Credit should be given where credit is due...

[420GypsyGirl]

I know a lot of people think Hon Lik from China developed the first e-cigarette, they would be mistaken. It turns out the first e-cigarette was developed back in 1963 by Herbert A. Gilbert. He was awarded a US patent in 1965.

This is a excerpt from his explanation as to the purpose of an e-cigarette to the patent office.

“The present invention relates to a smokeless non-tobacco cigarette and has for an object to provide a safe and harmless means for and method of smoking by replacing burning tobacco and paper with heated, moist, flavored air; or by inhaling warm medication into the lungs in case of a respiratory ailment under direction of a physician.”

Cool huh?

BTW he used a light bulb as an atomizer to vaporize the liquid! He even told in detail about the fiber that would hold the liquid and how it would wick to the bulb to be vaporized and the bulb was housed in a fire proof, insulating material and non-toxic material to keep the heat from the bulb from heating up the cig. This is a brilliant and elegant design. Think about it. To change the atty just uncrew it an pop a new bulb in. Brialliant design.

 

[Sallana]

Well this is pretty darn cool if I do say so myself. I wonder why it took so long for e-cigs to get on the market considering that the idea has been around for so long apparently.

 

[umop apisdn]

Wow, this is pretty impressive. To think we all thought this was "new" technology.

 

[dwillings]

Wow that's awesome..Thank you for sharing that!

 

[voltaire]

I imagine the main limitation back then, and one reason it didn't catch on until recently, was the available battery technology. There were no small lithium batteries that would enable such an invention to be practical.

Not to mention, back then cigarettes were A LOT cheaper, and were not as widely recognized to be as bad health-wise, as they are now - so they were MUCH more socially-accepted. There was just no demand for such an invention, specially if it meant having to plug it in to an electrical outlet whenever you smoked, or using a large battery pack. It was just an invention way too far ahead of it's time.

What Hon Lik did (and deserves some credit for doing) was recognizing the new demand and then putting all the available technology together into a package that sufficiently addressed the potential market's needs. Here's to hoping he and others are still at work to iron out the kinks and further refine the existing technology into something much more seamless than what exists today.

They've got their work cut out for them. They'll be done once nobody prefers analogs over ecigs... Heh, you gotta set your sights high!

 

[umop apisdn]

Well, there's evidence of battery technology two millennia ago in Baghdad showing the earliest possible configuration of a working 1V battery. To think we've only come this far scares me. Then I look at computer technology. I'm hoping we're able to keep up with that instead.

 

[jdg]

So, I really like this light bulb atomizer idea--not to mention the size of the cartridge. And the liquid sits in front of the atomizer, which seems more efficient than its current design. I would love to see something like that drawing come to life.

 

[420GypsyGirl]

So, I really like this light bulb atomizer idea--not to mention the size of the cartridge. And the liquid sits in front of the atomizer, which seems more efficient than its current design. I would love to see something like that drawing come to life.

With todays tech I think this design is doable with a much smaller bulb, leaving more room for battery and juice!

 

[Leonardo]

Well, there's evidence of battery technology two millennia ago in Baghdad showing the earliest possible configuration of a working 1V battery.

I once saw a documentary on the Baghdad Battery... it was brilliant... the programme I saw it on was 'Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World' back when I was a kid (that seems like 2 millennia ago

If I remember rightly the programme also showed that many of the early gold statuettes from the area/age of the Baghdad Battery were actually gold plated silver!!!!!

I am now considering the possibility of updating these drawings and actually making this a fully functioning mod, but using modern batteries... I will look at the drawings later over a cup of coffee and a vape

It maybe something that is possible to do..... I will let you know what I find out......

 

[Leonardo]

Ok, I struck while the iron was hot so to speak..... Having looked a bit closer at the design, I see a problem with the bulb as an atomiser heat source......

As the filament of the lamp needs to get hot and therefor the the glas envelope need to get hot... this then will cause a delay in the heat build up to create vapour. The way to get round this would be to allow a longer pre-heat time before you vape making a slower vape, and a serious drain on trhe battery......


