Patents by Inventor Christopher Keller
Christopher Keller has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 12642292Abstract: The disclosure provides compositions adapted for oral use and, in particular, multi-compartment oral pouched products including such compositions. Some aspects of the disclosure relate to oral pouched products including a composition adapted for oral use within a porous pouch. In particular, the porous pouch may include two or more compartments, each compartment having a content of the composition contained therein. The composition within each compartment can be different such that the composition within each compartment provides a different functional or sensory experience, such as through use of a different flavoring agent, a different active ingredient, or both a different flavoring agent and a different active ingredient.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2022Date of Patent: June 2, 2026Assignee: NICOVENTURES TRADING LIMITEDInventors: Kasper H. Jensen, Ronald Keith Hutchens, Alexandre Mendes Campos, Christopher Keller, Travis O'Neal, Matthew D. Sain, Darrell Vian, Lorenzo Uberti
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Publication number: 20260114498Abstract: The disclosure provides products configured for oral use, the products including a mixture of a particulate filler, water, one or more organic acids, and one or more flavoring agents, the product having a pH value of less than about 7.0. The products exhibit greater stability over time with respect to whiteness and/or flavor component concentration than products which do not contain one or more organic acids.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 27, 2024Publication date: April 30, 2026Inventors: Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Ronald K. Hutchens, Anthony R. Gerardi
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Patent number: 12599159Abstract: The disclosure provides products configured for oral use, the products including compositions comprising a filler component including negatively charged groups and an active ingredient including positively charged groups. The active ingredient can be retained by the filler component at least in part through bonding between the negatively charged groups and the positively charged groups such that active ingredient may be release from the product when positioned within an oral cavity of a consumer.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 2023Date of Patent: April 14, 2026Assignee: NICOVENTURES TRADING LIMITEDInventors: Anthony Richard Gerardi, Dwayne William Beeson, Ronald K. Hutchens, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Andries Don Sebastian, Frank Kelley St. Charles
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Publication number: 20260020595Abstract: The disclosure provides for an oral composition, the oral composition including at least one active agent, at least one filler component, and water in an amount sufficient such that the oral composition has a total moisture content of about 15% to about 30% by weight or greater based on the total weight of the oral composition.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 24, 2025Publication date: January 22, 2026Inventors: Darrell Eugene Holton, JR., Dwayne William Beeson, Andinet Amare Gessesse, Philip Richard Hunt, Ronald K. Hutchens, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Frank Kelley St. Charles
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Patent number: 12520867Abstract: The disclosure provides oral compositions and products including an active agent, a carrier/filler, and a buffer. Preferably, the composition can be configured such that, when in contact with a user's saliva, the composition is at a pH of about 6.5 to about 8. Buffers particularly may include amino acids, such as glycine, or salts thereof, as well as various phosphates.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2022Date of Patent: January 13, 2026Assignee: Nicoventures Trading LimitedInventors: Darrell Eugene Holton, Jr., Ronald K. Hutchens, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Dwayne William Beeson, Frank Kelley St. Charles
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Patent number: 12496276Abstract: The disclosure provides compositions and products configured for oral use. For example, a composition is provided that includes a foam containing a lipid and an active agent and/or a flavorant, and a carrier, wherein the foam is adsorbed onto the carrier. Such a foam can be incorporated, e.g., within lozenges and/or pouched oral products. The disclosure further provides an oral product (e.g., a lozenge and/or pouched oral product) including an encapsulated agent, wherein the encapsulated agent is a porous bead with an exterior portion and an interior portion containing a lipid and an active agent and/or a flavorant.Type: GrantFiled: February 9, 2021Date of Patent: December 16, 2025Assignee: Nicoventures Trading LimitedInventors: Ronald K. Hutchens, Anthony Richard Gerardi, Philip Richard Hunt, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole
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Patent number: 12491250Abstract: The disclosure provides a composition including nanocellulose and at least one active ingredient. Further provided is a fleece material including a nonwoven fabric and nanocellulose. The nanocellulose may be cellulose nanofibrils, nanocrystalline cellulose, or bacterial cellulose.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2019Date of Patent: December 9, 2025Assignee: NICOVENTURES TRADING LIMITEDInventors: Anthony Richard Gerardi, Andries Don Sebastian, Ronald K. Hutchens, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Dwayne William Beeson, Frank Kelley St. Charles
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Patent number: 12471618Abstract: Provided herein are pouched products including a chromogenic material or an electronic component, wherein the chromogenic material and the electronic component are responsive to a stimulus. The stimulus may be a change in pH, a change in temperature, or exposure to moisture. Such pouched products can be employed to detect various changes associated with the pouched product.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2021Date of Patent: November 18, 2025Assignee: Nicoventures Trading LimitedInventors: Savannah Johnson, Ronald K. Hutchens, David Neil McClanahan, Pankaj Patel, Travis O'Neal, Dwayne William Beeson, Wesley Steven Jones, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Nicolas von Cosmos, Anthony Richard Gerardi, Chris J. Grimes, Steven Lee Alderman, Darrell Eugene Holton, Jr.
