Patents Examined by Dionne A. Walls
  • Patent number: 6997190
    Abstract: Smokable rods of cigarettes are manufactured using wrapping materials that incorporate at least one fibrous material (e.g., flax fibers, hardwood pulp fibers and/or softwood pulp fibers) at least one filler material (e.g., calcium carbonate in particulate form). The wrapping materials possess multi-layer coatings. The wrapping materials possess coatings in the form of series of spaced apart bands, each band possessing a series of layers. At least one of the coating layers can have a filler material dispersed or suspended within a film-forming material of that layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
    Inventors: Cynthia Stewart Stokes, Robert Henry Powell, Brian Michael Lawrence
  • Patent number: 6997019
    Abstract: A press die and a molding process can form a disk member having a shaft shaped portion at a center with satisfactory circularity and flatness in a disk portion, dimensional precision in the shaft shaped portion, and concentricity between the disk portion and the shaft shaped portion at the center. The press die is designed for press molding of a glass substrate of a disk member with a shaft shaped portion at a center thereof. The press die includes an upper die forming an upper surface of the disk member, an intermediate die having a shaft forming hole portion for forming a shaft shaped portion projecting from a disk portion of the disk member, a lower die for forming a lower surface of the shaft shaped portion and a guide member for guiding the upper die, the intermediate die and the lower die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignees: Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsumi Kawata, Kazuo Nimura, Kengo Kainuma, Kunio Hibino, Hidenao Kataoka
  • Patent number: 6998015
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for reducing or inhibiting alkaline darkening of mechanical pulp caused by the presence of calcium carbonate filler during production; the method comprises adding a sulfite, or sulfur-containing reducing agent, especially a sulfite to the mechanical pulp and the filler; the method is usefully applied in the production of mechanical pulp and paper in which calcium carbonate is used as a filler and also in the production of paper at neutral or mildly alkaline conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada
    Inventors: Xujun Hua, Makhlouf Laleg
  • Patent number: 6998016
    Abstract: The present invention is a through-air-drying process for producing a fibrous web that possesses not only softness and absorbency but also strength. The method of the present invention monitors and controls the overall charge in the headbox.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: Fort James Corporation
    Inventors: Kang Chang Yeh, Gary L. Worry, Thomas N. Kershaw, Henry S. Ostrowski
  • Patent number: 6994096
    Abstract: A heater fixture for use in an electrically heated cigarette smoking system having a source of electrical energy for heating a cigarette includes an inner wall or barrel having at least one opening through the inner wall extending from an outer peripheral surface to an inner surface of the inner wall, and at least one flow distributing element positioned within the at least one opening and extending inwardly from the inner surface. The flow distributing element or elements are provided with a plurality of openings that are in fluid communication with an interior of the heater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: Philip Morris USA Inc.
    Inventors: Ali A. Rostami, Susan E. Wrenn
  • Patent number: 6993938
    Abstract: Systems, devices and methods for compiling and fracturing optical fibers are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: William L. Stewart, II
  • Patent number: 6990983
    Abstract: A disposable, portable, pocketable, foldable and reusable cigarette ashtray which is formed from a single blank of fire retardant paper or other suitable material into a box shape that will fit into a vehicle cup holder. The ashtray consists of four sides, a bottom, three cavity leaf panels and a folding top lid. The cavity leaf panels slope into the container forming upper and lower cavities. When the ashtray is full of cigarette butts, a top lid panel is folded over the top cavity, locked in place and then safely disposed of. The back panel is supplied with an adhesive strip for attaching the ashtray to a surface. The ashtray is sized to act as a package for two packs of cigarettes. It is inexpensive to produce and can be folded for convenient packaging and portability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2006
    Inventor: Hugh Marion Lyman, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6990835
    Abstract: In the process for partially shaping, a glass/glass ceramic article (5) is held on a planar support plate (1) by suction. The glass/glass ceramic article is heated to soften it, so that it has a viscosity below 106 dPa·s. After the softening one or more shaping dies (4) is or are moved upward through an opening or respective openings (3) in the support plate to form raised regions in the softened glass/glass ceramic article (5). The suction force is produced by a low pressure in a hollow compartment (2) below the support plate (1) and acts on the glass/glass ceramic article (5) by means of a gap (G) formed between each shaping die (4) and the support plate. Additional openings can be provided in the support plate and/or in one or more of the shaping dies to assist in applying the suction force to the glass/glass ceramic article. After solidification of the softened glass/glass-ceramic article the shaping die or dies (4) is or are withdrawn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2006
