokable like a cigarette to satisfy nicotine cravings. 
         [0004]    The electronic cigarette is a relatively recent version of combustion based cigarettes. The electronic cigarette includes a battery that powers a vapor generating chamber. A variety of different vapor generating electronic cigarettes have been discussed in the patent literature. For example, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/541,945 filed Nov. 14, 2014 by same inventors Dan Wang aka Tan Wong and Yanming Nie, an atomizer element is provided that has a heating chamber and a reservoir. Additionally in U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,622 issued Jun. 26, 2012 to inventor Pan, entitled Electronic Cigarette, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, the Pan disclosure provides for an atomizer element with heating chamber and reservoir. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    A USB electronic cigarette has an atomizer section. The atomizer section has a heat chamber configured to receive liquid from a fluid reservoir. A USB connector is formed on the atomizer section. The USB connector includes a USB socket mounted to the atomizer section. A battery section is releasable and detachable from the atomizer section at the USB connector. The USB connector includes a USB protrusion configured to fit into the USB socket. The USB protrusion is mounted to the battery section. A rechargeable battery is housed within the battery section and configured to be recharged via the USB protrusion. A user is provided a smokable USB stick that is USB rechargeable. 
         [0006]    An atomizer housing has an atomizer section openings configured to receive intake air. A lens is mounted on the battery section opening that is formed on a lower tip of the battery section. An indicator light is mounted to be visible through on the battery section opening. The indicator light is selectively activated when an airflow sensor transducer senses airflow near the airflow sensor. The airflow sensor is a transducer. The transducer is a microphone or air pressure sensor. 
         [0007]    An atomizer housing has battery section openings configured to receive intake air. The intake air passes through a battery section air channel and exits the battery section at a battery section air passage. Air exiting the battery section air passage enters the atomizer section at an atomizer section air channel. Air exiting the atomizer section air channel enters a heat chamber. The battery section further includes a USB memory chip for storing data. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective detached configuration view of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a perspective cross-section detached configuration view of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the present invention in assembled configuration. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a front view of the present invention in assembled configuration. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a rear view of the present invention in assembled configuration. 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a right side view of the present invention in assembled configuration. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a left side view of the present invention in assembled configuration. 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a top view of the present invention in assembled configuration. 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a bottom view of the present invention in assembled configuration. 
       
    
    
       [0017]    The call list of elements can be a useful guide for referencing the element numbers of the drawings.
     20  atomizer section     21  mouthpiece     22  atomizer housing     23  mouthpiece opening     24  atomizer section opening     30  battery section     31  battery housing     32  rechargeable battery     33  lens     34  battery section opening     35  airflow sensor transducer     36  battery section air passage     37  battery section air channel     38  atomizer air passage     39  atomizer section air channel     40  USB connector     41  USB protrusion     42  USB socket     43  USB socket leads     44  USB memory chip     50  atomizer element     51  one-way flow valve     52  wick openings     53  fluid reservoir     54  atomizer element lower end     55  heat chamber   
 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0044]    The essence of the present invention is a USB stick that a user can vape. The user can use the USB stick by inserting it into a computer. The user can access and transfer files on the USB stick while the batteries are charging. After the user is done using the USB stick, the user can smoke or vape from the USB stick. The USB stick can optionally keep track of vaping habits in a log file that is accessible through the USB interface using a text viewer application on the personal computer. In this manner, the USB stick can optionally monitor a smoking cessation program. The USB stick has a housing that can look like a regular USB stick. 
         [0045]    The USB stick has a first and second USB interface. The first USB interface can be a protrusion and the second USB interface can be a socket. The protrusion can fit into the socket like a regular USB stick has a protrusion portion that fits on a lid, cap or cover. The protrusion which is the first USB interface can be connected to a battery section, and the socket which is the second USB interface can be connected to a atomizer section. The atomizer section can have a mouthpiece shaped as a nozzle to allow a user to inhale from the USB stick. 
         [0046]    A user can open the atomizer section and add liquid to the reservoir. The reservoir has cotton for retaining vape liquid. When the battery is low the user can recharge the USB stick by inserting it into a USB socket on a PC or a USB socket on a power supply such as a transformer. The two main sections are the atomizer section, and the battery section. The atomizer section is removable from the battery section. 
