R.j. Reynolds Tobacco Company

Watson Minyard Dufour

Thomas A Perfetti

Paul Andrew Brinkley

William Monroe Coleman, Iii

Donald R Wilkinson

Marvin Glenn Riddick

Max N Baker

Wennuan Liu

Julian R Martin

Marvin G Woempner

John D Welch

Stephen Keith Cole

A method for chemically modifying a tobacco material during a curing process involves treating the tobacco material in a curing enclosure at a temperature and for a time sufficient to produce cured tobacco. The method also involves contacting the tobacco material with a chemical reagent before and/or during the time period that the tobacco material is cured so that the chemical reagent can interact with the tobacco material, thus resulting in further change in the chemical nature of the cured tobacco material. An exemplary chemical reagent is an ammonia source, which can be applied to a tobacco material in a variety of ways, including by spraying an aqueous ammonia source onto the tobacco or by introducing gaseous ammonia into the curing enclosure during the curing process.

Method for chemically modifying tobacco during curing

An improved machine for automatically applying transfers such as tax stamps to multiple packages contained in a carton is disclosed. The machine comprises a conveyor for advancing a carton through an opening station, where it is opened to expose the packages therein, through a stamping station, where tax stamps in the form of heat or water transfers or ink printing are applied to each of the packages by a movable platen, and through a closing station where the carton is closed and resealed. The machine is adjustable to accommodate a variety of carton and package sizes and to apply the transfers to a selected part of each package in the carton accurately, while using stock transfer sheets on which the transfers are mounted with a predetermined spacing that does not necessarily correspond to the spacing of packages within the carton. The various sizes are accommodated by means of an adjustable stop mechanism which interrupts the motion of each carton as it passes through the stamping station to thereby stop the carton at a selected location with respect to the transfer sheet and the stamp transfer platen. After the transfer has been applied, the stop mechanism is activated to allow the carton to continue its motion through the stamping station. The adjustable stop and the platen are shiftable laterally with respect to the stamping station to apply selected transfers from the transfer sheet to the packages in the carton, and the stop is adjustable with respect to the platen to apply the transfers to selected locations on the package.

Transfer applying machine

Growing community of inventors

Winston-Salem, NC, United States of America

Watson Minyard Dufour