Molins Plc

Nicoventures Holdings Limited

Thomas J. Lipton Co., Division of Conopco, Inc.

Nicoventures Trading Limited

British American Tobacco (investments) Limited

Thomas J. Lipton Co.,

David Robert Seaward

Geoffrey W Vernon

Michael J Cahill

Thomas William Bailey

Walid Abi Aoun

Edward Dennis John

Paul Davis

Philip Gordon Haddow

Graham L Shirley

Bryan Allbutt

Mark Patrick Campbell Ewing

Malcolm Charles Kerry

David Phasey

Alexandre Julien Jezequel

James Goodwin

Andrew John Cleall

Ivan Yehudi Hirsh

Kevin R Fincham

Peter Ernest Willett

Stephen William Bird

Roderick Leslie Mitchell

Peter John Whitlock

Jeffrey J Patchett

Alan Michael Aindow

Adrian Mark Hinkley

Roderick L Mitchell

Mark Geoffrey Somers

Clive Davison

Stuart David Whitehouse

Michael John Cahill

There is described an apparatus for heating an aerosol generating material to generate an inhalable aerosol or gas. The apparatus includes a housing; a receptacle within the housing, the receptacle including one or more cavities, each cavity for containing an aerosol generating material; and a heating arrangement including one or more heater elements for heating aerosol generating material contained in the one or more cavities to generate an inhalable aerosol or gas. The one or more heater elements are located externally of the one or more cavities.

Apparatus for heating aerosol generating material

A cartridge for use in a vapor provision system includes an inner container holding a reservoir of fluid to be vaporized, and an outer housing having a mouthpiece formed therein, wherein the outer housing extends in a longitudinal direction along the outside of the inner container for at least a substantial portion of the inner container. The inner container and outer housing are provided with a latch mechanism to retain the inner container within the outer housing.

Vapor provision system and cartridge therefor

There is described an apparatus for heating an aerosol generating material to generate an inhalable aerosol and/or gas. The apparatus includes a housing; a receptacle within the housing, the receptacle including one or more cavities, each cavity for containing an aerosol generating material; and a heating arrangement including one or more heater elements for heating aerosol generating material contained in the one or more cavities to generate an inhalable aerosol and/or gas. The one or more heater elements are located externally of the one or more cavities.

Scalloped cigarette packet

Infusion package

A vertical form, fill and seal (VFFS) packaging machine comprising a pair of sealing jaws ( ) mounted directly or indirectly on parallel shafts ( ) for rotation in opposite directions on opposite sides of the path of the packaging material ( ) so that the jaws engage the packaging material simultaneously on opposite sides to form successive horizontal seals, and stripping means comprising, in association with the sealing jaw on each side of the path of the packaging material, a pair of stripper carriers ( ) mounted for rotation around the corresponding shaft at or near the respective ends thereof, or about an axis parallel to the shaft, a horizontal stripper bar ( B; A; A; ) mounted at its respective ends on the two stripper carriers and arranged to be movable with respect to the stripper carriers so that the stripper bar can engage the packaging film along a predetermined vertical stripping path along which, in cooperation with a similar stripper bar associated with the sealing jaw on the other side of the packaging material, it acts to displace downwards any product which might otherwise be trapped in the area of the seal, the stripper carriers being arranged to be rotated faster than the shafts at least while the stripper bars are performing each stripping operation.

