Philip Morris Inc.

Other

Michael L Watkins

Grier S Fleischhauer

Mary Ellen Counts

Willie G Houck, Jr

Seetharama C Deevi

Susan E Wrenn

Charles T Higgins

Mohammad R Hajaligol

Constance H Nichols

Billy J Keen, Jr

D Bruce Losee

Robert L Ripley

Patrick H Hayes

Peter J Lipowicz

A Clifton Lilly, Jr

Francis V Utsch

Bernard C LaRoy

Alfred L Collins

Wynn R Raymond

Mantharam Subbiah

Mohammad R Hajalogol

F Murphy Sprinkel, Jr

Michael A Moore

David E Sharpe

William H Stevens

Wesley G Sanderson

Amitabh Das

Donald E Miser

Walter Allen Nichols

G Robert Scott

Constance H Morgan

Robert E Lee

Renzer R Ritt, Sr

H Neal Nunnally

Hugh J McCafferty, Ii

Bruce E Waymack

Donald B Losee, Jr

John Mathew Adams

Jay A Fournier

Neal R Butler

John Bryant Paine, Iii

Patrick J Cobler

Sarojini Deevi

William J Crowe

Herbert Herman

Jeffrey I Seeman

Harry V Lanzillotti

Francis M Sprinkel

Bernard A Semp

John M Campbell

Masato Sano

Richard G Uhl

James D Baggett, Jr

Patrick C Cowling

Bernard C Kiernan

John D Naworal

David A Clark

David L Bilunas

Pamela D Lieberman

J Robert Nelson, Jr

Douglas J Ely

Dave E Sharpe

Dona Watkins

Arnys C Lilly, Jr

Sarojini D Ariprala

Sung Yi

Disclosed in this specification is a coaster for stemmed glassware that has three sections joined together. The bottom section is circular and is attached to two curved top sections. The top sections are raised to form a pocket for receiving the base of the stemmed glassware. The curved inner edges of the top sections permit ease of attachment of the glass in a variety of ways.

Circular coaster for stemmed glass

Golf divot tool

A method and apparatus for detecting, locating, isolating and controlling variations in the manufacturing process by transient thermography. A heat source ( ) imparts heat to a surface which is radiated in the infrared region. Infrared sensors ( ) are coupled to a processor which tracks the physical characteristics of the sample, and provides feedback to a central process controller to make adjustments to the manufacturing process. The sample can be a continuous product such as a green powder metal sheet or tobacco product.

Process control by transient thermography

A novel controller in an electrical smoking system and method, wherein the method includes the steps of: establishing a preferred thermal pathway to be executed with each heater activation responsively to a puff on an electrically heated cigarette; configuring a power cycle in accordance with the desired thermal pathway; dividing the power cycle into at least first and second phases each having a respective, predetermined time period and total energy input for each phase; and adjusting a respective duty cycle (or other power-adjusting factor) in each phase of the power cycle responsively to a voltage reading of the power source such that the established, respective total energy input of each phase is achieved during the time period of each power cycle.

Power controller and method of operating an electrical smoking system

A method and apparatus for detecting, locating, isolating and controlling variations in the manufacturing process by transient thermography. A heat source imparts heat to a surface which is radiated in the infrared region. Infrared sensors are coupled to a processor which tracks the physical characteristics of the sample, and provides feedback to a central process controller to make adjustments to the manufacturing process.

A novel photonic-electronic smoking system comprising a cigarette and a photonic operated electronic lighter, together with methodologies of smoking a cigarette, the lighter comprising a receptacle for removably receiving a cigarette; a photonic source; an optical train establishing a plurality of optical pathways from said photonic source to a plurality of locations at the received cigarette; a source of electrical power; a puff sensor responsive to a drawing action upon a cigarette received by said receptacle; and a controller responsive to said puff sensor for controllably communicating said source of electrical power with said photonic source so that upon drawing action upon the received cigarette, the photonic source discharges along said optical pathway to heat a region of said cigarette adjacent at least one of said locations.

