Smokeless tobacco can having a lid with a scoop formed therein

Abstract

A smokeless tobacco can having a lid with a scoop formed therein that reduces the amount of smokeless tobacco that falls from the fingers onto the surrounding area. The scoop is used to transfer smokeless tobacco from the can to between the inner lip and gums. This reduces mess, and reduces the amount of the smokeless tobacco that is wasted, thereby saving a substantial amount of the smokeless tobacco by avoiding repeated losses resulting from repeated use of the fingers to transfer a “pinch” of smokeless tobacco. The scoop formed in the lid includes a curved sidewall that curves upward to meet the upper lid sidewall so as to form a scoop edge, which edge is used to scoop smokeless tobacco from the can bottom. The scoop can hold as much smokeless tobacco as a typical “pinch”. The smokeless tobacco can may also include a cap that protects the scoop.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates generally to smokeless tobacco, and more particularly to devices for using smokeless tobacco.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Smokeless tobacco (also called “dip”, “chewing tobacco”, or “snuff”) is a tobacco product made from tobacco leaves.[0003]One common way to use smokeless tobacco is to pinch a quantity of smokeless tobacco between two or more fingers, and then place the compressed smokeless tobacco between one's teeth and lower lip, or between one's lower lip and gums. This process has various names, such as “dipping”, or “packing a lip”.[0004]To help make the quantity of smokeless tobacco more dense and easier to control in the mouth, the smokeless tobacco is “packed”, i.e. pre-compressed in the can by tapping the can, or knocking the can against a hard surface, so as to force the smokeless tobacco particles to compress against the inner walls of the can. When the contents of the can are compressed, a pinch will contain more ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text describes a smokeless tobacco can with a lid that has a scoop inside. This scoop is designed to transfer the smokeless tobacco from the can to the user's mouth, reducing the amount of tobacco that gets stuck on the fingers and wasted. This can saves money and reduces the risk of losing the tobacco through repeated use of the fingers. The scoop is designed to hold the same amount of tobacco as a typical "pinch".

Problems solved by technology

Even with packing, a significant amount of smokeless tobacco can be wasted, and with many “dips” in each can, a substantial amount of the smokeless tobacco in the can ends up being wasted due to repeated losses resulting from repeated pinching of the smokeless tobacco in the can.

However, traditional users of smokeless tobacco do not favor pouches.

However, shortly after the introduction of Ready Cut™, many users began to complain that the number of bricks in a can did not provide the same amount of tobacco which the company claimed was packaged.

As a result of containing less tobacco per can, and as a result of the perceived stigma associated with the related “pouch” use, Ready Cut™ sales quickly dwindled such that by the end of 2013, Skoal® had largely pulled Ready Cut™ from the market.

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