Philip Morris Inc.

Philip Morris USA Inc.

Philip Morris Products S.a.

Gordon H Bokelman

Robert M Rogers

Maria Shulleeta

Sheryl D Baldwin

Susan S Tafur

Steven Frederick Spiers

Edward B Sanders

Barbro L Goodman

Thomas A Fletcher

Yeu-Hwa Shyy

Walter P Hempfling

Boris Lydell Kizzie

Robert N Ferguson

Dewitt T Gooden, Iii

Alfred Shahmoradian

Jay A Fournier

Gus D Keritsis

John Bryant Paine, Iii

Kenneth F Podraza

Jeffrey I Seeman

Andrew G Kallianos

James L Myracle

Navin Gautam

Dick Hilliard

Bogdan N Alexander

Barton Floyd

Andrew D Struckhoff

Lee C Cramer

D Anh Phan

Jeffery L Allen

Mark Roth

Harold T Hinson

Timothy F Gacek

Newton E Kalengamaliro

Dewitt J Gooden, Iii

Ernest S Houck

David J Kraske

Bradford Charles Reynolds

A facility and method steps for air curing tobacco in an enclosure include hanging the tobacco in the enclosure-having at least one vertically arranged air duct positioned in a central portion of the enclosure, at least one in-line fan positioned in a vertical portion of the at least one vertically arranged air duct, at least one ventilating fan located in an upper portion of the enclosure and at least one openable and closeable opening in at least one side wall of the enclosure. The humidity within the enclosure is lowered by opening the openable and closeable openings in at least one side wall of the enclosure and forcing warm air from the top of the enclosure down through the tobacco within the enclosure by operating the ventilation fans located in a top portion of the enclosure. Humidity is raised within the enclosure by closing the openable and closeable side openings and introducing water or other aqueous solutions into the vertical air ducts while operating the in-line fans within the air ducts to diffuse the moisture and drive it upwards for warming and uniform distribution throughout the barn.

Tobacco curing barn

A facility and method steps for air curing tobacco in an enclosure include hanging the tobacco in the enclosure having at least one vertically arranged air duct positioned in a central portion of the enclosure, at least one in-line fan positioned in a vertical portion of the at least one vertically arranged air duct, at least one ventilating fan located in an upper portion of the enclosure and at least one openable and closeable opening in at least one side wall of the enclosure. The humidity within the enclosure is lowered by opening the openable and closeable openings in at least one side wall of the enclosure and forcing warm air from the top of the enclosure down through the tobacco within the enclosure by operating the ventilation fans located in a top portion of the enclosure. Humidity is raised within the enclosure by closing the openable and closeable side openings and introducing water or other aqueous solutions into the vertical air ducts while operating the in-line fans within the air ducts to diffuse the moisture and drive it upwards for warming and uniform distribution throughout the barn.

Tobacco is treated before or during curing to lower or eliminate bacterial populations and/or activity, fungal growth, and/or tobacco-specific nitrosamine or bacterial endotoxin levels in the cured tobacco, wherein the tobacco is treated with an effective amount of a wash solution. Air-cured tobacco may be cured in four weeks or less when treated with a wash solution of bicarbonate salts.

Method for reduction of tobacco specific nitrosamines

Tobacco is treated with an effective amount of one or more bactericidal gases before or during curing to reduce or eliminate bacteria, bacterial activity and/or fungal activity from tobacco leaves, and/or to reduce or eliminate the amount of tobacco-specific nitrosamine or bacterial endotoxin in cured tobacco leaves. Cured tobacco is treated with an effective amount of one or more bactericidal gases before or during storage to reduce or eliminate bacteria, bacterial activity and/or fungal activity from the cured tobacco.

A station optically inspects banded cigarette paper by directing an elongated beam of white light laterally across a web of the cigarette paper. The elongated beam impinges on the surface of the cigarette paper and forms reflections. A plurality of line scan camera containing linear CCD arrays receive the reflections and generate output signals. One or more processing units process the output signals to generate data indicative of the spacing between bands, the width of the bands, and the contrast of the bands. These calculations can be periodically transferred to a separate computer workstation over a network. The workstation generates statistical reports on the basis of the calculations, such as the band width, band spacing and band contrast as a function of lane number, and as a function of time. The statistical reports provide a convenient way of quickly detecting irregularities in application of the bands. According to exemplary embodiments, the inspection station is designed for installation in a cigarette paper manufacturing system.

