Patents Assigned to Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
  • Dispenser device for removing planar panels from a hopper
    Patent number: 5024351
    Abstract: A dispenser device for removing planar panels from a hopper is provided with a panel engagement drum located at the discharge of the hopper which includes friction surfaces at spaced apart locations around the perimeter for sequentially engaging subsequent bottom-most panels in the hopper and extracting them from the hopper as the drum continuously rotates. A positioner is engagable with disengagable from the bottom-most panel at the hopper discharge end to position the bottom-most spacer at a location to be engaged by the friction surfaces of the drum. A stop is operatively responsive with the positioner for engagement with the penultimate one of the panels for preventing the penultimate one of the panels from moving to the location of the positioner during the time period the positioner is in its panel disengaged position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 18, 1991
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventors: Byron L. Lowe, Robert T. Lewis, Kenneth M. Milliner, Everett N. Finn
  • Cigarette and method of making same
    Patent number: 5016656
    Abstract: A cigarette including a tube of tobacco having a circumferential wall fabricated of a tobacco material with ridges and grooves from in the circumferential wall extending longitudinally of the tobacco tube, a wrapper of combustible material circumscribing the outside peripheral surface, and a filter rod attached at one end of the tobacco tube. Also, a method of making a cigarette includes forming a sheet of tobacco material, forming corrugations in the sheet of tobacco material and forming the corrugated sheet into a cylindrical tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1991
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventor: Andrew McMurtrie
  • Moisture indicating ink and package having same
    Patent number: 4990284
    Abstract: A solution-type moisture indicating ink to be printed on a substrate and change color at a preselected ambient moisture. The indicator ink includes a solvent carrier system, a moisture indicating substance which changes color under the influence of moisture, and a resin system as a binder to hold the moisture indicating substance to the substrate as well as a film forming and viscosity adjusting agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 5, 1991
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventors: John H. Lauterbach, Carl B. Jenkins
  • Hopper apparatus
    Patent number: 4984412
    Abstract: A hopper apparatus for folding the end flaps of a film overwrapper across the ends of a carton enclosed in the overwrapper includes a back wall, two parallel side walls, and an access door closing the front side of the hopper. The top horizontal edges of the side walls, back wall, and closed access door define the open top end of the hopper, and the horizontal bottom edges of the back wall, side walls and closed access door define the open bottom end of the hopper. Carton engaging fingers are attached to the back wall for movement into and out of the hopper, and carton engaging fingers are also attached to the access door at the same elevation in the hopper as the engagement fingers on the back wall for movement into and out of the hopper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 15, 1991
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventor: Everett N. Finn
  • Clock security device
    Patent number: 4977548
    Abstract: A clock security device to be hung on a wall of a facility such as, for example, a store. The clock face has a convex mirrored surface which provides reflected panoramic view of the facility. The clock security device also includes a mounting bracket which provides for the mounting of the clock security device on the wall with the concave mirrored surface at different positions from parallel to the wall to tilted downwardly at different selected angles to the wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 11, 1990
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventor: Gary Rein
  • Smoking device
    Patent number: 4961438
    Abstract: A smoking device includes a cylindrical reticulated tube having an open air inlet at one end and an open air outlet at the other end filled with an aerosol generating material. An insulating collar is concentrically located with the reticulated tube covering a portion of the tube and spaced closer to the air outlet end of the tube than to the air inlet end of the tube. A tobacco plug is coaxially located within the tube with the portion of the length of the tube between the collar and air outlet end embedded within the tobacco plug. A nucleating chamber is located at the end of the tobacco plug opposite the insulating collar, and a reticulated wall is located at the interface of the tobacco plug and nucleating chamber. A filter plug is coaxially located with the tobacco plug at the other end of the nucleating chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 9, 1990
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventor: Steven J. Korte
  • Cigarette
    Patent number: 4955397
    Abstract: A cigarette including a tobacco rod circumscribed by a metal foil wrapper and having a cylinder of carbon fuel surrounding the metal foil wrapper tobacco rod. An air permeable outer wrapper circumscribes the cylinder of carbon fuel. A filter plug is located at one end of the cigarette.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1990
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventors: Robert R. Johnson, Jiunn-Yann Tang
  • Simulated smoking device
    Patent number: 4945931
    Abstract: A simulated smoking device includes a hollow tube with a capsule of pressurized aerosol generating material located inside the tube. An air flow passage is defined between the capsule and tube wall. The capsule includes an aerosol outlet port having a valve for selectively opening and closing the outlet port. An air operated valve activator is located inside the tube downstream of the air flow passage and is operatively connected to the valve. An aerosol passage communicates with the aerosol outlet port of the capsule and has a discharge end downstream of the air passage. Air is drawn into the tube, passes through the air passages, and impacts the air operated valve activator causing the valve to move opening the aerosol outlet port of the capsule releasing aerosol into the air flow downstream of the air operated valve activator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 7, 1990
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventor: Gio B. Gori
  • Package for storing moisture laden articles
    Patent number: 4934524
    Abstract: A storage package for storing moisture-laden articles such as cigarettes including a shaped receptacle sized to receive a plurality of cigarettes, the receptacle having a moisture control vehicle disposed therein within an overwrap having a low moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) with such vehicle being treated with a saturated salt solution having a water activity level preselected to the water activity level of the cigarettes to maintain moisture equilibrium over an extended time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1988
    Date of Patent: June 19, 1990
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventor: Frank K. St. Charles
  • Smoking article
    Patent number: 4924886
