HOLDER AND CONTAINER FOR ORAL SMOKELESS PRODUCTS

Abstract

 The present invention relates to a holder (100) for oral smokeless products. The holder is configured to be used in a container for oral smokeless products. The holder comprises a holder unit (104) with a plurality of receptacles (106) and a plurality of smokeless products, such as oral patches (102). The oral smokeless products are held in the receptacles, such that the oral smokeless products (102) are spaced apart from each other, preferably each of the oral smokeless products being held in a respective one of the receptacles. The present invention further relates to a container (118) for oral smokeless products, the container comprising a base portion (120), a lid portion (122), and the holder (100).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a holder for oral smokeless products. The holder comprises a holder unit with a plurality of receptacles and a plurality of smokeless products, e.g., oral patches. The present invention further relates to a container for oral smokeless products, the container comprising a base portion, a lid portion and the holder.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Oral smokeless products, i.e. smokeless products for oral use, are well known in the art and include tobacco products as well as non-tobacco products.

[0003] The oral smokeless products are typically provided as pouched products being portion-packed in a saliva-permeable, porous wrapper material forming a pouch enclosing a filling material. The pouch material used in pouched products for oral use, also called the packaging material, is commonly a nonwoven material, such as a dry-laid chemically bonded nonwoven comprising regenerated cellulose fibres, e.g., viscose fibres. The oral smokeless products are typically used by a consumer by placing it between the upper or lower gum and the lip and retaining it there for a limited period of time.

[0004] Oral smokeless products may further be provided as pouchless products, e.g. in the form of oral patches. An oral patch comprises a carrier and an active agent and/or a flavour, wherein the carrier may be a fibrous carrier consisting of a water insoluble nonwoven material. The oral patch may further comprise a thickening agent.

[0005] In order to store and transport the oral smokeless products, it is desirable to place them in a container. Traditionally, a preselected number of oral smokeless products have simply been allowed to tumble down into the container. They then end up in an arbitrary three-dimensional arrangement, which differs from one container to another. There is also a possibility that an oral smokeless product may assume such a disadvantageous position in the container that it risks being squeezed between a base portion and a lid portion of the container. In that case, it may be difficult to open the lid portion and the squeezed oral smokeless product may break. There is also a potential risk of neighbouring oral smokeless products sticking together. Another problem is that it is very difficult for the user to pick up only one of the oral smokeless products without touching its neighbours, which the user may regard as unhygienic.

[0006] Moreover, in a conventional container, the oral smokeless products can tumble around in the container, e.g. during transport, especially when it is carried by the user in a pocket or a bag. The risk is increased, when the user has started consuming the oral smokeless products of the container and only some of the original oral smokeless products remain.

SUMMARY

[0007] The object of the present invention is to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.

[0008] The object above may be achieved by the subject-matter of the independent claims. Variations of the invention are set out in the dependent claims, in the following description and in the drawings.

[0009] Thus, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a holder for oral smokeless products. The holder is configured to be used in a container for oral smokeless products. The holder comprises a holder unit with a plurality of receptacles and a plurality of oral smokeless products. The smokeless products are held in the receptacles, such that the oral smokeless products are spaced apart from each other, preferably each of the oral smokeless products being held in a respective one of the receptacles. In such case, the number of the plurality of receptacles typically equals the number of the plurality of smokeless products. Although less preferred, the holder as disclosed herein may alternatively have a configuration allowing two or more oral smokeless products to be held in each receptacle of the plurality of receptacles.

[0010] When using the holder according to the invention, the oral smokeless products are arranged and held in a predetermined configuration. In the preferred embodiment where each oral smokeless product is placed in a corresponding receptacle, the products are easy to grip one by one, without risking to touch the neighbouring products. Even if two or more products are placed in each receptacle, the risk of inadvertently touching other products when removing a product from the holder may be considerably reduced. By using the holder according to the invention, the oral smokeless products are kept in place in the holder unit during shelf life and user life. Further, the potential risk of oral smokeless products sticking together is reduced or avoided. In addition, the user of the container gets a good overview of how many oral smokeless products are left in the container. The use of a holder offers a larger freedom when designing the container as compared to prior art containers for oral smokeless products. The layout of the holder unit may be chosen to provide an appealing appearance to the user.

