Views: 0 Author: Malisa Publish Time: 2021-12-24 Origin: https://www.bestvapingfactory.com/
In this era, e-cigarette smoking is quite common. We see more and more people using e-cigarettes on the streets, in bars, or in parks. E-cigarettes are devices that replace nicotine. Although e-cigarettes have been around for a long time, they are not always accepted by the mainstream. Now, let us review where the e-cigarette started and how it has developed to today.
First,When did E-Cigarette begin?
E-Cigarette Early Prototypes
1920s – 1990s
1927
The first document on electronic cigarettes (Figure 1) was a patent filed by an American Joseph Robinson in 1927. The patent reported on an electronic vaporizer device and was approved in 1930. However, the modified device has never been sold on the market, and it is unclear even whether the original device is fully manufactured.
Figure 1. The first e-cigarette patent in 1927
1960s
It is generally believed that Herbert A. Gilbert invented the first device very similar to modern electronic cigarettes. In 1963, he applied for a patent for a "smokeless non-tobacco cigarette" (which may never include nicotine), which involved "replacement of burning tobacco and paper with heated, humid, and flavored air" (Figure 2). The picture below shows some of his original patents. Unfortunately, cigarettes were part of the mainstream daily life in the 1960s. Although his invention was at the forefront of the times, unfortunately, there was no market for his equipment at the time.
Figure 2. Herbert A. Gilbert's e-cigarette patent in 1963
1980s
Favor cigarettes, launched by Advanced Tobacco Products in 1986, are another early non-flammable product that was promoted as an alternative to tobacco products containing nicotine. Favor is a “smokeless plastic product that looks like a traditional cigarette in shape and color. There is a filter paper impregnated with liquid nicotine inside. The user can inhale a small amount of nicotine.” There is no electricity, no burning, and no smoke; it only provides nicotine. The concept of Favor was proposed by Phil Ray (Figure 3). Beginning in 1979, Phil Ray worked with his personal doctor Norman Jacobson to create the first commercial e-cigarette (actually not an e-cigarette; it relies on the evaporation of nicotine). They conducted the first known formal study of nicotine delivery in the field. The commercialization of this product has reached major retailers. But in terms of nicotine delivery, this device has never been a promising technology; Jacobson attributed its failure to its own shortcomings. Although the device itself has not yet been promoted, it does make the term "vaping" emerge.
Figure 3. Phil Ray proposed the concept of Favor in 1979
1990s
Throughout the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, tobacco companies and individual inventors applied for a large number of patents for nicotine inhalers, and there was a boom in the 1990s. Many of them rely on evaporation or physical propulsion, but some are quite similar to modern e-cigarettes. Reynolds introduced the Eclipse "heat not burn" device to the market, which has a function between a pure nicotine inhaler and a burning cigarette (Figure 4). For example, products similar to modern electronic cigarettes began to be commercialized in the 1990s. In 1998, a major U.S. tobacco company applied to the FDA to market an e-cigarette (at the time the FDA did not regulate tobacco products, but regulated drug delivery devices). But the FDA rejected this request on the grounds that it was an unapproved drug delivery device.
Figure 4. Reynolds introduced the Eclipse heat not burn device
Modern electronic cigarette
2000s – 2010s
2003
In 2003, when people became more aware of the dangers of tobacco, the pioneer Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik (Figure 5) began to develop e-cigarettes after his father died of lung cancer. He invented an electronic cigarette device that can give people nicotine without the hundreds of harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke. In 2001, he thought of using a high-frequency piezoelectric ultrasonic emitting element to evaporate a pressurized jet containing nicotine. This design produces a kind of smoke-like steam. Using resistance heating can achieve better results, but the difficulty lies in downsizing the device to a sufficiently small size. Hon’s invention was to replace smoking. First, he experimented with various vaporization systems to find a liquid that best replicated the sensation of inhaling tobacco smoke—he did it: propylene glycol. Coupled with plant glycerin, his choice is still one of the key ingredients of e-liquid. One of Lik's strengths is the advancement of technology. Unlike his predecessor, he has a modern lithium battery, which allows his e-cigarette to run for several hours at a time. Therefore, he put a small lithium battery in a test tube to atomize the liquid nicotine solution, which helped to shape the electronic cigarette we are familiar with today. Hon Lik believes that e-cigarettes can be comparable to "digital cameras replacing analog cameras."
