R.j. Reynolds Tobacco Company

Other

Douglas C Clark

Jack F Clearman

Max N Baker

Vernon Brent Barnes

Gary R Shelar

Michael D Shannon

Donald L Roberts

Barry L Saintsing

Gerhard Hensgen

John Douglas Weber

Anthony L Angel

Alfred Schubert

Dean C Butner

Colin Shaw McArthur

T Stephen Sink

Apparatus is described for inserting a component comprising an elongate cartridge containing an aerosol forming material, at one end of which there is a fuel element, within a jacket component comprising a rod, a sleeve of insulating material, or a combination thereof, the apparatus preferably providing for forming a passage in the jacket component and inserting the elongate cartridge therein. Preferably, the apparatus comprises a plurality of movably mounted stations for high speed manufacture of smoking articles.

Apparatus for assembling components of a smoking article

A method for making a smoking article is described wherein an aerosol generating cartridge is inserted into a sleeve, preferably having a tobacco insulating material. Also described are articles of manufacture having an elongate jacket module with a rod segment and an annular segment. The rod segment has a length of rod of fibrous material. Disposed logitudinally on either side of the rod segment is an annular segment of insulating material. Additionally, articles of manufacture useful for making smoking articles are described having an elongate structure with two or more repeating sections wherein each section preferably has a tobacco-containing spacer segment and mouthend segment.

Method for making a smoking article and components for use therein

An adjustable-delivery cigarette and method for producing same, whose strength delivery may be altered by the consumer in a range between higher and lower values. The cigarette includes a tobacco rod, with paper wrapper, and the filter assembly. An overwrap encircles the filter element and may also join the filter element to the tobacco rod. The overwrap has an adjustment zone formed therein, which may be in the form of a circumferential slot. The circumferential slot may extend partially through the overwrap, or may extend completely through the overwrap and partially through the filter plugwrap. In the latter instance, the filter plugwrap should be relatively impervious to airflow. Application by the consumer of a bending moment to the filter assembly results in the adjustment zone being ruptured, allowing a greater degree of air dilution, resulting in a decreased perceptible strength to the consumer. This adjustable-delivery cigarette can be manufactured conveniently using laser apparatus known to the art, modified and adjusted to achieve the desired levels of penetration.

Adjustable-delivery cigarette

A smoking article which delivers to a smoker during each puff a flowstream having a higher concentration of smoke during the first portion of the puff and a lower concentration of smoke during the remainder of the puff.

Puff control cigarette

Apparatus to accumulate automatically articles traveling between downstream and upstream machines in a production line. The accumulator includes an input magazine, a bin, and an output magazine. When the downstream machine ceases operation, a vertical plunger feeds articles into the input magazine, forming a stack. A loading plunger pushes the completed stack into the bin, where multiple stacks may be held, the stacks being moved from one position to another within the bin by a powered belt. To feed articles from the accumulator back into the production line, a stack is moved into the output magazine. There, a discharge plunger feeds successive lowermost articles in the output magazine onto an output conveyor. The output conveyor has at least twice the throughput capacity as the upstream machine, and articles from the accumulator may be merged into the production line stream, thus making up production time lost during shutdown of the downstream machine.

Automatic accumulator for rectangular articles

An optical laser beam chopper for converting a continuous beam into a series of scanning impulses for use in perforating a moving web is disclosed. The system utilizes a coherent light source which produces a beam for use in perforating a thin paper web of the type used in producing cigarette filters. The beam passes through a rotary chopper, or shutter, system which incorporates a plurality of rotary discs each of which carries one or more annular rings divided into segments. Selected segments on each ring are formed of a reflective material to act as mirrors for the laser beam, while the remaining segments are in the form of apertures which allow the beam to pass through the disc. By properly aligning the various apertures and reflective surfaces, rotation of the discs will cause the beam to be cyclically directed along a variety of paths through the disc arrangement to periodically strike selected target areas on an adjacent target such as a web of paper, the repetitive cycling causing the beam to scan the various target areas. In the preferred form of the invention, the beam produces spaced perforations in the web, with motion of the paper web in a direction perpendicular to the direction of scan of the beam producing longitudinal rows of perforations, adjacent perforations being spaced in accordance with the speed of the web and the rate of scanning. The rotary disc segments thus serve to chop the laser beam into short impulses, each of which is directed to a target area corresponding to the angular position of the rotary disc.

Rotary beam chopper and scanning system

A packaging handling system for detecting and rejecting faulty packages and for maintaining a packaging or boxing machine in operation for a specific period of time if one or the other goes down. The system comprises a plurality of photocell sensing units to detect the imperfectly formed packages and a means for rejecting the faulty packages. An accumulator is positioned in the conveyor line between the packaging machine and the boxer and will store a limited number of packages should the cartoning machine discontinue to operate and will feed a limited number of packages on the conveyor should the packaging machine become inoperative. When the system is utilized on a boxer being fed by two packers, a distribution table is also provided in the system to divide the work from one packer to both lines should the other packer cease to function.

Growing community of inventors

Winston-Salem, NC, United States of America

Douglas C Clark