R.j. Reynolds Tobacco Company

Darrell Thomas Dixon

Balager Ademe

Timothy Frederick Thomas

Calvin Wayne Henderson

Franklin Forrest Brantley

Larry McCann

Eddie Nuckols

John Larkin Nelson

Vernon Brent Barnes

William Robert Collett

Robert William Benford

Travis Eugene Howard

Brent Walker Carter

Gregory J Roberts

Larry Dean McCann

An inspection system and associated method are provided for inspecting a smoking article having a smokable rod and a filter element serially secured together by a tipping material circumscribing a longitudinal periphery of the filter element and a portion of a longitudinal periphery of the smokable rod adjacent to the filter element. A transport device is configured to transport individual as-formed smoking articles from a first to a second position such that the tipping material associated with each smoking article is accessible at least about the portion of the longitudinal periphery of the smoking article. An inspection device is configured to optically inspect each smoking article, at least about the portion of the longitudinal periphery of the smoking article having the tipping material, as the smoking article is transported between the first and second positions, and to automatically determine from the optical inspection whether the inspected smoking article is defective.

Filtered smoking article inspection system, and associated method

An apparatus and associated method are provided for sorting objects as having one of an accepted and rejected status. The apparatus includes a hopper assembly configured to receive a plurality of objects and to release the objects through a release port associated therewith. A first object sorting arrangement is in communication with the hopper assembly and is configured to receive the objects therefrom. The first object sorting arrangement includes a first inclined member in communication with the hopper assembly for directing the objects to a first deflector member spaced-apart from the first inclined member. Objects deflected over a first wall member spaced-apart from the first deflector member, the first deflector member being disposed between the first inclined member and the first wall member have an accepted status, while objects directed into a first channel disposed between the first deflector member and the first wall member have a rejected status.

Apparatus for sorting objects, and associated method

A system and associated method for analyzing a filter element of at least one of a filter rod and a smoking article is provided. At least one sensor element is adapted to interact with the filter element so as to determine an object insertion status with respect thereto and to generate an output signal in response. The object insertion status includes at least one of an object presence within the filter element, an object absence from the filter element, a proper insertion of an object into the filter element, a defective insertion of an object into the filter element, a proper object within the filter element, and a defective object within the filter element. An analysis unit is in communication with the at least one sensor element and responsive to the output signal therefrom to generate an indicia corresponding to the object insertion status.

System for analyzing a filter element associated with a smoking article, and associated method

Growing community of inventors

Clemmons, NC, United States of America

Darrell Thomas Dixon