Polymer encased smokeless tobacco products
AssigneeAltria Client Services LLC
InventorsAndrew Nathan Carroll, Shannon Maxwell Black, Yan Helen Sun, William J. Burke, Christopher Joseph Dinovi, David Phillips, Jason Andrew Macko, Robert Smith
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods for encasing bodies including smokeless tobacco or a tobacco substitute with a polymeric casing can include coating a compressed body with microfibers, applying tubular casings to compressed bodies, printing netting and webs on compressed bodies, injection molding around compressed bodies, applying a webbing to compressed bodies, placing compressed bodies into a skin forming bath, and including thermoplastic polymers in a compressed body.
Claims20
A method of making a polymer encased smokeless tobacco or tobacco substitute product comprising:
- applying an adhesive to a body to form a sticky body, the body including smokeless tobacco, a tobacco substitute, or both the smokeless tobacco and the tobacco substitute;
- after applying the adhesive to the body, coating the sticky body with microfibers to form a microfiber-coated body, the microfibers comprising a polymeric material;
- and
- heating the microfiber-coated body to melt bond the microfibers to form an encased body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.