Patents Examined by Dionne Walls Mayes
  • Patent number: 9585422
    Abstract: In one embodiment is provided a polymer blend of poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), wherein the poly(vinylacetate) is present in an amount ranging between about 20 wt % and about 80 wt %, and poly(acrylic acid) is present in an amount ranging between about 80 wt % and about 20 wt %, based on the total weight of the blend. In another embodiment is provided a fiber produced from this polymer blend, and which has cells therein. In another embodiment is provided a flavorant release material comprising the porous fiber disclosed herein, and one or more flavorants disposed in a longitudinally extending core within the fiber. In another embodiment is provided a polymer fiber membrane containing a hollow, porous fiber formed from the polymer blend disclosed herein. In another embodiment is provided a filter containing the fiber described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Philip Morris USA Inc.
    Inventors: Munmaya K. Mishra, Harrison L. Yu
  • Patent number: 9554595
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an inhaler component comprising: a housing (3) with a housing cover; a mouthpiece (4) with a mouthpiece opening (5) for the supply of an inhalable medium into the oral cavity of a user; a flavor reservoir (6) capable of communicating with the environment by diffusion, containing a flavoring (16), for the release of the flavoring (16) into the environment and for the olfactory perception of the same by the user, where a) the housing (3) comprises a housing component (3a); b) the mouthpiece (4) is separably connected with the housing component (3a); c) the housing cover comprises a first cover part (11) and second cover part (14); d) the housing component (3a) forms the first cover part (11); e) the mouthpiece (4) forms the second cover part (14), f) and the flavor reservoir (6) is structurally united with the mouthpiece (4), is superficially formed and is arranged flat on the second cover part (14) or itself forms the second cover part (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: BATMARK LIMITED
    Inventor: Helmut Buchberger
  • Patent number: 9545489
    Abstract: A device for dispensing a medium is disclosed. The device comprises an elongated body including a chamber for containing a medium and an outlet through which the medium exits the device into an oral or nasal opening. A dispensing system selectively places the chamber and the outlet in communication, causing medium to flow out of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Inventors: Jeffrey Turner, Brian Hack, Richard L. Miller
  • Patent number: 9532595
    Abstract: A smoking article, a smoking article assembly, a blank for forming a smoking article, and a method of manufacturing a smoking article. A smoking article comprising one or more rod articles, an inner layer extending around the rod articles, and an outer layer extending around the inner layer. The inner and outer layers are integrally formed. The outer layer comprises a selection portion configured to move over an underlying part of the inner layer to select a property of the smoking article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO (INVESTMENTS) LIMITED
    Inventors: Karl Kaljura, Philip Russell Fawcus
  • Patent number: 9516896
    Abstract: A filter rod used in manufacture of a smoking article contains: (a) a rod of filter material, and (b) a plug wrap surrounding the rod of filter material. The overlapping side edges of the plug wrap are secured together with a plug wrap adhesive and the plug wrap adhesive comprises a disintegration accelerating agent. Alternatively or in addition, the plug wrap may contain perforations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: Philip Morris USA Inc.
    Inventors: Milton E. Parrish, Lixin L. Xue, Jon A. Regrut, Marvyn Steele, Thomas J. Gannon, Wesley Gilliam Sanderson
  • Patent number: 9516897
    Abstract: A smoking article provides a purchased, as-built cigar that can be disassembled to form multiple cigars, enabling a consumer to make his or her own cigars using custom tobacco filler. The as-built cigar is capped as part of its construction, preferably at one end or at both ends. A smoker removes the cap or caps to enable smoking of the as-built cigar or disassembly into layers. Each layer can then be rolled with a smoker's custom tobacco. The inner layer contains tobacco filler. Upon disassembly, the inner layer and tobacco filler can be smoked. Alternatively, the inner layer can be pulled apart at a provided serration to discard the tobacco filler and then filled and rolled with a smoker's custom tobacco filler material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: Blunt Wrap U.S.A., Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel S. Sinclair, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9486011
    Abstract: The present invention provides a cigarette mainstream smoke component adsorbent including particulate activated carbon, and a glucan film supported by the particulate activated carbon. Also, the present invention provides a cigarette filter including the cigarette mainstream smoke component adsorbent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: JAPAN TOBACCO INC.