Figure 5. Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik invented the electronic cigarette
2006-2008
Electronic cigarettes entered the European and American markets in 2006 and 2007, respectively. In September 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it does not consider e-cigarettes to be a legal cessation aid, and requires marketers to immediately delete any WHO recommendations that e-cigarettes are safe and effective from their materials. In October 2008, the New Zealand Ministry of Health conducted a detailed quantitative analysis and concluded that carcinogens and toxic substances only exist below harmful levels. According to the survey results, the harm of e-cigarettes is several orders of magnitude lower than smoking (100 to 1000 times). The dose of nicotine is comparable to that of medical nicotine inhalers. In general, the products tested are considered "safe alternatives to smoking".
2009-2010
In 2009, Joyetech developed the eGo series, which provided the power of screwdriver models and user-activated switches for the broad market. The clearomizer was invented in 2009. It is derived from the design of a car dust collector, which contains a wick material, an e-liquid chamber and an atomizer coil in a single transparent component. Clearomizer allows users to monitor the liquid level in the equipment. Soon after clearomizer went on the market, replaceable atomizer coils and variable voltage batteries were introduced to the market. In early 2012, cleaners and eGo batteries became the best-selling customizable e-cigarette components.
Figure 6. Clearomizer comes from Joyetech's eGo series
International growth: 2010s – present
2010-2018
In 2012, the famous American e-cigarette manufacturer blu eCigs was acquired by Lorillard for US$135 million in April 2012. In July 2013, British American Tobacco, the first tobacco company in the UK to sell e-cigarettes, launched the e-cigarette Vype. In February 2014, Altria Group acquired the popular e-cigarette brand Green Smoke for US$110 million. The transaction was completed in April 2014 and was valued at 110 million U.S. dollars, including an incentive bonus of 20 million U.S. dollars. In April 2015, Japan Tobacco acquired the American Logic e-cigarette brand. As of 2018, 90% of e-cigarettes are made in China (Figure 7).
Figure 7. China's share of the global electronic cigarette production and consumption (source: statistics 2021)
2019-present
The current era of e-cigarettes has been very different. In the United States, the popularity of e-cigarettes has been fairly stable in the past few years. According to "E-cigarettes in the UK: Summary of Evidence Updates in 2021", approximately 6% of adults in the UK smoke e-cigarettes. This is equivalent to approximately 2.7 million people. Looking at other nicotine products, the popularity of smoking among British adults has continued to decline, and there are currently approximately 6 to 7 million smokers. However, data shows that smoking is more common among disadvantaged groups. In the past 10 years, the number of British adults who both smoke and smoke e-cigarettes has fallen, from 74% in 2021 to 38%, as many smokers choose to switch to e-cigarettes.
Challenges and opportunities
In the future, more emphasis should be placed on improving the e-cigarette experience, whether it is improving existing products or launching new products. For example, e-cigarette battery and charging technology, research energy density, charging speed, battery chemistry, safety and energy storage type. How to improve efficiency through heat distribution technology, control and format? At the same time, why not take a look at our best-selling e-cigarettes and e-liquids?
In the future, more emphasis should be placed on improving the e-cigarette experience, whether it is improving existing products or launching new products. For example, e-cigarette battery and charging technology, research energy density, charging speed, battery chemistry, safety and energy storage type. How to improve efficiency through heat distribution technology, control and format?
At the same time, why not take a look at our best-selling e-cigarettes and e-liquids?
Edited by Malisa