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Dragonite International Limited is a Hong Kong-based company with two major business divisions: health care and pharmaceutical. In 2013, Imperial Tobacco purchased the Dragonite's electronic cigarette division.〔 It was formerly known as Ruyan Group (Holdings) Limited〔(Ruyan Group (Holdings) Limited )〕 (Simplified Chinese:如烟集团有限公司; Traditional Chinese: 如煙集團有限公司; Pinyin: rúyān Jítuán Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī), and initially, Golden Dragon Group (Holdings).〔(Change of Company Name and Capital Reorganization ) PR Newswire, August 6, 2010〕 ==History== Mr. Hon Lik (now Ruyan America's Chairman) patented a design (using high-frequency electronics) and is the original inventor of the first e-cigarettes sold (2003) and Ruyan has registered patents in more than 40 countries since 2003.〔(Ruyan Asserts Patent Rights in China Court Ruling )〕 Ruyan began to form the idea for the electronic cigarette in 2000. In 2003, SBT was established, and the first patent was registered in the same year in China. In 2007, Ruyan’s first international patent was registered.〔(Electronic Atomizer Cigarette European patent )〕 The patent was later granted in the United States as well.〔(US Patent and Trademark Office - Patent for Electronic Cigarette )〕 In May 2004, Ruyan’s cigar-series was launched and sold in the People's Republic of China market. In October of the same year, the e-pipe series of Ruyan was launched. As for electronic cigarette products, the “V8” Model, which more closely resembles the appearance of traditional cigarettes, was the key product for 2007.〔http://www.goldendragon.hk/upload/news/1208790213_EW0329ANN.pdf〕 At the end of 2007, Ruyan launched a new one-time use cigar product (named "RUYAN e-Gar" in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia/Pacific and RUYAN Vegas in the Americas). In June 2007, the Group - currently known as "SBT Investment (Holdings) Limited"- acquired the entire share structure of Best Partners Worldwide Limited – the former entity that was established for the manufacturing and sales of electronic atomizing cigarettes. The Group takes an active position in developing the domestic and overseas markets under the brand name of "Ruyan" (Simplified Chinese: 如烟; Traditional Chinese: 如煙; Pinyin: rúyān). In 2013, Imperial Tobacco acquired the intellectual property owned by Hon Lik through Dragonite for $US 75 million. It is important to point out, that almost all e-cigarettes sold now (2013) use a simpler battery powered heating element that heats a liquid to water vapour, as opposed to the piezoelectric/ high-frequency/ultrasonic technology patented by Ruyan. The marketing term 'e' denoting 'electronic' refers mainly to the circuitry that controls the current and has been accepted by the industry as a general term for vapour type cigarettes. The first battery operated 'electric' cigarette patent registered in the United States was by Herbert A. Gilbert (Beaver Falls, PA, USA) on 17 August 1965.〔(electronic cigarette )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dragonite International Limited」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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