Electronic smoking system

A novel cigarette adapted for use in an electrical cigarette system comprising a tobacco rod having filled and unfilled tobacco rod portions and being arranged so that electrical heater elements may overlap the filled and unfilled tobacco rod portions. The tobacco rod includes a tobacco web rolled into tubular form. The tobacco web is constructed in accordance with a novel process comprising the steps of converting tobacco feedstock into a continuous sheet of tobacco web and converting the continuous sheet of tobacco web into one or more bobbins of tobacco web suitable for automated manufacture of cigarettes.

Cigarette for electrical smoking system

The present invention provides a cigarette identifier system comprising a coil at a location along the cigarette-receiving receptacle of the lighter, an oscillation circuit in communication with the coil and a controller configured to activate or deactivate the lighter responsively to output of the oscillator circuit.

Lighter actuation system

Methods and apparatuses for cleaning an electrical lighter are provided. A sleeve, e.g., ceramic or metal, surrounds the heater fixture, and a resistive heating element is in thermal proximity with the sleeve. The resistive heating element is either a dedicated element or the cigarette heating elements. The sleeve serves as a aerosol barrier and condensate accumulator to protect other components. Periodically, e.g., substantially contemporaneously with a battery recharge, the heating element is activated to thermally liberate condensates deposited on the sleeve during smoking and also heats, and thereby cleans, other components. Also, a cleaning element is optionally inserted into the cigarette receptacle of the electrical lighter or placed at the exit thereof to absorb, attract and/or catalytically break down the thermally liberated condensates. The sleeve also directs a desired flow path for drawn air within an electrical lighter toward the cigarette.

Method and apparatus for using, cleaning, and maintaining electrical

A smoking article is provided in which a replaceable tobacco flavor unit containing tobacco flavor material is electrically heated by a set of permanent reusable heaters to evolve flavors or other components in vapor or aerosol form for delivery to a smoker. Each heater heats only a portion of the available tobacco flavor material so that a plurality of individual puffs of tobacco flavor substance can be delivered sequentially to the smoker. The replaceable tobacco flavor unit can also include a filter to reduce the effect of residual aerosol which settles or condenses on the permanent portions of the article and which can result in undesirable flavor generation when reheated. A method and apparatus for manufacturing the replaceable tobacco flavor unit is also provided.

Flavor generating article

A smoking system is provided in which a replaceable cigarette containing tobacco flavor material is electrically heated by a set of electrical heater elements contained within a lighter to evolve tobacco flavors or other components in vapor or aerosol form for delivery to a smoker. The cigarette and lighter are adapted to provide air flow patterns through the smoking system such that air flows transversely into the cigarette. Such patterns improve aerosol and flavor delivery to the smoker and reduce the condensation of residual heater-region vapor/aerosol in the smoking system.

Electrical heater of an electrical smoking system

A smoking article is provided in which a replaceable tobacco flavor unit containing tobacco flavor material is electrically heated by a set of permanent reusable heaters to evolve flavors or other components in vapor or aerosol form for delivery to a smoker. Each heater heats only a portion of the available tobacco flavor material so that a plurality of individual puffs of tobacco flavor substance can be delivered sequentially to the smoker. The replaceable tobacco flavor unit can also include a filter to reduce the effect of residual aerosol which settles or condenses on the permanent portions of the article and which can result in off-tastes when reheated. A method and apparatus for manufacturing the replaceable tobacco flavor unit is also provided.

Heater element of an electrical smoking article and method for making

Electrical smoking system

A cigarette adapted for use in an electrical cigarette system having a tobacco rod having filled and unfilled tobacco rod portions and being arranged so that electrical heater elements may overlap the filled and unfilled tobacco rod portions. The tobacco rod includes a tobacco web rolled into tubular form. The tobacco web is constructed in accordance with a process having the steps of converting tobacco feedstock into a continuous sheet of tobacco web and converting the continuous sheet of tobacco web into one or more bobbins of tobacco web suitable for automated manufacture of cigarettes.

Growing community of inventors

Chester, VA, United States of America

Michael L Watkins