Dragonite International

Dragonite International Limited, formerly known as Ruyan Group (Holdings) Limited[1] (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),[2] is a health care and pharmaceutical company.

[6] In May 2004, Ruyan's cigar-series was launched and sold in the People's Republic of China market.

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.

In 2013, Imperial Tobacco acquired the intellectual property owned by Hon Lik through Dragonite for $US 75 million.

[citation needed] 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.

[9] Cartridges deliver the same amount of vapor equivalent to the "puffs" provided by two packages of cigarettes for the average traditional smoker.

The first generation of Ruyan Electronic Cigars was first manufactured and launched in the Chinese market in 2004.

They were first manufactured and launched in the Chinese market in late 2007 where the new product is referred to as RUYAN No.

In February 2009, Ruyan released a press release saying that they had asserted patent rights to the e-cigarette in a key Chinese court ruling and that a rival manufacturer, Cixi E-cig, had been ordered to destroy its entire inventory and cease trading.