R.j. Reynolds Tobacco Company

Other

Dominic Investment, Inc.

Japan Tobacco Inc.

John Larkin Nelson

Vernon Brent Barnes

Timothy Frederick Thomas

Travis Eugene Howard

Balager Ademe

Brent Walker Carter

Lloyd Harmon Hancock

Robert William Benford

Carl Carlton Greene, Jr

Michael Francis Dube

Barry Smith Fagg

Cynthia Stewart Stokes

Sydney Keith Seymour

Clifford R Marritt

Louis John Read, Jr

Stephen Thomas Matthews

Bain C McConnell

Philip Andrew Deal

Robert Leslie Oglesby

Gregory Alan Holmes

Michael G Baker

Mickey Lee Smith

Chris J Wilson

Ford Mitchell Shore

Robert J Fix, Sr

Rebecca Anne Rogers

John Fitzgerald

Russell Dean Barnes

Carl Carlton Greene

Jeffrey Kane Rogers

Donald Ross Wilkinson

William Robert Collett

James L Nelson

James W Pryor

August Joseph Borschke

Calvin Wayne Henderson

Samuel Mark Debusk

Donald R Wilkinson

Gary Lee Wood

Kenneth W White

Darrell Thomas Dixon

Larry McCann

Franklin Forrest Brantley

Timothy A Hobbs

Nancy Carol Huettel

Jannell Mills Rowe

Gregory J Roberts

Ronald Lee Rowe

John W Thompson

James T Atkins

Larry Dean McCann

Apparatuses are provided for manufacturing a rod member for a cigarette filter element. Each rod member defines a longitudinal axis and includes a generally longitudinally-extending filter material and a plurality of objects disposed therein along the longitudinal axis. Such an apparatus comprises a rod-forming unit configured to form a continuous supply of a filter material into a continuous cylindrical rod member. An object insertion unit is configured to introduce a plurality of objects into engagement with the rod member. A rod-dividing unit is configured to divide the rod member into a plurality of rod portions such that each rod portion includes a plurality of the objects. Associated methods are also provided.

Apparatus for inserting objects into a filter component of a smoking article and associated method

The drip tray for a snow blower comprises a drip tray and a ramp. The ramp allows the snow blower to be pushed or propelled to the drip tray and the drip tray collects melt water originating at the snow blower. Melt water may be contained within the drip tray by three walls of the drip tray, an elevation of a portion of the ramp, and/or an inclination of the drip tray floor. In some embodiments, the drip tray may comprise a plurality of drain holes in the drip tray floor and a water reservoir under the drip tray floor for collecting the melt water.

Drip tray for a snow blower

A soldering jig assembly for soldering conductors together includes a plate that may be positioned on a support surface. A pair of gripping units is provided. Each of the gripping units is coupled to the plate and each of the gripping units is selectively manipulated. Each of the gripping units engages an associated one of a pair of conductors.

Soldering jig assembly

Filter rods for use in the manufacture of cigarette filter elements are provided, with each rod having a longitudinal axis and incorporating a generally longitudinally extending filter material and a generally longitudinally extending strand within that filter material. A filter making unit receives a continuous supply of a filter material, and forms the filter material into a gathered composite having a continuous cylindrical shape. A continuous supply of a strand (e.g., colored thread) is provided and is introduced into the filter material gathered composite in the tongue of the filter making unit. The filter material and continuous strand positioned therein are formed into a continuous rod having the strand material laterally positioned within that rod, and the continuous rod is subdivided at pre-determined longitudinal intervals to provide a plurality of rod portions.

Equipment and associated method for insertion of material into cigarette filters

Provided herein is a tobacco recovery machine that automatically removes and separates a tobacco rod from formed cigarettes and slits the tipping paper surrounding the tobacco rod. The tobacco recovery machine includes a hopper that receives cigarettes. A feed mechanism individually feeds the cigarettes from the hopper and through a chopping mechanism that removes the filter rod from each cigarette leaving the cylindrical tobacco rod wrapped in the tipping paper. The tobacco recovery machine next feeds the tobacco rod of the cigarette through a slitting mechanism that slits the tipping paper wrapping surrounding the tobacco. The slitting mechanism axially slits the tipping paper along the tobacco rod such that the tobacco product can separate from the tipping paper.

Tobacco slitting machine

A system to protect and reconfigure a computer network in case of advance warning of a disruption event that would disrupt the operation of the computer network is presented. The system comprises a main control system (MCS) that comprises a software system that makes continuous local backups of data nodes, maintains a plurality of remote backups, and maintains an ordered list of the remote backups. With the first warning of the disruption event, the MCS: 1) locks down some virtual servers at each remote backup and secures a selected remote backup; 2) determines the expected start and end time of the disruption event; 3) warns users about the disruption event; 4) uses the selected remote backup to provide a local copy of the data nodes; and 5) shuts down vulnerable critical systems. When the disruption event occurs, the MCS promotes the selected remote backup to be the primary data node.

Distributed network electronic interference abatement system and method

A testing device is provided which can provide a testing force to smoking articles of various types, in order to determine if ash breakage is appropriate or if the heating element of a heat not burn smoking article becomes loose under normal working conditions.

Testing stand with thumping assembly

An apparatus and associated method is provided for forming a rod for use in the manufacture of cigarette filter elements. A continuous supply of a filter material is formed into a continuous filter rod by a rod-forming unit. An object insertion unit is configured to insert a plurality of first objects and a plurality of second objects into the continuous filter rod. A rod-dividing unit is configured to subdivide the continuous filter rod, at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal axis thereof, into a plurality of filter rod portions such that each filter rod portion includes at least one first object and at least one second object disposed therein, with the first objects being different from the second objects.

Apparatus for inserting objects into a filter component of a smoking article

Method of forming a rod for use in the manufacture of cigarette filters

Apparatus for inserting objects into a filter component of a smoking article, and associated method

Method for insertion of material into cigarette filters

An apparatus for customizing a cigarette package is provided, wherein the cigarette package is configured to receive a plurality of as-formed cigarettes therein. Such an apparatus comprises a feeder unit configured to feed one of a plurality of cigarette packages to a register position. An imprinting unit is configured to interact with the cigarette package in the register position so as to imprint at least one of an alphanumeric character and a graphical character thereon. An associated method is also provided.

Method and apparatus for customizing cigarette packages

Growing community of inventors

Lewisville, NC, United States of America

John Larkin Nelson