US 12,087,117 B2
Functional control and age verification of electronic devices through visual communication
Sawyer Hubbard, Winston-Salem, NC (US); Charles A. Leyes, Winston-Salem, NC (US); Vince Ireland, Winston-Salem, NC (US); Sean Daugherty, Winston-Salem, NC (US); Sean Lukan, Winston-Salem, NC (US); and Jared Aller, Winston-Salem, NC (US)
Assigned to RAI STRATEGIC HOLDINGS, INC., Winston-Salem, NC (US)
Filed by RAI Strategic Holdings, Inc., Winston-Salem, NC (US)
Filed on Dec. 10, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/548,415.
Application 17/548,415 is a continuation of application No. 16/441,937, filed on Jun. 14, 2019, granted, now 11,200,770.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/828,222, filed on Apr. 2, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0101675 A1, Mar. 31, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G07C 9/32 (2020.01); H02J 7/00 (2006.01); H04L 9/40 (2022.01)
CPC G07C 9/32 (2020.01) [H02J 7/0042 (2013.01); H04L 63/08 (2013.01); H02J 7/00045 (2020.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
an aerosol delivery device comprising processing circuitry, an optical detector operably coupled to the processing circuitry, and a consumable configured to be installed into a control body of the aerosol delivery device, wherein the consumable is a cartridge or an aerosol source member; and
a host device comprising a wireless communications interface and a light source, the light source being a display screen of the host device, wherein the host device is configured to:
transmit an age verification request via the wireless communications interface to an age verification system to verify an age of a user;
receive an age verification confirmation from the age verification system for the user; and
output an optical signal via the display screen based on the age verification confirmation, the optical signal comprising a sequence of colors of light, the optical signal further comprising information corresponding to a serial number of the consumable;
wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
detect replacement of the consumable in the aerosol delivery device;
transition the aerosol delivery device into a locked state in response to detecting installation of the consumable into the control body to prevent aerosol delivery and require confirmation of age verification and the information corresponding to the serial number of the consumable via receipt of the optical signal to enable aerosol delivery;
receive the optical signal from the display screen of the host device via the optical detector;
confirm receipt of the age verification of the user and that the information corresponding to the serial number matches consumable serial number information stored on the aerosol delivery device; and
transition out of a locked state in response to the confirmation;
wherein the consumable comprises readable identification information corresponding to the serial number of the consumable;
wherein host device comprises a reader configured to read the readable information from the consumable;
wherein the readable information is read from one of a bar code, a radio frequency identification (RFID) communication, a near field communication (NFC) communication, a magnetic strip, a chip, a wireless communication, or a wired communication;
wherein the host device is further configured to generate the optical signal as the sequence of colors of light based on the readable information of the consumable such that the optical signal comprises the information corresponding to the serial number of the consumable.