    Inventors: Masahiro Chida, Yasuhiro Nakagawa, Katsuhito Misawa, Yayoi Kasakura
  • Patent number: 9462754
    Abstract: A tobacco production system is provided for producing useable tobacco material having chemical and physical properties acceptable to tobacco industry stakeholders, by growing tobacco entirely in a directly seeded system, under an intensive biomass growing system, mechanically harvesting above-ground portions of the plant a plurality of times during the growing season, curing tobacco leaves and stalks together, and processing the cured tobacco material to obtain cured leaf material suitable for use in tobacco products including, but not limited to, cigarettes, cigars, snus, snuff, chewing tobacco, pipe tobacco, reconstituted tobacco material, and other manufactured tobacco products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL LEAF TOBACCO COMPANY, INC.
    Inventors: G. Lea Scott, Joshua F. Warren
  • Patent number: 9462829
    Abstract: The invention relates to a filter for application in a cigarette tube. The invention also relates to an assembly of a cigarette tube and at least one filter according to the invention received in the cigarette tube. The invention further relates to a cigarette, in particular a “joint”, based on such an assembly. The invention also relates to a blank for the purpose of manufacturing a filter according to the invention. The invention moreover relates to a method for manufacturing a filter according to the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: Vandenberg Special Products B.V.
    Inventor: Marinus Van Den Berg
  • Patent number: 9462830
    Abstract: An electronic cigarette includes a storage tank filled with extractant and an atomization device. The electronic cigarette further comprises a device for heating tobacco, which includes a heating mechanism and a heated chamber for loading cigarette or tobacco. The heating mechanism comprises a heating element and a heater circuit for controlling the heating element to be heated to a set temperature range. An inlet of the heated chamber is connected to an outlet of the atomization device, and its outlet is connected with an opening for a suction nozzle. When the electronic cigarette is working, the extractant is atomized by the atomization device and then guided into the heated chamber. The heat produced by the heating element is applied to the cigarette or tobacco in the heated chamber to generate nicotine. The nicotine and atomized extractant are mixed together and then sucked out through the opening for the suction nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: HUIZHOU KIMREE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Qiuming Liu
  • Patent number: 9456632
    Abstract: An electronic cigarette includes a battery assembly and an atomizer assembly within a housing with the battery assembly electrically connected to the atomizer assembly. The housing has one or more air inlets. A liquid storage component is in contact with a porous component of the atomizer assembly, with the porous component having a run-through hole. A heating wire is in an air flow path through the run-through hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: FONTEM HOLDINGS 1 B.V.
    Inventor: Lik Hon
  • Patent number: 9420825
    Abstract: A method of preparing a whitened tobacco material is provided, the method including the steps of (i) extracting a tobacco material with an aqueous solution to give a tobacco pulp and a tobacco extract; (ii) treating the tobacco pulp with at least one of a caustic reagent and an oxidizing agent for a time and at a temperature sufficient to lighten the color of the tobacco pulp to give a whitened tobacco pulp; (iii) clarifying the tobacco extract to remove higher molecular weight components; and (iv) combining the whitened tobacco pulp with a clarified tobacco extract to form a whitened tobacco material. The whitened tobacco material can be isolated and incorporated into a smokeless tobacco product. The invention also provides a smokeless tobacco product incorporating a whitened tobacco material. The smokeless tobacco product may be a snus-type formulation contained within a sealed pouch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
    Inventors: Dwayne William Beeson, Jack Gray Flinchum, Jr., Huamin Gan
  • Patent number: 9420829
    Abstract: A smoking system includes a capillary wick for holding liquid, at least one air inlet, at least one air outlet and a chamber between the air inlet and air outlet. The air inlet, the air outlet and the chamber are arranged so as to define an air flow route from the air inlet to the air outlet via the capillary wick so as to convey aerosol formed from the liquid to the air outlet. The smoking system further includes at least one guide for channeling the air flow in the air flow route, so as to control particle size in the aerosol. The smoking system optionally includes at least one heater for heating the liquid in at least a portion of the capillary wick to form the aerosol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Philip Morris USA Inc.
