SMOKING PRODUCT AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE

Abstract

A tobacco-free smoking product manufactured from burnable matter and additive substances. The tobacco-free smoking product is manufactured with a moisture content of 9-10% by weight for any desired nicotine level within a range (e.g., 0 mg-20 mg).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to smoking products. More specifically, the invention relates to a smoking product that does not include tobacco.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Smoking products are burned to produce smoke that is inhaled by a user. An example of a smoking product is a conventional cigarette. A cigarette is a cylindrical shaped tube containing burnable material. One end is placed in a user's mouth and the other end is ignited causing the material to burn resulting in smoke that is orally inhaled by the user.

Conventional cigarettes contain tobacco. Tobacco is a plant cultivated for its leaves, which are typically blended with other ingredients and used as burnable material. Cigarette smoke from tobacco contains thousands of chemical substances, including arsenic, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, lead, and other poisonous substances with over 70 chemical substances labeled carcinogenic.

There are numerous known health risks associated with smoking tobacco cigarettes. These include respiratory illness, cancer, and heart disease, to name a few.

What is needed is a smoking product that does not include tobacco and provides the same pleasure to a user as a conventional cigarette. There is a need also for tobacco-free smoking products that may be used to assist with smoking cessation. The present invention satisfies these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to a smoking product that does not include tobacco. A burnable matter is mixed with additive substances according a formula to achieve a smoking product with a moisture content of 9-10% by weight at different nicotine levels within a range of 0 milligram (mg) to 20 mg. The different nicotine levels for each tobacco-free smoking product may be, for example: 18-20 mg, 12-14 mg, 7-9 mg, 3-5 mg, Omg, however any nicotine level is contemplated, for example, the formula may be used to obtain a smoking product with a moisture content of 9-10% by weight at a nicotine level of 40 mg.

At each nicotine level with the range of 0 mg-20 mg, the tobacco-free smoking product has a moisture content of 9-10% by weight. A moisture content of 9-10% by weight provides the ideal smoking quality in terms of fire holding capacity, rate of burn, and evenness of burn. To the user, this equates to a smooth or even consistency taste and feel.

Two or more additive substance are mixed. This mixture is blended with burnable matter until the burnable matter is evenly coated with the mixture. The blended mixture is placed within a paper-based product to produce the smoking product.

The burnable matter may be any smokable material, however hemp (i.e., Cannabis that contains less than 0.3% THC on a dry-weight basis) is preferred. Hemp is a source of cannabidiol (CBD) and other phytocannabinoids that may offer many health benefits—sedation, pain relief—without psychotropic effects. Decarboxylation or exposing hemp flower to heat activates the cannabinoids and allows them to interact with the endocannabinoid system and thus show their healing effects.