    Assignee: Schott AG
    Inventors: Friedrich-Georg Schroeder, Roland Hochhaus, Bernd Weitzel, Bernd Hoppe, Hermann Lemm, Gerhard Hahn, Hans-Walter Abraham
  • Patent number: 6989075
    Abstract: A dual intensive property tissue. The tissue has a first set of intensive properties including density, surface area, thickness and void volume as presented to the consumer. The consumer plastically activates the tissue by pulling it in tension. A series of slits 44 or other lines of weakness elongate in a direction parallel to the line of tension, allowing the tissue to achieve a second state of intensive properties. The value of the second state of intensive properties is different after activation. The change in value of the intensive properties allows for economies in shipping, where a higher density product is shipped to the consumer. At the point of use, the consumer activates the product to achieve the increase surface area and lower density. The increase in surface area and concomitant decrease in density provides for increased efficacy in cleaning. The plastically activatable state may be provided by a series of slits 44 or other lines of weakness in the tissue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2006
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Junan Kao, Michelle Renee Gannon, Michael Gomer Stelljes, Jr., Paul Dennis Trokhan
  • Patent number: 6989078
    Abstract: Methods and systems for the treatment of pulp are provided. The methods include dewatering pulp to a fiber concentration of at least 20%, shredding the dewatered pulp in a closed pulp shredding vessel, transporting the shredded pulp without compression continuously out of the pulp shredding vessel through an outlet pipe which is kept completely filled with passing pulp, directly transporting the shredded pulp to a reaction vessel through a gas-tight conduit gas sealed from the surroundings and communicating with the outlet pipe and the reaction vessel, bleaching the shredded pulp in the reaction vessel with ozone gas, and regulating the gas pressure in the pulp shredding vessel and in the reaction vessel so that ozone gas is prevented from leaking upstream through the outlet pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2006
    Assignee: Valmet Fibertech AB
    Inventors: Monica Bokström, Per Åström
  • Patent number: 6988379
    Abstract: The invention provides a low cost method of manufacturing high capacity preforms by chemical vapor deposition. More particularly, there is described a method of manufacturing an optical fiber preform, which method comprises the steps of providing a substrate tube of silica doped with sufficient chlorine to obtain an OH concentration of less than 100 ppb and doped with sufficient fluorine proportional to the chlorine doping to obtain a refractive index that is lower than that of a natural silica, depositing inner cladding and an optical core inside the substrate tube, collapsing the substrate tube to form a primary preform, and depositing outer cladding of said natural silica on the resulting primary preform. The invention is applicable to manufacturing optical fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2006
    Assignee: Alcatel
    Inventors: Gérard Orcel, Marc Nicolardot, Jean-Florent Campion
  • Patent number: 6988382
    Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a glass-base-material, which is a base material of an optical fiber, includes a driving unit that drives a glass rod around an axis of the glass rod; a burner for accumulating glass soot around outside surface of the glass rod, which is driven by the driving unit, to form the glass-base-material; a weight-deducting unit, on which the driving unit is mounted, for deducting a predetermined weight from a total weight of the driving unit and the glass-base-material formed by the burner; and a measuring unit provided under the weight-deducting unit for measuring the total weight, from which the predetermined weight is deducted by the weight-deducting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2006
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Junichiro Takei, Tadakatsu Shimada, Hideo Hirasawa
  • Patent number: 6986865
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an electrostatic chuck is disclosed wherein a sintered ceramic body having a dielectric layer made from Alumina (Al2O2) and Titanium Nitride (TiN) having a specific range of particle size is heat treated in an oxygen-rich environment in order to produce a uniform dielectric layer having no pores or micro-cracks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Hongy Lin, Jason Eugene Smith, Thomas Michael Laskowski
  • Patent number: 6986268
    Abstract: A flat glass plate having a low residual stress, suitable for use in preparing a display, can be prepared without an annealing or polishing process by way of controlling the horizontal temperature gradient of a molten glass plate to a specific range during cooling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Assignee: Samsung Corning Precision Glass Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sang-Hwa Lee
  • Patent number: 6986829