[0011] The holder may be manufactured and/or sold together with the container as an integrated part thereof, i.e., the manufacturer places the holder comprising the oral smokeless products in the container. As an alternative or a complement, the holder may be sold as a separate unit, which the user himself/herself may place in a container, e.g. as a refill unit. In that case, the container may be re-used, by replacing an empty holder, i.e. for which the oral smokeless products have been consumed, with a new holder comprising oral smokeless products.

[0012] It is normally preferred to use a container intended for oral smokeless products, but other kinds of containers would also be feasible. For instance, the holder may be provided with fixing means, such as adhesive, allowing the holder to be attached in any suitable container, as desired by a user. A container intended for oral smokeless products has an adequate size. By an adequate size is meant a size which is sufficient to allow a plurality of oral smokeless products to be accommodated in the container while still being small enough to fit in a pocket, a handbag, or the like. The container, sometimes referred to as a user container, typically is configured to contain in the range of 10-30 oral smokeless products, such as in the range of 15-25. Further, such a container is typically adapted to keep the oral smokeless products fresh during shelf life and user life. The container may e.g. have a snap-fit lid providing a tight seal. The container may be child resistant or child proof.

[0013] The container typically comprises a base portion and a lid portion, which fit together. The base portion and the lid portion may be separate units or they may be connected by a hinge. When the container is in a closed state, the base portion and the lid portion together form a housing, which encloses the holder and the oral smokeless products in the holder. The holder may be placed in the base portion and/or in the lid portion, e.g. fixedly or releasably attached. The user is to open the container, e.g. by removing the lid portion, to gain access to the oral smokeless products within the container.

[0014] The holder unit may be made of a foldable material, such as paper, paperboard, a sheet of plastics or a metal sheet, which material as an option may be coated or laminated. The foldable material may be folded to achieve the desired three-dimensional shape of the holder unit with its receptacles.

[0015] Alternatively, or as a complement, the holder unit may be manufactured in the desired three-dimensional shape, e.g. by injection moulding or thermoforming of a polymeric or cellulose-based material. The material of the holder unit may recyclable. It may be selected to be the same material as for the container it is to be placed in.

[0016] The geometry of the holder unit is preferably adapted to an interior shape of the container, in which it is intended to be placed, e.g. having a circular, square or rectangular perimeter, such that the holder unit fits snugly in the container. Typically the container is cylindrical, such that a circular perimeter is appropriate. In the container, a base plane of the holder unit is typically parallel to an inner bottom surface and/or to an inner lid surface of the container. The holder unit preferably occupies at least 50% of the inner bottom surface or the inner lid surface of the container, more preferably at least 70%, most preferably at least 90%. In particular, the holder unit is not just a pillar in the centre. Hence, an interspace between the holder unit and a side wall of the container can be kept small. If placed in the base portion, the holder unit with its receptacles is placed such that the oral smokeless products are accessible from a container opening.

[0017] If the container comprises a disposal compartment, i.e. a compartment used to store used products, the holder may be sized to fit on the disposal compartment, which usually is located in the lid portion.

[0018] If the oral smokeless product has an elongated shape, such as a substantially rectangular shape, i.e. having two long side edges and two short side edges, such as e.g. an oral pouched smokeless product, the oral smokeless product may be held in the receptacle such that either a long side edge or a short side edge is parallel to the base plane of the holder unit.

[0019] A oral pouched smokeless product, which is a kind of product which may be comprised in the holder described herein, typically is portion-packed, i.e. each pouch encloses an amount of filling material, which is intended to make up a portion of a suitable size.

[0020] By the term "tobacco" as used herein is meant any part, e.g., leaves, stems, and stalks, of any member of the genus Nicotiana. The tobacco may be whole, shredded, threshed, cut, ground, cured, aged, fermented, or treated otherwise, e.g. granulated or encapsulated.

[0021] The term "tobacco material" is used herein for tobacco leaves or parts of leaves, such as lamina and stem. The leaves and parts of leaves may be finely divided (disintegrated), such as ground, cut, shredded or threshed, and the parts of leaves may be blended in defined proportions in the tobacco material.

