Patents Examined by Michael J. Felton
  • Patent number: 12342851
    Abstract: An example smoking article includes a smoking rod filled with a filler material. The filler material includes tobacco material and non-tobacco leaf material, and the filler material is distributed along a length of the smoking rod. In certain examples the tobacco material, non-tobacco leaf material, or both may be treated with one or more additives, and in other examples the filler material may not include additives. The smoking article can be formed as a cigarette, cigarillo, or cigar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2025
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Munmaya K. Mishra, Shaoyong Yu, Weiling Li
  • Patent number: 12329198
    Abstract: A cartridge includes a cartridge housing having a liquid storage cavity, and a sealing member for sealing the liquid storage cavity, and a first electrode and a second electrode mounted on the sealing member. A first blind hole and a second blind hole are respectively disposed on the end face of the sealing member away from the liquid storage cavity. The liquid injection needle pierces the sealing member through the wall of at least one of the first blind hole and the second blind hole and communicates with the liquid storage cavity to inject liquid into the liquid storage cavity. After the liquid injection is completed, the liquid injection needle is pulled out, and the sealing member is self-sealed at the pierced position. The first blind hole is blocked by the first electrode while the second blind hole is blocked by the second electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2025
    Assignee: CHANGZHOU PATENT ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD
    Inventor: Weihua Qiu
  • Patent number: 12285025
    Abstract: The invention provides a multi-layered smokeless tobacco product comprising two or more formulations with varying properties. In some embodiments, the smokeless tobacco products provide combinations of different organoleptic properties within the same product. In certain embodiment, these combinations allow for a modified release profile of active ingredients as the user enjoys the smokeless tobacco product. The invention further provides methods for making and using the smokeless tobacco product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
    Inventors: Donna Walker Duggins, John-Paul Mua, Darrell Eugene Holton, Jr., Daniel Verdin Cantrell
  • Patent number: 12279647
    Abstract: A cartridge includes an atomizer assembly, a reservoir, and a mouthpiece. The atomizer assembly may heat a vaporizable material to generate an inhalable vapor. The reservoir may store the vaporizable material and include a wick housing and a reservoir body. The wick housing may surround at least a portion of the atomizer assembly and form a proximal wall of the reservoir. The reservoir body may be coupled to the wick housing and form a distal wall of the reservoir. The mouthpiece may deliver the inhalable vapor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: Pax Labs, Inc.
    Inventors: David Carlberg, Andrew Cushing, Philipe Manoux, Robyn Nariyoshi, Alexander Weiss
  • Patent number: 12279642
    Abstract: Provided are materials for making a hand rolled smoking article having a novel sheet. The sheet can include a rectangular portion and an irregular shaped portion. The sheet can be manufactured from tobacco leaf or foil, homogenized tobacco paper, or conventionally available rolling paper. The sheet can be filled with a filler material and rolled to form a cigar or cigarette.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Inventor: Daniel S. Sinclair, Jr.