    Inventors: Michel Thorens, Jean-Marc Flick, Olivier Yves Cochand, Flavien Dubief
  • Patent number: 9386803
    Abstract: A tobacco smoking device comprises a porous mass of active particles adapted to enhance a tobacco smoke flowing over said active particles and binder particles. The active particles comprises about 1-99% weight of the porous mass, and the binder particles comprises about 1-99% weight of said porous mass. The active particles and said binder particles are bound together at randomly distributed points throughout the porous mass. The active particles have a greater particle size than the binder particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Celanese Acetate LLC
    Inventors: Peter Burke, Meinhard Gusik, Julia Hufen, Luis Jimenez, Raymond Robertson, Ramesh Srinivasan
  • Patent number: 9386802
    Abstract: A composite particle comprises a cellulose acetate and at least one amino compound selected from the group consisting of an amino acid and an aminosulfonic acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: DAICEL CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroki Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 9380808
    Abstract: A cigarette tobacco filler device includes a casing having an outlet for holding a cigarette tube in position, a plunger movably supported in said casing for delivering tobacco into the cigarette tube, and a plunger actuation unit which includes a power shaft rotatably supported in the casing to couple with the plunger and an operation handle which is pivotally extended above the top side of the casing and is arranged in such a manner that when the operation handle is pivotally moved down to the top side of the casing, the power shaft is driven to rotate so as to actuate the plunger for inserting the tobacco to the cigarette tube at the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Inventor: Fan Bao
  • Patent number: 9370204
    Abstract: An oral tobacco raw material is easily handled during the manufacturing of oral tobacco, does not stain a packaging material when packaged as a pouch, and does not cause a feeling of a lump to a user and rapidly emits flavor when the user uses the pouch by placing it in the oral cavity. A method for manufacturing such an oral tobacco raw material, and a method for stably obtaining oral tobacco at low cost using the oral tobacco raw material are disclosed. A raw material chip for oral tobacco, includes a tobacco raw material composition including tobacco particles, water, and an additive, and a water-soluble edible film, the tobacco raw material composition and the water-soluble edible film being laminated, wherein outer surfaces of the raw material chip for oral tobacco are composed of a surface composed of the tobacco raw material composition, and a surface composed of the film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: JAPAN TOBACCO INC.
    Inventors: Norio Kawata, Manabu Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 9370205
    Abstract: An electronic cigarette includes a battery assembly, an atomizer assembly and a cigarette bottle assembly. An external thread electrode is located in one end of battery assembly. An internal thread electrode is located in one end of atomizer assembly. The battery assembly and the atomizer assembly are connected by the screwthread electrode. The cigarette bottle assembly is inserted into the other end of the atomizer assembly and both form a cigarette type or cigar type body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Fontem Holdings 1 B.V.
    Inventor: Lik Hon
  • Patent number: 9364027
    Abstract: An electronic cigarette comprises nicotine without harmful tar. The cigarette includes a shell, a cell, nicotine solution, control circuit, and an electro-thermal vaporization nozzle installed in the air suction end of the shell. The advantages of the present invention are smoking without tar, reducing the risk of cancer, the user still gets a smoking experience, the cigarette is not lit, and there is no fire danger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Fontem Holdings 1 B.V.
    Inventor: Lik Hon
  • Patent number: 9351521
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method of wrapping smoking article rods with a wrapper. A bobbin comprising a wound web (8) and individual spaced wrappers (2) is provided. The wrappers (2) each have a longitudinal axis (Lw) and are arranged side by side on the web (8). The bobbin is unwound, and an unwound section of the web (8) is guided across a support, preferably a support plate, wherein the wrappers (2) on that section of the web (8) are exposed. Individual smoking article rods (1), which have their longitudinal axes (Lr) generally arranged in parallel, are fed towards the support under an oblique angle (?) between the longitudinal axes (Lr, Lw) of the smoking article rods (1) and of the wrappers (2). Each smoking article rod (1) is rolled over one of the wrappers (2), wherein that wrapper (2) is taken up by that smoking article rod (1) and helically wound about that smoking article rod (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Imperial Tobacco Ltd.
    Inventors: Yves Drezen, Fabian Rieth