The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 11, 2000
Filed:
May. 26, 1998
Japan Tobacco Inc., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A piercing apparatus includes a traveling unit for causing a tip paper to travel at a predetermined speed along a traveling path, a plurality of laser piercing heads for irradiating pulsed laser beams onto plural positions which are spaced apart from one another on the traveling path, and a controller for pulse-driving laser oscillators of the laser piercing heads in a manner synchronized with one another at time intervals of a period which varies depending on the tip paper traveling speed, whereby minute holes of a desired size are stably formed with a desired spacing in the tip paper which travels at a high speed. The controller variably adjusts the spacing with which minute holes are formed, by controlling the timings at which drive pulses are supplied to the respective laser piercing heads.