Packaging machinery

A method is disclosed of forming a bag having a bottom seal from a web of sealable sheet material which is formed into a tube ( ) by sealing opposite longitudinal edge portions of the sheet material one to another. The method comprises feeding the tube ( ) in flattened form further along a feed path to a severing station ( ), severing the flattened tube ( ) in passage through the severing station ( ) into individual flattened bag lengths ( ) by passage between a rotary knife ( ) and a counter blade ( &prime;), feeding the individual flattened bag lengths ( ) longitudinally along the feed path to a sealing station ( ), and applying pressure, and possibly also heat, to opposite faces of an end portion of each flattened bag length ( ) as it passes through the sealing station ( ) by means of blocks ( ) for a predetermined time which is longer than the period between severing that bag length ( ) from the flattened tube ( ) and severing the next bag length ( ) from the flattened tube ( ) while continuing to feed the flattened bag length ( ) longitudinally along the feed path thereby to form a bottom seal ( ) for the bag. Preferably the flattened tube ( ) is formed with gussets ( ). The blocks ( ) can be heated if the web is made of a heat sealable material. The heater bars ( ) for the gussets ( ) can be mounted on a different, more lightly spring loaded, mounting block from that for the heater bar ( ) which forms the transverse bottom seal ( ). By using rollers ( ) and making blocks ( ) move slightly faster than the speed of the flattened tube ( ) prior to severance of the bag length ( ) it can be ensured that the bag lengths ( ) are positively severed from the flattened tube ( ) despite possible wear of, or damage to, the cutter blades ( &prime;). Registration of the printing on the web ( ) so that the blocks ( ) contact the web ( ) in appropriate position to form the bottom seal ( ) can be achieved, when the desired registration is disturbed, by temporarily varying the feed speed of the web ( ) with respect to the speed of rotation of the rotary knife ( ) so as to vary temporarily the lengths of the bag lengths ( ) severed from the tube ( ) until the desired registration is re-established.

Method and apparatus for obtaining individual web sections from a web of sheet material

An apparatus and method for evacuating and sealing a bag ( ) made of a sealable material and containing a charge ( ) of a comminuted or other flowable product, such as roasted and ground coffee. The bag ( ) is positioned with its open upper end around a sleeve ( ) through which a hollow probe ( ) can be extended. A pair of upper jaw members (UJ) close to form an outer temporary seal about an upper region of the bag above an intermediate region of the bag which is also above the level of the surface of the charge ( ) in the bag ( ) where a permanent seal is to be formed. A pair of lower jaws members (LJ) close to form an inner temporary seal about a lower region of the bag below the upper and intermediate regions and above the surface of the charge ( ) in the bag ( ). With the probe ( ) extended through the sleeve ( ) into the bag ( ), the bag ( ) is evacuated through the probe ( ). After evacuation is completed and after withdrawal of the hollow probe ( ), a pair of sealing members (HJ) close against the intermediate region of the bag ( ) in order to form a permanent seal for the bag ( ). Provision may be made for bleed back into the bag ( ), after evacuation thereof, of a small amount of a desirable material such as an aroma fraction or an inert gas such as CO or N .

Apparatus and method for formation of sealed packages

Packaging machine with a stripping device

Web cutting apparatus

A container, such as a cardboard carton, has a carrying handle secured by a fixing element at an attachment zone adjacent each end of the handle to opposite side walls of the container. The fixing elements each have a shaft portion transverse to the plane of respective attachment zones extending through the container wall, the shaft portion having a barb extending outwardly on the shaft and engaging with the container to retain the fixing element in position. The handle is attached to the container side wails by forcing the fixing elements through the side walls at the respective attachment zones.

Container with carrying handle

Successive flat skillets (S) are picked from a stack (12) and fed to a conveyor (2) by a mechanism which has devices gripping adjacent side faces to a fold line of a skillet to open the skillets to their tubular form during the transfer movement. The gripping devices (22,24) pivot on an axis coincident with the skillet fold line to allow the skillet to be opened to its full tubular form without distortion. The mechanism is so arranged that the skillet reservoir stack (12) can be oriented in a plane substantially parallel to the conveyor path for the opened skillets, in order to minimize space requirements.

Handling partly completed containers

Packets are produced by forming a continuous web (W) of packaging material into a tubular form around a tube (4) through which the packet filling material is delivered, the individual packets being sealed and severed from the web as each dose of filling material is delivered. A valve (24) to control the dosing is provided at the exit end of the delivery tube. The sealing and severing of the packets is performed by mutually transverse pairs of rotors (36, 38) the arms (92) of which interdigitate to make successive seals in mutually transverse directions, so forming tetrahedral packets.

Apparatus and method for producing packets

Growing community of inventors

Coventry, United Kingdom

David Robert Seaward