Patent Description:
Electronic aerosol provision systems such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) generally contain an aerosol-generating material, such as a reservoir of a source liquid containing a formulation, typically including nicotine, or a solid material such as a tobacco-based product, from which an aerosol is generated for inhalation by a user, for example through heat vaporisation. Thus, an aerosol provision system will typically comprise an aerosol generator, e.g. a heating element, arranged to aerosolise a portion of aerosol-generating material to generate an aerosol in an aerosol generation region of an air channel through the aerosol provision system. As a user inhales on the device and electrical power is supplied to the aerosol generator, air is drawn into the device through one or more inlet holes and along the air channel to the aerosol generation region, where the air mixes with the vaporised aerosol generator and forms a condensation aerosol. The air drawn through the aerosol generation region continues along the air channel to a mouthpiece, carrying some of the aerosol with it, and out through the mouthpiece for inhalation by the user.

It is common for aerosol provision systems to comprise a modular assembly, often having two main functional parts, namely an aerosol provision device and an article. Typically the article will comprise the consumable aerosol-generating material and the aerosol generator (heating element), while the aerosol provision device part will comprise longer-life items, such as a rechargeable battery, device control circuitry and user interface features. The aerosol provision device may also be referred to as a reusable part or battery section and the article may also be referred to as a consumable, disposable/replaceable part, cartridge or cartomiser.

The aerosol provision device and article are mechanically coupled together at an interface for use, for example using a screw thread, bayonet, latched or friction fit fixing. When the aerosol-generating material in an article has been exhausted, or the user wishes to switch to a different article having a different aerosol-generating material, the article may be removed from the aerosol provision device and a replacement article may be attached to the device in its place. Alternatively, some articles are configured such that, after the aerosol-generating material in the article has been exhausted, the article can be refilled with more aerosol-generating material, thereby allowing the article to be reused. In this example, the user is able to refill the article using a separate reservoir of aerosol-generating material. The aerosol-generating material used to refill the article may be the same or different to the previous aerosol-generating material in the article, thereby allowing the user to change to a different aerosol-generating material without purchasing a new article.

Refilling the article with aerosol-generating material extends the life of the article as its use is no longer limited by the volume or amount of aerosol-generating material that the article can hold. As a result, the use of the article may be limited by other factors, such as the life of individual components within the article. Continuous use of the article may therefore result in degradation or fault developing in components within the article. The article may therefore become less reliable, the operation of the article less predictable or the article may stop working entirely, each of which has a negative impact on the user experience.

<CIT> describes a re-fillable pod for a vaping device and a liquid re-filling device that provides liquid to the pod from a refill bottle, wherein the re-filling device includes a capacitance measuring circuit for measuring a capacitance of capacitive sensor plates in the pod and a microcontroller that uses data from the capacitance measuring circuit to determine if the level of liquid in the pod is above or below a threshold level; if below, the re-filling device is activated to pump liquid from the refill bottle to a reservoir in the pod. The refill bottle includes a chip with a counter that stores a count of the number of refills made from the bottle, the bottle being locked when the counter shows the bottle is empty.

<CIT> describes a storage and carrying case for a refillable e-liquid e-cigarette that includes a reservoir for holding e-liquid, a refill mechanism comprising a pump to transfer e-liquid from the reservoir to a chamber in the e-cigarette, and a counter that displays the number of doses of e-liquid dispensed by the refill mechanism.

<CIT> describes an e-cigarette having a vapor cartridge that receives a flavor cartridge and has includes an authentication assembly comprising electrical contacts that connect with conductive material in the flavor cartridge, the e-cigarette having control circuitry to control vapor generation based on the electrical connection through the flavor cartridge.

Various approaches are described herein which seek to help address or mitigate some of the issues discussed above.

The disclosure is defined in the appended claims.

In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided a refilling device for an article of an aerosol provision system comprising refilling control circuitry. The refilling control circuitry is configured to facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material from a reservoir coupled to the refilling device to the article and cause a value of a counter to be updated in response to the transfer of the aerosol-generating material. The value of the counter is indicative of a number of times the article has been refilled. The refilling control circuitry determines if the article is expired based on a comparison between the updated value of the counter and a refill limit and writes data to computer-readable memory indicating that the article is expired in response to determining that the article is expired.

The refilling control circuitry can be further configured to determine, in response to the article being received by the refilling device, whether the article is expired and to prevent the transfer of aerosol-generating material from the reservoir to the article in response to the determining that the article is expired.

The refilling control circuitry can be further configured to determine, in response to the article being received by the refilling device, whether the article is authentic and to prevent the transfer of aerosol-generating material from the reservoir to the article in response to the determining that the article is not authentic.

The refilling control circuitry can be further configured to send the value of the counter to a remote data store.

The refilling control circuitry can be further configured to read, from the article, data indicative of an amount of aerosol-generating material stored in the article. The transfer of aerosol-generating material may be based on the data indicative of the amount of aerosol-generating material stored in the article. The data indicative of the amount of aerosol-generating material stored in the article may be sent to a remote data store, and/or a notification provided to a user of the refilling device based on the data indicative of the amount of aerosol-generating material stored in the article.

The refilling control circuitry can be further configured to read, from the reservoir, data indicative of an amount of aerosol-generating material stored in the reservoir. The transfer of aerosol-generating material may be based on the data indicative of the amount of aerosol-generating material stored in the reservoir. The data indicative of the amount of aerosol-generating material stored in the reservoir may be sent to a remote data store, and/or a notification provided to a user of the refilling device based on the data indicative of the amount of aerosol-generating material stored in the reservoir.

The refilling control circuitry can be further configured to provide a notification to a user of the refilling device based on the value of the counter. The notification can provide an indication of a number of times the aerosol-generating material can be transferred to the article before the article expires.

The refilling control circuitry can be further configured to provide a notification to a user of the refilling device in response to determining that article is expired.

The notification can be provided on the refilling device and/or an application on a remote device.

In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided a method of refilling an article of an aerosol provision system. The method comprises facilitating the transfer of aerosol-generating material from a reservoir to the article and causing a value of a counter to be updated in response to the transfer of the aerosol-generating material. The value of the counter is indicative of a number of times the article has been refilled. It is determined if the article is expired based on a comparison between the updated value of the counter and a refill limit and data is written to computer-readable memory indicating that the article is expired in response to determining that the article is expired.

There is also provided a computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, performs the above method.

In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided an article for an aerosol provision system. The article comprises an aerosol-generating material storage area configured to store aerosol-generating material and article control circuitry. The article control circuitry is configured to store a value of a counter indicative of a number of times the article has been refilled, and store data received from a refilling device indicating that the article is expired.

These aspects and other aspects will be apparent from the following detailed description. In this regard, particular sections of the description are not to be read in isolation from other sections.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to accompanying drawings, in which:.

Aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments are discussed/described herein. Some aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments may be implemented conventionally and these are not discussed/described in detail in the interests of brevity. It will thus be appreciated that aspects and features of articles and systems discussed herein which are not described in detail may be implemented in accordance with any conventional techniques for implementing such aspects and features.

The present disclosure relates to aerosol provision systems, which may also be referred to as aerosol provision systems, such as e-cigarettes. Throughout the following description the term "e-cigarette" or "electronic cigarette" may sometimes be used, but it will be appreciated this term may be used interchangeably with aerosol provision system and electronic aerosol provision system.

As noted above, aerosol provision systems (e-cigarettes) often comprise a modular assembly including both a reusable part (aerosol provision device) and a replaceable (disposable) or refillable cartridge part, referred to as an article. Systems conforming to this type of two-part modular configuration may generally be referred to as two-part systems or devices. It is also common for electronic cigarettes to have a generally elongate shape. For the sake of providing a concrete example, certain embodiments of the disclosure described herein comprise this kind of generally elongate two-part system employing refillable cartridges. However, it will be appreciated the underlying principles described herein may equally be adopted for other electronic cigarette configurations, for example modular systems comprising more than two parts, as devices conforming to other overall shapes, for example based on so-called box-mod high performance devices that typically have a more boxy shape.