In addition to hemp, the following burnable matter is contemplated for the invention: any Cannabis species, tea leaves, yarrow flower (Achillea millefolium), Salvia species (including sages, Salvia apiana, and Salvia divinorum), Lamiaceae species (including mint-peppermint and spearmint), Leonotis species (including wild dagga, lion's tail and klip dagga), plants of the Papaveraceae family (including celandine poppy and Eschscholzia californica (California poppy), Nymphaea caerulea (blue lily), Nymphaea alba (white lily), Entada rheedii, Argemone mexicana, plants of the genus Arnica, plants of the family Asteraceae (chamomile), Brassica oleracea (cabbage), Canavalia maritima (baybean), Cecropia obtusifolia, Cestrum nocturnum, Cynoglossum virginianum (wild comfrey), Humulus japonicus (Japanese hops), Sida acuta and/or Sida rhombifolia (both known as wireweed), kratom, herbal non-tobacco, Artemisia vulgaris (mugwort), coltsfoot leaf, Heimia salicifolia, St. John's wort, Melissa officinalis, Scutellaria laterifolia (skullcap), Scutellaria galericulata, Scutellaria nana, Scutellaria galericulata, Scutellaria nana, yerba lenna yesca, Capillaris herba, Calea zacatechichi, Leonurus sibericus (honeyweed), Leonurus cardiaca (motherwort), Lobelia cardinalis, damiana, kava, Silene capensis, Avena sativa, valarian, kanna, Lactuca virosa (lettuce opium), Syzygium aromaticum (clove), Origanum majorana (marjoram), Origanum vulgare (oregano), Fittonia albivenis, myrrh, willow, Cornus (dogwood including red osier), pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata), pyrola, kinnikinnik, camomile, manzanita, Althaea officinalis (marshmallow), Amaranthus dubius, Arctostaphylos species including Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (bearberry), madrone, Arbutus menziesii, Rubia genus, Rubus species (raspberry, blackberry, etc.) including Rubus occidentalis, Rubiaceae, scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius), calamus, Verbascum species (mullein), Cinnamomum species, Elettatia cardamomum, plants of the Aquilaria genus, Crocus sativus, Santalum album, Withania somnifera, Mucuna pruriens, Celastrus paniculatus, Emblica officinalis, Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellerica, Solanum xanthocarpum, Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice), Ocimum sanctum, plants of the Zingiberaceae family (including Curcuma longa (turmeric) and Zingiber officinale (ginger), a'hai, celery plant (Apium graveolens), Commiphora mukul, Boswellia serrata, Vitex negundo, Bacopa monnieri, Cyperus rotundus, Myristica fragrans, Valeriana wallichii, Nardostachys jatamansi, Mimosa hostilis, Acacia confusa, Passifloraceae species including Passiflora incarnata (passionflower), Pedicularis groenlandica (elephant's head), and Pedicularis densiflora (Indian warrior), Echinacea purpurea, milk thistle (Silybum marianum), Tagetes lucida (Mexican tarragon), Tarchonanthus camphoratus, Turnera diffusa (damiana), Tussilago farfara (coltsfoot), and Zornia latifolia (maconha brava), Angelica species (including Angelica archangelica), catnip plants (Nepeta cataria), lavender (including Lavandula angustifolia), Lobelia siphilitica, Taraxacum species (including dandelion), linden tree flowers, lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora), and gotu kola (Centella asiatica).

Additive substances are those that integrate well with the burnable matter and preserve the smoking product. According to the invention, additive substances include synthetic additive substances, flavor additive substances and nicotine additive substances.

Synthetic additive substances are those that absorb water. Although propylene glycol is preferred, any glycerin is contemplated such as vegetable glycerin. Other synthetic additive substances may include propane diol, polyethylene glycol, and ethyl alcohol.

Flavor additive substances insert flavor and aroma characteristics to the smoking product. These may be natural flavors or artificial flavors. Terpene additives are preferred, but any flavor additive substance is contemplated. Examples of terpenes include fruit terpenes such as pineapple and strawberry, citrus terpenes such as orange and lemon, menthol terpenes or even tobacco terpenes.

Nicotine additive substances are those that contain nicotine. Nicotine salts are preferred, but any natural or artificial nicotine is contemplated. A nicotine salt is formed by a nicotine base and a weak acid such as benzoic acid or lactic acid, or levulinic acid.

According to one embodiment, the additive substances are propylene glycol, terpenes, and nicotine salt. A mixture of the additive substances is blended with hemp matter and placed within a cylindrical shaped tube to arrive at tobacco-free cigarettes. The method according to the invention may be used to provide smoking products with different nicotine levels, e.g.,: 18-20 mg, 12-14 mg, 7-9 mg, 3-5 mg, 0 mg of nicotine. A formula is provided to determine the amounts of each additive substance to arrive at different nicotine levels while consistently achieving a moisture content of 9-10% by weight.

