Oral Pouch Products Including a Liner and Tobacco Beads

• US 20100300465A1
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philip Morris USA Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Philip Morris USA Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zimmermann, Stephen G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,888,712 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 131/275
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 13/00 Tobacco for pipes, for cigars, e.g. cigar inserts, or for cigarettes; Chewing tobacco; Snuff reconstituted tobacco products A24B3/14
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/14 made of tobacco and a binding agent not derived from tobacco
• CPC Class Codes: A24D 3/061 containing additives entrapped within capsules, sponge-like material or the like, for further release upon smoking constructional aspects of the filter A24D3/048

Abstract

Provided is a pouched, oral tobacco product including a porous membrane having a liner and an inner filling material. The inner filling material includes loose, fibrous tobacco material and tobacco beads formed from tobacco fines and dust which are too small to be included in traditional pouched tobacco products. The tobacco beads are extruded and spheronized.

Claims

1. A pouched, oral tobacco product comprising:

a porous membrane comprising an outer wrapper and an inner liner; and

an inner filling material comprising;

loose, fibrous tobacco; and

tobacco beads comprising a majority amount of tobacco fines having a particle size of less than about 60 mesh, the tobacco fines being dispersed uniformly throughout the entirety of each tobacco bead,

wherein the substantially spheroidal tobacco beads have a moisture content of about 0.5% to about 25%, the inner filling material is enclosed within a pouch formed by said porous membrane and the tobacco beads are substantially spheroidal tobacco beads included in the pouched, oral tobacco product in an amount of about 10% to about 95% by weight based on the weight of the pouched, oral tobacco product,

2. The pouched, oral tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the substantially spheroidal tobacco beads include the tobacco fines in an amount of about 5 wt % to about 100 wt %.

3. The pouched, oral tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the substantially spheroidal tobacco beads include non-tobacco flavorants.

4. The pouched, oral tobacco product of claim 3, wherein the substantially spheroidal tobacco beads are in the condition of having been extruded and spheronized.

5. The pouched, oral tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the substantially spheroidal tobacco beads each have a diameter of about 0.1 mm to about 2.5 mm.

6. The pouched, oral tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the liner is dissolvable in saliva and/or water.

7. The pouched, oral tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the substantially spheroidal tobacco beads further include a binder.

8. The pouched, oral tobacco product of claim 7, wherein the binder is sugar beet fiber.

9. The pouched, oral tobacco product of claim 1, wherein each of the substantially spheroidal tobacco beads includes a coating.

10. The pouched, oral tobacco product of claim 9, wherein the coating is a time release coating.

11. The pouched, oral tobacco product of claim 9, wherein the coating includes at least one flavorant selected from the group consisting of lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, apium graveolens, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oils, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, cassia, ylang-ylang, sage, spearmint, ginger, coriander, coffee, combinations thereof, and combinations thereof.

12. The pouched, oral tobacco product of claim 11, wherein the at least one flavorant is included in each of the substantially spheroidal tobacco beads in an amount of about 0.1% to about 10% by weight of the weight of each of the substantially spheroidal tobacco beads.

13. The pouched, oral tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the liner includes at least one flavorant selected from the group consisting of lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, apium graveolens, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oils, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, cassia, ylang-ylang, sage, spearmint, ginger, coriander, coffee and combinations thereof.

14. The pouched, oral tobacco product of claim 13, wherein the at least one flavorant is included in the liner in an amount of about 0.1% to about 10% by weight of the weight of the liner.

15. The pouched, oral tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the pouched, oral tobacco product has a maximum length of less than about two inches and a maximum thickness of less than about two inches.

16. The pouched, oral tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the liner is made of a material selected from the group consisting of cellulosic materials, gums, polymers, starches, proteins, food grade materials, such as polysaccharide, protein films, porous papers and fabrics, synthetic polymers, and combinations thereof.

17. A method of making a pouched, oral tobacco product comprising:

spheronizing and/or extruding a plurality of tobacco beads;

mixing the plurality of tobacco beads with loose, fibrous tobacco material to form an inner filling material;

forming a pouch from a porous membrane material;

adding a dissolvable liner to the pouch to form a lined pouch;

placing the inner filling material in the lined pouch; and

sealing the lined pouch to form a pouched, oral tobacco product.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein each of the tobacco beads includes an agglomeration of tobacco fines, water and an optional binder, and wherein the optional binder is sugar beet fiber.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the ratio of the agglomeration of tobacco fines to water in each of the tobacco beads is about 1:

4 to about 4;

1.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein each of the tobacco beads further includes a coating, and wherein the coating is a time release coating.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the liner includes at least one flavorant selected from the group consisting of lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, apium graveolens, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oils, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, cassia, ylang-ylang, sage, spearmint, ginger, coriander, coffee, and combinations thereof.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the liner is at least one sheet, layer, and/or coating.