The first E-cig ever made?

[Xanax]

I'm a little curious to know what the first e-cig ever to be sold was. I'm very interested in the history of the product so if any of you have any neat facts to share it'd be greatly appreciated. I remember a best friend of mine about 3 years ago mentioning them to me and asked if I wanted to buy some from him and they were so pricy at the time I just didn't see it being worth the initial cost but now prices have dropped and quality seems to have skyrocketed! I'd love to hear some of the earliest e-cig experience stories that there are. Anyone ?

 

[jiff]

Looking at the e-cig wiki, I could only find that the first company to sell one was Ruyan in China.

I like your screenname.

 

[Rosa]

History and Concept
The electronic cigarette was first developed with a registered patent, in April 2003 by SBT Co. Ltd., a Beijing based company, which is now controlled by the Golden Dragon Group Ltd. In 2004, Ruyan took over the project to further develop the emerging technology. Ruyan officially absorbed SBT Co. Ltd. and their name was changed to SBT RUYAN Technology & Development Co., Ltd. Already in May 2004, Ruyan sold the first electronic cigarette in China. In its first 3 years of production, SBT RUYAN saw steady increases in sales, from $13 million HKD ($1.7 million USD) in 2004 to $136 million HKD ($17 million USD) in 2005, and $286 million HKD ($37 million USD) in 2006.[7]

 

[Xanax]

Looking at the e-cig wiki, I could only find that the first company to sell one was Ruyan in China.

I like your screenname.

Haha thanks! I was absolutely stoked when it wasn't already taken. It's quite a popular dr.......word. <_< >_>

and I should have guessed the Chinese came up with the concept.
Oh well, any early vaping experiences from anyone personally or someone you know to compare to modern vaping experiences? Anyone? Anyone?

 

[sherid]

I posted this the other day, but there was a much earlier patent than the 1991 date.BT Patents for E cigarettes 1991
Patents - Developing 'Smoke-Free' Cigarettes - NYTimes.com
Interesting story from 1991
Patents; Developing 'Smoke-Free' Cigarettes
By Edmund L. Andrews
Published: November 2, 1991
WASHINGTON— In what may portend a new attempt to sell "smoke free"...

 

[Xanax]

I posted this the other day, but there was a much earlier patent than the 1991 date.BT Patents for E cigarettes 1991
Patents - Developing 'Smoke-Free' Cigarettes - NYTimes.com
Interesting story from 1991
Patents; Developing 'Smoke-Free' Cigarettes
By Edmund L. Andrews
Published: November 2, 1991
WASHINGTON— In what may portend a new attempt to sell "smoke free"...

WHOA.... clicking that now. That blows my mind

 

[Xanax]

Quoting from the link Sherid posted "To get a second puff, the smoker would turn a knob at the base of the cigarette that would activate a second heating element" whoa. I'm wondering how different they would have looked and how they worked and all of those goodies. Pellets? Curious.

 

[Rosa]

I read that too. No wonder it never took off, what a pain in the .... that would have been. Too bad though, I bet with Phillip Morris behind it there'd be no talk of bans.

 

[sherid]

WHOA.... clicking that now. That blows my mind

If you want to go further back, read this.
New Invention of 1963: The Smokeless Non-Tobacco Cigarette
Written by Instead Electronic Cigarettes Posted November 7, 2009 at 11:12 am Many people wonder about who actually invented the electronic cigarette. Most don’t know, while others would claim it is Hon Lik from China. But in 1963, Herbert A. Gilbert filed his patent on a smokeless non-tobacco cigarette. Two years later his patent was accepted. The whole patent issue becomes somewhat complicated when you consider new technology and different designs, but what is clear is that 46 years ago Herbert submitted the idea of a smokeless cigarette to the United States Patent Office. Here is an excerpt:

“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.”

Herbert….I’m telling the FDA you said that.

View the PDF of Herbert’s Smokeless Non-Tobacco Cigarette

New Invention of 1963: The Smokeless Non-Tobacco Cigarette | Electronic Cigarettes by Instead E-Cigarette

 

[Xanax]

I read that too. No wonder it never took off, what a pain in the .... that would have been. Too bad though, I bet with Phillip Morris behind it there'd be no talk of bans.

Blehh I know

 

[Xanax]

@sherid I had no idea the history went as far back as that, and that his patent was accepted! I wonder where he failed, or was it just that it was only an idea at the time and he didn't have the means to create the actual device... Or the technology?

 

[sherid]

I read that too. No wonder it never took off, what a pain in the .... that would have been. Too bad though, I bet with Phillip Morris behind it there'd be no talk of bans.

It has been 19 years since that PM invention. In that time, technology has made it possible for more sophisticated e cigs although some people don't like having to use a button on manual models today. PM laid the groundwork. It wouldn't have taken much for a scientist in China to add today's technology to the earlier design. If BT is trying to stop today's e cig explosion, my thought is they are doing so because they invented the wheel in the first place. I believe they are biding their time to see where it all goes and will then file lawsuits against companies for stealing their invention. That, more than anything else, would be their basis for stopping current sales of ecigs.