[0022] The filling material may comprise a finely divided tobacco material such as a ground tobacco material or cut tobacco. In addition to the tobacco material, the filling material may further comprise at least one of the following: water, salt (e.g. sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, and any combinations thereof), pH adjuster, flavouring agent, cooling agent, heating agent, sweetening agent, colorant, humectant (e.g. propylene glycol or glycerol), antioxidant, preservative (e.g. potassium sorbate), binder, disintegration aid. In an example, the filling material comprises or consists of finely divided tobacco material, salt such as sodium chloride, and a pH adjuster.

[0023] For oral pouched smokeless products with no or low tobacco content, to which nicotine is added, the nicotine of the filling material may be synthetic nicotine and/or nicotine extract from tobacco plants. In addition, or as an alternative to nicotine, the oral pouched smokeless products may comprise an active agent comprising or consisting of cannabinoid, caffeine, ginseng, taurine and/or BCAA (branched amino acids).

[0024] Oral pouched smokeless products are normally sized and configured to fit comfortably and discreetly in a user's mouth between the upper or lower gum and the lip. In general, pouched products for oral use have a generally rectangular shape. Some typical shapes (length x width) of commercially available pouched products for oral use are, for instance, 35 mm x 20 mm, 34/35 mm x 14 mm, 33/34 mm x 18 mm, 27/28 mm x 14 mm, 34 mm x 10 mm and 38 x 14 mm. Typical pouched products for oral use may have a maximum length within the range of from 25 to 40 mm along the longitudinal direction of the product and a maximum width within the range of from 5 to 20 mm along the transverse direction of the product. The thickness ("height") of the pouched product is normally within the range of from 2 to 8 mm. The total weight of commercially available pouched products for oral use are typically within the range from about 0.3 to about 3.5 g, such as from about 0.5 to 1.7 g, per pouched product.

[0025] The oral smokeless product may be an oral patch. In that case, the holder according to the invention is a patch holder, which comprises a holder unit with a plurality of receptacles, and a plurality of oral smokeless products in the form of oral patches. The oral patches are held in the receptacles, such that the oral patches are spaced apart from each other, preferably each of the oral patches being held in a respective one of the receptacles. In such case, the number of the plurality of receptacles equals the number of the plurality of oral patches. Although less preferred, the patch holder as disclosed herein may alternatively have a configuration allowing two or more oral patches to be held in each receptacle of the plurality of receptacles.

[0026] Oral patches are examples of pouchless oral smokeless products. An oral patch may have an oblong shape with the length as measured in the length direction being greater than the width, as measured in the width direction, wherein the oral smokeless product has a maximum width of 5 mm to 40 mm, such as 7 mm to 30 mm or 8 mm to 20 mm in the width direction, and a maximum length of 10 mm to 70 mm, such as 15 mm to 50 mm or 20 mm to 35 mm in the length direction. The smaller widths apply to the oral smokeless products having the smaller lengths and the greater widths apply to the oral smokeless products having the greater lengths to obtain the oblong shape. It may be preferred that the oral smokeless product has an oblong shape with a maximum width within the range of from 8 to 20 mm and a maximum length within the range of from 20 mm to 35 mm. The thickness of oral patches is generally considerably smaller than the thickness of an oral pouched product and is preferably within the range of from 0.7 mm to 1.5 mm. Such preferred dimensions also apply to oral smokeless pouchless products which are intended for folding into a use configuration, the dimensions then being applicable to the folded configuration of the oral smokeless pouchless product. The oral patch may e.g. have a modified rectangular shape with rounded corners, an oval shape or an elliptical shape.

[0027] The pouchless oral smokeless products as disclosed herein may contain tobacco which has been added to the carrier in the form of a tobacco extract. The tobacco extract may be obtained by soaking tobacco material in water or alcohol. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, tobacco may be comprised in the oral smokeless products as disclosed herein by incorporating tobacco fibres in the carrier.

[0028] Although tobacco containing pouchless oral smokeless products are contemplated herein, the pouchless oral smokeless products as disclosed herein are preferably tobacco free pouchless oral smokeless products, such as tobacco free nicotine containing pouchless oral smokeless products. In addition, or as an alternative to nicotine, the pouchless oral smokeless product may comprise an active agent comprising or consisting of cannabinoid, caffeine, ginseng, taurine and/or BCAA (branched amino acids).

