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).

  • Patent number: 12642292
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2026
    Assignee: NICOVENTURES TRADING LIMITED
    Inventors: Kasper H. Jensen, Ronald Keith Hutchens, Alexandre Mendes Campos, Christopher Keller, Travis O'Neal, Matthew D. Sain, Darrell Vian, Lorenzo Uberti
  • Publication number: 20260114498
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2024
    Publication date: April 30, 2026
    Inventors: Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Ronald K. Hutchens, Anthony R. Gerardi
  • Patent number: 12599159
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2026
    Assignee: NICOVENTURES TRADING LIMITED
    Inventors: Anthony Richard Gerardi, Dwayne William Beeson, Ronald K. Hutchens, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Andries Don Sebastian, Frank Kelley St. Charles
  • Publication number: 20260020595
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2025
    Publication date: January 22, 2026
    Inventors: 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
  • Patent number: 12520867
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2026
    Assignee: Nicoventures Trading Limited
    Inventors: Darrell Eugene Holton, Jr., Ronald K. Hutchens, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Dwayne William Beeson, Frank Kelley St. Charles
  • Patent number: 12496276
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2025
    Assignee: Nicoventures Trading Limited
    Inventors: Ronald K. Hutchens, Anthony Richard Gerardi, Philip Richard Hunt, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole
  • Patent number: 12491250
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2025
    Assignee: NICOVENTURES TRADING LIMITED
    Inventors: Anthony Richard Gerardi, Andries Don Sebastian, Ronald K. Hutchens, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Dwayne William Beeson, Frank Kelley St. Charles
  • Patent number: 12471618
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2025
    Assignee: Nicoventures Trading Limited
    Inventors: 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.
  • Publication number: 20250344747
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2025
    Publication date: November 13, 2025
    Inventors: John-Paul Mua, Crystal Dawn Hege Byrd, Brian Keith Nordskog, Andries Don Sebastian, David Troy Turfler, Christopher Keller, Jeremy Barrett Mabe
  • Publication number: 20250331546
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2019
    Publication date: October 30, 2025
    Inventors: Andinet Amare Gessesse, Richard Svensson, Philip Richard Hunt, Anthony Richard Gerardi, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Ronald K. Hutchens
  • Patent number: 12439952
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2025
    Assignee: Nicoventures Trading Limited
    Inventors: 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
  • Patent number: 12439949
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2025
    Assignee: NICOVENTURES TRADING LIMITED
    Inventors: 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
  • Patent number: 12433321
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2025
    Assignee: Nicoventures Trading Limited
    Inventors: 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
  • Publication number: 20250287988
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2025
    Publication date: September 18, 2025
    Inventors: Christopher KELLER, Thomas H. POOLE, Ronald K. HUTCHENS, Anthony R. GERARDI
  • Publication number: 20250241357
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2025
    Publication date: July 31, 2025
    Inventors: Darrell Eugene Holton, JR., Dwayne William Beeson, Ronald K. Hutchens, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Frank Kelley St. Charles
  • Patent number: 12369616
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2025
    Assignee: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
    Inventors: John-Paul Mua, Crystal Dawn Hege Byrd, Brian Keith Nordskog, Andries Don Sebastian, David Troy Turfler, Christopher Keller, Jeremy Barrett Mabe
  • Patent number: 12342847
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2025
    Assignee: NICOVENTURES TRADING LIMITED
    Inventors: Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Ronald K. Hutchens, Anthony R. Gerardi
  • Patent number: 12310959
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2025
    Assignee: Nicoventures Trading Limited
    Inventors: Anthony Richard Gerardi, Dwayne William Beeson, Ronald K. Hutchens, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Andries Don Sebastian, Frank Kelley St. Charles
  • Publication number: 20250152573
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2025
    Publication date: May 15, 2025
    Inventors: Anthony Richard Gerardi, Dwayne William Beeson, Ronald K. Hutchens, Christopher Keller, Thomas H. Poole, Andries Don Sebastian, Frank Kelley St. Charles
  • Patent number: D1071319
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: Nicoventures Trading Limited
    Inventors: Christopher Keller, Ross Jay Oden