Introducción
In the early 2010s, the electronic cigarette industry was still in its infancy. Most devices on the market were simple nicotine delivery systems, consisting of a battery, an atomizer, and a cartridge. At that time, I envisioned a more advanced concept: an electronic cigarette not only as a hardware device but as part of a connected ecosystem, combining hardware with software applications and a web server for enhanced user experience, health monitoring, and personalization.
This vision culminated in the US patent application US20140123990A1, published in May 2014. While the filing was made under the name of my business partner, the core innovation, architecture, and implementation came from my work. The project was realized in practice through the Electronic Cigarette MID-ONE PC Application and Web Server project, which served as the working prototype and proof-of-concept.
Patent Overview
- Patent number: US20140123990A1
- Title: Sistema de cigarrillo electrónico programable variable en tiempo real
- Filed: 2013
- Publication date: May 8, 2014
- My role: key inventor and and chief engineer
Key ideas covered in the patent:
- Integration of hardware and software
- The e-cigarette device communicated with a PC application for monitoring usage data.
- The PC application provided analytics, reports, and recommendations.
- Web server and remote access
- A backend server allowed users to sync their usage data online.
- This enabled remote monitoring, community features, and the potential for cloud-based health services.
- Personalization and control
- Users could adjust device parameters, monitor consumption, and set personal goals.
- The combination of PC and server applications created a bridge between personal health and consumer electronics.
Broader significance
At the time, this was a forward-looking idea. Today, connected health devices (IoT-enabled inhalers, smart watches, glucose monitors) are common. In 2012–2013, however, extending an e-cigarette into the digital ecosystem was pioneering work.
Implementation: The MID-ONE Project
The patent was not just theoretical. I implemented the innovation in the Electronic Cigarette MID-ONE project, which consisted of:
- Custom hardware: A redesigned e-cigarette device with digital connectivity.
- aplicación para computadora: Software for real-time monitoring, history logs, and user feedback.
- Web server: A central server for syncing data, enabling long-term tracking and multi-device access.
The MID-ONE project demonstrated how this concept could move from paper to reality. It validated the architecture later described in the patent application, proving that a connected e-cigarette system was technically feasible and market-ready.
My Contribution
I was responsible for:
- Concept development: Defining the idea of integrating e-cigarette hardware with PC and web systems.
- Electronic design: Creating the hardware platform capable of data transmission and control.
- Desarrollo de software: Designing and coding the PC application.
- Server implementation: Setting up the web infrastructure and backend to support user data.
Legacy and Impact
Looking back, this project was an early exploration of what we now call connected devices or IoT healthcare solutions. It anticipated trends such as:
- Remote monitoring of consumption or health data.
- Integration of personal devices with cloud services.
- Data-driven personalization in consumer products.
Even though this specific patent was not commercially exploited to its full potential, the innovation demonstrated my ability to see beyond the product into the ecosystem, connecting hardware, software, and user experience in a coherent system.
References
Implementation project: https://raulbartolome.com/electronic-cigarette-mid-one-pc-application-and-web-server/