[0029] The pouchless oral smokeless products are preferably relatively stiff in a dry condition, making the un-used product easy to handle and to place in the oral cavity. Upon wetting with saliva in the oral cavity, the product softens and becomes limp and conforms to the user's gums. The carrier for oral patches like the ones disclosed herein may have a bending stiffness of from 2 N to 35 N as measured according to the Circular Bend Procedure in ASTM D4032 - 08 (Reapproved 2016) with the modification that the tests are performed on single-ply samples.

[0030] The nicotine compound in a nicotine containing tobacco free or low tobacco content oral smokeless product may be nicotine base or a nicotine salt such as nicotine hydrochloride, nicotine dihydrochloride, nicotine monotartrate, nicotine bitartrate, nicotine bitartrate dihydrate, nicotine sulphate, nicotine zinc chloride monohydrate, nicotine salicylate, nicotine benzoate or nicotine polacrilex. The nicotine may be derived from tobacco material or may be synthetically produced nicotine.

[0031] "Oral" and "oral use" is in all contexts used herein as a description for use in the oral cavity, such as by buccal placement. The oral smokeless products as disclosed herein are intended for placement within the oral cavity, such as between the gum and the upper or lower lip, such that the entire oral patch is contained in the oral cavity. Thus, the oral smokeless products as disclosed herein are intended to be fully accommodated in the oral cavity during use and are not intended for swallowing.

[0032] The holder unit as disclosed herein may be particularly useful for holding thin oral smokeless products such as oral patches, which may be difficult to remove from a container one by one. The product separating function of the holder unit facilitates removal of a single oral patch from the holder unit, without the user having to peel apart products that have stuck together or to try gripping a single product without touching other products in the container.

[0033] The oral patch may be held in the receptacle in an orientation having the cross-section with the maximal length being parallel to the base plane of the holder unit or having the cross-section with the maximal width being parallel to the base plane of the holder unit, even if other relative positions are also possible.

[0034] The holder unit may comprise, or be constituted by, a plate being flat or substantially flat, the receptacles being arranged in the plate. The circumference of the plate is preferably adapted to the interior shape of the container, e.g. circular, square or rectangular. The base plane of the plate may be spaced apart from the inner bottom surface or the inner lid surface of the container, e.g. by means of distance elements or by being folded.

[0035] The oral smokeless products, such as the oral patches, may be held by the receptacles in such a way that they partly protrude above the base plane of the holder unit and partly below. Hence, the oral smokeless products are easy to grip one by one, without touching the neighbouring oral smokeless products and yet they are stably held in position in the receptacles.

[0036] The holder unit may comprise, or be constituted by, a plate being folded and/or bent to a three-dimensional shape, e.g. having three folding lines forming an inverted V cross-sectional shape or having two folding lines and a bend forming an inverted U cross-sectional shape. In that case, the three-dimensional shape of the folded and/or bent plate is preferably adapted to the inside of the container, e.g. having a circular, square or rectangular circumference. Thereby, the holder units may be stored and transported in a flat state to the manufacturing site, which is beneficial from a volume point of view, and then shaped into the desired three-dimensional shape during manufacturing of the holder according to the invention.

[0037] The receptacles may be formed by slots provided in the holder unit, e.g. slots provided in the plate described herein. Such slots form suitable receptacles when the base plane of the holder unit is spaced apart from the inner bottom surface or the inner lid surface of the container, e.g. by means of distance elements or by being folded.

[0038] As an alternative or a complement to slots, the receptacles may be formed by compartments between dividers protruding from the base plane of the holder unit, the dividers being comprised in the holder unit. It is then preferred that the base plane of the holder unit is parallel to the inner bottom surface or the inner lid surface of the container, e.g. being positioned on the inner bottom surface or on the inner lid surface. Preferably, the holder unit including the dividers forms a single coherent component. The dividers may be formed by bending or folding a plate. As an alternative or a complement, the holder unit may achieve the desired three-dimensional shape by moulding, e.g. by injection moulding, or thermoforming of a polymeric or cellulose-based material.

[0039] The receptacles may be straight and/or curved as seen from a top view of the holder unit, i.e. as seen from the container opening. Purely as an example, the receptacle may have a curvature adapted to the mouth geometry of a human being, such that an oral smokeless product fitting in the receptacle may be pre-shaped to fit in a comfortable way in the oral cavity of the user, e.g. under the upper lip.

