Polymer Encased Smokeless Tobacco Products

• US 20180170593A1
• Filed: 02/20/2018
• Published: 06/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carroll, Andrew Nathan, Black, Shannon Maxwell, Sun, Yan Helen, Burke, William J., DiNovi, Christopher Joseph, Phillips, David, Macko, Jason Andrew, Smith, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 10,384,816 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 15/186 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: A24F 23/00 Cases for tobacco, snuff, or chewing tobacco
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/007 using an electrostatic field B05D1/02 - B05D1/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 3/067 Curing or cross-linking the coating
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 3/108 Curing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 29/02 Packaging of substances, e.g. tea, which are intended to be infused in the package
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 53/02 by heat
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 63/02 for compressing or compacting articles or materials prior to wrapping or insertion in containers or receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 9/10 Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in preformed tubular webs, or in webs formed into tubes around filling nozzles, e.g. extruded tubular webs

Abstract

Methods for encasing bodies including smokeless tobacco or a tobacco substitute with a polymeric casing can include coating a compressed body with microfibers, applying tubular casings to compressed bodies, printing netting and webs on compressed bodies, injection molding around compressed bodies, applying a webbing to compressed bodies, placing compressed bodies into a skin forming bath, and including thermoplastic polymers in a compressed body.

Claims

1. A method of making a polymer encased smokeless tobacco or tobacco substitute product comprising:

forming a compressed body including smokeless tobacco, a tobacco substitute, or a combination thereof;

applying an adhesive or an electrostatic charge to said compressed body to form a sticky body;

coating said sticky body with microfibers comprising a polymeric material to form a microfiber coated body;

heating said microfiber coated body to melt bond said microfibers to form an encased body.