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Publication number: 20250344747Abstract: A method of modifying the moisture level of (e.g., dehydrating) a tobacco plant or portion thereof, a tobacco-derived material, a tobacco product, or a tobacco additive is provided herein. The methods of dehydration disclosed herein can provide various benefits relative to traditional drying techniques, including providing retention of various beneficial components present in green tobacco (e.g., organoleptic compounds and proteins). Smoking articles and other tobacco products including such dehydrated tobacco materials are also provided.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 23, 2025Publication date: November 13, 2025Inventors: John-Paul Mua, Crystal Dawn Hege Byrd, Brian Keith Nordskog, Andries Don Sebastian, David Troy Turfler, Christopher Keller, Jeremy Barrett Mabe
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Publication number: 20250331546Abstract: The disclosure provides products configured for oral use, the products including a mixture of a filler, a sugar alcohol, a salt, an alginate, a sweetener, at least one flavoring agent or at least one active ingredient or at least one of both a flavoring agent and an active ingredient, an optional natural gum; and water. The disclosure also provides methods for manufacturing products configured for oral use.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2019Publication date: October 30, 2025Inventors: Andinet Amare Gessesse, Richard Svensson, Philip Richard Hunt, Anthony Richard Gerardi, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Ronald K. Hutchens
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Patent number: 12439952Abstract: The disclosure provides for an oral composition, the oral composition including at least one active agent, at least one filler component, and water in an amount sufficient such that the oral composition has a total moisture content of about 15% to about 30% by weight or greater based on the total weight of the oral composition.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2022Date of Patent: October 14, 2025Assignee: Nicoventures Trading LimitedInventors: Darrell Eugene Holton, Jr., Dwayne William Beeson, Andinet Amare Gessesse, Philip Richard Hunt, Ronald K. Hutchens, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Frank Kelley St. Charles
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Patent number: 12439949Abstract: The disclosure provides for oral compositions and products that can have a relatively low water content and/or a relatively low water activity. Such compositions and products can comprise at least one active ingredient, a filler/carrier component, and water in an amount of less than 10% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition. Further, the compositions and products can have a water activity of about 0.85 or less.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2022Date of Patent: October 14, 2025Assignee: NICOVENTURES TRADING LIMITEDInventors: Darrell Eugene Holton, Jr., Ronald K. Hutchens, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Dwayne William Beeson, Frank Kelley St. Charles, Chris J. Grimes, Anthony Richard Gerardi
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Patent number: 12433321Abstract: The disclosure provides products configured for oral use, the products including one or more active ingredients and a beet material, at least a portion of the one or more active ingredients being bound to the beet material. In some embodiments, oral products as described herein may include a beet material, a filler material, and one or more active ingredients, at least a portion of the one or more active ingredients being bound to the beet material and the filler material. Active ingredients included in the product may be configured for release according to different release rates, which rates may depend at least in part on the material to which the active ingredient is bound.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2022Date of Patent: October 7, 2025Assignee: Nicoventures Trading LimitedInventors: Darrell Eugene Holton, Jr., Dwayne William Beeson, Anthony Richard Gerardi, Chris J. Grimes, Ronald K. Hutchens, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Frank Kelley St. Charles
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Publication number: 20250287988Abstract: The disclosure provides products configured for oral use, the products including a mixture of a particulate filler component, a cellulose derivative, water, and one or more flavoring agents. The products exhibit greater stability over time with respect to flavor component concentration than comparative products which do not contain a cellulose derivative.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 29, 2025Publication date: September 18, 2025Inventors: Christopher KELLER, Thomas H. POOLE, Ronald K. HUTCHENS, Anthony R. GERARDI
