Re-charging pack for an e-cigarette

1. A pack for holding and re-charging an e-cigarette, the pack comprising:

a pack battery;

an opening for receiving an e-cigarette inserted by a user into the pack;

a re-charging mechanism for re-charging the e-cigarette received into the pack using the pack battery; and

a user-activated switch or button on an exterior of the pack,

wherein the pack is responsive to a user activation of the switch or button to begin re-charging the e-cigarette which has been inserted into the pack using the pack battery and the re-charging mechanism,

and wherein the pack further comprises multiple light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to provide a user with an indication of a charging status of the pack battery, whereby having a greater charge in the pack battery leads to an increased number of the LEDs being illuminated.

2. The pack of claim 1 , wherein the re-charging of the e-cigarette is performed by induction re-charging of the e-cigarette.

3. The pack of claim 1 , further comprising a wired connector for making electrical contact with a corresponding connector at one end of the e-cigarette received into the opening.

4. The pack of claim 3 , further comprising a tube which has the opening at one end for inserting the e-cigarette for re-charging and a base end including electrical contacts for re-charging the e-cigarette within the tube.

5. The pack of claim 4 , wherein the electrical contacts are configured to re-charge the e-cigarette via a tip end of the e-cigarette.

6. The pack of claim 5 , wherein the pack further comprises a lid, wherein the lid when closed is configured to exert a pressure on the e-cigarette in a direction towards the base end of the tube, thereby helping to provide a more reliable electrical contact between the tip end of the e-cigarette and the electrical contacts at the base end of the tube.

7. The pack of claim 1 , wherein the pack when open allows access for receiving or removing the e-cigarette, and when closed holds the e-cigarette in the pack.

8. The pack of claim 1 , wherein the pack further comprises a lid and a switch, wherein the switch is mechanically activated by closing the lid.

9. The pack of claim 1 , wherein the pack further comprises a light to indicate a charging status of the e-cigarette, the light being pulsed to indicate the e-cigarette is being recharged.

10. The pack of claim 1 , wherein the pack supports a wireless communications link.

11. The pack of claim 10 , wherein the pack is configured to communicate with an e-cigarette over the wireless communications link.

12. A system comprising the pack of claim 1 and an e-cigarette inserted into the pack.

13. A method for operating a pack for holding and re-charging an e-cigarette, the pack comprising a pack battery, the method comprising:

receiving an e-cigarette inserted by a user into the pack;

receiving a user activation of a switch or a button on an exterior of the pack; and

responsive to the user activation of the switch or the button, beginning to re-charge the e-cigarette received into the pack using the pack battery,

wherein the pack further comprises multiple light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to provide a user with an indication of a charging status of the pack battery, whereby having a greater charge in the pack battery leads to an increased number of the LEDs being illuminated.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising detecting that the e-cigarette has been inserted by a user into the pack prior to starting the re-charging of the e-cigarette.