    Abstract: Process and container for stacking and diluting paper fiber stock. The process includes stacking a high-consistency stock in a first volume for defined dwell time, conveying stock to second volume arranged to adjoin downstream first volume, diluting stock in second volume at least to a pumpable consistency, and drawing off diluted stock as suspension through a wire. Process includes generating circulation flow in second volume, such that circulation flow facilitates conveying of stock located on boundary of first volume into second volume, diluting stock, and drawing stock through wire. Process includes rotating rotor to keep wire clear, and generating, with screw coil arranged directly in front of rotor, flow that runs in axial direction of screw coil and guides diluted suspension away from wire. The instant abstract is neither intended to define the invention disclosed in this specification nor intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Assignee: Voith Paper Patent GmbH
    Inventors: Volker Gehr, Martin Nuber
  • Patent number: 6978789
    Abstract: A compact cigarette making machine for inserting a quantity of tobacco into a preformed cigarette tube is described. A tobacco receiving member is slidably retained within a base and movable longitudinally thereon to load tobacco into a cigarette tube secured to a nipple at its forward end. A cover is pivotally secured to the rearward end of the tobacco receiving member and slidable therewith with respect to the base. The cover is pivotally movable from an open position to a closed position overlying the tobacco receiving member. The cover is substantially of the same width as the base and has a pair of opposed inner tongues engagable under a respective elongated flange which projects inside the open channel-shaped base from opposed side walls thereof when the tobacco receiving member is retracted rearwardly over the base. An arresting member is provided in the bottom wall of the machine to permit the loading of tobacco in tubes of different length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: EFKA Canada Limited
    Inventor: Gary Garbarino
  • Patent number: 6976493
    Abstract: Smokable rods of cigarettes are manufactured using wrapping materials that incorporate at least one fibrous material (e.g., flax fibers, hardwood pulp fibers and/or softwood pulp fibers) at least one filler material (e.g., calcium carbonate in particulate form). The wrapping materials possess multi-layer coatings. The wrapping materials possess coatings in the form of series of spaced apart bands, each band possessing a series of layers. At least one of the coating layers can have a filler material dispersed or suspended within a film-forming material of that layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
    Inventors: Paul Stuart Chapman, Sara Sutton Williard, Charles Ray Ashcraft, James Herbert Ellis, Jr., James Ray Hutchens, Gregory Scott Pierce, John Joseph Tomel, Jr., Mark Stuart Powell
  • Patent number: 6976372
    Abstract: Disclosed is a process for sealing component assembly to an electrical lighting device using induction healing. The assembly comprises the component, such as an electrode lead wire, and a solder glass perform. The process is useful, for example, in hermetically sealing and affixing lamp components, such as electrical lead wires and exhaust tubulation, to a low-pressure fluorescent discharge lamp envelope having phosphor coating already applied thereto without causing to damage other lamp components sensitive to high temperature. The present invention is particularly suitable for lamp envelopes made of borosilicate glass having a CTE form 0 to 300° C. in the range of 30–45×10?7° C.?1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Timothy J. Cooper, Kashyap H. Shah
  • Patent number: 6973806
    Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a glass gob, a down-flowing molten glass is received on a molding die. The molding die is moved down at a speed higher than a down-flowing speed of the molten glass so as to cut the molten glass. The molten glass is remained with a predetermined weight on the molding die. The molten glass is sprayed with gas in order to form the glass gob under such a condition that the molten glass is floated or slightly floated. The receiving step is carried out by spraying the molten glass with gas having a flow rate lower than the gas used in the spraying step, or the receiving step is carried out without performing the gas spraying.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Keisuke Yoshikuni, Atsushi Uezaki, Youji Touma, Shogo Tsukada
  • Patent number: 6968847
    Abstract: There is provided an apparatus which can be incorporated into machines or production lines for the making of rod-shaped articles, such as filter cigarettes. The apparatus ascertains at least the diameters of longitudinally spaced-apart portions of an article, such as a continuous cigarette rod having equidistant portions of greater density, while the article advances lengthwise at a constant speed or at one of several different speeds. Accurate determination of the diameters of spaced-apart portions and, if necessary, a change of the diameter when it deviates from an optimum value, renders it possible to reduce the number of rejects and to turn out high-quality products, such as filter cigarettes wherein the mouthpiece is attached to the dense ends of the plain cigarettes; this ensures that the diameter of the dense end is identical with or sufficiently close to that of the filter mouthpiece so that the customary uniting band can secure the mouthpiece to the plain cigarette without leakage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: Hauni Maschinenbau AG
    Inventor: Heinz-Christen Lorenzen