  • Patent number: 12263300
    Abstract: An electronic smoking article includes a liquid supply including liquid material, a heater operable to heat the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol, a wick in communication with the liquid material and in communication with the heater such that the wick delivers the liquid material to the heater, at least one air inlet operable to deliver air to a central air passage upstream of the heater, and a mouth end insert having at least two diverging outlets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Christopher S. Tucker, Geoffrey Brandon Jordan, Barry S. Smith, Ali A. Rostami
  • Patent number: 12219991
    Abstract: Described herein are examples of a cigar holders. The cigar holder can include a cigar tube configured for holding a cigar, an attachment arm and a lighter frame configured to receive a lighter. The cigar holder can further include a magnet configured to secure the cigar holder to a metal structure, such as a pole, bumper, or vehicle. The cigar holder can further include a punch configured to cut the cigar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Inventor: Adolfo Reta
  • Patent number: 12213514
    Abstract: A smoking article for use with an apparatus for heating smokable material to volatilize at least one component of the smokable material, the article includes a body of smokable material and a filter assembly. The filter assembly includes a cooling segment of between 20 mm and 30 mm in length for cooling at least one volatilized component of the smokable material, a filter segment adjacent to the cooling segment for filtering at least one volatilized component of the smokable material and a mouth end segment adjacent to the filter segment for being received in a mouth of a user. The cooling segment is located between the body of smokable material and the filter segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: NICOVENTURES TRADING LIMITED
    Inventors: Will England, Tom Woodman, Jeremy Phillips, Pablo Javier Ballesteros Gomez
  • Patent number: 12201605
    Abstract: Various aspects of this patent document relate to liquid compositions comprising cannabidiol, which have either freezing points or glass-liquid transition temperatures less than the melting point of pure cannabidiol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignee: Natural Extraction Systems, LLC
    Inventor: Nixon Malcolm
  • Patent number: 12137725
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a pouched smokeless oral product comprising a pouch containing the filling, said filling comprising or consisting of at least one of tobacco, non-tobacco plant material and a combination thereof; and one or more flavour capsules, wherein said flavour capsule is composed of a core material comprising NaCl as a carrier and at least one flavour component being in contact with the carrier; and a shell material coating the core, wherein said shell material comprises or consists of a hydrophobic polysaccharide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: REEMTSMA CIGARETTENFABRIKEN GmbH
    Inventor: Nathalie Lewerenz
  • Patent number: 12121040
    Abstract: A process for preparing an orally-enjoyable film of encapsulated plant material includes combining particles of finely divided plant material, a first coating material, and a second coating material, then inducing gelation to form a gel matrix of the particles coated with the first coating material embedded in the second coating material, followed by forming a film from the gel matrix. Also disclosed is a film of coated particles of finely-divided plant material, made of a gel matrix of plant material at least partially surrounded by a first coating material and embedded in a second coating material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: Philip Morris USA Inc.
    Inventors: Tapashi Sengupta, Munmaya K. Mishra, William R. Sweeney
  • Patent number: 12102136
    Abstract: A universal filtering mouthpiece for smoking devices comprising a flexible and substantially conical shaped body having a small diameter end and a large diameter end; a hollow smoke passage which runs axially through the conical shaped body from the small diameter end to the large diameter end; a filter cartridge housing centered axially at the mouthpiece end of the said flexible and substantially conical shaped body which communicates with the hollow smoke passage and capable of housing a removable filter; and a disposable, high-airflow filter cartridge consisting of a rigid cylindrical frame having rounded edges, the rigid cylindrical frame housing a smoke filter inside the inner diameter of said rigid cylindrical frame. The universal filtering mouthpiece for smoking devices is readily implementable across a wide variety of smoking devices such as, but not limited to, pipes, bongs, hookahs, water pipes, electronic cigarettes, cigarettes, and pre-roll cigarettes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2024
    Inventors: Daniel Rush, Jason Rush, Maria Testa
  • Patent number: 12089634
    Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including: a first housing; a second housing configured to move relative to the first housing; a cavity configured to receive an aerosol-generating article; an aperture at least partially defined by the second housing and disposed at an end of the cavity for insertion of the article through the aperture; a cover element configured to move, with respect to the second housing, between a closed position in which the cover element at least partially covers the aperture and an open position in which the aperture is at least partially uncovered; a latching mechanism to retain the cover element in the open position and to release the cover element when the second housing is moved relative to the first housing; and a closing mechanism to move the cover element away from the open position and into the closed position when the latching mechanism releases the cover element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: Philip Morris Products S.A.