As described above, the present disclosure relates to (but it not limited to) refilling devices for articles of aerosol provision systems, such as e-cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

<FIG> is a highly schematic diagram (not to scale) of an example aerosol provision system <NUM>, such as an e-cigarette, to which embodiments are applicable. The aerosol provision system <NUM> has a generally cylindrical shape, extending along a longitudinal or y axis as indicated by the axes (although aspects of the invention are applicable to e-cigarettes configured in other shapes and arrangements), and comprises two main components, namely an aerosol provision device <NUM> and an article <NUM>.

The article <NUM> comprises or consists of aerosol-generating material <NUM>, part or all of which is intended to be consumed during use by a user. An article <NUM> may comprise one or more other components, such as an aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM>, an aerosol-generating material transfer component <NUM>, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a mouthpiece <NUM>, a filter and/or an aerosol-modifying agent.

An article <NUM> may also comprise an aerosol generator <NUM>, such as a heating element, that emits heat to cause the aerosol-generating material <NUM> to generate aerosol in use. The aerosol generator <NUM> may, for example, comprise combustible material, a material heatable by electrical conduction, or a susceptor. It should be noted that it is possible for the aerosol generator <NUM> to be part of the aerosol provision device <NUM> and the article <NUM> then may comprise the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> for the aerosol-generating material <NUM> such that, when the article <NUM> is coupled with the aerosol provision device <NUM>, the aerosol-generating material <NUM> can be transferred to the aerosol generator <NUM> in the aerosol provision device <NUM>.

Aerosol-generating material is a material that is capable of generating aerosol, for example when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. The aerosol-generating material <NUM> may, for example, be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel which may or may not contain an active substance and/or flavourants. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material <NUM> may comprise an "amorphous solid", which may alternatively be referred to as a "monolithic solid" (i.e. non-fibrous). In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may be a dried gel. The amorphous solid is a solid material that may retain some fluid, such as liquid, within it. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material <NUM> may for example comprise from about 50wt%, 60wt% or 70wt% of amorphous solid, to about 90wt%, 95wt% or 100wt% of amorphous solid.

The aerosol-generating material comprises one or more ingredients, such as one or more active substances and/or flavourants, one or more aerosol-former materials, and optionally one or more other functional materials such as pH regulators, colouring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and/or antioxidants.

The active substance as used herein may be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. The active substance may for example be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, and psychoactives. The active substance may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active substance may comprise for example nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, vitamins such as B6 or B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids, or constituents, derivatives, or combinations thereof. The active substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of tobacco, cannabis or another botanical.

In some embodiments, the active substance comprises nicotine. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises caffeine, melatonin or vitamin B12.

The aerosol provision device <NUM> includes a power source <NUM>, such as a battery, configured to supply electrical power to the aerosol generator <NUM>. The power source <NUM> in this example is rechargeable and may be of a conventional type, for example of the kind normally used in electronic cigarettes and other applications requiring provision of relatively high currents over relatively short periods. The battery <NUM> may be recharged through the charging port (not illustrated), which may, for example, comprise a USB connector.

The aerosol provision device <NUM> includes device control circuitry <NUM> configured to control the operation of the aerosol provision system <NUM> and provide conventional operating functions in line with the established techniques for controlling aerosol provision systems such as electronic cigarettes. The device control circuitry (processor circuitry) <NUM> may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units/circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the electronic cigarette's operation. For example, depending on the functionality provided in different implementations, the device control circuitry <NUM> may comprise power source control circuitry for controlling the supply of electrical power from the power source <NUM> to the aerosol generator <NUM>, user programming circuitry for establishing configuration settings (e.g. user-defined power settings) in response to user input, as well as other functional units/circuitry associated functionality in accordance with the principles described herein and conventional operating aspects of electronic cigarettes. It will be appreciated the functionality of the device control circuitry <NUM> can be provided in various different ways, for example using one or more suitably programmed programmable computer(s) and/or one or more suitably configured application-specific integrated circuit(s)/circuitry/chip(s)/chipset(s) configured to provide the desired functionality.

The aerosol provision device <NUM> includes one or more air inlets <NUM>. In use, as a user inhales on the mouthpiece <NUM>, air is drawn into the aerosol provision device <NUM> through the air inlets <NUM> and along an air channel <NUM> to the aerosol generator <NUM>, where the air mixes with the vaporised aerosol-generating material <NUM> and forms a condensation aerosol. The air drawn through the aerosol generator <NUM> continues along the air channel <NUM> to a mouthpiece <NUM>, carrying some of the aerosol with it, and out through the mouthpiece <NUM> for inhalation by the user. Alternatively, the one or more air inlets <NUM> may be included on the article <NUM>, such that the air channel <NUM> is entirely contained within the article <NUM>.

By way of a concrete example, the article <NUM> comprises a housing (formed, e.g., from a plastics material), an aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> formed within the housing for containing the aerosol-generating material <NUM> (which in this example may be a liquid which may or may not contain nicotine), an aerosol-generating material transfer component <NUM> (which in this example is a wick formed of e.g., glass or cotton fibres, or a ceramic material configured to transport the liquid from the reservoir using capillary action), an aerosol-generating area containing the aerosol generator <NUM>, and a mouthpiece <NUM>. Although not shown, a filter and/or aerosol modifying agent (such as a flavour imparting material) may be located in, or in proximity to, the mouthpiece <NUM>. The aerosol generator <NUM> of this example comprises a heater element formed from an electrically resistive material (such as NiCr8020) spirally wrapped around the aerosol-generating material transfer component <NUM>, and located in the air channel <NUM>. The area around the heating element and wick combination is the aerosol-generating area of the article <NUM>.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of an example article <NUM> for use in the aerosol provision system <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>, where the same reference signs have been used for like elements between the article <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> and the article <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>. As per the article <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>, the article <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> includes an aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> for storing an aerosol-generating material <NUM>, an aerosol-generating material transfer component <NUM>, an aerosol generation area containing an aerosol generator <NUM>, and a mouthpiece <NUM>.

The article <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> is configured to be refilled and reused. In other words, the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> of the article <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> can be refilled with aerosol-generating material <NUM> once some or all of the aerosol-generating material <NUM> contained in the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> has been exhausted or depleted. To facilitate the refilling or replenishment of aerosol-generating material <NUM>, the article <NUM> has a refilling tube <NUM> extending between the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> and the exterior or an outer surface of the housing of the article <NUM>, thereby creating a refilling orifice <NUM>. Aerosol-generating material <NUM> can then be inserted into the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> via the refilling orifice <NUM> and refilling tube <NUM>. It will be appreciated, however, that such a configuration of a refilling tube <NUM> and a refilling orifice <NUM> is not essential, and the article <NUM> may comprise any other suitable means of facilitating the refilling of the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> with aerosol generating material <NUM>.

The refilling orifice <NUM> and/or the refilling tube <NUM> may be sealable, for example with a cap or one-way valve, in order to ensure that aerosol-generating material <NUM> does not leak out of the refilling orifice <NUM>. Although the refilling orifice <NUM> is illustrated in <FIG> as being on the same end or surface of the article <NUM> as the air channel <NUM> and interface with the aerosol provision device <NUM>, this is not essential. The refilling orifice <NUM> may be located at the end of the article <NUM> comprising the mouthpiece <NUM>, for example proximate to the outlet of the air channel <NUM> on the mouthpiece <NUM>, such that the refilling tube <NUM> extends between the end of the article <NUM> comprising the mouthpiece <NUM> and the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM>. In this case, the article <NUM> does not necessarily need to be separated from the aerosol-generating device <NUM> in order to refill the article <NUM> with aerosol-generating material <NUM>, as the refilling orifice <NUM> is not obstructed by the aerosol-generating device <NUM> when the article <NUM> is coupled with the aerosol provision device <NUM>.