[0040] The receptacles may have a minimum width being less than a maximum thickness of the oral smokeless products. The receptacles may comprise a resilient wall and/or a resilient element, e.g. a resilient opening edge. The minimum width may be obtained by a holding protrusion extending into the receptacle. This helps to hold the oral smokeless products in place in the receptacle, such that they do not unintentionally fall out of the receptacle, e.g. if the container is held in another position than upright. This objective may be obtained by the material of holder unit being resilient, such as plastic or paperboard. As an alternative or a complement, the dividers may be resilient by being slightly movable sideways, e.g. being bendable. As yet an alternative or yet a complement, the oral smokeless products, e.g. the oral patches, may be compressible themselves.

[0041] The oral smokeless products may be held in an upright position in relation to the base plane of the holder unit, i.e. the angle being 90° or substantially 90°. This makes the oral smokeless product easy to grip, thereby helping to make it grippable without the user touching the adjacent oral smokeless products.

[0042] As an alternative, the oral smokeless products may be held in non-upright position, i.e. an angled position having angle in relation to the base plane of the holder unit being different from 90°, e.g. in the range of 30° - 89°, preferably 45°-85°, more preferably 60°- 80°. A non-upright position makes it possible to use a lower height of the container as compared to the upright position; how much lower depends on the chosen angle and the dimensions of the oral smokeless products.

[0043] The receptacles may be spaced apart in a pattern as seen from a top view of the holder unit, e.g. a radial pattern, a regular rectangular pattern, a zig-zagged rectangular pattern, a fan-shaped pattern, a wave-shaped pattern or a turbine-shaped pattern. The pattern may be a repeated pattern, i.e. a pattern cell being repeated a number of times to form the pattern. The pattern cell may in that case comprise one, two, three or more receptacles.

[0044] The oral smokeless products may be arranged on at least two different height levels in the holder unit. This can provide easier removal of an oral smokeless product without touching the neighbouring oral smokeless products. For example, the receptacles may be staggered in a height direction. The oral smokeless products may thus protrude to different heights in the patch holder, e.g. every second oral smokeless product being at a high level and the oral smokeless products positioned therebetween being at a low level. The oral smokeless products which are at a higher level can then be removed first, thereafter the oral smokeless products which are placed at a lower level become accessible/ grippable.

[0045] The holder unit and/or the oral smokeless products may comprise or consist of biodegradable material, such as biodegradable plastics, e.g. PLA, PHB, etc., paperboard, mouldable or thermoformable fibrous materials/composites, e.g. fibre/PLA composites. Also the oral smokeless products may comprise or consist of biodegradable material.

[0046] The holder according to the invention may further comprise attachment means for releasable or fixed attachment to the container. The attachment means may be a self-adhesive glue and/or mechanical attachment means such as a snap-in means, hook-and-loop fasteners, or the like, which is convenient for a refill unit. If the holder forms part of a disposable container, the holder may be attached to the lid portion or base portion of the container by means of an adhesive, snap-in means or being welded.

[0047] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container for oral smokeless products, the container comprising a base portion, a lid portion, and the holder as described herein. The base portion and the lid portion together form a housing, which encloses the holder, when the container is in a closed state. The container may also comprise a compartment for used oral smokeless products, e.g. for used oral patches, also called a disposal compartment. The container is of the type described herein.

[0048] The holder unit may be located in either of the base portion or in the lid portion, preferably the holder unit being releasably or fixedly attached to the one of the base portion or the lid portion. Hence, the holder may comprise the attachment means as described herein. As an alternative, the holder unit may form an integral part of the base portion or the lid portion e.g. being moulded or thermoformed in one piece.

[0049] The oral smokeless products may extend equal to or above a height of the side wall of the base portion or the lid portion, in which the holder unit is located, when the container is in an open state. The portion of the oral smokeless product protruding above the side wall, makes it easy for the user to grip a single oral smokeless product, such as an oral patch. Further this allows access to the oral smokeless products also from a side direction, i.e. not only from above. The protruding portion may stick out by a distance x being in the range of 0 ≤ x ≤ 10 mm, or 0 ≤ x ≤ 8 mm, or 0 < x ≤ 5 mm.

[0050] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a use of a holder as described herein as a refill unit in a container as described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] The present invention will hereinafter be further explained by means of non-limiting examples with reference to the appended drawings wherein:

Fig. 1

illustrates a holder according to the invention with oral smokeless products in the form of oral patches.

Fig. 2

illustrates a holder unit of the holder of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3

illustrates a container with the holder of Fig. 1 in a base portion of the container.

Fig. 4

illustrates a container with the holder of Fig. 1 in a lid portion of the container.

Fig. 5

illustrates a number of different ways of arranging receptacles in the holder unit.

Fig. 6

illustrates a sideways staggered pattern of receptacles.

Fig. 7

illustrates two fan-shaped patterns of receptacles.

Fig. 8

illustrates a pattern of receptacles being staggered in a height direction.

Fig. 9

illustrates a holder according to the invention with oral smokeless products in the form of pouched oral smokeless products.

Fig. 10

illustrates another holder according to the invention with oral smokeless products in the form of pouched oral smokeless products.

[0052] It should be noted that the appended drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that the dimensions of some features of the present invention may have been exaggerated for the sake of clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] The invention will in the following be exemplified by embodiments. It should however be realized that the embodiments are included in order to explain principles of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention, defined by the appended claims. Details from two or more of the embodiments may be combined with each other.

[0054] Figure 1 illustrates a holder 100 for oral smokeless products 102 according to the invention. The holder 100 comprises a holder unit 104, depicted in Figure 2, with a plurality of receptacles 106.

[0055] In the illustrated embodiment, the oral smokeless products are in the form of a plurality of oral patches 102, such that the holder 100 forms a patch holder. The holder 100 is configured to be placed in a container for oral smokeless products, as e.g. the containers illustrated in Figures 3-5, which is further described below. The oral patches 102 are held in the receptacles 106, such that the oral patches 102 are spaced apart from each other. Typically, the number of receptacles 106 matches the number of oral patches 102, as in the illustrated embodiment. Hence, each of the oral patches 102 is held in a respective one of the receptacles 106.

[0056] In the illustrated embodiment, the holder unit 104 is formed of a plate 108, which has been folded at three folding lines 110a, 110b, 110c to have a cross-sectional shape in the form of an inverted V. After folding, the plate 108 has a circular perimeter, such that it will fit well into a typical cylindrical container for oral smokeless products, which container may be of standard type, see Figures 3 and 4 showing the holder 100 placed in a container 118, 118' in two different ways.

[0057] The receptacles 106 are formed by slots 112 made in the plate 108. The material of the plate between the slots 112 forms dividers 114 protruding from a base plane 116 of the holder unit 104. Hence, in the illustrated embodiment, the dividers 114 have the inverted V cross-sectional shape. Thereby, the receptacles 106 are formed as compartments between the protruding dividers 114. By forming the receptacles 106 by means of folding the plate 108, the holder unit 104 with its dividers 114 form a single coherent component. The base plane 116 is formed by the main portion of the plate 108.

[0058] In order to keep the oral smokeless products in place in the holder unit 104, i.e. the oral patches 102 in the illustrated embodiment, it is preferred that they are held in tension by the receptacles 106. Hence, the receptacles 106 may have a minimum width being less than a maximum thickness of the oral smokeless products. The receptacles 106 may comprise a resilient wall and/or a resilient element, e.g. a resilient opening edge. As an alternative or a complement, the dividers 114 may be resilient by being slightly movable sideways. As yet an alternative or yet a complement, the oral smokeless products, e.g. the oral patches 102, may be compressible themselves.

[0059] Figure 3 illustrates the holder 100 of Figure 1 being placed in a container 118 for oral smokeless products according to the invention with the container 118 being in an open state. The container 118 comprises a base portion 120 and a lid portion 122, as well as the holder 100 of Figure 1 comprising the oral patches 102. When the container 118 is in a closed state, the base portion 120 and the lid portion 122 together form a housing, which encloses the holder 100 with the oral patches 102. The holder 100 is located in the base portion 120, with the base plane 116 located at an inner bottom surface 124 of the container 118. The user is to open the container 118 to gain access to the oral smokeless products 102 within the container 118. Since the oral smokeless products 102 are spaced apart from each other, it is easy to grip a single one without touching the neighbouring oral smokeless products 102 and yet they are stably held in position in the receptacles 106.