The present invention and its attributes and advantages will be further understood and appreciated with reference to the detailed description below of presently contemplated embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a flow chart according to one method for manufacturing a smoking product according to the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart according to another method for manufacturing a smoking product according to the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart according to another method for manufacturing a smoking product according to the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart according to another method for manufacturing a smoking product according to the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates an unassembled smoking product according to the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates an assembled smoking product according to the invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a graph of additive substances according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a flow chart 100 according to one method for manufacturing a smoking product according to the invention. At step 110, burnable matter is obtained. At step 120, two or more additive substance are mixed. At step 130, the burnable matter and mixture are blended until the burnable matter is evenly coated with the mixture. At step 140, the blended mixture is placed within a paper-based product to produce the smoking product.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart 200 according to another method for manufacturing a smoking product according to the invention. At step 210, burnable matter is obtained. At step 220, a synthetic additive substance and a flavor additive substance are mixed. At step 230, the burnable matter and mixture are blended until the burnable matter is evenly coated with the mixture. At step 240, the blended mixture is wrapped in a paper-based product to produce the smoking product.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart 300 according to another method for manufacturing a smoking product according to the invention. At step 310, burnable matter is obtained. At step 320, a synthetic additive substance and a nicotine additive substance are mixed. At step 330, the burnable matter and mixture are blended until the burnable matter is evenly coated with the mixture. At step 340, the blended mixture is wrapped in a paper-based product to produce the smoking product.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart 400 according to another method for manufacturing a smoking product according to the invention. At step 410, burnable matter is obtained. At step 420, a synthetic additive substance, a flavor additive substance, and a nicotine additive substance are mixed. At step 430, the burnable matter and mixture are blended until the burnable matter is evenly coated with the blended mixture. At step 440, the blended mixture is wrapped in a paper-based product to produce the smoking product.

FIG. 5 illustrates an unassembled smoking product comprising a paper wrapper 520 and blended mixture 510. The blended mixture 510 is rolled into the paper wrapper 520 to form the smoking product (with filter) shown as a cigarette 500 in FIG. 6. It is contemplated that the smoking product may further include a filter. Filters may be made from plastic such as cellulose acetate fiber, paper or activated charcoal.

A formula is provided to determine the amounts of each additive substance to arrive at different nicotine levels while consistently achieving a moisture content of 9-10% by weight:

$\begin{array}{c}60\mathrm{gram}\mathrm{of}\left(S+F+N\right)+\\ 454\mathrm{gram}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{BM}\end{array}=\begin{array}{c}\mathrm{nicotine}\mathrm{level}0\mathrm{mg}-20\mathrm{mg}\\ \mathrm{with}\mathrm{moisture}\mathrm{content}\mathrm{of}\\ 9-10\%\mathrm{by}\mathrm{weight}\end{array}$

According to this formula, 60 gram of one or more of synthetic additive substance(S), flavor additive substance (F), and nicotine additive substance (N) are added per pound (454 gram) of burnable matter (BM). It should be noted that the gram amount of the mixed additive substances and the gram amount of the burnable matter are directly correlated to determine the moisture content of 9-10% by weight. As an example, if the additive substances are reduced by half to 30 gram, then the burnable matter must also be reduced by half to 227 gram.

As the amount of the nicotine additive substance varies to arrive at particular nicotine levels, so do the amounts of the synthetic additive substance and/or flavor additive substance so that the additive substance so that a moisture content of 9-10% by weight is consistently achieved.

The nicotine level is determined by the amount of each additive substance of the mixture, i.e., the gram amount of the nicotine additive substance in combination with the gram amount for the synthetic additive substance and the gram amount of the flavor additive substance.

According to one embodiment, nicotine salts are dissolved by propylene glycol and a terpene additive. This mixture is blended with hemp matter and placed within a cylindrical shaped tube to arrive at tobacco-free cigarettes. The propylene glycol additive substance absorbs excess water, and preserves the burnable matter. The terpene additive inserts flavor and aroma to the burnable matter.

