# US 11,076,631 B2 · Methods and systems for incorporating nicotine into oral products

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- Number: US 11,076,631 B2
- Document ID: US11076631B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/507,243
- Filed: 2019-07-10
- Published: 2019-10-31
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2013-07-19
- Assignees: Altria Client Services LLC
- Applicants: Altria Client Services LLC
- Inventors: Feng Gao; Shuzhong Zhuang; Diane L. Gee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11076631B2

## CPC

- A24B 15/16: of tobacco substitutes
- A23G 4/06: characterised by the composition {containing organic or inorganic compounds}
- A24B 13/00: Tobacco for pipes, for cigars, e.g. cigar inserts, or for cigarettes; Chewing tobacco; Snuff (reconstituted tobacco products A24B3/14)
- A24B 15/285: {characterised by structural features, e.g. particle shape or size}
- A24B 15/303: {Plant extracts other than tobacco}
- C07D 401/04: directly linked by a ring-member-to-ring-member bond
- A24B: MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF
- A23G: COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
- C07D: HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS (macromolecular compounds C08)

## Abstract

This document provides methods and systems for stabilizing nicotine and incorporating nicotine into one or more oral products. This document also provides oral products. Nicotine can be stabilized by mixing liquid nicotine with cellulosic fiber such that the liquid nicotine absorbs into pores of the cellulosic fiber to form a cellulosic fiber-nicotine mixture. In some cases, a cellulosic fiber-nicotine mixture can be combined with one or more binders and molded into an oral product.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An oral product comprising:
a gum base; and
a mixture including,
cellulosic material including a wood pulp, cotton, a sugar beet, bran, a citrus pulp fiber, a switch grass, a grass, Salix, a tea, Populus, a bamboo fiber, or any combination thereof, and
diluted nicotine absorbed into the cellulosic material, the diluted nicotine including liquid nicotine diluted in a medium-chain triglyceride.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The oral product of claim 1, wherein the cellulosic material comprises cellulosic fibers between 75 and 125 micrometers.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The oral product of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the liquid nicotine to the cellulosic material by weight ranges from 1/1000 to 50/50.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The oral product of claim 1, wherein the gum base is includes an elastomer, couma macrocarpa, loquat, tunu, jelutong, a chicle, a styrene-butadiene rubber, a butyl rubber, polyisobutylene, a resin, a glycerol ester of gum, a terpene resin, polyvinyl acetate, a wax, paraffin, a microcrystalline wax, a fat, a hydrogenated vegetable oil, an emulsifier, lecithin, glycerol monosterate, a filler, calcium carbonate, talc, an antioxidant, BHT, BHA, tocopherol, ascorbyl palmitate, a natural latex, a vegetable gum, a chicle, spruce gum, mastic gum, or any combination thereof.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The oral product of claim 1, wherein the liquid nicotine is present in an amount ranging from 0.1 mg to 6 mg.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The oral product of claim 1, wherein the liquid nicotine is tobacco-derived nicotine.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The oral product of claim 1, wherein the liquid nicotine is synthetic nicotine.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The oral product of claim 1, wherein the liquid nicotine is present in the medium-chain triglyceride in an amount greater than or equal to 1 weight percent.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The oral product of claim 8, wherein the liquid nicotine is present in the medium-chain triglyceride in an amount ranging from 2 weight percent to 75 weight percent.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The oral product of claim 1, wherein the cellulosic material defines pores having an average size ranging from 3 nanometers to 300 nanometers.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The oral product of claim 1, wherein the medium-chain triglyceride is present in the oral product in an amount less than or equal to 20 weight percent.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The oral product of claim 11, wherein the medium-chain triglyceride is present in the oral product in an amount ranging from 2 weight percent to 4 weight percent.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The oral product of claim 11, wherein the medium-chain triglyceride is present in the oral product in an amount ranging from 3 weight percent to 6.5 weight percent.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The oral product of claim 1, further comprising:
a sweetener.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The oral product of claim 14, wherein the sweetener includes sucrose, honey, glucose, molasses, corn sweetener, corn syrup, fructose, lactose, maltose, sorghum syrup, mannitol, sorbitol, fruit juice concentrate, stevia, saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, or any combination thereof.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The oral product of claim 1, further comprising:
a flavorant.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The oral product of claim 16, wherein the flavorant includes licorice, wintergreen, cherry, a berry type flavorant, Drambuie, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, apium graveolens, clove, cascarilla, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, Japanese mint, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, ylang-ylang, sage, fennel, pimento, ginger, anise, coriander, coffee, mint oils from a species of the genus Mentha, cocoa, and any combination thereof.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The oral product of claim 1, further comprising:
a humectant.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The oral product of claim 18, wherein the humectant includes propylene glycol, hexylene glycol, butylene glycol, glyceryl triacetate, vinyl alcohol, neoagarobiose, a sugar polyol, a polymeric polyol, quillaia, an alpha hydroxyl acid, glycerin, aloe vera gel, honey, and any combination thereof.