[0060] In the alternative embodiment of the container 118' according to the invention illustrated in Figure 4, the holder 100 is instead, as an alternative, placed in the lid portion 122'. The base plane 116, being formed by the main portion of the plate 108, is located at an inner lid surface 126 of the container 118. Since the oral smokeless products, i.e. the oral patches 102, are held in tension in the receptacles 106, they will stay in place also when the lid portion 122 is put back on the container 118. If the container 118' comprises a disposal compartment, i.e. a compartment used to store used products, as for the illustrated container 118', the holder 100 can be sized to fit on the disposal compartment, which usually is located in the lid portion 122.

[0061] When the holder 100 is placed in the lid portion 122, as in Figure 4, the oral smokeless products, i.e. the oral patches 102, extend above a height h of a side wall 128 of the lid portion 122, when the container 118 is in the open state. The portion protruding above the side wall 128, makes it easy for the user to grip a single oral smokeless product, such as an oral patch 102. In addition, this allows access to the oral smokeless products 102 also from a side direction, i.e. not only from above. The protruding portion may stick out above the side wall 128 by a distance x being in the range of 0 ≤ x ≤ 10 mm, or 0 ≤ x ≤ 8 mm, or 0 < x ≤ 5 mm.

[0062] Correspondingly, if the holder 100 is placed in the base portion 120, it would be feasible to have a base portion 122 with a low side wall, such that the oral smokeless products 102 may protrude over the side wall of the base portion 120 and thus be grippable also from a side direction.

[0063] The holder 100 according to the invention may further comprise attachment means for releasable or fixed attachment to the container 118, 118', not illustrated. If the holder 100 is to be used as a refill unit, the holder unit 104 may be attached to the base portion 120 or to the lid portion 122' by means of a self-adhesive glue and/or a snap-in means. If the holder 100 forms part of a disposable container 118, 118', the holder unit 104 may be attached to the base portion 120 or to the lid portion 122 by means of an adhesive, snap-in means or being welded. As an alternative, the holder unit 104 may form an integral part of the container 118, 118'.

[0064] Figures 5a-5o, Figure 6 and Figure 7 illustrate a number of different ways of arranging the receptacles in the holder unit. Thereby, the receptacles are spaced apart in a pattern as seen from a top view.

[0065] Three of the examples illustrate patterns with a circular geometry, e.g. a radial pattern as in Figures 5a and 5e, or a turbine-shaped pattern as in Figure 5b. These patterns are regular, i.e. a pattern cell repeats. In these examples, a pattern cell comprising a single receptacle repeats 20 times.

[0066] The receptacles may be straight and/or curved as seen from a top view of the holder unit, i.e. as seen from the container opening. Examples of curved receptacles are shown in Figures 5b and 5f. The curvature of the receptacle may be adapted to the mouth geometry of a human being, such that an oral smokeless product fitting in the receptacle may be pre-shaped to fit in a comfortable way in the oral cavity of the user, e.g. under the upper lip.

[0067] Figures 5i and 5k show examples of a regular rectangular pattern. In the pattern of Figure 5k, the oral patches are held in an upright position in the receptacles, while in Figure 5i, the oral patches are held in an angled position in the receptacles, with an angle in relation to the base plane 116 being different from 90°, e.g. in the range of 30° - 89°, preferably 45°-85°, more preferably 60°- 80°. The non-upright position makes it possible to use a lower height of the container as compared to the upright position; how much lower depends on the chosen angle and the dimensions of the oral smokeless products.

[0068] Figure 5n and Figure 6 illustrate examples of a zig-zagged rectangular pattern with every second oral patch protruding to the left in relation to its two most adjacent neighbours, which instead protrude to the right. Hence, the oral patches are staggered in a sideways direction. This makes it even easier to grip a single product without touching its neighbours as compared to a regular rectangular pattern.

[0069] Figure 5j, 5l and Figure 7 illustrate fan-shaped patterns, where the oral patches are more interspaced at one end than at the other end of the receptacles. This makes it even easier to grip a single product without touching its neighbours as compared to having parallel receptacles.

[0070] Figure 8 illustrates an example for which the oral smokeless products are arranged at two different height levels in the holder unit, i.e. staggered in a height direction, with every second oral smokeless product being at a high level and the oral smokeless products positioned therebetween being at a low level. The oral smokeless products which are at a higher level can then be removed first, thereafter the oral smokeless products which are placed at a lower level become accessible/grippable. This can provide easier removal of an oral smokeless product without touching the neighbouring oral smokeless products.

