APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR AN ORAL NICOTINE DISPENSING SYSTEM
An apparatus and method for an oral nicotine dispensing system. The apparatus includes storing a plurality of a pods in a magazine within a body, receiving a fingerprint scan from a user via a fingerprint scanner coupled to the body, authenticating the fingerprint scan, de-activating a locking mechanism to allow access to at least a pod upon successful authentication of the fingerprint scan, and dispensing, using at least a drive mechanism, the at least a pod from the magazine through an opening of the body.
1 . A dispenser for oral nicotine dispensing, wherein the dispenser comprises:
a body configured to hold at least one pod of a plurality of pods disposed within a magazine;
a locking mechanism configured to prevent access to the at least one pod in a locked state and to allow access to the at least one pod in an unlocked state;
a drive mechanism configured to create a state change to allow access to the at least one pod;
an aperture located on the body and configured to allow access from an exterior environment to the at least one pod; and
a magazine authenticator adapted to recognize an authenticity of the magazine, the magazine authenticator comprising at least one of a mechanical authenticator, an optical authenticator, a radio frequency authenticator, an electrical authenticator, a magnetic authenticator, or a memory-based authenticator,
wherein the body is formed in a cuboid or cylindrical shape.
2 . The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the optical authenticator is configured to read at least one of a bar code, a QR code, or a Snaptag; the radio frequency authenticator is configured to communicate with at least one of an RFID chip, an NFC chip, a BLE chip, or a zigbee chip; the electrical authenticator is configured to recognize at least one of a recognizable pin layout or a recognizable resistor layout; and the magnetic authenticator is configured to read a swipe strip.
3 . The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pods consists of oral nicotine pods.
4 . The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the dispenser is configured to limit a number of pods dispensed within a fixed time period.
5 . The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the dispenser is configured to set a maximum number of pods dispensed within a fixed time period, based on a dosage contained within each pod.
6 . The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the drive mechanism comprises a motor, a spring, a power source, and a circuit board.
7 . The dispenser of claim 6 , wherein the power source comprises at least one of a battery or a piezoelectric hammer starter.
8 . The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the drive mechanism comprises a spring configured to be loaded with the magazine.
9 . The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the drive mechanism comprises an NFC chip or an RFID chip configured to lock and unlock the dispenser.
10 . The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the drive mechanism is configured to utilize one or more a solenoid or a shape memory alloy actuator.
11 . The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the drive mechanism is configured to provide access to the at least one pod using one or more of:
a linear tray configuration;
a drop down tray configuration; or
a revolver configuration.
12 . The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the drive mechanism is configured to provide access to the at least one pod using one or more of:
a spiral coil mechanism;
a gravity feed mechanism; or
a carousel mechanism.
13 . An apparatus for oral nicotine dispensing, the apparatus comprising:
the dispenser of claim 1 ; and
the magazine;
wherein the magazine is fastened to the body and coupled with the drive mechanism,
wherein the magazine is configured to store the plurality of pods, and
wherein the magazine is configured to guide, using the drive mechanism, the at least one pod into a dispensing position.
14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the magazine is further configured to be removed from the body and replaced with a replacement magazine.
15 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the magazine comprises a spring-loaded mechanism configured to push the plurality of pods towards the aperture as each one is dispensed.
16 . An apparatus for oral nicotine dispensing, wherein the apparatus comprises:
a body configured to hold at least one pod of a plurality of pods;
a locking mechanism configured to prevent access to the at least one pod in a locked state and to allow access to the at least one pod in an unlocked state;
a drive mechanism configured to create a state change to allow access to the at least one pod;
a magazine fastened to the body and coupled with the drive mechanism, wherein the magazine is configured to store the plurality of pods, and to guide, using the drive mechanism, the at least one pod into a dispensing position;
an aperture located on the body and configured to allow access from an exterior environment to the at least one pod;
a magazine authenticator adapted to recognize an authenticity of the magazine, the magazine authenticator comprising at least one of a mechanical authenticator, an optical authenticator, a radio frequency authenticator, an electrical authenticator, a magnetic authenticator, or a memory-based authenticator,
wherein the body is formed in a cuboid or cylindrical shape.
17 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the magazine is further configured to be removed from the body and replaced with a replacement magazine.
18 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the magazine comprises a spring-loaded mechanism configured to push the plurality of pods towards the aperture as each one is dispensed.
19 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the optical authenticator is configured to read at least one of a bar code, a QR code, or a Snaptag; the radio frequency authenticator is configured to communicate with at least one of an RFID chip, an NFC chip, a BLE chip, or a zigbee chip; the electrical authenticator is configured to recognize at least one of a recognizable pin layout or a recognizable resistor layout; and the magnetic authenticator is configured to read a swipe strip.
20 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the drive mechanism is configured to guide the at least one pod in a linear, circular, or elliptical path of travel from a starting position within the magazine to the dispensing position.