Philip Morris USA Inc.

Philip Morris Inc.

Jewett Automation, Inc.

Philip Morris Products S.a.

George Robert Scott

Martin T Garthaffner

James David Evans

Barry Scott Smith

Steven R Rinehart

Steven Frederick Spiers

Edwin L Cutright

Travis Martin Garthaffner

Jeremy Jay Straight

A Clifton Lilly, Jr

Lixin Xue

Kent Brian Koller

Billy J Keen, Jr

Charles Gary Atwell

James A DeBlasio

Harry V Lanzillotti

Warren E Claflin

Steven M Campbell

Alfred L Collins

Renzer R Ritt, Sr

Liqun Yu

Qiong Gao

Martin Heidorn

Richard B Reich

Charles Thomas

William R Hardesty

Roger L Hopkins

David Goldstein

Tim Sherwood

Billy J Kean, Jr

Richard H Dickerson

William L Kelly

Martin W Heidorn

Steven Speirs

Process and apparatus for the mass production of compound cigarette filters function to deposit granular filter material into the open ends of vertically oriented filter tubes. Predetermined amounts of diverse granular material are withdrawn by suction from sources of such material, and these amounts are deposited into the tubes. Solid filter segments seal the granular material within the tube. After one half of each filter tube is filled with granular material and sealed, the tube is inverted and the opposite end is filled in substantially the same manner. When cut in half each filter tube produces two cigarette filters.

Vertical filter filling machine and process

A bead feeder for serially delivering beads to a downstream location comprises a bead supply wheel which rotates about a vertical axis. The bead supply wheel includes a bead supply bowl and a plurality of radially arranged channels below the bowl connected to rotate with the bowl. Discharge openings in the bowl are in alignment with the radially arranged channels to delivery beads to those channels, and a bead receiving pocket is positioned at the outer end of each channel. A transfer wheel picks up beads from the bead receiving pockets and transfers those beads to a delivery wheel by vacuum transfer and release. The delivery wheel serially delivers the beads to the downstream location.

Bead feeder

A process of impregnating fine adsorbent particles such as carbon dust or APS silica gel powder into the micro-cavities of shaped fibers comprises the steps of continuously conveying shaped fibers with micro-cavities to a reservoir of the fine adsorbent particles. The fibers pass through the reservoir to thereby produce relative motion between the fibers and the particles. Additionally, impact forces are created between the shaped fibers and the fine particles to assist in impregnating the particles into the micro-cavities of the fibers. Any excess particles are removed from the fibers outside the reservoir, and subsequently the shaped fibers impregnated with fine adsorbent particles are collected for later use in filter applications such as cigarette filter and air filter applications, for example.

Continuous process for impregnating solid adsorbent particles into shaped micro-cavity fibers and fiber filters

A method and apparatus for delivering predetermined amounts of particulate material and/or plasticizer to a location remote from the particulate material, and a cigarette filter and a cigarette made according to the method and apparatus.

Method and apparatus for producing particle bearing filter rod

A process for transforming the round shafts of nails into a multi-vaned profile involves supplying an oriented sequence of abuting identical nails to an indexing operation where the nails are separated and uniformly oriented, then feeding the nails head first downwardly into the nip of rolls which secure each nail by its head and form the round shaft of each secured nail into a multi-vaned profile. Apparatus for performing the nail transforming process includes an indexing mechanism, a downward feeding mechanism, and a set of forming rolls positioned to rotate in vertical planes.

Process and apparatus for the production of star profile nails

Methods and apparatus are provided for transferring a metered charge of granular material from a bulk source to an individual receptacle at high speed. The apparatus comprises a nozzle having suction and positive ports, a screen disposed within the nozzle, and suction and positive pressure sources that selectively communicate with the suction and pressure ports to sequentially engage a charge of granular material from a bulk source and then expel the charge of granular material into a receptacle. The apparatus includes a controller for selectively actuating valves connecting the suction and positive pressure ports to the suction and positive pressure sources. Methods of transferring a discrete charge of the granular material from a bulk reservoir to an individual receptacle are also provided.

Apparatus and methods for transferring and metering granular material

Methods and apparatus are provided for sorting and transporting cylindrical articles from a jumbled mass into a continuous stream of uniformly spaced articles aligned end-to-end. The methods include the steps of sorting, spacing and incorporating the spaced apart articles into component assemblies. The invention apparatus comprises a bowl feeder, a series of frictional, suction and lugged belt conveyors and a plurality of vacuum transfer and assembly drums. The apparatus includes a plurality of sensors, a control system and transmission systems for regulating the sorting and transfer of the articles, for synchronizing transfer of the articles between apparatus subsystems, and for incorporating the articles into component assemblies.

Methods and apparatus for feeding and assembling cylindrical articles

A web is electrically perforated at high hole density by applying alternating-current voltage across an electrode pair facing the web while pressurized gas is supplied to the electrode gap. Voltage amplitude level and gas flow and direction thereof are selected to provide for the striking of multiple arcs per half-cycle, thereby enabling reduction in spacing between adjacent perforations in the web. Perforation practice involving preselection of cigarette filter tipping paper based on chemical composition of the paper is also disclosed as is apparatus for use in implementing the described practices, wherein electrode support members have gas flow conduits formed integrally therewith and wherein webs are taken up by a capstan drive unit resiliently biased into engagement with a web take-up roll.

Apparatus for electrical perforation of webs

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Midlothian, VA, United States of America

George Robert Scott