The article <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> also comprises article control circuitry <NUM> configured to control the operation of the article <NUM> and store parameters and/or data associated with the article <NUM>. The parameters associated with the article <NUM> may include, for example, a serial number and/or stock keeping unit (SKU) for the article <NUM> or other means of identifying the article <NUM> and/or the type of the article <NUM>, a date of manufacture and/or expiry of the article <NUM>, an indication of the number of times the article <NUM> has been refilled, the capacity of the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> and/or the amount of aerosol-generating material remaining in the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM>. As described above in relation to the device control circuitry <NUM>, the article control circuitry <NUM> can be provided in various different ways, for example using one or more suitably programmed programmable computer(s) and/or one or more suitably configured application-specific integrated circuit(s)/circuitry/chip(s)/chipset(s) configured to provide the desired functionality. For example, the article control circuitry <NUM> may comprise a microcontroller unit (MCU) or a system on chip (SoC).

The article <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> also comprises one or more connectors <NUM>, such as contact electrodes, connected via electrical wiring to the aerosol generator <NUM> and the article control circuitry <NUM>. In use, the article <NUM> is coupled to the aerosol-generating device <NUM> and the connectors <NUM> mate with connectors on the aerosol-generating device, thereby allowing electrical power and electrical current to be supplied from the battery <NUM> of the aerosol-generating device <NUM> to the aerosol generator <NUM> and the article control circuitry <NUM>.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of a refilling device <NUM> for an article of an aerosol provision system, such as the article <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>, and a reservoir <NUM>. The reservoir <NUM> is a disposable/replaceable part which contains aerosol-generating material <NUM>. The refilling device <NUM> facilitates the transfer of the aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> in order to refill or replenish the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> of the article <NUM> with aerosol-generating material. The article <NUM> can then be reused as part of the aerosol provision system <NUM> described above, whilst the reservoir <NUM> can be disposed of when the aerosol-generating material <NUM> within the reservoir <NUM> has been depleted. This allows a single article <NUM> to be refilled using multiple reservoirs, thereby increasing the number of uses of a single article <NUM>.

The refilling device <NUM> comprises an article interface <NUM> configured to receive the article <NUM>. The article interface <NUM> may comprise a slot, tray, opening or aperture on the refilling device <NUM> into or onto which the article <NUM> is placed or coupled. Alternatively the article interface <NUM> may comprise a lead or other cable which is attachable or otherwise connectable to the article <NUM>. Although one article interface <NUM> is illustrated in <FIG>, the refilling device <NUM> may comprise more than one article interface <NUM>, for example three, five or ten, depending on the specific design of the refilling device <NUM>. In this case, two or more of the article interfaces <NUM> may be different such that the refilling device <NUM> is capable of receiving different types of article, or two or more of the article interfaces <NUM> may be the same such that the refilling device <NUM> is capable of receiving multiple articles of the same type.

The refilling device <NUM> also comprises one or more reservoir interfaces <NUM> configured to receive a reservoir <NUM>. In the same fashion as described above in relation to the article interface <NUM>, each of the reservoir interfaces <NUM> may comprise a slot, tray, opening or aperture on the refilling device <NUM> into or onto which the reservoir <NUM> is placed or coupled. Alternatively, each reservoir interface <NUM> may comprise a lead or other cable which is attachable or otherwise connectable to the reservoir <NUM>. Although two reservoir interfaces <NUM> are illustrated in <FIG>, this is not essential and the refilling device <NUM> may comprise fewer or more reservoir interfaces <NUM>, for example one, three, five or ten, depending on the specific design of the refilling device <NUM>.

The refilling device <NUM> also comprises refilling control circuitry <NUM> configured to control the operation of the refilling device <NUM>. As described above in relation to the device control circuitry <NUM>, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> can be provided in various different ways, for example using one or more suitably programmed programmable computer(s) and/or one or more suitably configured application-specific integrated circuit(s)/circuitry/chip(s)/chipset(s) configured to provide the desired functionality. For example, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> may comprise a microcontroller unit (MCU) or a system on chip (SoC).

Although not illustrated, the refilling device <NUM> may also comprise a power source, such as a battery, configured to supply electrical power to the components of the refilling device <NUM>. Alternatively, the power source may be an external power supply, such as a mains electricity supply or an external battery pack, to which the refilling device <NUM> can be coupled, attached or otherwise connected.

As described above, the reservoir <NUM> comprises aerosol-generating material <NUM> for transferring, by the refilling device <NUM>, to the article <NUM> in order to refill or replenish the aerosol-generating material <NUM> in the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> of the article <NUM>.

The reservoir <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> also comprises reservoir control circuitry <NUM> configured to control the reservoir <NUM> and store parameters and/or data associated with the reservoir <NUM>. The parameters associated with the reservoir <NUM> may include, for example data indicative of an amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> stored in the reservoir <NUM>, data relating to the aerosol-generating material <NUM> stored in the reservoir <NUM>, such as one or more ingredients, the concentration and/or amount of the ingredients and/or one or more flavourants within the aerosol-generating material <NUM>. The data may also comprise an identifier, such as a serial number and/or SKU for the reservoir <NUM> or other means of identifying the reservoir <NUM> and/or the type of the reservoir <NUM>, and a date of manufacture and/or expiry of the reservoir <NUM>. As described above in relation to the device control circuitry <NUM>, the reservoir control circuitry <NUM> can be provided in various different ways, for example using one or more suitably programmed programmable computer(s) and/or one or more suitably configured application-specific integrated circuit(s)/circuitry/chip(s)/chipset(s) configured to provide the desired functionality. For example, the reservoir control circuitry <NUM> may comprise a microcontroller unit (MCU) or a system on chip (SoC). Alternatively, the reservoir control circuitry <NUM> may comprise a code printed onto the reservoir, such as a barcode or QR code, or an NFC chip or other form of passive tag.

The refilling device <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> also comprises one or more connectors <NUM>, such as contact electrodes, connected via electrical wiring to the refilling control circuitry <NUM> and the power source (not illustrated). The connectors <NUM> are located proximate to or as part of the article interface <NUM>. This facilitates communication between the refilling control circuitry <NUM> and the article control circuitry <NUM>; the connectors <NUM> on the article <NUM> mate with the connectors <NUM> on the refilling device <NUM> when the article <NUM> is received by the article interface <NUM>, thereby allowing power to be supplied from the refilling device <NUM> to the article control circuitry <NUM> and electrical signals to be transferred between the refilling control circuitry <NUM> and the article control circuitry <NUM>. The connectors <NUM> may be arranged relative to the article interface <NUM> in a pattern and position matching/mirroring the connectors <NUM> on the article <NUM> in order to facilitate the mating of the connectors <NUM> on the article <NUM> and the connectors <NUM> on the refilling device <NUM> when the article <NUM> is received by the article interface <NUM>.

In the same fashion, the refilling device <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> also comprises one or more connectors <NUM>, such as contact electrodes, located proximate to or as part of each of the reservoir interfaces <NUM> and connected via electrical wiring to the refilling control circuitry <NUM> and the power source (not illustrated). The connectors <NUM> mate with the connectors <NUM> on the reservoir <NUM> when the reservoir <NUM> is received by the reservoir interface <NUM>, thereby allowing power to be supplied from the refilling device <NUM> to the reservoir control circuitry <NUM> and electrical signals to be transferred between the refilling control circuitry <NUM> and the reservoir control circuitry <NUM>. The connectors <NUM> may be arranged relative to the reservoir interface <NUM> in a pattern and position matching/mirroring the connectors <NUM> on the reservoir <NUM> in order to facilitate the mating of the connectors <NUM> on the reservoir <NUM> and the connectors <NUM> on the refilling device <NUM> when a reservoir <NUM> is received by one of the reservoir interfaces <NUM>.

