Smokeless tobacco articles
AssigneeU.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC
InventorsFrank Scott Atchley, James Arthur Strickland, James M. Rossman
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Abstract
Tobacco articles having tobacco disposed in a porous matrix. The tobacco articles can provide tobacco to an adult consumer in the form of particles, liquid, or vapor so as to furnish tobacco satisfaction to the consumer. The tobacco can be integrally molded with a plastic material so that at least a portion of the tobacco is disposed in pores of the matrix.
Claims27
A tobacco article, comprising:
- a porous matrix having a network of pores disposed therein;
- and
- tobacco disposed in the pores of the porous matrix, so that when a fluid is passed through the porous matrix, at least one of noncombusted tobacco or a noncombusted tobacco component is introduced into the fluid,
- wherein the tobacco is integrally molded with the porous matrix.
A method for making a tobacco article, comprising combining thermoplastic polymer particles with tobacco particles, and processing the combination with heat such that the thermoplastic polymer forms a porous matrix having a network of pores disposed therein, with the tobacco particles disposed in the pores of the porous matrix.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.