Philip Morris Inc.

Power Systems & Controls, Inc.

Charles W Harris

Barry Scott Smith

Donald H Jones

John Mathew Adams

Susan E Wrenn

Mary Ellen Counts

Billy J Keen, Jr

Robert L Ripley

Wesley G Sanderson

Masato Sano

H Neal Nunnally

Brett W Stevenson

Charles A Gregory

Mikhail S Braunshteyn

Douglas Puckett

Jeff Swepston

Gil Juarez

Gerald M Dale

A cigarette inspection device includes four sensors, two for sensing the ends and one for sensing the middle portion of a cigarette to detect loose tobacco and filter presence at the ends, and the presence of a foil band at the middle portion. The fourth sensor provides machine timing information to determine the three conditions of detection. Binary information is then input to a PLC for data reduction and rejection, if the conditions are not present. The program in the PLC allows the end of the cigarette to be scanned multiple times for loose tobacco. Also, foil sensing and filter sensing are done along with the loose tobacco sensing. A shift register is loaded with the resultant detection data, and a reject valve or similar device is operated to remove faulty cigarettes from the product stream.

Cigarette inspection device

A cigarette identifier system comprising an infrared emitter and an infrared detector located across an opening of a cigarette receiver, wherein the sensor registers changes in the transmission of the infrared beam across the opening so as to detect the differences in transmissivity of dense and less dense and portions of an inserted cigarette.

Lighter actuation system

A method of manufacturing cigarettes including the steps of establishing a succession of 2-up hollow plugs in alternating relation to 2-up tobacco plugs and wrapping same in a tobacco web and overwrap, severing the resultant continuous rod at mid points of preselected 2-up tobacco plugs and severing again to establish associated pairs of singular tobacco rod plugs, separating the members of associated pairs of tobacco rod plugs and placing 2-up filter tipping plugs therebetween, and subsequently wrapping the interposed 2-up filter tipping plug together with adjacent portions of the singular tobacco rod plugs and severing the resultant tipped structure into individual cigarettes. Also provided are cigarettes constructed in accordance with the novel method.

Cigarette and method of manufacturing cigarette for electrical smoking

A microcomputer for installation in one vehicle for computing and displaying the average speed of another vehicle in which display and data input are actuated simultaneously to minimize peripheral connections and in which provision is made for measureent of speed in real time.

Microcomputer device having simultaneous input and output functions

Growing community of inventors

Chesterfield, VA, United States of America

Charles W Harris