Just my thoughts on this......

 

[Satori]

Thats pretty damn cool

 

[voltaire]

So, I really like this light bulb atomizer idea--not to mention the size of the cartridge. And the liquid sits in front of the atomizer, which seems more efficient than its current design. I would love to see something like that drawing come to life.

You may be interested in the atty design of the Juicebox by Carlos49. There's a bunch of threads/reviews of it here, but this video by Porphy goes more into the benefits of the atty.
Juice Box Review on Vimeo

Not being to big on box mods, personally I'd love to see this design built into a mini-cig format where you can just squeeze the reservoir as needed to inject juice into the atty. That's bound to be the next generation of ecigs.

 

[Wireguy]

Yep. Seems like a major battery hog. An ac source would probably be needed, and a lot of patience with the slow heat time. Major slow

Ok, I struck while the iron was hot so to speak..... Having looked a bit closer at the design, I see a problem with the bulb as an atomiser heat source......

As the filament of the lamp needs to get hot and therefor the the glas envelope need to get hot... this then will cause a delay in the heat build up to create vapour. The way to get round this would be to allow a longer pre-heat time before you vape making a slower vape, and a serious drain on trhe battery......


Just my thoughts on this......

 

[jdg]

Yep. Seems like a major battery hog. An ac source would probably be needed, and a lot of patience with the slow heat time. Major slow

I agree. But with that much juice in it, I'd be content leaving it plugged into my wall and forgoing batteries altogether. I'm not a big fan of auto batteries, but maybe the act of drawing on the mouthpiece could both activate the power source and draw juice from the cartridge through the coil/light bulb area?
A light bulb just seems a little cleaner as far as heating goes. I've smoked too much metal in my life.

 

[Scottbee]

Ok, I struck while the iron was hot so to speak..... Having looked a bit closer at the design, I see a problem with the bulb as an atomiser heat source......

As the filament of the lamp needs to get hot and therefor the the glas envelope need to get hot... this then will cause a delay in the heat build up to create vapour. The way to get round this would be to allow a longer pre-heat time before you vape making a slower vape, and a serious drain on trhe battery......


Just my thoughts on this......

Just an FYI: there is an extensive thread in the modders section where the guys have been making their own atty coils and encapsulating them in Pyrex (mini-bulbs). It's a pretty interesting set of experiments.

 

[Scottbee]

I think credit is usually given to Hon Lik because his design actually worked and could be mass produced (and, of course.. was). The 1963 design didn't work at all. It was just an untested concept.

It should also be noted that the Hon Lik patents are pretty dern extensive.. they include the MOSFET control, the nickel mesh delivery, the ceramic pot and coil, and "alternate" configurations that include Tinel memory-metal liquid control valving and LCD displays.

 

[Raven1]

The 1963 design didn't work at all. It was just an untested concept.

I know this is just a prototype, but was this thing meant to be plugged in or run on batteries or what?

 

[420GypsyGirl]

The battery is described in detail in the notes and the bulb basically screws down into it. As for the over all design, it is brilliant and might actually work with todays newer technology and Scott is right that with the new mod atomizer designs being put into a pyrex type bulb it might very well be a design that might just be the ticket to get this particular version of the e-cig to work.

I would say the Gilbert invented it and that Lik innovated it. Whether Lik ever saw this patent for Gilbert's design doesn't matter. People have invented stuff that looked like someone elses design and they lived continents away - back before telephones, and television. It is quite possible to Lik just thought it up on his very own. Even so, Gilbert drew it long before Lik and he put his ideal down on paper. It is an electric cigarette and would work under the same principle as todays models. So I give credit to Gilbert. Lik just innovated it and got it ot the masses. The way Ford did with the car.

 

[kase]

I invented ceiling shoes just now. They let you walk on the ceiling. Dont forget my name when someone actually makes them.

 

[Scottbee]

I invented ceiling shoes just now. They let you walk on the ceiling. Dont forget my name when someone actually makes them.

Hah! Beat you to it. I invented the anti-gravity sandals weeks ago!

Neener!