Although the connectors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are described herein as physical electrical connectors between the article, the refilling device and the reservoir, in an alternative implementation one or more of the electrical connections between the respective components may be a wireless connection, such as NFC, RFID, or inductive coupling.

The refilling device <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> also comprises a refilling outlet <NUM> located proximate to or as part of the article interface <NUM>, a refilling inlet <NUM> located proximate to or as part of each of the reservoir interfaces <NUM>, and a duct <NUM> connecting each refilling inlet <NUM> to the refilling outlet <NUM>. The refilling outlet <NUM> is configured to mate with the refilling orifice <NUM> on the article <NUM> when the article is received by the article interface <NUM>, and each refilling inlet <NUM> is configured to mate with a reservoir outlet <NUM> when a reservoir <NUM> is received by the corresponding reservoir interface <NUM>. The duct <NUM> is configured to facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from each of the refilling inlets <NUM> to the refilling outlet <NUM>, thereby providing a transfer path for aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> through the refilling device <NUM> and into the article <NUM>.

Although the refilling outlet <NUM> is illustrated in <FIG> as being on the same end or surface of the article interface <NUM> as the connectors <NUM>, this is not essential. The refilling outlet <NUM> may be located anywhere proximate to or in the article interface <NUM> relative to the connectors <NUM> in order for the refilling outlet <NUM> to mate with the refilling orifice <NUM> on the article <NUM> whilst the connectors <NUM> on the refilling device <NUM> mate with the connectors <NUM> on the article <NUM> when the article <NUM> is received by the article interface <NUM>. Similarly, the refilling inlet <NUM> may be located anywhere proximate to or in each reservoir interface <NUM> relative to the connectors <NUM> in order for the refilling inlet <NUM> to mate with the reservoir outlet <NUM> on the reservoir <NUM> whilst the connectors <NUM> on the refilling device <NUM> mate with the connectors <NUM> on the reservoir <NUM> when a reservoir <NUM> is received by a reservoir interface <NUM>.

Further, as described above, the refilling device <NUM> may be configured to receive different types, designs or configuration of article <NUM> using the same article interface <NUM>. In this case, there may be multiple configurations of connectors <NUM> and/or refilling outlets <NUM> proximate to or in the article interface <NUM> in order to facilitate the same article interface <NUM> receiving different types, designs or configurations of article <NUM>. Equally, there may be multiple configurations of connectors <NUM> and/or refilling inlets <NUM> proximate to or in each reservoir interface <NUM> in order to facilitate the same reservoir interface <NUM> receiving different types, designs or configurations of reservoir <NUM>. Alternatively or in addition, the configuration of connectors <NUM> and/or refilling inlets <NUM> proximate to or in the one or more of the reservoir interfaces <NUM> may be different such that different reservoir types are received by different reservoir interfaces <NUM> of the same refilling device <NUM>.

One or more of the refilling outlet <NUM>, the refilling inlets <NUM>, the reservoir outlet <NUM> and the duct <NUM> may also include a means of controlling the rate and/or direction of transfer of the aerosol-generating material <NUM>, for example a ball valve, needle valve or diaphragm to control the rate of transfer and/or a one way valve such as a check valve or non-return valve to control the direction of transfer. For example, a one way valve may be located at or proximate to each of the refilling outlet <NUM>, the refilling inlets <NUM> and the reservoir outlets <NUM> to ensure that aerosol-generating material <NUM> can only be transferred from the reservoir <NUM> to the refilling device <NUM> and from the refilling device <NUM> to the article <NUM>, whilst a single ball valve or diaphragm may be located on or in the duct <NUM> of the refilling device <NUM> in order to control the flow rate of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> through the refilling device <NUM> and into the article <NUM>. Equally, a ball valve or diaphragm may be located proximate to each refilling inlet <NUM> in order to independently control the rate of transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> into each of the refilling inlets <NUM> or from each of the refilling inlets <NUM> into the duct <NUM>. For example, this allows the refilling control circuitry <NUM> to prevent a first aerosol-generating material <NUM> being transferred from a first reservoir <NUM> whilst a second aerosol-generating material <NUM> is being transferred from a second reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM>. This also allows the refilling control circuitry <NUM> to facilitate the transfer the first aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the first reservoir <NUM> and the second aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the second reservoir <NUM> simultaneously to the article <NUM>, but at different transfer rates, thereby creating an aerosol-generating material <NUM> in the article <NUM> containing a mixture of the first aerosol-generating material <NUM> and the second aerosol-generating material <NUM> at different concentrations.

The refilling device <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> also optionally comprises a device interface <NUM> configured to receive the aerosol provision device <NUM> in order to supply electrical power from the refilling device <NUM> to the aerosol provision device <NUM>. This electrical power can be used, for example, to recharge the power source or battery <NUM> of the aerosol provision device <NUM> and to facilitate the transfer of electrical signals between the refilling control circuitry <NUM> and the device control circuitry <NUM>. This allows the user to use the refilling device <NUM> as a means of charging the aerosol provision device <NUM> whilst the article <NUM> is being replenished with aerosol-generating material <NUM>, thereby reducing the number of associated devices needed to operate and maintain the aerosol provision system <NUM>. The device interface <NUM> may be a wired interface, such as using electrical connectors as described above, or a wireless interface such as inductive or capacitive coupling. The device interface <NUM> may also be configured to the transfer of data between the refilling control circuitry <NUM> and the device control circuitry <NUM>. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to read data from the aerosol provision device <NUM> and/or write data to the aerosol provision device <NUM>, for example to perform a software update, thereby installing an updated version of software onto the device control circuitry <NUM>.

As set out above, the refilling device <NUM> facilitates the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> in order to refill or replenish the article <NUM> so that it can be reused as part of the aerosol provision system <NUM>. By way of a concrete example, when a reservoir <NUM> is received by one of the reservoir interfaces <NUM>, the connectors <NUM> located proximate to or in the corresponding reservoir interface <NUM> mate with the connectors <NUM> on the reservoir <NUM> and the refilling inlet <NUM> located proximate to or in the corresponding reservoir interface <NUM> mates with the reservoir outlet <NUM>. When an article <NUM> is received by the article interface <NUM>, the connectors <NUM> located proximate to or in the article interface <NUM> mate with the connectors <NUM> on the article <NUM> and the refilling outlet <NUM> mates with the refilling orifice <NUM> on the device <NUM>. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> is then configured to facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> by facilitating the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> into the duct <NUM> of the refilling device <NUM> via the reservoir outlet <NUM> and the refilling inlet <NUM>, and from the duct <NUM> of the refilling device <NUM> into the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> of the article <NUM> via the refilling outlet <NUM>, the refilling orifice <NUM> and the refilling tube <NUM>.

In the examples where the refiling device <NUM> has a plurality of reservoir interfaces <NUM>, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to selectively facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from a reservoir <NUM> received by one of the reservoir interfaces <NUM>, for example in response to a determination that only one of the reservoir interfaces <NUM> has received a reservoir <NUM>, or in response to a selection of a particular reservoir <NUM> from which aerosol-generating material <NUM> should be transferred, for example a user input or a determination based on one or more parameters of each of the reservoirs <NUM> stored on the respective reservoir control circuitry <NUM>. In this case, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to receive, from a user of the refilling device <NUM>, a selection of one or more reservoir interfaces <NUM> and selectively facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM>, from each reservoir <NUM> connected to one of the one or more selected reservoir interfaces <NUM>, to the article <NUM> when the article <NUM> is coupled to the refilling device. In other words, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to only transfer aerosol-generating material <NUM> from a reservoir <NUM> connected to a selected reservoir interface <NUM>, and prevent aerosol-generating material <NUM> from being transferred from any other reservoir <NUM> connected to the refilling device <NUM>.

