The present invention relates to sealing valves that can be mounted within a container wall, enabling controlled fluid flow along both inner and outer surfaces of the sealing valve in the same distal direction.

An electronic cigarette vaporizer includes a heating element and a microcontroller; the microcontroller monitors or measures electrical characteristics of the heating element and uses that to automatically identify the type of heating element and as a control input. The microcontroller automatically applies different heating parameter controls to the heating element, including optimal and maximum operating temperature, depending on the type of heating element that is identified.

An electronic cigarette vaporizer that includes a heating element and further includes or co-operates with an electronics module that (i) detects characteristics of the resistance of the heating element and (ii) uses an inference of temperature derived from that resistance as a control input. The temperature of the heating element may be inferred from data stored in the electronics module that has been empirically obtained for a specific heating element design. The electronics module controls the power delivered to the heating element to ensure that it is no higher than approximately 130 C., plus an error tolerance.

An electronic cigarette vaporizer that includes a heating element and further includes or co-operates with an electronics module that (i) detects characteristics of the resistance of the heating element and (ii) uses an inference of temperature derived from that resistance as a control input. The temperature of the heating element may be inferred from data stored in the electronics module that has been empirically obtained for a specific heating element design. The electronics module controls the power delivered to the heating element to ensure that it is no higher than approximately 130 C., plus an error tolerance.

An electronic cigarette vaporizer that includes an air pressure valve or device to enable excess air to escape from an e-liquid reservoir in the vaporizer during pressurized filling of the vaporizer with e-liquid. If the vaporizer includes a ceramic cell, then the air pressure device is the wall of the ceramic cell and the reservoir is the chamber arranged outside of the external wall of the ceramic cell.

An electronic cigarette vaporizer that includes an air pressure valve or device to enable excess air to escape from an e-liquid reservoir in the vaporizer during pressurized filling of the vaporizer with e-liquid. If the vaporizer includes a ceramic cell, then the air pressure device is the wall of the ceramic cell and the reservoir is the chamber arranged outside of the external wall of the ceramic cell.

An electronic cigarette vaporizer includes a heating element, an air pressure sensor and a microcontroller; the microcontroller stores, processes or determines the extent of each inhalation using signals from the air pressure sensor. The microcontroller can calculate the approximate e-liquid consumption from the extent of each inhalation or provide data that enables an external processor to calculate approximate e-liquid consumption. The extent of an inhalation is a function of one or more of: duration; peak flow rate; average flow rate.

A water pump has a check valve with a valve body movable in a direction of a valve axis of the check valve between an open position of the check valve and a closed position of the check valve. An actuating device is connected with the check valve and has an operating element that is movable coaxially to the valve axis. The operating element is operatively connected to the valve body and arranged such that the operating element, by applying a coaxial force to the valve body, transfers the valve body into a venting position of the check valve.

A water pump has a check valve with a valve body movable in a direction of a valve axis of the check valve between an open position of the check valve and a closed position of the check valve. An actuating device is connected with the check valve and has an operating element that is movable coaxially to the valve axis. The operating element is operatively connected to the valve body and arranged such that the operating element, by applying a coaxial force to the valve body, transfers the valve body into a venting position of the check valve.

The invention provides a system for underground release of air or gas from underground pipelines. The system comprises a selectively permeable membrane, located underground and secured in fluid and vapor communication with an underground pipeline. The selectively permeable membrane allows passage of air and gas therethrough, while substantially prevents passage of aqueous fluids therethrough.