COMPOSITE SMOKELESS TOBACCO PRODUCTS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS

• US 20120031414A1
• Filed: 08/04/2011
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: US Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC
• Inventors: Atchley, Frank Scott, Rossman, James M., Mishra, Munmaya K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,978,661 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 131/118
• 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 15/28 by chemical substances
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 23/00 Cases for tobacco, snuff, or chewing tobacco

Abstract

A smokeless tobacco product includes smokeless tobacco and a polymeric material in intimate contact with the smokeless tobacco and stabilized in conformance to a surface topography of the tobacco'"'"'s fibrous structures such that the stabilized polymeric material secures the smokeless tobacco together. The smokeless tobacco product has a moisture-permeable porous surface and an overall oven volatiles content of at least 10 weight percent.

Claims

1. A method of preparing a smokeless tobacco product, the method comprising:

producing strands of polymeric material having diameters of less than 100 microns; and

combining the strands with smokeless tobacco such that the strands conform to the tobacco'"'"'s fibrous structures to form a composite tobacco product comprising the polymeric material and the smokeless tobacco.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the strands of polymeric material have a diameter of less than 30 microns.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the strands of polymeric material have a diameter of between 0.5 and 5.0 microns.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymeric material has a basis weight of less than 15 grams per square meter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the polymeric material has a basis weight of between 2 and 10 grams per square meter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the strands are directed towards a surface including smokeless tobacco.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the smokeless tobacco is intermixed with the strands and directed towards a surface with the strands.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the strands are produced by extruding and drawing the polymeric material.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the polymeric material is extruded and drawn by a melt-blowing process.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the polymeric material is melt-blown onto the smokeless tobacco.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the melt-blown polymeric material is quenched below its glass transition temperature prior to contacting the smokeless tobacco, wherein momentum of the strands results in the strands conforming to the smokeless tobacco'"'"'s structural fibers.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the polymeric material retains sufficient latent heat from the melt-blowing process such that the polymeric material is above its glass transition temperature when the polymeric material contacts the smokeless tobacco such that the melt-blown polymeric material conforms to the surface topography of the tobacco'"'"'s fibrous structures.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the smokeless tobacco is a shaped body prior to contact with the strands.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the shaped body passes through a flow of the strands.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the strands are exiting an array of melt-blowing spinnerets.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the shaped body is deposited onto a preformed layer of polymeric material prior to passing through the flow of the strands.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the smokeless tobacco is deposited in a layered form prior to contact with the strands.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the smokeless tobacco is blown into a flow of the strands.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein jets of air are directed into a layer of the smokeless tobacco to intermingle the tobacco'"'"'s fibrous structures with the strands.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymeric material is extruded and drawn into the strands by a spun bond process.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the spun bond process produces a flow of the strands and the smokeless tobacco is brought into intimate contact with the polymeric material by passing the smokeless tobacco through the flow of polymeric material.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the polymeric material is heated to a temperature above the polymeric material'"'"'s glass transition temperature to conform the polymeric material to a surface topography of the tobacco'"'"'s fibrous structures.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the said heating of the polymeric material bonds fibers of the spun bond polymeric material.

24. The method of claim 1, polymeric material is polypropylene.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymeric material is a reconstituted cellulosic material

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising needling the smokeless tobacco product.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymeric material includes at least two different materials.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least two different polymeric materials are coextruded to form composite polymeric fibers of the polymeric material.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the composite polymeric fiber is fibrillated to form a plurality of fibers.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein at least one of the polymeric materials is mouth-stable and at least one of the polymeric materials is mouth-dissolvable.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the mouth-stable and the mouth-dissolvable materials are coextruded.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the composite tobacco product has an overall oven volatiles content of about 4% by weight to about 61% by weight.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the composite tobacco product has an overall oven volatiles content of about 30% by weight to about 61% by weight.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the composite tobacco product has dimensional stability.

35. The method of claim 1, further comprising bringing multiple layers of smokeless tobacco and the polymeric material into intimate contact.

36. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding flavorants composite tobacco product.

37. The method of claim 1, further comprising cutting the composite tobacco product into individual smokeless tobacco products.

38. The method of claim 1, further comprising folding or rolling the composite tobacco product upon itself

39. The method of claim 1, further comprising coating at least part of the outer surface of the composite tobacco product with a dissolvable film.

40. The method of claim 1, further comprising depositing at least a portion of the composite tobacco product within a moisture-tight interior space of a container.

57. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 5, wherein the smokeless tobacco comprises cured, aged, non-fermented tobacco.

41. A smokeless tobacco product comprising:

smokeless tobacco; and

structural fibers comprising a polymeric material and having a diameter of less than 100 microns, the structural fibers being in intimate contact with the smokeless tobacco and stabilized in conformance to a surface topography of tobacco'"'"'s fibrous structures such that the structural fibers holds the tobacco'"'"'s fibrous structures together, wherein the smokeless tobacco product has a moisture-permeable porous surface including the structural fibers.

42. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the structural fibers are conformed with at least a portion of an outer surface of body of the smokeless tobacco.

43. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the smokeless tobacco product has an overall oven volatiles content of about 40% by weight to about 60% by weight.

44. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the smokeless tobacco product has dimensional stability.

45. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the polymeric material is in the form of structural fibers that are at least partially mouth-stable and the smokeless tobacco product is adapted to remain substantially cohesive when placed in an adult tobacco consumer'"'"'s mouth and exposed to saliva.

46. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the structural fibers comprise polypropylene.

47. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the structural fibers comprise reconstituted cellulosic fibers.

49. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, the structural fibers encapsulates a body of the smokeless tobacco.

50. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the polymeric material is in the form of polymeric fibers intermingled with the cellulosic fibers.

51. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the smokeless tobacco product comprises multiple layers of structural fibers and multiple layers of smokeless tobacco.

52. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the smokeless tobacco product is folded or rolled upon itself.

53. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the smokeless tobacco product comprises smokeless tobacco exposed along an outer surface.

54. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, further comprising a dissolvable film at least partially coating the smokeless tobacco product.

55. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the smokeless tobacco comprises cured tobacco.

56. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 55, wherein the smokeless tobacco comprises cured, aged, fermented tobacco.

58. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the smokeless tobacco comprises from about 15% to about 85% of said product on a dry weight basis.

59. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the smokeless tobacco comprises dark tobacco.

60. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the smokeless tobacco product comprises up to 70% by weight dark tobacco on a fresh weight basis.

61. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the smokeless tobacco has an average length of between 0.1 and 1.0 inches and an average width of 0.009 to 0.1 inches.

48. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 48, wherein the reconstituted cellulosic fibers are reconstituted by dissolving and spinning tobacco plant material.

62. A packaged smokeless tobacco product comprising:

a container that defines a moisture-tight interior space; and

at least one smokeless tobacco product disposed in the moisture-tight interior space, the smokeless tobacco product including smokeless tobacco and structural fibers comprising a polymeric material and having a diameter of less than 100 microns, the structural fibers being in intimate contact with the smokeless tobacco and stabilized in conformance to a surface topography of tobacco'"'"'s fibrous structures such that the structural fibers holds the tobacco'"'"'s fibrous structures together, wherein the smokeless tobacco product has a moisture-permeable porous surface including the structural fibers.

63. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 62, comprising a plurality of similarly shaped smokeless tobacco products disposed in the interior space.

64. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 62, wherein the container defines a second interior space for the disposal of used smokeless tobacco products.

65. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 64, wherein the second interior space is moisture permeable.

66. A method of using a smokeless tobacco product, the method comprising:

opening a container that defines a moisture-tight interior space containing at least one smokeless tobacco product, the smokeless tobacco product including smokeless tobacco and structural fibers comprising a polymeric material and having a diameter of less than 30 microns, the structural fibers being in intimate contact with the smokeless tobacco and stabilized in conformance to a surface topography of tobacco'"'"'s fibrous structures such that the structural fibers holds the tobacco'"'"'s fibrous structures together, wherein the smokeless tobacco product has a moisture-permeable porous surface including the structural fibers and an overall oven volatiles content of at least 10 weight percent;

removing at least a piece of the smokeless tobacco product; and

placing the removed smokeless tobacco product in an adult tobacco consumer'"'"'s mouth.

67. A method of preparing a smokeless tobacco product, the method comprising:

bringing a polymeric material and smokeless tobacco into intimate contact, the smokeless tobacco comprising fibrous structures;

conforming the polymeric material to the tobacco'"'"'s fibrous structures while the polymeric material is at a temperature above its glass transition temperature; and

bringing the polymeric material below its glass transition temperature to stabilize the polymeric material in contact with the smokeless tobacco to form a composite tobacco product comprising the polymeric material and the smokeless tobacco, the composite tobacco product having a moisture-permeable porous surface and an overall oven volatiles content of at least 10 weight percent.

68. A smokeless tobacco product comprising:

smokeless tobacco; and

a polymeric material in intimate contact with the smokeless tobacco and stabilized in conformance to a surface topography of tobacco'"'"'s fibrous structures such that the stabilized polymeric material holds the tobacco'"'"'s fibrous structures together, wherein the smokeless tobacco product has a moisture-permeable porous surface.

69. A melt-blown smokeless tobacco article for oral use comprising a smokeless tobacco material and a plurality of melt-blown polymeric fibers, the smokeless tobacco material being at least partially secured to the plurality of melt-blown polymeric fibers to retain cohesion of each melt-blown smokeless tobacco article when placed within an adult tobacco consumer'"'"'s mouth.

70. A smokeless tobacco article for oral use comprising:

smokeless tobacco; and

means to retain cohesion of the smokeless tobacco when the smokeless tobacco article is placed within an adult tobacco consumer'"'"'s mouth.

71. A smokeless tobacco article produced by melt-blowing a polymeric material against or with a smokeless tobacco to create polymeric fibers entangled with or coating the smokeless tobacco.