Below is a table illustrating the formulations to determine the indicated nicotine level per smoking product. In this example, the flavor additive substance is held constant at 20 gram (g). As a result, the synthetic additive substance and nicotine additive substance are inversely correlated as shown by FIG. 7.

	SYNTHETIC	FLAVOR	NICOTINE
NICOTINE LEVEL	ADDITIVE	ADDITIVE	ADDITIVE
PER SMOKING	SUBSTANCE	SUBSTANCE	SUBSTANCE
PRODUCT (mg)	(g)	(g)	(g)
18-20	10	20	30
12-14	20	20	20
7-9	25	20	15
3-5	30	20	10
0	40	20	0

Further modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the general manner of carrying out the invention. It is to be understood that the forms of the invention shown and described herein are to be taken as examples of embodiments. Elements and materials may be substituted for 10 those illustrated and described herein, parts and processes may be reversed, and certain features of the invention may be utilized independently, all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the invention. Changes may be made in the elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a tobacco-free smoking product with a 9-10% moisture content by weight, comprising: mixing two or more additive substances, wherein the two or more additive substances are a synthetic additive substance, a flavor additive substance and a nicotine additive substance, wherein the synthetic additive substance is a propylene glycol, the flavor additive substance is a terpene additive, and the nicotine additive substance is a nicotine salt;blending the mixture of additive substances with a burnable matter until the burnable matter is evenly coated with the mixture, wherein the burnable matter is hemp matter or Althaea officinalis matter; andplacing the blended mixture within a paper-based product to produce the tobacco-free smoking product.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the two or more additive substances equals 60 gram (g) and the burnable matter equals 454 g.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the terpene additive is one selected from the group: a fruit terpene, a menthol terpene, a tobacco terpene.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a nicotine level per smoking product is manufactured using the synthetic additive substance, the flavor additive substance, and the nicotine additive substance according to the table:

5. A method for manufacturing a tobacco-free smoking product with a 9-10% moisture content by weight, comprising: mixing a synthetic additive substance, a flavor additive substance, and a nicotine additive substance;blending the mixture of the synthetic additive substance, the flavor additive substance, and the nicotine additive substance with a burnable matter until the burnable matter is evenly coated with the mixture, wherein a nicotine level per smoking product is manufactured using the synthetic additive substance, the flavor additive substance, and the nicotine additive substance, per 454 g of burnable matter, according to the table:

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the synthetic additive substance is propylene glycol, the flavor additive substance is a terpene additive, the nicotine additive substance is nicotine salt, and the burnable matter is hemp matter or Althea officinalis matter.

7. A tobacco-free smoking product with a 9-10% moisture content by weight, comprising: mixing 40 grams (g) of a propylene glycol and 20 g of a terpene additive;blending the mixture with 464 g of hemp matter or Althaea officinalis matter until the matter is evenly coated with the mixture, wherein a nicotine level of the blended mixture is 0 mg; andplacing the blended mixture within a paper-based product to produce the tobacco-free smoking product.

8. A tobacco-free smoking product with a 9-10% moisture content by weight, comprising: mixing 10 grams (g) of a propylene glycol, 20 g of a terpene additive, and 30 g of a nicotine salt;blending the mixture with 464 g of hemp matter or Althaea officinalis matter until the matter is evenly coated with the mixture, wherein a nicotine level of the blended mixture is 18-20 mg; andplacing the blended mixture within a paper-based product to produce the tobacco-free smoking product.

9. A tobacco-free smoking product with a 9-10% moisture content by weight, comprising: mixing 25 grams (g) of a propylene glycol, 20 g of a terpene additive, and 15 g of a nicotine salt;blending the mixture with 464 g of hemp matter or Althea officinalis matter until the hemp-matter is evenly coated with the mixture, wherein a nicotine level of the blended mixture is 7-9 mg; andplacing the blended mixture within a paper-based product to produce the tobacco-free smoking product.