Smokeless tobacco products and processes

Abstract

A container for storing smokeless tobacco product is provided. A container for storing a smokeless tobacco product comprises an interior and an exterior, with an onsert attached to the exterior of the container. The onsert comprises a closed end, an open end, and a flap extending from the open end.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to tobacco products and packaging for tobacco products in smokeless form, including those smokeless tobacco products characterized as “snus.”BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Tobacco may be enjoyed in a so-called “smokeless” form. Particularly popular smokeless tobacco products are employed by inserting some form of processed tobacco or tobacco-containing formulation into the mouth of the user.[0003]Various types of smokeless tobacco products are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 1,376,586 to Schwartz; U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,756 to Pittman et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,993 to Sensabaugh, Jr. et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,269 to Story et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,907 to Townsend; U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,352 to Sprinkle, III et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,416 to White et al.; and Des. 335,934 to Howard; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2005 / 0244521 to Strickland et al. and 2006 / 0162732 to Winn et al.; U.S. Pat. Pub. Nos. 2006 / 0191548 to Strickland et al., 2007 / 026...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention relates to packaging for smokeless tobacco products, such as snus, that are designed to be inserted into the mouth of a user. The tobacco formulation includes a granular tobacco composition and may also include other ingredients such as salts, sweeteners, binders, colorants, pH adjusters, humectants, and preservatives. The tobacco formulation can be enclosed within a water-permeable pouch that has been designed to provide controlled atmospheric conditions during preparation, packing, storage, and handling. The tobacco product can also be coated with miraculin or other substances to improve its taste and texture. The container for the tobacco product can be a pouch, a bag, or a container with a lid and bottom piece, and can be sealed tightly to prevent the passage of moisture and oxygen. The invention also includes an improved pouching machine and methods for preventing tobacco from getting stuck in the hopper.

Problems solved by technology

Consumers who formerly used smoking products and switch over to snus or other pouched tobacco products may find that the initial feeling in the mouth along the cheek or gum is uncomfortable.

The fleece used for snus also may exhibit discoloration after being stored over time.

This discoloration can make the snus pouches unappealing to the consumer.

Furthermore, the consumer may assume that the snus pouch has degraded in some fashion because of the discoloration, and dispose of the pouch without using it.

Furthermore, snus pouches are typically a whitish color, and different flavors of snus are not easily distinguished.

Problems exist in the art with respect to efficiently feeding tobacco into pouches.

The problems lie in the material flow through the hopper of the high-speed pouching equipment.

The feed hoppers are subject to dead zones and rat holes due to the dimensions of the hopper and the properties of the tobacco that is supplied to the hopper.

This causes loss of product flow in the hopper.

This increases production time and lowers production efficiency.

Typically, one flavor is supplied in one package because otherwise, the flavors can leech into each other, which can adversely affect the taste of all of the flavors.

A used snus or other smokeless tobacco pouch is typically damp and unpleasant to keep in a user's pocket.

Another alternative would be to put the pouch back in the container, but the used and damp pouch could negatively affect the unused pouches.

The need to keep such formulations refrigerated increases the cost of shipping and storing snus.

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