Pouch material for smokeless tobacco and tobacco substitute products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10039309-B2
Application number	US-201414213383-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

A melt-blown fabric for pouching smokeless tobacco or a smokeless tobacco substitute can include melt-blown polymer fibers. The fabric can have a basis weight of less than 10 gsm and a tensile strength of at least 4 mJ in at least one predetermined direction. Method of making the fabric can include melt-blowing a polymeric material against a support surface and bonding the fibers or arranging them in a predetermined orientation. Pouched smokeless tobacco or tobacco substitute products including the fabrics provided herein can provide desirable flavor and tactile experience.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A smokeless tobacco product comprising:
a pouch comprising a fabric, the fabric comprising melt-blown or centrifugally-force-spun polymer fibers substantially aligned along a first direction, the fabric comprising a surfactant that provides a hydrophilic surface coating, the fabric comprising a colorant configured to reduce hydraulic permittivity of the polymer fibers; and
smokeless tobacco within the pouch.

2. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the fabric has a basis weight of less than 5 gsm.

3. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 2 , wherein the fabric has a basis weight of between 0.5 and 3 gsm.

4. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the melt-blown polymer fibers have diameters of less than 100 microns.

5. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 4 , wherein the melt-blown polymer fibers have a diameter of less than 30 microns.

6. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 4 , wherein the melt-blown polymer fibers have a diameter of between 0.5 and 5.0 microns.

7. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the melt-blown polymer fibers include at least two different materials.

8. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the at least two different polymeric materials are coextruded during a melt-blowing operation to form composite polymeric fibers of the at least two different polymeric materials.

9. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the polymeric materials is mouth-stable and at least one of the polymeric materials is mouth-dissolvable.

10. The smokeless tobacco product of one of claim 1 , wherein the smokeless tobacco product has an overall oven volatiles content of about 4% by weight to about 61% by weight.

11. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 10 , wherein the smokeless tobacco product has an overall oven volatiles content of about 30% by weight to about 61% by weight.

12. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , further comprising one or more flavorants.

13. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the smokeless tobacco product is adapted to remain substantially cohesive when placed in an adult tobacco consumer's mouth and exposed to saliva.

14. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the melt-blown polymer fibers comprise polypropylene.

15. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , further comprising a dissolvable film at least partially coating the pouch.

16. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the smokeless tobacco comprises cured tobacco.

17. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 16 , wherein the smokeless tobacco comprises cured, aged, fermented tobacco.

18. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 16 , wherein the smokeless tobacco comprises cured, aged, non-fermented tobacco.

19. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the pouch weighs less than 50 mg.

20. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the smokeless tobacco comprises dark tobacco.

21. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , 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.

22. A packaged smokeless tobacco product comprising:
a container that defines a moisture-tight interior space; and
at least one smokeless tobacco product according to claim 1 within the container.

Assignees

• Altria Client Services Llc

Inventors

• Carroll Andrew Nathan
• Black Shannon Maxwell
• Sun Yan Helen
• Burke William J

Classifications

• A24B15/186 Primary

  by coating with a coating composition, encapsulation of tobacco particles (encapsulation of additives other than tobacco : A24B15/283) · CPC title

• A24B15/283

  by encapsulation of the chemical substances · CPC title

• A24B13/00 Primary

  Tobacco for pipes, for cigars, e.g. cigar inserts, or for cigarettes; Chewing tobacco; Snuff (reconstituted tobacco products A24B3/14) · CPC title

• D04H13/00

  Other non-woven fabrics · CPC title