Product Portion Enrobing Process and Apparatus, and Resulting Products

• US 20170208854A1
• Filed: 09/09/2016
• Published: 07/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Robert, Burke, William J., Carroll, Andrew Nathan, Black, Shannon Maxwell, Sun, Yan Helen
• Granted Patent: US 10,531,685 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: A24B 15/186 by coating with a coating composition, encapsulation of tobacco particles encapsulation of additives other than tobacco : A24B15/283
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/28 by chemical substances
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/283 by encapsulation of the chemical substances
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/302 by natural substances obtained from animals or plants
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/403 having only oxygen as hetero atoms
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 3/14 Forming reconstituted tobacco products, e.g. wrapper materials, sheets, imitation leaves, rods, cakes; Forms of such products delustering A24C1/40
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 23/02 Tobacco pouches
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 13/0221 characterised by the means for moving or conveying the objects or other work, e.g. conveyor belts B05B13/0207 takes precedence; conveyors in general B65G
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 15/24 in tandem
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 15/44 for impelling the loads
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 51/02 Directly conveying the articles, e.g. slips, sheets, stockings, containers or workpieces, by flowing gases
• CPC Class Codes: D01D 11/06 Coating with spinning solutions or melts
• CPC Class Codes: D01D 5/0084 Coating by electro-spinning, i.e. the electro-spun fibres are not removed from the collecting device but remain integral with it, e.g. coating of prostheses
• CPC Class Codes: D01D 5/0985 by means of a flowing gas (e.g. melt-blowing)
• CPC Class Codes: D01D 5/18 by means of rotating spinnerets
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 13/00 Other non-woven fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 13/001 Making non-woven fabrics from staple fibres, filaments or yarns, bonded to at least one web-like material, e.g. woven, knitted non-woven fabric, paper, leather, during consolidation

Abstract

A method of enrobing a product portion in polymer strands includes mounting at least one product portion on a holding device and passing the at least one product portion through a polymer enrobing zone. The polymer enrobing zone can include a flow of polymeric fibers produced by a polymer spray head. The polymer fibers can wraparound the at least one product portion to produce an enrobed product portion. The holding device can hold the at least one product portion by passing at least partially through the body of the product portion. At least a portion of the holding device is removed from the enrobed product portion. In some cases, the at least one product portion includes smokeless tobacco.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. An apparatus for enrobing a product portion comprising

a. a polymer spray head arranged to direct a plurality of polymeric fibers into a polymer enrobing zone;

and

b. at least one holding device adapted to hold at least one product portion, the at least one holding device being adapted to be moved through said polymer enrobing zone.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a molding device adapted to form at least one product portion in at least one mold cavity.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said molding device is adapted to form said at least one product portion around said holding device.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a robotic arm adapted insert said at least one holding device into said at least one mold cavity and to move said holding device between said molding device and said polymer enrobing zone.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a cutting device adapted to cut at least a portion of said holding device.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a heating device adapted to heat said holding device.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said apparatus is adapted to rotate said holding device.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said apparatus is adapted to change the orientation of said holding device.

10. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a polymer collection roller opposite said polymer enrobing zone adapted to collect polymeric fibers that are not wrapped around product portions passing through said polymer enrobing zone.

11. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said polymer spray head is elongated.

12. A seamless fiber-wrapped smokeless tobacco product comprising:

a body comprising smokeless tobacco;

a plurality of melt-blown or centrifugal force spun polymeric fibers surrounding the smokeless tobacco; and

a string segment passing through said body.

13. The product of claim 12, wherein the melt-blown polymeric fibers have a basis weight of less than 5 gsm.

14. The product of claim 12, wherein the product comprises two opposite halves bonded together in a centered or offset configuration on the string segment.

15. The product of claim 12, wherein the string segment comprises cellulosic fibers, polymeric fibers, or a combination thereof.

16. The product of claim 14, wherein the cellulosic fibers are degradable or dissolvable cellulosic fibers.

17. The product of claim 12, wherein the string segment comprise a diameter of less than 500 microns, less than 100 microns, less than 50 microns, or less than 10 microns.

18. A method of enrobing a product portion in polymer strands comprising:

mounting at least one product portion on a holding device, the holding device passing at least partially through a body of said at least one product portion;

producing a flow of polymeric fibers from a polymer spray head to create a polymer enrobing zone; and

moving said holding device to pass said at least one product portion through said polymer enrobing zone such that a plurality of said polymeric fibers wraparound said at least one product portion to produce an enrobed product portion.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the holding device comprises a string segment, and wherein the mounting comprises molding the at least one product portion around the string segment.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the mounting comprises molding the at least one product portion around the holding device.