Although not illustrated, in some examples, the refilling device <NUM> can comprise a tank, container or other such receptacle for storing aerosol-generating material <NUM> received from the reservoir <NUM>, for example when a reservoir <NUM> is received by the reservoir interface <NUM> without an article <NUM> being received by the article interface <NUM>, thereby allowing the reservoir <NUM> to be disconnected from the reservoir interface <NUM> before an article <NUM> is received by the article interface <NUM>. In this case, the aerosol-generating material <NUM> is stored in the receptacle of the refilling device <NUM> until such a time that it can be transferred to an article <NUM> received by the article interface <NUM>. In this case, control circuitry <NUM> of the refilling device <NUM> is configured to facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the receptacle, and subsequently and separately to facilitate the transfer of the aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the receptacle to the article <NUM>.

The receptacle of the refilling device <NUM> can also be used to facilitate the mixing of aerosol-generating material <NUM> before it is transferred to the article <NUM>. For example, if a first reservoir interface <NUM> receives a first reservoir <NUM> containing a first aerosol-generating material <NUM> and a second reservoir interface <NUM> receives a second reservoir <NUM> containing a second aerosol-generating material <NUM>, then the refilling control circuitry <NUM> can be configured to facilitate the transfer of the first aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the first reservoir <NUM> into the receptacle, and facilitate the transfer of the second aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the second reservoir <NUM> into the receptacle. The first aerosol-generating material <NUM> and the second aerosol-generating material <NUM> can then be mixed in the receptacle, and the mixture of the first aerosol-generating material <NUM> and the second aerosol-generating material <NUM> transferred to the article <NUM>.

As described above, the refilling device <NUM> comprises an article interface <NUM> configured to receive the article <NUM>. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to detect that an article <NUM> has been received by the article interface <NUM>, for example by detecting the mating of one or more of the article connectors <NUM> with the refilling device connectors <NUM> or the refilling orifice <NUM> with the refilling outlet <NUM> or by detecting when a securing latch, catch or other attachment means of the article interface <NUM> has been engaged or through the use of a sensing means such as a light sensor or pressure sensor.

In response to the article <NUM> being received by the refilling device <NUM>, for example by the article interface <NUM>, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to read, from article <NUM>, a value of a counter indicative of the number of times the article <NUM> has been refilled. For example, the counter may be stored on the article control circuitry <NUM>, and the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to read the value of the counter stored on the article control circuitry <NUM> in response to the article <NUM> being received by the article interface <NUM>, for example in response to the refilling control circuitry <NUM> detecting that the article <NUM> has been received by the article interface <NUM> as described above. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may also be configured to read other data stored on the article <NUM> from the article <NUM>, such as a serial number and/or SKU for the article <NUM> or other means of identifying the article <NUM> and/or the type of the article <NUM>, a date of manufacture and/or expiry of the reservoir <NUM>, an indication of the number of times the article <NUM> has been refilled, the capacity of the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> and/or the amount of aerosol-generating material remaining in the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured determine whether the article <NUM> is authentic in response to the article <NUM> being received by the refilling device <NUM>, for example by the article interface <NUM>. An authentic article <NUM> is an article <NUM> manufactured by a known or approved manufacturer, such as the same manufacturer as the refilling device <NUM> and reservoirs <NUM>, whilst an inauthentic article <NUM> may be an imitation or counterfeit article <NUM>, produced to a lower quality and/or may be unsafe or dangerous to use. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to read data from the article <NUM>, such as a serial number of the article <NUM>, a stock keeping unit (SKU), a public key and/checksum, and perform a calculation on the data in order to determine whether the article <NUM> is authentic. For example, a serial number or SKU could be compared to a table of serial numbers or SKUs stored on the refilling control circuitry <NUM> in order to verify that the serial number or SKU is valid, and therefore that the article <NUM> is authentic. Alternative, a security or encryption operation may be performed, for example using a key stored by the refilling control circuitry <NUM> and one or more of the serial number, SKU, public key and checksum in order to authenticate the article <NUM>. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to send the data read from the article <NUM> to a remote source, such as the remote data store <NUM> described below with reference to <FIG> in order for the remote source to verify the authenticity of the article <NUM>. The remote data source then sends an indication of the authentication of the article <NUM> back to the refilling control circuitry <NUM>.

In response to the determining that the article <NUM> is not authentic, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to prevent the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM>. This ensures that only authentic articles <NUM> can be refilled by the refilling device <NUM>. The transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> may be prevented by disabling one or more pumps or other flow control devices within the refilling device <NUM>, or by preventing the actuation of one or more valves within the refilling device <NUM>. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may also be configured to provide a notification to the user in response to determining that the article <NUM> is not authentic. For example, an LED on the refilling device <NUM> may be illuminated or activated, an audio notification may be played on a speaker on the refilling device <NUM>, or the article <NUM> may be disconnected or otherwise removed from the article interface <NUM> by the refilling control circuitry <NUM>.

Otherwise, if it is determined that the article <NUM> is authentic, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is then configured to facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM>. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to read the value of the counter from the article <NUM> in response to the determination that the article <NUM> is authentic prior to the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM>.

Although in the examples described above the counter is stored on the article, in other examples the counter can be stored on the refilling device <NUM>, such as on the refilling control circuitry, or at another location such as the remote data store <NUM> described below with reference to <FIG>.

In each case, the value of the counter is indicative of the number of times the article <NUM> has been refilled with aerosol-generating material <NUM>. In some examples, the value of the counter represents the number of times the article has been refilled and is incremented each time the article is refilled. For example, the value of the counter may be zero when the article <NUM> is first manufactured and used (i.e. when the article is new), and the value of the counter incremented by one each time the article <NUM> is refilled with aerosol-generating material <NUM> until the value of the counter exceeds or equals the number of times the article <NUM> is designed or intended to be refilled in its usable life, such as <NUM>, <NUM> or <NUM>. Alternatively, when the article <NUM> is first manufactured and used (i.e. when the article is new), the value of the counter equals the number of times the article <NUM> is designed or intended to be refilled in its usable life. The value of the counter is then decremented by one each time the article <NUM> is refilled with aerosol-generating material <NUM> until the value of the counter equals zero.

In some examples, the value of the counter represents the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> that has been transferred into the article <NUM> by the refilling device <NUM> or the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> used by the article <NUM> during operation of the aerosol provision system <NUM>. For example, the value of the counter may be zero when the article <NUM> is first manufactured and used (ie when the article is new), and the value of the counter incremented by a number representative of the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> transferred into the article <NUM> by the refilling device <NUM> during a refill. In other words, if <NUM> of aerosol-generating material <NUM> is transferred from a reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> by the refilling device <NUM> during a refill, the value of the counter is incremented by <NUM>. The counter is then incremented by a number representative of the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> transferred into the article <NUM> by the refilling device <NUM> during each refill until the value of the counter exceeds or equals the total amount of aerosol-generating material the article <NUM> is designed or intended to be refilled with in its usable life, such as <NUM>, <NUM> or <NUM>. Alternatively, when the article <NUM> is first manufactured and used (ie when the article is new), the value of the counter equals the total amount of aerosol-generating material the article <NUM> is designed or intended to be refilled with in its usable life. The value of the counter is then decremented by a number representative of the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> transferred into the article <NUM> by the refilling device <NUM> during each refill until the value of the counter is less than or equals zero. In both cases, the refilling control circuity <NUM> is configured to determine the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> transferred into the article <NUM> by the refilling device <NUM> during a refill, for example using a flow meter, flow gauge or a calibrated pump of the refilling device <NUM>.

The refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from a reservoir <NUM> coupled to the refilling device <NUM> to the article <NUM>. As described above, the reservoir <NUM> may be coupled to the refilling device <NUM> using a reservoir interface <NUM>. The transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from a reservoir <NUM> coupled to the refilling device <NUM> to the article <NUM> is facilitating by the refilling control circuitry <NUM> as described above. For example, the refilling control-circuitry <NUM> may be configured to only facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> when both the article <NUM> is received by the article interface <NUM> and a reservoir <NUM> is coupled to the refilling device <NUM>. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> in response to a user input, for example by the user pressing a button on the refilling device <NUM> or by the user providing an input on a touch-screen display on the refilling device <NUM>. Where there are a plurality of reservoirs <NUM> connected to the refilling device <NUM> as described above, the user input may represent a selection of one of the reservoirs from which aerosol-generating material <NUM> should be transferred, or a selection of more than one of the reservoirs in the case where the aerosol-generating material <NUM> transferred to the article <NUM> is a mixture of aerosol-generating material from more than one of the reservoirs.

In response to the transfer of the aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM>, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to cause the value of the counter to be updated. For example, in the case where the counter is stored on the article <NUM>, value of the counter stored on the article <NUM> is updated by the refilling control circuitry <NUM> to indicate that aerosol-generating material <NUM> has been transferred from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM>. As described above, the counter may be stored on the article control circuity <NUM> and the refilling control circuitry <NUM> configured to overwrite the value of the counter stored on the article control circuity <NUM> with an updated value, or the refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to instruct the article control circuitry <NUM> to update the value of the counter in response the aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM>. As described above, the value of the counter may be updated by incrementing or decrementing the counter depending on the particular implementation of the counter. In the case where the counter is stored on the refilling device <NUM>, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to update the value of the counter, and in the case where the counter is stored on the remote data store, the refilling control circuitry is configured to send the updated value of the counter to the remote data store in order for the value of the counter stored at the remote data store to be updated.

As described above, the amount by which the counter is updated may also be indicative of the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> that has been transferred from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> by the refilling device <NUM>. For example, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to read, from the reservoir <NUM>, data indicative of an amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> stored in the reservoir <NUM>. This may be performed in response to the reservoir <NUM> being received by the reservoir interface <NUM>, or otherwise prior to the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM>. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may also be configured to read other data stored on the reservoir from the reservoir, such as data indicative of an amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> stored in the reservoir <NUM>, one or more ingredients, the concentration and/or amount of the ingredients and/or one or more flavourants within the aerosol-generating material <NUM>, an identifier, such as a serial number and/or SKU for the reservoir <NUM> or other means of identifying the reservoir <NUM> and/or the type of the reservoir <NUM>, a date of manufacture and/or expiry of the reservoir <NUM>.

The refilling control may be configured to facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> based on the data indicative of an amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> stored in the reservoir <NUM> and the data indicative of the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> stored in the reservoir <NUM> can then be used to update the value of the counter following the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM>. For example, where all of the aerosol-generating material <NUM> is transferred from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM>, the value of the counter is updated by the value representative of the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> stored in the reservoir <NUM>. Alternatively, a flow meter, flow gauge, calibrated pump or relative displacement of a component of the refilling device <NUM> can be used to determine the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> transferred to the article <NUM>.

As described above, the article control circuitry <NUM> may store data indicative of an amount of aerosol-generating material stored <NUM> in the article <NUM>, for example data related to the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> remaining in the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> or data indicating the amount of aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> relative to the capacity of the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM>. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to read this data from the article <NUM> and facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> based on this data. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may facilitate the transfer of an amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> based on the data indicative of an amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> stored in the article <NUM> and/or the data indicative of an amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> stored in the reservoir <NUM> in order to refill the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> to its capacity (ie so that the article <NUM> is full of aerosol-generating material <NUM>), to half of its capacity or a percentage of its capacity. Equally, all of the aerosol-generating material <NUM> stored in the reservoir <NUM> may be transferred to the article <NUM> if it is determined that the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> stored in the reservoir <NUM> is less than the remaining capacity of the article <NUM>.

The data indicative of an amount of aerosol-generating material stored in the article <NUM> can also be used as part of a determination of the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> transferred to the article <NUM>, for example in conjunction with the data indicative of the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> stored in the reservoir <NUM> in order to determine of the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> transferred to the article <NUM>. In examples where not all of the aerosol-generating material <NUM> stored in the reservoir <NUM> is transferred to the article <NUM>, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to use the determined amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> transferred to the article <NUM> to update the data stored on the reservoir control circuitry <NUM> related to the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> transferred to the article <NUM> on the reservoir <NUM>. Equally, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to use the determined amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> transferred to the article <NUM> to update the data stored on the article control circuity <NUM> indicative of an amount of aerosol-generating material stored in the article <NUM>.

The refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to determine if the article <NUM> is expired based on a comparison between the updated value of the counter and a refill limit. The article is considered to be expired when a usable life of the article <NUM> has been reached or exceeded, indicating that the article <NUM> should no longer be used and should be replaced. In other words, refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to determine whether the article has reached the end of its usable life. The usable life of the article <NUM> is defined or set based on a number of factors, such as the degradation and reliability of components within the article <NUM>, such as the aerosol generator <NUM> and aerosol-generating material transfer component <NUM>. The usable life of the article <NUM> is therefore defined or set in order to ensure safe, reliable and consistent operation of the article <NUM>, and that the article <NUM> is replaced before the article <NUM> adversely impacts the operation of the aerosol provision system <NUM>.

The refill limit is therefore configured such that it is representative of the usable life of the article <NUM>, and the article <NUM> is determined to be expired when the refill limit is met or passed. In the examples described above where the counter is incremented when aerosol-generating material <NUM> is transferred from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM>, it is determined that the article <NUM> is expired when the updated value of the counter is equal to or exceeds the refill limit, where in the refill limit represents the number of times the article <NUM> is designed or intended to be refilled during its usable life, such as <NUM>, <NUM> or <NUM>, or the total amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> the article <NUM> is designed or intended to be refilled with in its usable life, such as <NUM>, <NUM> or <NUM>, depending on the whether the value of the counter represents the number of times the article <NUM> has been refilled or the total amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> the article <NUM> has refilled with. In the examples described above where the counter is decremented when aerosol-generating material <NUM> is transferred from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM>, the refill limit is zero. In other words, it is determined that the article <NUM> is expired when the updated value of the counter is equal to or less than zero (the refill limit). The refill limit may be stored on the refiling device <NUM>, for example as part of the refilling control circuitry <NUM>, or on the article <NUM>, for example as part of the article control circuitry <NUM>. In the latter case, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to read the refill limit from article <NUM>, either at the same time as reading the value of the counter from the article <NUM> or prior to or as part of determining whether the article <NUM> is expired.

In response to determining that the article <NUM> is expired, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to write data to computer-readable memory indicating that the article <NUM> is expired. The computer-readable memory may be on the article <NUM>, for example forming part of the article control circuitry <NUM>. In this case, the data may be stored on the article control circuitry <NUM>, and the refilling control circuitry <NUM> configured to either write directly to the article control circuitry <NUM> or instruct the article control circuitry <NUM> to write the data. Alternatively, the computer-readable memory may be on the refilling device <NUM>, for example forming part of the refilling control circuitry <NUM>, on the aerosol provision device <NUM> or the remote data store <NUM> or the remote device <NUM> as described below with reference to <FIG>. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to write data indicating that the article <NUM> is expired to computer-readable memory in a plurality of locations, such two or more of the article <NUM>, the aerosol provision device <NUM>, the remote data store <NUM>, the remote device <NUM> and the refilling device <NUM>.

