R.j. Reynolds Tobacco Company

Franklin Forrest Brantley

Balager Ademe

Timothy Frederick Thomas

Calvin Wayne Henderson

Darrell Thomas Dixon

Eddie Nuckols

John Larkin Nelson

Vernon Brent Barnes

William Robert Collett

Robert William Benford

Travis Eugene Howard

Brent Walker Carter

Larry McCann

Gregory J Roberts

Van Loren Gough

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

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

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Winston-Salem, NC, United States of America

Franklin Forrest Brantley