Philip Morris Inc.

Bernard C LaRoy

Mary Ellen Counts

Patrick H Hayes

Seetharama C Deevi

Charles T Higgins

Grier S Fleischhauer

Peter J Lipowicz

Michael L Watkins

Willie G Houck, Jr

Billy J Keen, Jr

William H Stevens

Constance H Nichols

Mantharam Subbiah

Donald E Miser

Mohammad R Hajalogol

Susan E Wrenn

F Murphy Sprinkel, Jr

Francis V Utsch

D Bruce Losee

Constance H Morgan

Ulysses Smith

Mohammad R Hajaligol

A Clifton Lilly, Jr

Herbert Herman

Alfred L Collins

Joseph L Banyasz

David A Lowitz

Aubrey T Burton

Robert V Gansert

A smoking system is provided in which a replaceable cigarette containing tobacco flavor material is electrically heated by a set of electrical heater elements contained within a lighter to evolve tobacco flavors or other components in vapor or aerosol form for delivery to a smoker. The cigarette and lighter are adapted to provide air flow patterns through the smoking system such that air flows transversely into the cigarette. Such patterns improve aerosol and flavor delivery to the smoker and reduce the condensation of residual heater-region vapor/aerosol in the smoking system.

Electrical heater of an electrical smoking system

Electrical smoking system

Method of manufacturing an electrical heater

Electrical smoking system for delivering flavors and method for making

A cylindrical tube is provided of a mechanically strong and flexible electrical conductor such as a metal and has a plurality of separated regions. An electrically insulating layer such as a ceramic is applied on the outer surface except for one exposed portion. Electrically resistive heaters are then applied to the insulated regions and are electrically connected at one end to the underlying electrical conducting region. The electrical conductor is connected to the negative terminal of a power source. The other end of all the heaters are adapted to be connected to the positive terminal of the source. Accordingly, an electrically resistive heating circuit is formed wherein the tube serves as a common for all of the heating elements. The tubular heater can comprise an exposed end hub with a plurality of blades extending therefrom. Each blade can have an individual heater deposited thereon. Alternatively, every other blade can have a heater deposited thereon. The blades having no heater function as barriers to minimize outward escape of generated vapors. These barrier blades also function as heat sinks for the heaters on adjacent blades.

Tubular heater for use in an electrical smoking article

An article is provided in which a tobacco flavor medium is electrically heated to evolve inhalable tobacco flavors or other components in vapor or aerosol form. The article has a plurality of charges of the tobacco flavor medium which are heated sequentially to provide individual puffs.

Electrical smoking article

An article is provided in which a flavor generating medium is electrically heated to evolve inhalable flavors or other components in vapor or aerosol form. The article has a plurality of charges of the flavor generating medium which are heated sequentially to provide individual puffs.

Flavor generating article

A millimeter wave detector for detecting missing cigarette packs or other types of objects in a set of objects is provided. The detector uses millimeter wave radiation at about 90 GHz to resolve small features of the objects being scanned. The detector can detect defects or missing packs in configurations that would not be detected by previously known detectors.

Method and apparatus for detecting a missing object in a set of objects

Growing community of inventors

Richmond, VA, United States of America

Bernard C LaRoy