         [0047]    The atomizer section  20  has a mouthpiece  21  that is connected to the atomizer housing  22 . The atomizer housing  22  optionally has three atomizer section openings  24  which can receive air and also have a light mounted for providing an indication of atomizer activation. The mouthpiece  21  has an angled and slanted flat top face. The mouthpiece  21  has a mouthpiece opening  23  formed on the top face of the mouthpiece  21 . The mouthpiece opening  23  can be oval or pill shaped. The mouthpiece  21  can be formed as an insert that inserts into the generally hollow atomizer housing  22 . If the atomizer housing  22  is formed as a tube of oval, circular or pill shaped cross-section, the mouthpiece  21  can be adapted to fit as a cap removably inserted into the atomizer housing  22 . A user can remove the mouthpiece  21  to open the atomizer section  20  for adding more liquid or for cleaning. The atomizer section opening  24  can be vented so that it optionally provides a filtered vented air intake for the atomizer held within the atomizer housing  22 . 
         [0048]    The battery section  30  has a battery housing  31  that is generally coplanar to the atomizer housing  22  along an upper circumferential periphery of the battery housing  31 . Battery housing  31  has a USB connector  40  mounted to the battery housing  31 . 
         [0049]    The USB connector  40  includes a USB protrusion  41  mounted to the battery section  30 . The battery section  30  also has one or more rechargeable batteries  32 . The lower tip of battery section  30  has a lens  33  through which a user can see a plurality of indicator lights mounted on the battery section openings  34 . The lights mounted near the battery section opening  34  can be selectively activated when an airflow sensor transducer  35  senses airflow that is sucked through the airflow sensor transducer  35  coming from the battery section opening  34  formed as an air intake or from elsewhere. The airflow sensor transducer  35  can be formed as a microphone that receives vibration or air pressure differences due to nearby airflow. The lights can be LED lights that have multicolor output and function such as cycling and fading. The USB connector  40  may also have a memory that is located on the USB chip  44  for storing files. 
         [0050]    Airflow can pass around the light near the battery section opening  34  across the airflow sensor transducer  35  which lights up the light near the battery section opening  34 . Airflow can then pass around the rechargeable batteries  32  for cooling the rechargeable batteries and heating the intake air. Then air can pass around the USB chip  44  and through a battery section air channel  37 . The battery section air channel  37  exits the battery section  30  at a battery section air passage  36 . 
         [0051]    The atomizer section  20  has an atomizer element  50  that has wick openings  52  for pulling fluid from the atomizer reservoir also called the fluid reservoir  53 . The atomizer elements  50  can be combustion or heating chambers that produce vapor. The atomizer element  50  has an atomizer element lower end  54  that receives fresh air from the atomizer section air channel  39 . The atomizer section air channel has an air intake which is the atomizer air passage  38 . The atomizer air passage  38  is formed on the atomizer housing  22 . The atomizer air passage  38  aligns with the battery section air passage  36  so that air can flow from the battery section air channel  37  through the battery section air passage  36  and then through the atomizer air passage  38  and into the atomizer section air channel  39 . The air entering the atomizer element lower end  54  passes through the heat chamber  55  where the wick brings the fluid to the heat to allow fluid to become vapor. The atomizer elements  50  can be formed as tubes with wick openings  52 . The wick openings  52  provide a passage for a wick made of cloth or thread to receive fluid from the fluid reservoir  53 . The area around the tubular shaped atomizer elements  50  is the fluid reservoir  53 . The fluid reservoir  53  can be packed with cotton or other fibrous material to allow storage of liquid. 
         [0052]    A plug can fit on or over the mouthpiece opening  23  to provide liquid within the atomizer section  20 . The fluid reservoir  53  can hold an oil or other fragrance liquid. Typically, the heat chamber  55  has a heating wire, and a cotton holder for liquid. The atomizer element  50  can be made of fiberglass or other heat resistant composite material. 
         [0053]    Both the battery section  30  and the atomizer section  20  can be assembled together using screws. A pair of screws can connect the USB protrusion  41  to the battery housing  31 . Similarly, the USB socket  42  can be connected to the atomizer housing  22  using a pair of screws. A pair of screw channels can be formed on both the battery housing  31  and the atomizer housing  22  to allow ease of assembly. 
         [0054]    The atomizer elements  50  are preferably heat resistant which include a heat resistant internal atomizer reservoir with each atomizer element  50  having nebulizer fiber glass tubes. Optionally, a one-way flow valve  51  allows for one-way fluid flow or airflow. The heating wire is connected to the USB socket leads  43 . The lower end of each slot atomizer in the atomizer housing  22  can have a vent opening for air intake. The atomizers can be housed in slots formed on the atomizer housing  22 . Air intake can be from the atomizer light openings near the atomizer section opening  24  which are formed through an external surface of the atomizer housing  22 . The atomizer elements  50  can be installed in slots formed on the atomizer housing  22 .