Patents by Inventor John R. Hairfield, Jr.

John R. Hairfield, Jr. has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Electrically heated smoking system and methods for supplying electrical power from a lithium ion power source
    Patent number: 6803545
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2004
    Assignee: Philip Morris Incorporated
    Inventors: Clinton E. Blake, John R. Hairfield, Jr., Charles T. Higgins, H. Neal Nunnally, Robert L. Ripley