Philip Morris Inc.

Philip Morris USA Inc.

Philip Morris Products S.a.

Philip Morris Products Inc.

Robert L Ripley

Charles T Higgins

Grier S Fleischhauer

Michael L Watkins

Willie G Houck, Jr

Robert E Lee

Susan E Wrenn

Mary Ellen Counts

William J Crowe

D Bruce Losee

Shozo Minagawa

Takahide Takeda

David E Sharpe

John M Campbell

Seetharama C Deevi

Jay A Fournier

A Clifton Lilly, Jr

F Murphy Sprinkel, Jr

John Bryant Paine, Iii

Billy J Keen, Jr

Francis V Utsch

G Robert Scott

Patrick H Hayes

Alfred L Collins

Renzer R Ritt, Sr

John Mathew Adams

Barry Scott Smith

Robert T Mitten

Mohammad R Hajaligol

Jeffrey I Seeman

Constance H Morgan

Francis M Sprinkel

John R Hearn

Toshio Ishikawa

Masato Sano

Zuyin Yang

Takashi Nakai

H Neal Nunnally

Wynn R Raymond

Amitabh Das

Constance H Nichols

Hugh J McCafferty, Ii

J Robert Nelson, Jr

Joseph L Banyasz

Ashok H Solanky

Brett W Stevenson

John Louis Felter

James D Baggett, Jr

Charles W Harris

Charles Edwin Thomas, Jr

John D Naworal

Clinton E Blake

Donald B Losee, Jr

Woontung G Chan

Richard E Jones

Aubry T Burton

Raymond J Knight

T Paul Beane

Donald Bruce Losee

John R Hairfield, Jr

Mark E Watson

Clint Blake

Pamela Davis

Steven J Larson

Willie G Houck

Donald B Losee

John R Hairfield

James D Baggett

Ashok Solanky

A dryer for a smoking device includes a heating element adapted to fit within a cigarette receiving portion of the smoking device, the heating element projecting from a base portion of the dryer. The base portion of the dryer has an interface surface on which the smoking device rests when the heating element is positioned within the cigarette receiving portion of the smoking device. At least one air passageway is provided in the base portion of the dryer to communicate between the cigarette receiving portion and surrounding ambient air when the smoking device rests on the interface surface.

Electrically heated cigarette smoking system lighter cartridge dryer

Icon image for a portion of a display screen

An electrically heated cigarette smoking device includes a heater unit, heater blades for applying heat to portions of a cigarette that is supported within the heater unit, the heater unit having an opening adapted to receive an end of a cigarette and adapted to position the end of the cigarette in proximity to the heater blades, and the heater unit defining at least part of a suction flow passage through which ambient air is drawn into contact with the cigarette when a smoker draws on the cigarette positioned in the heater unit. The heater unit is mounted within a partition that positions the heater unit relative to the housing and at least partially defines a bypass flow passage in fluid communication with ambient air surrounding the housing, the partition further defining a flow diverting passage leading from the bypass flow passage to the suction flow passage and through which ambient air is drawn from the bypass flow passage when a smoker puffs on a cigarette inserted in the heater unit opening. A flow sensor is positioned in the flow diverting passage to provide a signal indicative of a smoker taking a puff on the cigarette.

Electrically heated cigarette smoking system with internal manifolding for puff detection

An electrically heating smoking system wherein tobacco smoke is generated by heating a portion of a cigarette with an electrical resistance heating element powered by lithium ion battery cells. The lithium ion battery cells supply current to the electrical resistance heating element with current up to 20 times greater than the recommended discharge rate. To prevent damage to the lithium ion battery cells under such high discharge conditions, the smoking system includes a controller which provides modulated pulses of electrical power from the battery cells to the resistance heating element during smoking of the cigarette.

Electrically heated smoking system and methods for supplying electrical power from a lithium ion power source

Icon image for portion of a display screen

A cleaning unit used to clean condensates formed during use of a component of a smoking system. The component can be a heating fixture having a cigarette receiving section and a plurality of longitudinally extending circumferentially spaced apart heating elements located within a can which accumulates the condensates. During a cleaning operation, the heating fixture is fitted within a cavity in the cleaning unit such that the cigarette receiving end of the heating fixture engages an O-ring and the terminal base portion abuts against an indented stop in an interior sidewall of a removable portion of the housing. The cleaning unit includes a water inlet connected to a source of pressurized water such as a faucet and a spray member extends into the cigarette receiving section to spray jets of water against the interior of the can. The housing can include a main flow passage which supplies pressurized water to the spray member and one or more bypass passages whereby water used to clean the heating fixture can exit the housing through one outlet and water which bypasses the heating fixture can exit the housing through other outlets. The housing can include a pulsating mechanism to pulsate jets of pressurized water against the interior of the heating fixture.

Cleaning unit for the heater fixture of a smoking device

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 cigarette identifier system comprising an infrared emitter and an infrared detector located across an opening of a cigarette receiver, wherein the sensor registers changes in the transmission of the infrared beam across the opening so as to detect the differences in transmissivity of dense and less dense and portions of an inserted cigarette.

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

An ejection system is provided which has a mechanism such as a plunger which is positioned to eject at least a portion of a cigarette from the lighter cavity upon actuation by a smoker. The plunger is also positionable to occlude the lighter opening to protect the lighter cavity from dust, moisture, etc. The plunger is shaped, located and arranged to apply a force on the cigarette end inserted into the lighter. Further, an icon based indicator informs the smoker of the status of a cigarette inserted into the lighter.

Protective and cigarette ejection system for 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.

Flavor generating article and method for making same

An induction heating source is provided for use with an electrical smoking article. The induction heating source provides an alternating electromagnetic field which inductively heats a susceptor in thermal proximity with tobacco flavor medium to generate aerosols. A plurality of induction heaters are employed and/or the tobacco flavor medium is translated with respect to the induction heater or susceptor. The tobacco flavor medium can form an intimate structure with the susceptor and can take the form of a cylindrical cigarette or a web.

Inductive heating systems for smoking articles

A cigarette testing device (10) detects improperly filled or missing cigarettes in groups of cigarettes in a cigarette packing machine. Tappets (20) are positioned against the ends of cigarettes (11) and the position of tappets (20) is determined by optical sensors (28). Defective cigarettes (15) are removed from the group by nozzles (24). One to one correspondence between cigarettes, tappets, sensors, and nozzle ejectors allows single defective cigarettes to be rejected without rejecting the entire group of cigarettes.

Cigarette detection and rejection device

Growing community of inventors

Midlothian, VA, United States of America

Robert L Ripley