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Publication number: 20250241357Abstract: The disclosure provides for oral compositions comprising a clarified tobacco extract and one or more filler components. In another aspect, the disclosure provides methods of preparing a clarified tobacco extract. Such methods can comprise processing a tobacco extract through at least one ultrafiltration step to provide a filtered tobacco extract and passing the filtered tobacco extract through a solution comprising one or more non-molecularly imprinted polymer (NIP) to provide the clarified tobacco extract.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 17, 2025Publication date: July 31, 2025Inventors: Darrell Eugene Holton, JR., Dwayne William Beeson, Ronald K. Hutchens, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Frank Kelley St. Charles
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Patent number: 12369616Abstract: A method of modifying the moisture level of (e.g., dehydrating) a tobacco plant or portion thereof, a tobacco-derived material, a tobacco product, or a tobacco additive is provided herein. The methods of dehydration disclosed herein can provide various benefits relative to traditional drying techniques, including providing retention of various beneficial components present in green tobacco (e.g., organoleptic compounds and proteins). Smoking articles and other tobacco products including such dehydrated tobacco materials are also provided.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2020Date of Patent: July 29, 2025Assignee: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco CompanyInventors: John-Paul Mua, Crystal Dawn Hege Byrd, Brian Keith Nordskog, Andries Don Sebastian, David Troy Turfler, Christopher Keller, Jeremy Barrett Mabe
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Patent number: 12342847Abstract: The disclosure provides products configured for oral use, the products including a mixture of a particulate filler component, a cellulose derivative, water, and one or more flavoring agents. The products exhibit greater stability over time with respect to flavor component concentration than comparative products which do not contain a cellulose derivative.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2019Date of Patent: July 1, 2025Assignee: NICOVENTURES TRADING LIMITEDInventors: Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Ronald K. Hutchens, Anthony R. Gerardi
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Patent number: 12310959Abstract: The disclosure provides for oral compositions that exhibit desired properties associated with moist products while incorporating a relatively low water content. Such compositions may include at least one releasable material, at least one filler/carrier component, and at least one water substitute, such as a polyol. The water substituted may be present in an amount of about 25% by weight or greater based on the total weight of the oral composition, and the compositions and products formed therewith can exhibit a relatively low water activity, such as in the range of about 0.85 or less. The present disclosure further provides methods of forming an oral composition with a mouthfeel corresponding to a moist product while having a relatively low water activity.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2019Date of Patent: May 27, 2025Assignee: Nicoventures Trading LimitedInventors: Anthony Richard Gerardi, Dwayne William Beeson, Ronald K. Hutchens, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Andries Don Sebastian, Frank Kelley St. Charles
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Publication number: 20250152573Abstract: The disclosure provides for oral compositions that exhibit desired properties associated with moist products while incorporating a relatively low water content. Such compositions may include at least one releasable material, at least one filler/carrier component, and at least one water substitute, such as a polyol. The water substituted may be present in an amount of about 25% by weight or greater based on the total weight of the oral composition, and the compositions and products formed therewith can exhibit a relatively low water activity, such as in the range of about 0.85 or less. The present disclosure further provides methods of forming an oral composition with a mouthfeel corresponding to a moist product while having a relatively low water activity.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 14, 2025Publication date: May 15, 2025Inventors: Anthony Richard Gerardi, Dwayne William Beeson, Ronald K. Hutchens, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Andries Don Sebastian, Frank Kelley St. Charles
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Patent number: D1071319Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2022Date of Patent: April 15, 2025Assignee: Nicoventures Trading LimitedInventors: Christopher Keller, Ross Jay Oden