Hon Lik
| Hon Lik (Han Li) | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 韩力 |
| Born |
September 26, 1951 Shenyang, Liaoning, China |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Known for | Inventing the electronic cigarette |
Hon Lik or Han Li (Chinese: 韩力; pinyin: Hán Lì; Cantonese Yale: Hon Lik) (born September 26, 1951) is a Chinese pharmacist who invented the electronic cigarette.[1]
Early life
Hon graduated from the Liaoning College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1982, majoring in pharmacy. After that, he joined the Liaoning Academy.[2]
Career
After graduation, Hon spent ten years in a state enterprise for plant agriculture, during which he manufactured a ginseng plant known as an aphrodisiac.
In 2001, while using high-dose nicotine patches to rid himself of the habit of smoking, Hon devised a system on a large console, using food additives as solvents. At the time he was working on vaporization by ultrasound. The droplets formed were too big to resemble tobacco smoke and so he used resistance heating, which got better results. The challenge was managing to scale the mechanism down to a miniature size, suitable for a hand-held cigarette-zed device, and getting the right dose of nicotine, while also getting the right odors from harmless additives.
Hon filed the first patent in 2003 in China for the device.[3] The first electronic cigarette was manufactured that year in Beijing, China[4] using an ultra-sound technology. It didn't have the vaporization system used today but instead based on atomization, which can vaporize liquids through the heating produced by the electricity of the battery.[5] Hon only owned 0.79% of the shares of the company. After the financial crisis of 2007, it was bought by a company in Hong Kong, Dragonite. The aim was to sell the invention to the British tobacco giant Imperial Tobacco, for about 55 million euros. In 2014 the inventor was still awaiting royalties due to multiple lawsuits in the United States and Europe.[2]
Hon was nominated as the 2010 Kcancer Hero candidate for his invention of the electronic cigarette.[6]
Hon is also a co-founder of Dragonite International Limited (Golden Dragon Group Holdings Ltd), now called Ruyan and he also served as Chief Executive Officer from October 15, 2005 to October 30, 2013. Hon has been Vice-Superintendent of Liaoning Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1990 and was a Director of Weston Technologies Corp. since October 15, 2003 too.[7]
Hon is now said to be working on a new concept called e-hookah for the Middle Eastern and North African markets. In 2000, he came up with the idea of using a piezoelectric (piezoelectricity) ultrasound-emitting element to vaporize a pressurized jet of liquid containing nicotine diluted in a propylene glycol solution. This design produces a smoke-like vapor that can be inhaled and provides a vehicle for nicotine delivery into the bloodstream via the lungs. Hon also proposed using propylene glycol to dilute nicotine and placing it in a disposable plastic cartridge which serves as a liquid reservoir and mouthpiece. These inventions are the basis of the present-day electronic cigarettes.[8]
References
- ↑ "A high-tech approach to getting a nicotine fix". Los Angeles Times. April 25, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Grangerau, Philippe. "Hon Lik, vapeur sous pression". Retrieved 11 December 2013.
- ↑ Sridi, Nicolas. "Hon Lik Interview". http://www.sciencesetavenir.fr. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
- ↑ "Who Invented Electronic Cigarettes?". Inventors.about.com. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
- ↑ "Bibliographic data". Worldwide.espacenet.com. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
- ↑ HARRIMAN. "Hon Lik – 2010 Kcancer Hero Nominee". http://www.prlog.org. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ↑ "Background Hon Lik". www.businessweek.com. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
- ↑ "Electronic Cigarettes". Retrieved August 14, 2013.