Philip Morris Inc.

Peter Martin

A Clifton Lilly, Jr

Warren E Claflin

Edward B Stultz

Everett C Grollimund

Walter W Duley

Ulysses A Brooks

Bernard A Semp

Joseph L Banyasz

Henry B Merritt

Francis M Watson, Iii

Hector Alonso

Cassandra D Owens

Ernest Cashwell

Norman R Rowe

Avis N Wyatt, Jr

Stephen G Zimmermann

John S Price

Robert S Southard

Elizabeth D Mooz

A method and apparatus are provided for detecting and removing foreign material which may be found in a stream of particulate matter, such as tobacco. The tobacco is allowed to fall in a cascade past an optical detector. The turbulence of the falling motion brings a large proportion of the particles in the cascade into the field of view of the detector. When foreign material is detected, a signal is generated to activate a fluid blast directed at the portion of the cascade in which the foreign material is located.

Method and apparatus for detecting and removing foreign material from a

Apparatus for converting a continuous incident laser beam into a pulsed laser beam, with a duty cycle of pulsation that is substantially continuously variable between a minimum value and a maximium value, is disclosed. The apparatus uses a rotatable disc of nontransmissive material which has a plurality of apertures and adjacent nontransmissive portions disposed in an annular zone. The ratio of the width of each aperture to the width of the adjacent nontransmissive portion substantially continuously varies radially from a minimum ratio to a maximum ratio. As the disc is rotated, the beam is alternately transmitted and blocked, so that a pulsed output beam emerges. The duty cycle of the beam can be adjusted by radially varying the point of incidence of the incident beam within the annular zone so that it impinges on the zone at a radius at which the ratio of widths is at a desired value. Such apparatus can be used in a system for perforating a web of sheet material with a pulsed laser beam.

Rotary beam chopper with continuously variable duty cycle

The present invention relates to a process for increasing the filling power of tobacco which comprises heating the tobacco at elevated temperature while maintaining the OV and SV values of the tobacco substantially constant. Preferably, the tobacco is heated at a temperature of at least about 80.degree. C. in a closed system for a time sufficient to increase the CV value of the tobacco.

Process for increasing the filling power of tobacco

A method and apparatus for adjusting the alignment of a beam of radiant energy relative to a structure. A target is placed in the path of the beam, with an opaque reticle disposed in front of the target in the path of the beam in predetermined alignment with the structure. The beam impinges on the target to form a beam image and the reticle casts a shadow within the beam image. The positional relationship between the shadow and the outline of the beam image will be altered by any misalignment between the beam and the structure. The target is preferably chosen so that it will be permanently altered by the radiant energy of the beam, and the positional relationship between the shadow and the outline is preferably observed after exposure of the target to the beam.

Beam alignment tool and method

In the perforation of sheet material by light energy, a continuous focused laser beam is reflected from different locations along the beam axis to provide separate pulsed beams and the beams are issued onto the sheet material with the same beam cross-sectional area. In one aspect, the lengths of respective different light paths for conveyance of light from the point of focus of the laser to final image locations are made equal. In another aspect, different focusing elements may be included in light paths to provide for sameness of beam cross-sectional area at the final image locations. The light paths are preferably provided in part by light conducting apparatus having light-reflective elements mounted for movement, such that different perforation matrices may be readily attained.

Method and system for laser perforation of sheet material

In providing perforation uniformity both in the spacing between multiple rows of perforations in sheet material and in the spacings among perforations within each row, a common laser beam is shared among the rows, being directed to the sheet material through a common focusing element for each adjacent pair of rows. In conducting the laser beam to each such common focusing element, a pair of modified beams is derived from the laser beam, each modified beam having light ray content divergent about an axis of symmetry thereof which is parallel to the optical axis of the focusing element.

Method and apparatus for perforation of sheet material by laser

Perforations are made at locations spaced about the periphery of a cigarette by conducting separate parts of a laser beam through respective separate light paths which intersect such spaced peripheral locations.

Apparatus for laser perforation of transported articles

An apparatus and method for processing a sequence of webs by exposure to radiant energy. The apparatus includes structure defining a pair of independent transport paths and apparatus for emitting radiant energy and selectively directing it into either of two treatment zones, the respective treatment zones being aligned with the respective transport paths. The radiant energy is directed into the treatment zone aligned with each transport path while a web is being fed along such path. The leading end of each web is threaded along one of the transport paths while a web is being fed and treated on the other path, so the radiant energy emitting portion of the apparatus is not idle during threading.

Dual path web transport and processing apparatus with radiant energy

Apparatus for perforating articles by laser

Method for making filter cigarettes using light energy to make

Metal layers of extreme thinness, of the order of fifty Angstroms and greater are detected by use of microwave energy so propagated as to permit determination of the presence or absence of the metal in a detection zone of limited extent outwardly of the issuance location of such propagated energy. Apparatus is provided for propagating microwave energy having a characteristic which changes with propagation distance from a maximum value at the energy issuance location to a minimum value first exhibited at the outward end of the detection zone.

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Richmond, VA, United States of America

Peter Martin