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:
May. 24, 2016
Filed:
Apr. 17, 2012
James Richard Stone, Advance, NC (US);
Billy Tyrone Conner, Clemmons, NC (US);
Vernon Brent Barnes, Advance, NC (US);
James Richard Stone, Advance, NC (US);
Billy Tyrone Conner, Clemmons, NC (US);
Vernon Brent Barnes, Advance, NC (US);
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Winston-Salem, NC (US);
Abstract
A method of modifying the moisture content of fuel elements used in making smoking articles. The method may include overwrapped fuel elements, smoking article components, and/or assembled smoking articles being subjected to drying by flowed ambient air. Unheated air is flowed over the fuel components to adjust and maintain a desired moisture content of the fuel components to a level that permits cutting of the fuel components without chipping or cracking. After the fuel components are cut into individual or two-up fuel elements and combined with smoking article components that may include up to an entire filtered or unfiltered smoking article, they may have more ambient air flowed over them to further reduce the moisture content to a desired level.