Patents Examined by Katherine Will
  • Patent number: 10893701
    Abstract: A cellulose acetate particle aggregate, a preparation method therefor and an application thereof, which relate to the field of harm reduction additives in cigarettes. The cellulose acetate particle aggregate includes 49-99.5 wt % of cellulose acetate particles, 0-50 wt % of a second kind of particles, and 0.5-20 wt % of a binder. The preparation method involves selecting cellulose acetate particles and a second kind of particles in a certain ratio, or cellulose acetate particles alone, preparing particle aggregates by using an air fluidized granulation method while adding a binder thereto, and sieving the particle aggregates to obtain a cellulose acetate particle aggregate having a required particle size. The cellulose acetate particle aggregate has a porous structure, an irregular shape, and a rough and uneven surface, which help to improve the efficiency of filtering out particulate matters or one or more harmful ingredients in cigarette smoke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: NANTONG CELLULOSE FIBERS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jianguo Cao, Weijun Peng, Xiaomei Song, Jianfeng Xia
  • Patent number: 10896325
    Abstract: Provided is a method for blending of agricultural product utilizing hyperspectral imaging. At least one region along a sample of agricultural product is scanned using at least one light source of different wavelengths. Hyperspectral images are generated from the at least one region. A spectral fingerprint for the sample of agricultural product is formed from the hyperspectral images. A plurality of samples of agricultural product is blended based on the spectral fingerprints of the samples according to parameters determined by executing a blending algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Seetharama C. Deevi, Henry M. Dante, Qiwei Liang, Samuel Timothy Henry
  • Patent number: 10888117
    Abstract: A disposable cartridge is disclosed for use with an electronic device for producing an aerosol for inhalation by a person. The cartridge comprises a liquid container containing a liquid which when aerosolized is intended for inhalation by a person; and a transducer that, when actuated, causes the liquid from the container to be aerosolized such that the aerosol may be inhaled by a person. In various embodiments, the liquid comprises: a liposomal carrier; a liquid mixture having an active agent entrapped by liposomes; and a liquid mixture comprising a nanodispersion. The liquid may include nicotine, tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, or nanoparticles formed by an oil droplet covered by a monolayer of phosphatidylcholine. The transducer preferably comprises a mesh material with the transducer and the mesh material forming a piezo mesh disk for aerosolizing the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: RESPIRA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Mario Danek
  • Patent number: 10881131
    Abstract: This non-combusting flavor inhaler is provided with a control unit which, as an instruction to a battery, outputs to the battery a prescribed instruction instructing the battery that the amount of aerosol vaporized by a vaporizer unit should fall within a desired range. The control unit stops power supply from the battery to the vaporizer unit once a prescribed period has elapsed since the start of supplying power to the vaporizer unit. The prescribed period is shorter than the upper limit value of a standard puff period, which is derived from a statistic of the user's puff period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: JAPAN TOBACCO INC.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Matsumoto, Akihiko Suzuki, Manabu Takeuchi, Takuma Nakano, Masafumi Tarora, Manabu Yamada
  • Patent number: 10881133
    Abstract: Methods of forming cellulosic sugars from the stalk or roots of a plant of the Nicotiana species are provided herein, the methods including i) receiving a tobacco material including at least one of a stalk material and a root material of a harvested plant of the Nicotiana species; ii) delignifying the tobacco material to form a tobacco-derived pulp; and iii) hydrolyzing the tobacco-derived pulp to form a hydrolyzed tobacco product including residual solids and a liquid including at least one tobacco-derived cellulosic sugar. A cellulosic sugar derived from hydrolyzed tobacco material including at least one of a tobacco stalk material and a tobacco root material of a harvested plant of the Nicotiana species is also provided herein. Tobacco products incorporating the cellulosic sugars derived from hydrolyzed tobacco material or products derived from the cellulosic sugar are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
    Inventors: Michael Francis Dube, Rhys Thomas Dale, Morrison Clark Dale, Jessica Hanna Johnston
  • Patent number: 10881137
    Abstract: This flavor inhaler is provided with a housing having an air flow path that spans continuously from an inlet to an outlet, and an atomizing part for atomizing an aerosol source without accompanying combustion of the aerosol source, wherein at least one portion of the air flow path is an aerosol flow path which is a flow path for an aerosol generated from the atomizing part, and the air blow resistance of the whole air flow path is not greater than 25 mmAq.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: JAPAN TOBACCO INC.