    Inventors: Marco Bellusci, Miguel Borges, Jean-Luc Fringeli, Ilario Melzi
  • Patent number: 12053016
    Abstract: There is disclosed a portable compact pipe comprising at least one base section having at least one hole. There is also at least one water container section having at least one hole. Furthermore, there is at least one shield. The base section is coupled to the water container section, at least at one orientation. With this design, a hole on the base section and a hole on the water container section are configured to be lined up. Thus, when the stem is inserted into the hole on the base section, and the hole on the water container section, the stem locks the water container section to the base section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2024
    Inventor: Robert A Coscia
  • Patent number: 12053017
    Abstract: A snap-off smoking device assembly including a base plate having a base plate passage defined therein and a base plate aperture formed therethrough; a base plate insert adapted to be slidably positioned within at least a portion of the base plate passage and repeatably slidable between a retracted position and an extended position within the base plate passage, wherein the base plate insert aperture extends through a portion of the base plate insert; and an insert release button, wherein a portion of the insert release button is positioned through the base plate insert aperture and wherein the insert release button is repeatably slidable between an engaged position and a disengaged position, wherein in the retracted position and the engaged position at least a portion of the insert release button extends through the base plate insert aperture and into at least a portion of the base plate aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2024
    Inventor: Charles C. Trapani
  • Patent number: 12048325
    Abstract: An aerosol-generation system for a smoking article comprises an aerosol-generating segment and a heat generation segment. The heat generation segment has a length and includes a heat source. The aerosol-generation system for a smoking article also comprises an insulator having at least a portion extending beyond the second end of the heat source, such that the portion is axially arranged in a lengthwise direction proximate to the aerosol-generating segment. Each segment is physically separate and in a heat exchange relationship. The heat source comprises a carbonaceous material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
    Inventors: Chandra Kumar Banerjee, Stephen Benson Sears, Joanne Naomi Taylor
  • Patent number: 12041958
    Abstract: A tobacco-free oral pouch product providing immediate and long lasting flavor release comprises a pouch wrapper and tobacco-free flavor beads contained within the pouch wrapper. The flavor beads comprise at least one of microcrystalline cellulose, pectin and sodium alginate, at least one polymer having a higher solubility in saliva than microcrystalline cellulose, pectin and/or sodium alginate, and at least one flavorant. The pectin and sodium alginate are cross-linked. The tobacco-free flavor beads provide immediate release of the flavorant upon placement of a pouch product in a user's mouth and long lasting release of the flavorant for about 15 minutes to about 80 minutes. The oral pouch product contains only tobacco-free flavor beads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2024
    Assignee: PHILIP MORRIS USA INC.
    Inventors: Munmaya K. Mishra, Biao Duan, Daqing Wu, William R. Sweeney
  • Patent number: 11974594
    Abstract: The invention relates to a homogenized tobacco sheet production line comprising: A tank (501) adapted to contain a slurry formed by a tobacco powder blend, a binder (6) and an aerosol former (5) in an aqueous medium; A cast apparatus (200) adapted to receive slurry from the tank (501) and to cast the slurry so as to form a homogenized tobacco material; A movable transporting support (606) on which said slurry is casted and adapted to transport the homogenized tobacco material along a transport direction; A slitter (611) located downstream the cast apparatus (200) adapted to slit the homogenized tobacco material along the transport direction so as to form portioned homogenized tobacco sheets; and A crimper (613) located downstream the slitter (611) adapted to receive at least one of the partial homogenized tobacco sheets from the slitter (611) and to crimp the at least one of the portioned homogenized tobacco sheets. It also relates to a method for inline production of a homogenized tobacco sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Philip Morris Products S.A.
    Inventor: Francisco Rosado
  • Patent number: 11957163
    Abstract: The invention provides an article, such as an aerosol-generating smoking article that does not combust tobacco, that includes a tobacco rod and a filter element connected to the tobacco rod, the filter element having an end proximal to the tobacco rod and an end distal from the tobacco rod, wherein the filter element includes a first section of filter material and a second section of filter material, and further includes a smoke-altering flavorant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
    Inventors: Steven Lee Alderman, Leigh Ann Blevins Joyce, Stephen Benson Sears, Kenneth Allen Beard, Timothy Brian Nestor
  • Patent number: 11957168
    Abstract: An atomizer includes a heating assembly, a first e-liquid collector, and a second e-liquid collector. The first e-liquid collector and the second e-liquid collector are disposed under the heating assembly. The first e-liquid collector is configured to store condensed e-liquid; and the second e-liquid collector is configured to store the condensed e-liquid overflowing out of the first e-liquid collector. The first e-liquid collector is disposed near the heating assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: SHENZHEN EIGATE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tuanfang Liu