    Abstract: A smoking device includes a tobacco column having a wrapper and either a mouthpiece or filter rod located coaxially at one end of the tobacco column. A rigid tube is concentrically located in the tobacco column. A substrate of porous material is located within the tube. A flavor releasing material and an aerosol generating material are also disposed within the tube. A smoke impermeable seal is located at the interface of the tobacco column and the mouthpiece/filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 15, 1990
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventor: Elmer F. Litzinger
  • Smoking article
    Patent number: 4917121
    Abstract: A smoking article includes a tobacco column with a gas impermeable tube concentrically located in the tobacco column. The tube is filled with a granular material which is coated with an aerosolizing material. A first chamber is located at one end of the tobacco column with its inlet end in gas flow communication only with the tube, a tobacco rod is located with its inlet end at the discharge end of the first channel, and a second chamber is located in gas flow communication with the discharge end of the tobacco rod. The discharge end of the second chamber is open for discharging gas into the smoker's mouth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 17, 1990
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventors: Tilford F. Riehl, Robert R. Johnson
  • Package structure for storing articles and a method and apparatus for accomplishing the same
    Patent number: 4912910
    Abstract: A unique and novel storage package and method and apparatus for making the same wherein differences in dimension between the outer receptacle and a package stored therein are compensated by a unique corrugated spacer to provide snug storage, such as in the packaging of cigarette packs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 3, 1990
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventors: Byron L. Lowe, Robert T. Lewis
  • Smoking article
    Patent number: 4913169
    Abstract: A smoking article includes a fuel rod, an insulation section at one end of the fuel rod, a tobacco plug at the end of the insulation return, a cooling chamber at the end of the insulation section, and a filter at the end of the chamber. A tube extends concentrically through the fuel rod to the tobacco plug. The tube is filled with an air permeable substrate including an aerosol generating substance. A heat conducting strip extends concentrically in the substrate in the tube and into the tobacco plug.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 3, 1990
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventor: Leroi K. Templeton
  • Smoking articles
    Patent number: 4911184
    Abstract: Low sidestream cigarettes comprise cigarette rods not exceeding 20 mm in circumference. The cigarette rods comprise paper wrappers of a type which effect a sidestream reduction of at least 30% when used on rods of conventional dimensions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1988
    Date of Patent: March 27, 1990
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventors: Paul D. Case, John A. Luke
  • Smoking device
    Patent number: 4898191
    Abstract: A smoking device having a fuel column circumscribed by a wrapper has a passage with an impermeable wall extending concentrically therethrough and a filter rod at one end of the fuel column in flow communication only with the passage. The passage is filled with a material including an aerosol releasing material. The filter is formed with a pocket coaxial with the tube and the pocket is filled with highly flavorful tobacco.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 6, 1990
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventors: Robert R. Johnson, Tilford F. Riehl
  • Cigarette
    Patent number: 4893638
    Abstract: A cigarette having a generally cylindrical tobacco rod having a tobacco filler of ground tobacco. The tobacco rod has a circumference within the range of 10 mm to 19 mm. The tobacco rod is circumscribed by a combustible paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1988
    Date of Patent: January 16, 1990
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventor: John H. Lauterbach
  • Simulated smoking article
    Patent number: 4892109
    Abstract: A smoking article including a cylindrical, open ended sleeve with a capsule concentrically located within the sleeve and cooperating with the sleeve to define an annular air flow passage therebetween. The capsule includes chemical reactants which exothermally react when mixed together. A porous substrate including an aerosol generating substance is located in the sleeve downstream of the capsule and annular air flow passage so that air flowing from the annular passage flows through the porous substrate. A filter is located at one end of the sleeve adjacent to and downstream of the porous substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 9, 1990
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventor: David G. Strubel
  • Device for making grooves in cigarette filters
    Patent number: 4883449
    Abstract: An apparatus for sequentially forming a plurality of generally longitudinally extending grooves in the peripheral surface of a filter rod includes a hollow rotatable drum having a plurality of filter rod receiving channels formed in its outer peripheral surface for receiving filter rods to be grooved. The device includes filter rod indexing devices which engage the filter rods in the receiving channels. As the drum rotates about its central axis, the filter rod indexing devices are individually and selectively activated to incrementally rotate selected filter rods about their longitudinal axes through an angle corresponding to the angular spacing between adjacent grooves to be formed in the peripheral surface of the filter rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1984
    Date of Patent: November 28, 1989
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventors: Richard Heaney, Erik I. Naslund
  • Conveyor system for planar panel
    Patent number: 4867298
    Abstract: A conveyor system for conveying planar panels in single file. The conveyor system can be used for receiving panels from bulk storage to a workstation. The conveyor system includes a conveyor belt apparatus located to receive the panels at its upstream end from the bulk supply device. A panel turning device is located at the downstream discharge end of the conveyor device for receiving the panels from the conveying device and redirecting them into the inlet end of a chute. An accumulative device is located over the conveyor to maintain a steady supply of panels to the chute. A photo cell control at the chute controls the number of spacers stacked in end-to-end relationship in the chute.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 19, 1989
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth M. Milliner, Robert T. Lewis, Everett N. Finn, Byron L. Lowe
  • Adapter for a package dispensing machine
    Patent number: 4865222
    Abstract: An adapter device for a cigarette package dispensing machine for modifying the dispensing machine to dispense thinner sized packages than the dispensing machine was originally designed to dispense. Typical cigarette package dispenser machines include column support magazines for containing stacked cigarette packages of a predetermined size. The open bottom dispensing end of the magazine is spaced above a horizontal package receiving deck by a distance approximately equal to the thickness of a cigarette package of predetermined size. Cigarette packages are dispensed one at a time from the magazine onto the receiving deck. A plunger moves over the receiving deck beneath the bottom dispensing end of the magazine to push the package from the receiving deck toward a package discharge opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1989
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventor: James W. Sullivan