    Inventors: Akihiko Suzuki, Manabu Takeuchi, Takuma Nakano, Manabu Yamada
  • Patent number: 10874144
    Abstract: An electronic vapour generating device and cartridge for use therein is disclosed. The device comprises a housing defining a chamber for receiving a cartridge for holding a liquid for atomisation, and a power source for providing electrical power to an atomiser for atomising the liquid. The device further comprises an actuator which is reconfigurable between a first state in which the actuator electrically isolates the atomiser from the power source and a second state for enabling the generation of the vapour. The device further comprises a mouthpiece which is arranged to fluidly couple with the atomiser for communicating the vapour out from the device for inhalation by a user and which is slidably coupled to the housing. The mouthpiece is reconfigurable between a stowed configuration and an operative configuration and reconfiguration of the mouthpiece between the stowed and operative configuration is arranged to reconfigure the actuator between the first and second state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: XOLO LIMITED
    Inventor: Taman Powell
  • Patent number: 10878717
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to tobacco products, including methodology, devices and compositions, for assisting a smoker to transition from conventional tobacco cigarettes to either e-cigarettes or a tobacco heating device. Provided herein are methodology for switching, along with kits, products and apparatuses. The disclosure also provides methodology for regulating tetrahydrocannabinolic acid synthase expression, for use in producing cigarettes, reconstituted cannabis, and other products having reduced ?9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Inventor: Joseph Pandolfino
  • Patent number: 10856568
    Abstract: A device including a water chamber for filtering smoke or vapor prior to inhalation of the smoke or vapor. The device including a vaporization chamber that contains a substance to be heated or burned. The device including an air flow chamber, herein the air flow chamber connects the vaporization chamber, wherein the air flow chamber is configured to provide a tunnel between an upper edge and a lower edge of the air flow chamber, for passage of air/vapor from an air/vapor entry port to a filtered air exit port for air/vapor at the water chamber, in a snake like manner; wherein the air/vapor entry port is located at a point where the vaporization chamber is joined to the water chamber. The air flow chamber is configured to prevent leakage of water from the water chamber to the vaporization chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Inventor: Yao Tien Richard Huang
  • Patent number: 10856577
    Abstract: A product use and behavior instrument includes a housing defining a central compartment therein. A controller is positioned within the central compartment. The controller includes a first connector. The first connector is configured to operatively and removably couple the product use and behavior instrument to a battery element. A second connector is configured to operatively and removably couple the product use and behavior instrument to a tank element. A sensor circuit is structured to collect at least one use data characteristic of a smoking action. The smoking action is associated with use of at least one of the tank and battery element. Local memory is structured to store the at least one use data characteristic of the smoking action. A communication interface is structured to communicate the stored at least one use data characteristic of the smoking action to a remote computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: RAI STRATEGIC HOLDINGS, INC.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Sean Smith, Steven L. Alderman, Sarah A. Baxter-Wright, John Darnell, Kyung Soo (Jason) Hong, Paul R. Nelson, Elaine K. Round, Stephen B. Sears, Rajesh Sur
  • Patent number: 10849356
    Abstract: There is provided a portable extinguisher for extinguishing a single smoking article at a time, the extinguisher including defining a reservoir, a chamber, and an opening configured to receive a smoking article into the chamber, the chamber being sized to receive at least part of the smoking article and being isolated from the reservoir such that there is no fluid communication between the chamber and the reservoir, wherein the reservoir and the chamber are thermally coupled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: PHILIP MORRIS PRODUCTS S.A.
    Inventors: Frederic Lavanchy, Laurent Manca, Sergey Krasiev, Samuel Malzach, Luc Amgwerd, Antonino Lanci, Elmar Mock
  • Patent number: 10851494
    Abstract: A method for preparing a black liquor according to the present invention comprises digesting a tobacco raw material under an alkaline condition to obtain the black liquor. Further, a method for preparing a flavor component-containing liquid according to the present invention comprises digesting a tobacco raw material under an alkaline condition, separating the obtained digesting product into a black liquor and a tobacco fiber, and desalinating the black liquor to obtain the flavor component-containing liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: JAPAN TOBACCO INC.
    Inventors: Shigeru Hata, Yoshito Gohara, Ryosuke Nagase, Takuya Okada, Shintaro Akiyama
  • Patent number: 10842195
    Abstract: An aerosol generating device, in particular an electronic cigarette or a vaporizer, has means to avoid children or young persons to use said aerosol generating device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: JT International S.A.