The data written to the computer-readable memory may take the form of a data field or flag that is created in order to indicate that the article <NUM> is expired. Alternatively, the writing of data may update an existing field or flag to change a value stored on the computer-readable memory to indicate that the article <NUM> is expired. For example, the flag or data field may be a binary value, where "<NUM>" indicates the article is not expired and "<NUM>" indicates the article <NUM> is expired, or the flag or data field may be a Boolean or logical operator, where "false" indicates the article <NUM> is not expired and "true" indicates the article <NUM> is expired. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to write data to the computer-readable memory to update the "<NUM>" to a "<NUM>" or the "false" to a "true" in response to determining that the article <NUM> is expired. Alternatively, the writing of data may comprise writing the refill limit to the article <NUM> where the refill limit is not already stored on the article. The writing of data may comprise writing an identifier, such as a serial number or other means of identifying the article <NUM>, to a list of identifiers for expired articles stored in the computer-readable memory. In other words, the list comprises an identifier for each article that has expired, and the identifier for the article <NUM> is written or otherwise added to the list to indicate that the article <NUM> has expired.

In some embodiments, before the refilling control circuitry <NUM> facilitates the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM>, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured determine whether the article <NUM> is expired in response to the article <NUM> being received by the article interface <NUM>. Where the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is also configured to determine whether the article <NUM> is authentic, the determination of whether the article <NUM> is expired may be performed before, after or concurrently with the determination of whether the article <NUM> is authentic.

The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to determine whether the article <NUM> is expired by determining whether data has been written to the computer-readable memory indicating that the article is expired. For example, as described above, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to determine whether a data field or flag is stored on the computer-readable memory, or whether the value of a particular data field or flag indicates that the article <NUM> is expired. Alternatively, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to read the value of the counter from the article <NUM> and determine whether the article <NUM> has expired by comparing the value of the counter stored on the article <NUM> to the refill limit as described above in relation to the updated counter value following the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM>. Alternative, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to determine the identifier for the article <NUM>, for example by reading data from the article <NUM> or by prompting the user of the refilling device to input a means of determining the identifier, such as a user name or password associated with the user or the identifier for the article itself. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> is then configured to compare the identifier to the list of identifiers for expired articles stored in the computer-readable memory in order to determine whether the article <NUM> is expired.

In response to the determining that the article <NUM> is expired, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to prevent the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM>. This ensures that an expired article <NUM> cannot be refilled again by the refilling device <NUM>. The transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> may be prevented by disabling one or more pumps or other flow control devices within the refilling device <NUM>, or by preventing the actuating of one or more valves within the refilling device <NUM>. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may also be configured to provide a notification to the user in response to determining that the article <NUM> is expired. For example, an LED on the refilling device <NUM> may be illuminated or activated, an audio notification may be played on a speaker on the refilling device <NUM>, or the article <NUM> may be disconnected or otherwise removed from the article interface <NUM> by the refilling control circuitry <NUM>.

Otherwise, if it is determined that the article is not expired, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is then configured to facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> as described above, optionally reading the value of the counter from the article <NUM> before facilitating the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM>.

In some examples, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to write data to one or more of the article control circuitry <NUM>, the reservoir control circuitry <NUM> or memory of the refilling control circuitry <NUM> during the refilling process described above. This ensures that, in the event of a power cut or malfunction of one or more of the components, data related to the refilling process is recorded so that the state or condition of each of the components can be determined after the power cut or whilst fixing and recovering from the malfunction.

<FIG> illustrates a system <NUM> comprising the refilling device <NUM>, a remote data store <NUM>, and a remote device <NUM>, each of which is communicatively coupled. The remote data store <NUM> may be a physical server or a virtualized infrastructure such as cloud storage. The remote device <NUM> may include any suitable electronic device that can be communicatively coupled to the remote data store <NUM> and the refilling device <NUM>. For example, the remote device <NUM> may include a mobile device (such as a smartphone), a PDA, a personal computer, laptop, tablet, smartwatch, etc..

The remote data store <NUM> is configured to communicate with the refilling device <NUM> and the remote device <NUM> using a wireless communication protocol, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or using a cellular network. The communication means used between the remote data store <NUM> and the refilling device <NUM> between the remote data store <NUM> and the remote device <NUM> may be the same or may be different. As illustrated in <FIG>, the refilling device <NUM> may be configured to only communicate with the remote device <NUM> via the remote data store <NUM>, or the refilling device <NUM> may be configured to also communicate directly with the remote device <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is further configured to send the value of the counter <NUM> to the remote data store <NUM>. This may be the value of the counter read from the article <NUM> before aerosol-generating material <NUM> is transferred to the article <NUM>, the updated value of the counter following aerosol-generating material <NUM> being transferred to the article <NUM>, or both. In other words, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to send the value of the counter read from the article <NUM> to the remote data store <NUM> in response to reading the value of the counter from the article <NUM>, and/or send the updated value of the counter to the remote data store <NUM> in response to updating the value of the counter. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may also be configured to send the data indicating the article <NUM> is expired to the remote data store <NUM> and/or data indicating the article <NUM> is not authentic to the remote data store <NUM> in response to the respective determinations. As described above, the computer-readable memory may be located at the remote data store <NUM>, such that the writing of data to the remote data store comprises sending the data indicating the article <NUM> is expired to the remote data store <NUM> in order for the data to be written to the computer-readable memory.

The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may also be configured to send other data to the remote data store <NUM>, such any data read from the article control circuitry <NUM>, such as an identifier, serial number and/or SKU for the article <NUM> or other means of identifying the article <NUM> and/or the type of the article <NUM>, a date of manufacture and/or expiry of the reservoir <NUM>, an indication of the number of times the article <NUM> has been refilled, data indicative of the amount of aerosol-generating material stored in the article, the capacity of the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM> and/or the amount of aerosol-generating material remaining in the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM>, and any data read from the reservoir control circuitry <NUM>, such as data indicative of an amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> stored in the reservoir <NUM>, one or more ingredients, the concentration and/or amount of the ingredients and/or one or more flavourants within the aerosol-generating material <NUM>, an identifier, such as a serial number and/or SKU for the reservoir <NUM> or other means of identifying the reservoir <NUM> and/or the type of the reservoir <NUM>, a date of manufacture and/or expiry of the reservoir <NUM>. Accordingly, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to read data from the article <NUM> in response to the article <NUM> being received by the article interface <NUM>, and/or read data from a reservoir <NUM> in response to the reservoir <NUM> being received by a reservoir interface <NUM>, and then send the received data to the remote data store <NUM>. The refilling control circuitry <NUM> may also be configured to store the data received from the article <NUM> and/or the reservoir <NUM> on the refilling device <NUM>, for example in memory of the refilling control circuitry <NUM>.

In some examples, the refilling control circuity <NUM> is configured to send the read data to the remote data store <NUM> in response to reading it from the respective component. For example, the refilling control circuity <NUM> is configured send the data to the remote data store <NUM> as soon as it is read or received. Alternatively or in addition, the refilling control circuity <NUM> is configured to store the read data on the refilling device <NUM>, for example on memory of the refilling control circuity <NUM>, and then send the data to the remote data store <NUM> subsequently, for example in response to a request from the remote data store <NUM> or the refilling control circuity <NUM> may be configured to send the data to the remote data store <NUM> periodically, for example every minute, every hour or every <NUM> hours, or the refilling control circuity <NUM> may be configured to send the data to the remote data store <NUM> when a predetermined amount of data is stored on the refilling control circuity <NUM>. Equally, the refilling control circuity <NUM> can be configured to send data to the remote data store <NUM> in response to reading it from the respective component when an active or available wireless connection exists between the refilling device <NUM> and the remote data store <NUM>, and to store the data on the refilling control circuity <NUM> when an active or available wireless connection does not exist between the refilling device <NUM> and the remote data store <NUM>, so that the data can then be sent in response to an active or available wireless connection becoming available.