Optical inspection system for the manufacture of banded cigarette paper

An optical inspection system mounts on a cigarette making machine or like system and detects the presence of bands having irregular widths or spacings. In response to the detection of irregular bands, the optical inspection system instructs the cigarette making machine to reject cigarettes which will be subsequently made from portions of the cigarette paper containing the irregular bands. The optical inspection system includes a sensor which can accommodate different types of cigarette paper and band material having varying reflectance properties. In operation, sensor circuitry detects the range of voltages produced by a sensor detector, and formulates a peak value (or average peak value) for the range of voltages. The circuitry then takes a percentage of this peak value to form a threshold value. This threshold value is compared with the AC signal from the sensor detector. If the AC signal exceeds the threshold, then the circuitry asserts a signal to indicate that a band is present. The output of the sensor is fed to a computer. The computer detects whether the bands detected by the sensor have regular band spacing and width.

Cigarette making machine including band inspection

A rewinder machine optically inspects banded paper unwound from a first bobbin by directing an elongated beam of light laterally across the paper. The elongated beam impinges the surface of the paper and forms reflections. A line scan camera containing a linear CCD array receives the reflections and generates output signals. A line scan processor processes the output signals to generate data indicative of the spacing between bands, the width of the bands, and the contrast of the bands. These calculations may be periodically transferred to a separate computer workstation over a network. The workstation generates statistical reports on the basis of the calculations, such as the band width, band spacing and band contrast as a function of lane number, and as a function of time. After being inspected by the camera, the paper is rewound on a rewind bobbin. Various mechanical features of the rewind machine allow rapid mounting and removal of bobbins of paper, and provide for high speed operation.

Bobbin optical inspection system

This invention refers to a paper having crossdirectional regions having increased basis weight. The paper of this invention is especially useful as a wrapping material for a smoking article. The paper may be produced by depositing additional material onto a moving base web in a papermaking machine. The additional material is deposited by means of a rotating drum containing a plurality of slits through which the additional material passes.

Paper having crossdirectional regions of variable basis weight

The sidestream smoke associated with a cigarette or cigarette-like smoking article is reduced by wrapping the tobacco in a paper wrapper having an additive, such as an organic acid, an acidic or neutral salt or an organic acid in combination with an acidic salt or neutral salt added thereto.

Wrapper for a smoking article

The sidestream smoke associated with a cigarette or cigarette-like smoking article is reduced by wrapping the tobacco in a paper wrapper having a burn modifier, such as an acidic salt, added thereto. Preferably the paper wrapper has a high basis weight and low porosity.

The sidestream smoke associated with a cigarette or cigarette-like smoking article is reduced by wrapping the tobacco in a single sheet of paper having multiple layers.

Multiple layer cigarette paper for reducing sidestream smoke

An improved smoking article wrapper which significantly reduces sidestream smike using magnesium carbonate in the form of magnesite as a filler. Smoking articles which employ the wrappers exhibit a significant reduction in sidestream smoke without adverse effect on subjective characteristics.

Magnesite composition filler for smoking article wrapper

An artificial method of curing green tobacco is provided wherein the tobacco is exposed to sulfur dioxide gas. Curing can be effected by completely contacting the tobacco with sulfur dioxide gas and thereafter allowing the tobacco to brown until the desired color is achieved.

Tobacco curing method

Harvested green tobacco is cured by photobleaching followed by thermal browning. Photobleaching is preferably effected after incubation in vapors of an organic liquid or steam.

Method of curing tobacco

A process for artificially curing mature green tobacco is provided wherein the tobacco is immersed in an acidic medium and incubated therein at at least room temperature until the desired color develops. Incubation at pH 1.5 to 3.5 at about 50.degree. C. for as little as 3 hours may be sufficient to eliminate the green color and green smoke taste and odor of the tobacco.

Growing community of inventors

Chesterfield, VA, United States of America

Gordon H Bokelman