    Inventor: Kyle Adair
  • Patent number: 10834965
    Abstract: Certain aspects of present invention relate to a ceramic vaporizer for electronic cigarette and electronic cigarettes having the ceramic vaporizer. In certain embodiments, the ceramic vaporizer may include a cylindrical vaporizer body, and a vaporizer heater. The cylindrical vaporizer body has an interior surface, and an exterior surface. The interior surface forms a central vapor passage and the exterior surface forms an inside wall of an e-liquid storage device. The vaporizer heater is embedded inside the cylindrical vaporizer body. The vaporizer heater may include one or more heating elements configured to heat e-liquid stored in e-liquid storage device and e-liquid is in direct contact with exterior surface of the cylindrical vaporizer body. The one or more heating elements may include certain electrothermal alloys. In certain embodiments, the one or more heating elements may include one or more mesh heating elements, and one or more spiral heating elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: SHENZHEN KANGER TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Xiaochun Zhu
  • Patent number: 10834966
    Abstract: Certain aspects of present invention relate to a ceramic vaporizer for e-cigarette and e-cigarettes having ceramic vaporizer with replaceable e-liquid storage medium. In certain embodiments, ceramic vaporizer may include cylindrical vaporizer body, vaporizer heater, and replaceable e-liquid storage medium. Cylindrical vaporizer body has an interior surface, and an exterior surface. Interior surface forms a central vapor passage and exterior surface forms an inside wall of an e-liquid storage device. The vaporizer heater is embedded inside the cylindrical vaporizer body. The vaporizer heater may include one or more heating elements configured to heat e-liquid stored in e-liquid storage device and e-liquid is in direct contact with exterior surface of the cylindrical vaporizer body. The one or more heating elements may include certain electrothermal alloys. In certain embodiments, the one or more heating elements may include one or more mesh heating elements, and one or more spiral heating elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: SHENZHEN KANGER TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Xiaochun Zhu
  • Patent number: 10820623
    Abstract: The method and apparatus for manufacturing aerosol-generating semi-finished products comprise the steps of combining substantially cylindrical segments along a longitudinal first motion path. The following steps are performed along the first motion path: feeding a stream of at least three different segments along the first motion path, thereby arranging the at least three segments in alternating order, wrapping the stream of at least three segments in a sheet material to form an endless rod of segments, and cutting the endless rod of segments, thereby separating the endless rod of segments into wrapped segment rods. The method also comprises the step of processing wrapped segment rods along a second motion path, wherein the following step is performed along the second motion path: receiving the wrapped segment rods in flutes of a fluted receiving drum, wherein an end of the first motion path is aligned with a longitudinal axis of the flutes of the fluted receiving drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Philip Morris Products S.A.
    Inventor: Christopher John Grant
  • Patent number: 10820632
    Abstract: A refillable heated aerosol-generating article for use with an electrically-operated aerosol-generating device has an outlet end for insertion into a user's mouth during use, and a distal end upstream from the outlet end. The article includes a refillable liquid retention section and an aerosol-generation section located within a casing. The refillable liquid retention section includes a liquid retention medium, and the aerosol-generation section is located downstream of the refillable liquid retention section. The liquid retention medium has a capacity to absorb up to 35 microliters of liquid. The article is configured such that, during use, air can be drawn through the article from the distal end to the end, passing through the refillable liquid retention section. The article defines an opening or port for allowing the refillable liquid retention section to be charged with liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: ALTRIA CLIENT SERVICES LLC
    Inventor: Michel Thorens
  • Patent number: 10820624
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for the customization of tobacco and cannabis smoking products including formulations for onserts, precision rods and precision pods for harm reduction products particularly for those who simultaneously smoke or vape tobacco and marijuana, as well as methods and apparatuses for blending a salt of nicotine in crystalline form and one or more cannabinoids in crystalline form for a precision pod for use in a vaporizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Inventor: Joseph Pandolfino
  • Patent number: 10813381
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the preparation of a homogenized tobacco material, said method comprising: —pulping and refining cellulose fibres to obtain fibres having a mean size comprised between about 0.2 millimetres and about 4 millimetres; —grinding a blend of tobacco of one or more tobacco types to a tobacco powder having a mean size comprised between about 0.03 millimetres and about 0.12 millimetres; —combining the pulp with the tobacco powder blend of different tobacco types and with a binder in an amount comprised between about 1 percent and about 5 percent in dry weight basis of the total weight of the homogenized tobacco material, so as to form a slurry; —homogenizing the slurry; and—forming the homogenized tobacco material from the slurry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Philip Morris Products S.A.
    Inventors: Yorick Klipfel, Johannes Petrus Maria Pijnenburg, Michael Elliott Doyle, Juan David Manzur Bedoya, Pascal Rausis, Marine Jarriault
  • Patent number: 10806175
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for heat management of heating implements for a water pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Kaloud, Inc.
    Inventors: Reza Bavar, Tylor Garland, Michael Latham, Stephen Bradford, Richard Siemer, Mark Hummel, Wilson Reniers, Stephen Harper, Andrew Castro