Tobacco – Tobacco or tobacco substitute product or component part thereof – Compositions – e.g. – smoking or chewing mixture or medium
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-23
2001-09-18
Derrington, James (Department: 1731)
Tobacco
Tobacco or tobacco substitute product or component part thereof
Compositions, e.g., smoking or chewing mixture or medium
C131S351000, C131S352000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06289897
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to smokable filler material for smoking articles, and in particular to filler material which may not necessarily comprise any tobacco filler material.
In the many efforts which have been made to provide alternative smokable filler materials very few, if any, materials have been found which produce a smoke taste and flavour which is acceptable to smokers of conventional tobacco containing products. Therefore, most alternative filler materials have been used in conjunction with cut tobacco leaf or tobacco-containing reconstituted products. However, even in this form the unacceptable taste of these filler materials is noticeable and detracts from smoking pleasure.
One material which has been used in tobacco-containing compositions is cocoa shells, the shells being a by-product of the chocolate manufacturing process. U.K. Patent Specification 1,180,710 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,429,316 both describe reconstituted tobacco products which incorporate ground cocoa shells, as well as tobacco dust, powder or other tobacco waste from conventional tobacco primary processing techniques. U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,129 also provides a smokable foil material in which grist, comprising small adsorption particles, plant parts, such as threshing refuse or the shells and fibres of coconuts, coffee beans or cocoa beans, and water are mixed together in grinding apparatus to provide a paste which can be made into foils. Tobacco plants can also be used in the process. All of these patents utilise the waste products from cocoa bean shells.
GB 1 413 177 describes a reconstituted tobacco product which consists of a tobacco substitute comprising non-tobacco plant derived material, inorganic filler, binder and plasticiser, as well as tobacco material. The shells, or waste products, of some high fat or high oil containing plants, such as cocoa, coconut and peanut shells, have been used in such a reconstituted tobacco product. Shells of such materials are excluded from the present invention.
JP 48 003398B appears to disclose the addition of amino acid-saccharide compounds and cocoa powder to cut tobacco leaf in order to enhance smoking flavour and taste. This invention concerns modifying a conventional cut tobacco leaf product. Similarly EP 0 366 835 also describes improving the taste and flavour of conventional cut tobacco leaf using an emulsifier containing a fatty acid. This invention relates to adding top flavours and casing materials, a common use for materials such as cocoa in minute amounts.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a smokable filler material with acceptable taste and flavour characteristics for the consumer, which smokable filler material contains little tobacco, and preferably no tobacco, therein.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a smokable filler material which has a lower static peak burning temperature than tobacco, and a narrower and more focused burn zone than tobacco material. We have found that some materials exhibit cool burning temperatures, so much so that the ash of the filler material can be touched almost immediately after smoking, or even during the smoking process, without burning one's finger, or indeed furniture or other combustible materials.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a smokable filler material which has acceptable taste and flavour characteristics and is thus suitable for inclusion with tobacco material, if desired, without detracting from the taste and flavour of the natural tobacco product. The smoking material may alternatively be used as 100% of the smoking article filler material.
A smoking article smokable filler material comprising a proportion of a non-tobacco, plant material, which material is one or more of an at least initially high fat or high oil containing material, the material being the powder or nib of a bean or other fruit of the plant, the seed, flower or nut of the plant, the shell of a plant other than the coffee plant, peanut plant and cocoa plant, or the oil, fat, butter or fatty acid derived from a part of such a high fat or high oil containing material.
The extract or extracts from the plant material may be a suitable fuel material, for example, after spray drying. Likewise, the remainder of the plant material, after extraction has occurred, hereinafter known as residue, may be dried and provide suitable fuel material.
Preferably the smoking article smokable filler material further comprises non-combustible inorganic filler, binder, an aerosol generating source, optionally an expansion medium, optionally carbon, and optionally an organic filler.
Preferably the high fat or high oil containing material is cocoa bean or its powder.
The smoking article smokable filler material may preferably comprise about 5% to about 50% high fat or high oil containing material, extract, residue or derivative therefrom, about 25% to about 80% inorganic filler, about 5% to about 25% binder, about 2% to about 30% aerosol generating source, 0 to about 30% expansion medium, and 0 to about 20% carbon.
Preferably the parent and the residue material can comprise up to 50% by weight of the smokable filler material, and may be more preferably less than 30% and even more preferably less than 25% in respect of the parent material. The oil, butter, fat or fatty acid of the parent material may be added preferably at no more than 20% by weight of the smokable filler material.
Preferably the amount of carbon in the smokable filler material is less than 20% and more preferably less than 10% by weight of the smokable filler material.
Preferably the amount of aerosol generating material is 15% or less by weight of the smokable filler material.
Preferably the amount of binder is less than 15% by weight of the smokable filler material if the binder is not pectin.
Preferably the amount of inorganic filler material is greater than 50% by weight of the smokable filler material, depending on the smoke delivery required.
The expansion medium, if present, may suitably comprise as little as 10% and even 5% by weight of the smokable filler material.
The smokable filler material may suitably comprise 10-20% cocoa powder, 4-6% carbon, 2-20% glycerol, 10% propylene glycol alginate, and 80-44% chalk.
The smokable filler material may also suitably comprise 10-20% cocoa powder, 10-20% glycerol, 10% propylene glycol alginate, 10% sodium alginate, and 50% chalk or perlite.
The smokable filler material may also suitably comprise 30% cocoa powder, 20% glycerol, 10% of one of the binders selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol alginate, sodium alginate, hydroxypropyl cellulose, pectin, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium calcium alginate and ammonium alginate, and 36% chalk.
The smokable filler material may also suitably comprise 10-30% cocoa powder, 0-10% propylene glycol alginate, 0-25% pectin, 0-10% ammonium alginate, 5-20% glycerol, 25-40% chalk, and 0-11% flavour material.
The smokable filler material may also suitably comprise 20% cocoa powder, 20-30% starch, 10% hydroxypropyl cellulose, 40-50% chalk, as a percentage of the feed rate, and glycerol.
The smokable filler material may also suitably comprise 10-50% cocoa powder, 70-30% chalk, 10% propylene glycol alginate and 0-30% glycerol.
The smokable filler material may also suitably comprise 0-10% carbon, 0-10% cocoa powder, 10% sodium alginate, 10% glycerol, 65-70% chalk and 5-10% oil.
The smokable filler material may also suitably comprise 0-10% extracted cocoa residue, 0-10% cocoa extract, 0-7.7% cocoa butter, 6.3-10% sodium alginate, 6.3-10% glycerol and 43.5-70% chalk.
The percentages given above are by weight of the non-aqueous materials, including glycerol and oil, if present, unless otherwise stated.
The present invention further provides a smoking article smokable filler material comprising non-tobacco fuel material, the fuel material being a high fat or high oil containing material, and an aerosol generating source, the aerosol generating source being a semi-volatile or volatile organic compound, wherein the interaction between the proportion of t
McAdam Kevin Gerard
O'Reilly Rosemary Elizabeth
Vernet Delphine
British-American Tobacco (Investments) Limited
Derrington James
Pitney Hardin Kipp & Szuch LLP
Walls Dionne A.
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