Patents Assigned to British-American Tobacco
  • Patent number: 6273093
    Abstract: A method of, and apparatus for, incorporating particulate smoke-modifying agent in a smoking material rod, wherein said agent is introduced into a flow of filamentary smoking material to the suction band of a rod making machine, the location of introduction being in the vicinity of the suction band of said machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2001
    Assignee: British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited
    Inventors: Richard Oliver, Anthony Craig Claringbould
  • Patent number: 6237760
    Abstract: A pack for cigarettes and like smoking articles has a frame (101) outside the charge of cigarettes but inside a flexible wrap, which is preferably a sealed enclosure of a barrier material such as a metal/plastic laminate, or metallized foil. The inner frame which is not rigid since its side (104) and end (108) flaps are free except where attached to a major panel (102) acts to collate and protect the charge of cigarettes and to allow heat-sealing or other sealing pressure to be exerted more efficiently than would otherwise be possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited
    Inventors: Michael Patrick Parker, David John Bates
  • Patent number: 6202651
    Abstract: This invention provides a smoking article (1) having reduced sidestream smoke in the inter-puff period. A smoking article (1) according to the invention may comprise segments of a high level of tobacco-containing material (5) interconnected by segments of low level of tobacco-containing material (6) which are capable of maintaining smoulder in the inter-puff period and re-igniting the segments of a high level of tobacco-containing material (5) in the puff period. Alternatively, a smoking article according to another aspect of the invention may comprise a lengthwise, axially extending, tobacco-containing fuse portion (46) which sustains smoulder in the inter-puff period when surrounding tobacco material (45) is substantially extinguished and which re-ignites the extinguished material on puffing of the smoking article (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: British-American Tobacco Company Limited
    Inventors: John Anthony Luke, Philip John Kinnard
  • Patent number: 6185843
    Abstract: A pneumatic conveyance tobacco dryer which includes a conveyance duct having a first portion, a second, upwardly extending portion and a third, curved portion intercommunicating the first and second portions. A tobacco feed chute extends downwardly and opens into the second portion of the duct. The geometry of the dryer at and in the region of the feed chute is such as to effect the object of reducing the contact of tobacco particles with the inner surfaces of the conveyance duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited
    Inventors: William John Stone, Ian Ernest Tatham, Werner Hirsch, Arno Eugen Weiss
  • Patent number: 6164444
    Abstract: A pack (1) for smoking articles such as cigarettes has a sealed enclosure of barrier material, with a resealable access aperture to the enclosure. A cover (7) over that aperture has on all its openable edges a permanently tacky surface overlapping over the barrier material there. The cover has a non-adhesive tab (10) to assist opening. An inner frame provides support to the barrier material adjacent to the aperture, allowing the adhesive cover to be pressed firmly against the barrier layer to aid resealing. The pack may be provided with or without an outer carton. If an outer carton is included, the carton may be of a generally rigid card material, and may have a flip-top configuration, may be a Laube box, or may have a shell-and-slide configuration.An inner frame provides support to the barrier material adjacent to the aperture, allowing the adhesive cover to be pressed firmly against the barrier layer to aid resealing. The pack may be provided with or without an outer carton.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: British American Tobacco Investments Ltd.
    Inventors: Andrew Jonathan Bray, Michael Patrick Parker, John Roger Sampson, Adrian Roy Stewart-Cox
  • Patent number: 6161552
    Abstract: The invention relates to a cigarette paper having a low total filler content, 20% by weight of the paper or less, a proportion of the filler being a filler capable of effecting visible sidestream smoke reduction. The basis weight of the paper is about 30 g m.sup.-2 or more.Smoking articles made with such papers provide a synergistic sidestream smoke component reduction when compared with control cigarettes. Papers according to the invention with the addition of various burn additives are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: British-American Tobacco Company Limited
    Inventors: Paul David Case, Alan George Stephenson
  • Patent number: 6095152
    Abstract: The invention relates to a smoking article (1) having a high proportion of non-combustible, inorganic material and a relatively low level of visible sidestream. The smoking article includes a substantially non-combustible, wrapper (5) which extends along the full length of the smoking material rod and enwraps a combustible fuel source (6) and aerosol generator (7), both of which extend substantially along the length of the smoking material rod. Various suitable fuel source systems and aerosol generating systems are described. The article has a visible burn line which advances along the article and produces an ash which can be removed by the smoker in the normal way.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2000
    Assignee: British-American Tobacco Company Limited
    Inventors: John Lawson Beven, David John Dittrich, Colin Campbell Greig, Richard Geoffrey Hook, Kevin Gerard McAdam, Rosemary Elizabeth O'Reilly
  • Patent number: 6050402
    Abstract: This invention relates to an improved carton for smoking articles, which carton has a dispensing portion. The dispensing portion has a particular location in respect to the longitudinal margins of the carton and extends from a position short of one longitudinal side margin of the carton, across the panel thereof, through another longitudinal side margin of the carton and into another panel of the carton. The perforation line of the dispersion portion is particularly selected to provide added strength to the carton and to allow consequent economies in other enclosed packing materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2000
    Assignee: British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited
    Inventor: Sidney John Walter
  • Patent number: 6000404
    Abstract: The invention relates to a cigarette paper having a low total filler content, 20% by weight of the paper or less, a proportion of the filler being a filler capable of effecting visible sidestream smoke reduction. The basis weight of tbh paper is about 30 g m.sup.-2 or more.Smoking articles made with such papers provide a synergistic sidestream smoke component reduction when compared with control cigarettes. Papers according to thee invention with the addition of various burn additives are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited
    Inventors: Paul David Case, Alan George Stephenson
  • Patent number: 5983901
