The History of Electronic Cigarettes

Status
Not open for further replies.

TropicalBob

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Jan 13, 2008
5,623
65
Port Charlotte, FL USA
Kristin: "Taint" is a nasty word, true. But the kinds of studies e-smoking needs will NOT be made public. They will be submitted to the FDA as part of the approval process. So, yes, it must be manufacturers who perform the needed studies. We can't do those studies for product makers.

Has anybody seen the studies done for the patch? For the nasal spray? The FDA has seen them. And that's all that matters as far as studies are concerned.
 

kristin

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Aug 16, 2009
10,448
21,120
CASAA - Wisconsin
casaa.org
How about "December 2007 - ECF founded" ;)

But seriously, excellent timeline - that's pretty much how I remember things.

Good job!
I honestly considered doing that, SJ, but then realized I'd have to add every other forum in existence and I didn't want to seem biased. ;)

ECF certainly was a big influence in MY personal timeline!

Thanks!
 

Teddy Hutchins

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Nov 19, 2011
165
24
44
Hyannis, Ma
www.facebook.com
this is the real inventor of e cig. back in 1963. and he's american


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.

New Invention of 1963: The Smokeless Non-Tobacco Cigarette | The Electronic Cigarette & E-Cigarettes by Instead
I know its a old thread but had to put it in since it should be number 1


 

kristin

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Aug 16, 2009
10,448
21,120
CASAA - Wisconsin
casaa.org
I'm aware of that patent and appreciate the patriotism, but it's really a completely different design from Hon Lik's e-cigarette. This comes up every so often, so I guess I'll give my opinion on it.

The fact that Gilbert's design does not produce a visible vapor is but one huge difference. The only similarities they have is that they are both battery-powered, cigarette-shaped and contain flavored nicotine. The interior components and what they produce are completely different. Gilbert's design is closer to a nicotine inhaler in function and I doubt it would have the same popularity as Hon Lik's design.

The idea is the same - a battery-powered, smokeless device to simulate smoking - but the executions are completely different. (Sort of how a "portable music listening device" can be a Walkman or an iPod. Same idea - portable music - but completely different ways to achieve it.) In Gilbert's design, the heating element is a tubular light bulb in the middle chamber. The battery is a tiny thing at the mouth end. The nicotine cartridge is at the opposite tip. The device is activated when the battery mouth piece is attached to the light bulb inside. The user inhales and (hopefully) the liquid in the tip will be drawn into the light bulb compartment, swirl around, get heated into moist air and then inhaled through the mouth piece. Then you'd have to unscrew the tip to turn off the light bulb. There is no visible vapor exhaled.

This is nothing like Hon Lik's design, so I do not consider Gilbert to be the "real" inventor of the e-cigarette we use today, anymore than Apple would likely put a Walkman in their product's timeline. The irony of that article stating "The whole patent issue becomes somewhat complicated when you consider new technology and different designs," is that the whole point of a patent is "different designs." Look at all of the early patents for "heavier-than-air flying machines." Yet, who is considered the inventors of the airplane? The Wright brothers, because their design is what actually worked and became the standard. Octave Chanute isn't considered the "real inventor" of airplanes, even though he came up with the the early designs upon which the Wright brothers based their experiments.

Gilbert may have had the idea of a battery-powered, smokeless cigarette first, but unfortunately, he didn't come up with anything close to what Hon Lik invented and there is no way of knowing if it would have even worked. In my opinion, Hon Lik rightfully deserves the credit as inventor of the e-cigarette.

Gilbert's design may be a footnote in the early history of seeking smokeless cigarette alternatives, but it is not a major contributor to the overall history of the e-cigarette.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread