British American Tobacco (investments) Limited

Nicoventures Trading Limited

Tobacco Research and Development Institute (proprietary) Limited

International Tobacco Machinery Poland Sp. Z O.o.

British American Tobacco Japan, Limited

Tobacco Research and Development Institute Limited

British American Tobacco Limited

Gary Fallon

Andrew Jonathan Bray

Gerhard Malin Le Roux

John Richardson

Kie Seon Park

Karl Kaljura

Arnold Leslie Herholdt

Martin Paul Fuller

Walid Abi Aoun

James Stembridge

Andrew Cleall

Thomas Grunfeld

Geoffrey Vernon

Paul Gibson

Richard Hepworth

Julian Darryn White

Martin Daniel Horrod

Sam Whiffen

Kav Ghanouni

Jeonghwan Park

Kevin David Blick

Robert Whiffen

Gerhard Malan Le Roux

Benjamin Taylor

Ian King

Mark Austin

Mike Simpson

Julian Dennis White

Kaveh Ghanouni

Frank Beckmann

Gerhard Le Roux

Chris Daly

Winfried Böttcher

Roger Beck

Anthony Bray

Frédéric Louis

Martin John Horrod

Thomas Bailey

Nicholas Fox

Matthew Hodgson

Gerhard Leroux

Martin Fuller

Martin Horrod

Julian White

A die or die assembly for forming a bundle of fibres into a rod or tube includes a body defining a passage for conducting the bundle fibres through the die from an inlet to an outlet, a constriction in the passage having an entrance shaped to form the fibres of the bundle into a desired configuration as the bundle passes through the die, and one or more conduits through which a treatment fluid e.g. steam, for curing the bundle of fibres may be introduced into the passage, and wherein at last one conduit is arranged to discharge fluid in the immediate vicinity of the entrance to the constriction to facilitate passage of the fibres through the die and reduce the risk of blockage.

Die, die assembly, equipment and method for forming rods of fibrous material

There is described a cartridge for use with an apparatus for heating aerosol generating material to volatilize at least one component of the aerosol generating material. The cartridge includes a first body defining a first chamber and aerosol generating material is located within the first chamber. The first body includes a first base including a sheet of heat conductive material and has a first outer surface and at least a major portion of the first outer surface is for contacting a first heating surface of a heater of the apparatus for heating the aerosol generating material within the first chamber.

Apparatus for heating aerosol generating material and a cartridge for the apparatus

There is disclosed a separator drum () for tobacco industry product assembly apparatus. The separator drum has a plurality of segments () arranged to form at least a part of a peripheral surface of the separator drum. Each segment has at least one flute () and at most four flutes (). Each flute () is adapted to carry a rod of aerosolisable material () as the separator drum rotates during use. Each segment () is slidably mounted to the separator drum () for axial movement.

Separator drum

Equipment for forming a tubular rod from a bundle of fibrous material comprising a mandrel constructed to form a space within the bundle of fibres; the mandrel includes a passage for delivering a treatment fluid to facilitate the formation of the fibres into a tubular structure as the fibre bundle as the bundle passes over the mandrel.

Methods and equipment for forming tubes of fibrous material

A method of, and equipment for gathering fibres entrained a gas stream, for example by melt blowing, comprises an enclosure having an inlet, through which a gas stream carrying entrained fibres may be directed into the enclosure, a fibre outlet from which an assembly of gathered fibres may be withdrawn from the enclosure and an exhaust outlet through which gas may pass out of the enclosure. The enclosure is constructed to provide a pathway for the fibres from the inlet to the fibre outlet in which surplus gas in the gas stream is separated from the entrained fibres and directed to the exhaust outlet, thereby reducing turbulence in the fibres in the enclosure which may affect the quality of the finished assembly.

Methods and equipment for gathering fibres

Equipment for forming a tubular rod of fibrous material comprises: a gathering station constructed to receive a continuous supply of fibres and to gather the fibres into a bundle as the fibres advance through the equipment; a divider arranged in the path of the fibres through the equipment and constructed to from a cleft along the length of the bundle as it advances through the equipment; a mandrel positioned in the path of the bundle of fibres in alignment with the divider and constructed to form the cleft into a passage through the bundle of fibres as the bundle of fibres advances over the mandrel; and a die constructed and arranged to cooperate with the mandrel to form the fibres in a tubular configuration around the mandrel.

Disclosed is an induction coil arrangement for use with an apparatus for heating smokable material to volatilize at least one component of the smokable material. The induction coil arrangement includes a plate having opposite first and second sides, a first flat spiral coil of electrically-conductive material mounted on the first side of the plate, and a second flat spiral coil of electrically-conductive material mounted on the second side of the plate.

Induction coil arrangement for heating smokable material

A die or die assembly for forming a bundle of fibres into a rod or tube comprises a body () defining a passage) for conducting the bundle fibres through the die from an inlet to an outlet, a constriction () in the passage having an entrance shaped to form the fibres of the bundle into a desired configuration as the bundle passes through the die, and one or more conduits () through which a treatment fluid e.g. steam, for curing the bundle of fibres may be introduced into the passage, and wherein at last one conduit is arranged to discharge fluid in the immediate vicinity of the entrance to the constriction to facilitate passage of the fibres through the die and reduce the risk of blockage.

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for use with an RLC resonance circuit for inductive heating of a susceptor of an aerosol generating device. The apparatus is arranged to determine a resonant frequency of the RLC resonance circuit; and determine, based on the determined resonant frequency, a first frequency for the RLC resonance circuit for causing the susceptor to be inductively heated, the first frequency being above or below the determined resonant frequency. The apparatus may be arranged to control a drive frequency of the RLC resonance circuit to be at the determined first frequency in order to heat the susceptor. Also disclosed is an aerosol generating device including the apparatus.

Apparatus for a resonance circuit

An apparatus and associated methods for cutting and arranging rods for use in a tobacco industry product assembly machine, the apparatus including a first cutting mechanism for cutting a four-length rod into first and second axially-aligned double-length rods where each double-length rod has respective remote ends, a positioning mechanism for moving at least one of the first and second double-length rods such that said first and second double-length rods are moved from a first configuration in axial-alignment, to a second configuration in which the first and second double-length rods are out of axial alignment and the axes of the first and second double-length rods are parallel and spaced apart, and the remote ends of said first and second double-length rods are substantially aligned with each other.

Cutting and arranging rods for tobacco industry products

A method of determining the density of an elongate rod of material as it travels in a longitudinal direction through an inspection zone of apparatus for determining the density of an elongate rod of material is disclosed. The method comprises: positioning an X-ray generator of said apparatus to transmit X-rays in a direction across the elongate rod and towards a detector of said apparatus, as the elongate rod travels in a longitudinal direction through said inspection zone of said apparatus; supplying a voltage to the X-ray generator of between 20 to 80 kV to transmit the X-rays at a predetermined intensity; detecting the intensity of the X-rays transmitted through the elongate rod using the detector, and determining a density of the elongate rod based on a comparison of the predetermined and detected intensities. A method of manufacturing tobacco industry products that includes the above inspection method is also disclosed, together with apparatus for determining the density of an elongate rod of material.

Rod inspection method and apparatus

A method of, and equipment for gathering fibres () entrained a gas stream, for example by melt blowing, comprises an enclosure () having an inlet (), through which a gas stream carrying entrained fibres () may be directed into the enclosure (), a fibre outlet () from which an assembly of gathered fibres () may be withdrawn from the enclosure () and an exhaust outlet () through which gas may pass out of the enclosure (). The enclosure () is constructed to provide a pathway for the fibres () from the inlet () to the fibre outlet () in which surplus gas in the gas stream is separated from the entrained fibres () and directed to the exhaust outlet (), thereby reducing turbulence in the fibres () in the enclosure () which may affect the quality of the finished assembly.

A flavouring component () for a smoking article () comprising a rod () of flavouring material (). The flavouring material () comprises a carrier material () and flavouring particles () adhered to the carrier material () by means of a binder (). The flavouring material () is formed by passing the carrier material () through a mixture () comprising the binder () and the flavouring particles (). Also disclosed is a smoking article () including such a flavouring component (), and an apparatus () and method for manufacturing such a flavouring component ().

Flavouring component, and apparatus and method for manufacturing a flavouring component

A pack having a group of tobacco industry products wrapped in a laminate to form a bundle is disclosed. The pack has a base containing the bundle, and a lid mounted to the base for rotation between open and closed positions. The laminate has an outer layer having a first cut that defines an outer layer region bounded by said first cut and, an inner layer having a second cut that defines an inner layer region bounded by said second cut. The inner layer region lies within the outer layer region. A part of the outer layer region is attached to an inside surface of the lid such that, as the lid is rotated into its open position, the inner and outer layer regions are lifted causing the inner and outer layers to delaminate in a peripheral region between the first and second cuts and an opening to be created in the laminate.

Pack of tobacco industry products including an adhesive-free region

Growing community of inventors

London, United Kingdom

Gary Fallon