    Abstract: This invention provides a smoking article having reduced sidestream smoke in the inter-puff period. A smoking article according to the invention may comprise a lengthwise, axially extending, tobacco-containing or non-tobacco fuse portion which sustains smoulder in the inter-puff period when surrounding tobacco material is substantially extinguished and which re-ignites the extinguished material on puffing of the smoking articles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: British-American Tobacco Company Limited
    Inventors: John Anthony Luke, Philip John Kinnard
  • Patent number: 5958327
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for the downstream handling of water soluble polysaccharide-containing extruded tobacco smoke filtration material. During conveying of the extrudate from the extruder die of an extruder to a cutter, the extrudate is heated, shaped, and cooled to provide tobacco smoke filtration material of desired dimensions and physical characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: British-American Tobacco Company Limited
    Inventors: John Lawson Beven, Paul David Case, Martin Coleman, Colin Campbell Greig
  • Patent number: 5954059
    Abstract: An extruded filtration material which is degradable and comprises either a plastics material or an inorganic material having a melting point above the operating temperature, a polysaccharide expansion medium, a binder and water. These ingredients are fed to an extruder and subjected to an extrusion process which involves a pressure reduction, upon extrusion from the exit die, of up to about 70 bars so that swelling of the extrudate occurs to give a cellular structure. When exposed to the natural weather conditions, tobacco smoke filter elements comprising such material degrade without leaving a fused amalgamation of plastics or inorganic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1999
    Assignee: British-American Tobacco Company Limited
    Inventors: John Lawson Beven, Paul David Case, Martin Coleman, Colin Campbell Greig, Peter Rex White
  • Patent number: 5853082
    Abstract: Particulate tobacco is conveyed by a conveyor comprising a resiliently mounted conveyor tray and out-of-balance motors mounted to the tray. An index of performance of, for example ##EQU1## is achievable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1998
    Assignee: British-American Tobacco Company Limited
    Inventors: Peter James Buckley, Barbara Carol Klammer, Ian Ernest Tatham
  • Patent number: 5853784
    Abstract: Volatile flavour molecules having a particular cyclic enolone structure are stabilised by complexation with alkaline earth metal ions. These complexes are stable until exposed to certain conditions of temperature and/or moisture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1998
    Assignee: British-American Tobacco Company Limited
    Inventors: Marcos Pery Campos, Rosemary Elizabeth O'Reilly
  • Patent number: 5730160
    Abstract: The invention relates to a segmented filter cigarette comprising a tobacco rod including at least two segments of differing tobacco fillings, a wrapping for said tobacco rod, and a filter, said at least two segments of said tobacco rod having a coaxial structure, each comprising an inner core of tobacco material, a wrapping for said inner core, a jacket of a different tobacco material and a wrapping for said jacket; the tobaccos of said inner cores of said segments have the same or a very similar condensate potential; the tobaccos of said jackets of said segments have the same or a very similar condensate potential which differs, however, from the condensate potential of said inner cores; by defining the resistances to draw of said inner cores and of said jackets of said segments and by adapting said filter it is achieved that the smoke is drawn substantially from the region having a high condensate potential of the first-burning segment during smoking of the segmented filter cigarette, and the smoke is drawn
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1998
    Assignee: British-American Tobacco (Germany) GmbH
    Inventor: Werner Schneider
  • Patent number: 5722432
    Abstract: This invention provides a smoking article having reduced sidestream smoke in the inter-puff period. A smoking article according to the invention may comprise segments of a high level of tobacco-containing material interconnected by segments of low level of tobacco-containing material which are capable of maintaining smoulder in the inter-puff period and re-igniting the segments of a high level of tobacco-containing material in the puff period. Alternatively, a smoking article according to another aspect of the invention may comprise a lengthwise, axially extending, tobacco-containing fuse portion which sustains smoulder in the inter-puff period when surrounding tobacco material is substantially extinguished and which re-ignites the extinguished material on puffing of the smoking articles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: British-American Tobacco Company Limited
    Inventors: John Anthony Luke, Philip John Kinnard
  • Patent number: 5722431
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a plant for the treatment of tobacco leaves for the production of cut tobacco for smokable articles, in which stems or winnowings, on the one hand, and the lamina material of the tobacco leaves, on the other, are conditioned separately from each other. The conditioned, non-rolled stems are precut and the conditioned winnowings are rolled and individually respectively or also jointly blended with the conditioned and uncut lamina material; the resulting blend is then cut and dried.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: British-American Tobacco
    Inventors: Wolfgang Metzner, Bernd Spallek, Arno Weiss
  • Patent number: 5713377
    Abstract: The invention relates to a coaxial tobacco cartridge with an inner core of a first tobacco blend, a sheath for the inner core, an outer jacket of a second tobacco blend, a sheath of high air permeability and an associated filter element. The coaxial tobacco cartridge is not smokable independently, but can be used by persons to make their own coaxial cigarettes, by inserting it in an appropriate cigarette-paper tube or wrapping it in a cigarette-paper strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 3, 1998
    Assignee: British-American Tobacco (Germany) GmbH
    Inventors: Guillermo Gerding, Dirk Pangritz, Werner Schneider
  • Patent number: 5704490
    Abstract: Electrostatic separation is used to separate electrically conducting particles from electrical insulator particles by attracting the conducting particles to a separating electrode, whilst the insulator particles remain substantially attached to a carrier electrode. The electrical properties of the particles to be separated can be enhanced or even changed by controlling the moisture content of the particles to be separated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1998
    Assignee: British-American Tobacco Company Limited
    Inventor: Joseph Robert Reynard
  • Patent number: D381901
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1997
    Assignee: British-American Tobacco Company Limited
    Inventors: Markus Alig, Marc Eugenio Tealdi