[0071] Although Figures 5a-5o, Figure 6 and Figure 7 only show examples wherein the holders comprise oral patches, the invention is also applicable for other kinds of oral smokeless products, such as the oral pouched products depicted in Figures 9 and 10. Figure 9 illustrates a radial pattern with a circular geometry, while Figure 10 illustrates a rectangular geometry with a regular rectangular pattern.

[0072] Further modifications of the invention within the scope of the appended claims are feasible. As such, the present invention should not be considered as limited by the embodiments and figures described herein. Rather, the full scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims, with reference to the description and drawings.

Claims

1. A holder (100) for oral smokeless products (102), the holder (100) being configured to be used in a container (118) for oral smokeless products (102), the holder (100) comprising

- a holder unit (104) with a plurality of receptacles (106), and

- a plurality of smokeless products (102),

wherein the oral smokeless products (102) are held in the receptacles (106), such that the oral smokeless products (102) are spaced apart from each other, preferably each of the oral smokeless products (102) being held in a respective one of the receptacles (106).

2. The holder (100) according to claim 1, wherein the oral smokeless products comprise or consist of oral patches (102).

3. The holder (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the holder unit (104) comprises, or is constituted by, a plate (108) being flat or substantially flat, the receptacles (106) being arranged in the plate (108).

4. The holder (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the holder unit (104) comprises or is constituted by a plate (108) being folded and/or bent to a three-dimensional shape, e.g. having three folding lines (110a, 110b, 110c) forming an inverted V cross-sectional shape or having two folding lines and a bend forming an inverted U cross-sectional shape.

5. The holder (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the receptacles (106) are formed by slots (112) provided in the holder unit (104).

6. The holder (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the receptacles (106) are formed by compartments between dividers (114) protruding from a base plane (116) of the holder unit (104), the dividers (114) being comprised in the holder unit (104), preferably the holder unit (104) with the dividers (114) forming a single coherent component.

7. The holder (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the receptacles (106) are straight and/or curved as seen from a top view of the holder unit (104).

8. The holder (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the receptacles (106) have a minimum width being less than a maximum thickness of the oral smokeless products (102), preferably the receptacles (106) comprising a resilient wall and/or a resilient element, e.g. a resilient opening edge.

9. The holder (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the oral smokeless products (102) are held in an upright position or in an angled position in relation to the base plane (116) of the holder unit (104), e.g. in the range of 30° - 89°, preferably 45°-85°, more preferably 60°- 80°.

10. The holder (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the receptacles (106) are spaced apart in a pattern as seen from a top view of the holder unit (104), e.g. a radial pattern, a regular rectangular pattern, a zig-zagged rectangular pattern, a fan-shaped pattern, a wave-shaped pattern or a turbine-shaped pattern.

11. The holder (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the oral smokeless products (102) are arranged on at least two different height levels in the holder unit (104).

12. The holder (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, the holder unit (104) and/or the oral smokeless products (102) comprising or consisting of biodegradable material.

13. The holder (100) according to any one of the preceding claims further comprising attachment means for releasable or fixed attachment to the container (118), preferably the attachment means being a self-adhesive glue and/or a snap-in means.

14. A container (118) for oral smokeless products (102), the container (118) comprising

- a base portion (120),

- a lid portion (122), and

- a holder (100) according to any one of the preceding claims,

the base portion (120) and the lid portion (122) together forming a housing, which encloses the holder (100), when the container (118) is in a closed state.

15. The container (118) according to claim 14, wherein the holder unit (104) is located in one of the base portion (120) or the lid portion (122), preferably the holder unit (104) being releasably or fixedly attached to the one of the base portion (120) or the lid portion (122).

16. The container (118) according to claim 14, wherein the holder unit (104) forms an integral part of the base portion (120) or the lid portion (122).

17. The container (118) according to any one of claims 14-16, the oral smokeless products (102) extending equal to or above a height of a side wall (128) of the base portion (120) or lid portion (122), in which the holder unit (104) is located, when the container (118) is in an open state.

18. Use of a holder according to any one of claims 1-13 as a refill unit in a container according to any one of claims 14-17.

Drawing