As described above, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> may be configured to provide one or more notifications to the user of the refilling device <NUM>. For example, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> may provide a notification to the user of the refilling device <NUM> based on the value of the counter. For example, the notification may provide an indication of the number of times aerosol-generating material <NUM> has been transferred to the article <NUM>, or the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> that has been transferred to the article <NUM>, either for a particular refill of the article <NUM> or the total amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> that has been transferred to the article <NUM> for all refills of the article <NUM>. In some examples the notification provides an indication of the number of times the aerosol-generating material <NUM> can be transferred to the article <NUM> before the article <NUM> expires. In other words, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to use the value of the counter and the refill limit to determine the number of times aerosol-generating material <NUM> can be transferred to the article <NUM> before the refill limit is met and the article <NUM> needs to be replaced. For example, an LED on the refilling device <NUM>, such as an amber coloured LED, may be activated when the article <NUM> has a particular number of refills remaining, such as <NUM>, <NUM> or <NUM>, or when the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> that can be transferred to the article <NUM> is at a particular value, such as <NUM>, <NUM> or <NUM>. Alternatively, one or more LEDs may be activated on the refilling device <NUM> to create a pattern indicative of the number of refills or amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> remaining, or the number or indication may be displayed on a display screen of the refilling device <NUM>.

In some examples a notification is provided to the user in response to determining that the article <NUM> is expired. For example, a different LED, or a different colour of LED, such as a red coloured LED, may be activated on the refilling device in order to indicate to the user that the article <NUM> is expired. Alternatively, a message or symbol may be displayed on a display screen of the refilling device <NUM> in order to indicate to the user that article has expired and should be replaced. The notification may be provided to the user in response to determining that an article <NUM> received by the article interface <NUM> the article <NUM> is expired and/or in response to determining that the article <NUM> is expired based on the comparison between the updated value of the counter and the refill limit.

In a similar fashion, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> may also be configured to provide a notification to the user based on one or more of the data indicative of the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> stored in the reservoir <NUM>, the data indicative of the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> stored in the article <NUM> and/or in response to determining that the article <NUM> is not authentic. For example, the notification may provide an indication of the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> remaining in the article <NUM>, either as an absolute value or relative to the capacity of the aerosol-generating material storage area <NUM>, and/or an indication of the amount of aerosol-generating material <NUM> remaining in the reservoir <NUM>, either as an absolute value or relative to the capacity of the reservoir <NUM>.

In each case, notifications from the refilling control circuitry <NUM> to the user may be provided on the refilling device <NUM>, for example by activating one or more indicator lights, such as the LEDs described above, emitting a sound from a speaker, displaying a message on a display screen on the refilling device <NUM> or activating a haptic notification means on the refilling device <NUM>. Alternatively or in addition, notifications from the refilling control circuitry <NUM> can be provided on an application on the remote device <NUM>. In this case, the refilling control circuitry <NUM> is configured to communicate with the remote device <NUM> such that the notification is provided to the user on the remote device <NUM>, such as on an application installed on the remote device <NUM>. As described above, this may be achieved by the refilling control circuity <NUM> sending data to the remote data store <NUM>, and the remote device <NUM> receiving the data from the remote data store <NUM>. For example, the notification can be provided on the remote device by displaying a message or symbol on a display screen on the remote device <NUM>, activating an indicator light on the remote device <NUM>, emitting a sound from a speaker on the remote device <NUM> or activating a haptic notification means on the remote device <NUM>. As will be appreciated, the notification can be provided to the user by any suitable conveying or indication means.

<FIG> is a flow chart of a method <NUM> of refilling an article <NUM>, for example performed by the refilling control circuitry <NUM>. The method begins at step <NUM>, where the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from a reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> is facilitated. At step <NUM>, a value of a counter is caused to be updated in response to the transfer of the aerosol-generating material <NUM>. The value of the counter is indicative of the number of times the article <NUM> has ben refilled with aerosol generating material. At step <NUM>, it is determined if the article <NUM> is expired based on a comparison between the updated value of the counter and a refill limit. If it is determined that the article <NUM> has not expired, the method ends. Otherwise, if it is determined at step <NUM> that the article <NUM> is expired, the method continues to step <NUM>, where data is written to computer-readable memory indicating that the article <NUM> is expired. The method then ends.

<FIG> is a flow chart of a further method <NUM> of refilling an article <NUM>, for example performed by the refilling control circuitry <NUM>. The method begins at step <NUM>, where it is detected that an article <NUM> has been received by an article interface <NUM>. At step <NUM>, it is determined whether the article <NUM> is authentic. If it is determined that the article <NUM> is not authentic, the method continues to step <NUM>, where the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from a reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> is prevented. A notification may also be provided to the user indicating that the article <NUM> is not authentic. The method then ends. If it is determined at step <NUM> that the article <NUM> is authentic the method continues to step <NUM>, where it is determined whether the article <NUM> is expired. If it is determined that the article <NUM> is expired the method continues to step <NUM>, where the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from a reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> is prevented. A notification may also be provided to the user indicating that the article <NUM> is expired. The method then ends. If it is determined at step <NUM> that the article is not expired the method continues to step <NUM>, where a value of a counter is read from the article <NUM>, the value of the counter is indicative of the number of times the article <NUM> has been refilled with aerosol-generating material <NUM>. The method then continues to step <NUM>, where the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from a reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> is facilitated. At step <NUM>, the value of the counter is updated in response to the transfer of the aerosol-generating material <NUM>. At step <NUM>, it is determined if the article <NUM> is expired based on a comparison between the updated value of the counter and a refill limit. If it is determined that the article <NUM> has not expired, the method ends. If it is determined at step <NUM> that the article <NUM> is expired, the method continues to step <NUM>, where data is written to computer-readable memory indicating that the article <NUM> is expired. The method then ends. It will be appreciated that step <NUM> may be performed before step <NUM> or concurrently with step <NUM>, such that the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from a reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> is prevented if either the article <NUM> has expired or the article <NUM> is not authentic. In some embodiments, step <NUM> is omitted, such that the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from a reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> is facilitated in response to determining that the article <NUM> is authentic and/or the article <NUM> has not expired. Steps <NUM> and <NUM> may also be performed on the reservoir <NUM> in response to the reservoir <NUM> being coupled to the refilling device <NUM> before the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from the reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> is facilitated. In other words, if it is determined that either the reservoir <NUM> has expired or the reservoir <NUM> is not authentic, the transfer of aerosol-generating material <NUM> from a reservoir <NUM> to the article <NUM> is prevented. The determination as to whether the reservoir <NUM> has expired or the reservoir <NUM> is not authentic can be performed using the same techniques as described herein with reference to the article <NUM>.

The methods <NUM>, <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> may be stored as instructions on a computer readable storage medium, such that when the instructions are executed by a processor, the methods <NUM>, <NUM> described above are performed. The computer readable storage medium may be non-transitory.

As described above, the present disclosure relates to (but it not limited to) a refilling device for an article of an aerosol provision system comprises refilling control circuitry. The refilling configured to facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material from a reservoir coupled to the refilling device to the article. The refilling control circuitry causes a value of a counter to be updated in response to the transfer of the aerosol-generating material. The value of the counter indicative of a number of times the article has been refilled. The refilling control circuitry determines if the article is expired based on a comparison between the updated value of the counter and a refill limit. The refilling control circuitry writes data to computer-readable memory indicating that the article is expired in response to determining that the article is expired.

Thus, there has been described a refilling device for an article of an aerosol provision system, a method of refilling an article of an aerosol provision system and an article for an aerosol provision system.

Claim 1:
A refilling device (<NUM>) for an article (<NUM>) of an aerosol provision system (<NUM>) comprising:
refilling control circuitry (<NUM>) configured to:
facilitate the transfer of aerosol-generating material (<NUM>) from a reservoir (<NUM>) coupled to the refilling device to the article;
cause a value of a counter to be updated in response to the transfer of the aerosol-generating material, the value of the counter indicative of a number of times the article has been refilled;
determine if the article is expired based on a comparison between the updated value of the counter and a refill limit; and
write data to computer-readable memory indicating that the article is expired in response to determining that the article is expired.