Patents by Inventor Charles E. Thomas, Jr.

Charles E. Thomas, 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).

  • Patent number: 7997282
    Abstract: A smoking article such as a cigarette comprises a tobacco rod and a filter component having a cavity filled with spherical beaded carbon. As mainstream tobacco smoke is drawn through the filter component, targeted gas phase smoke constituents are removed as the smoke passes through the carbon. During the filter manufacturing process the spherical beaded carbon flows like a liquid and substantially completely fills the cavity. Point-to-point contact between the spherical beads together with substantially complete filling of the cavity produces minimal channeling of ambulatory gas phase as well as maximum contact between the gas phase and the carbon surface of the spherical beads during smoking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Philip Morris USA Inc.
    Inventors: John B. Paine, III, Zuyin Yang, Kent B. Koller, Jay A. Fournier, Charles E. Thomas, Jr., Timothy S. Sherwood, Zhaohua Luan, Shuzhong Zhuang, Jose G. Nepomuceno, Diane L. Gee, Georgios D. Karles
  • Patent number: 7784470
    Abstract: A smoking article such as a cigarette comprises a tobacco rod and a filter component having a cavity filled with spherical beaded carbon. As mainstream tobacco smoke is drawn through the filter component, targeted gas phase smoke constituents are removed as the smoke passes through the carbon. During the filter manufacturing process the spherical beaded carbon flows like a liquid and substantially completely fills the cavity. Point-to-point contact between the spherical beads together with substantially complete filling of the cavity produces minimal channeling of ambulatory gas phase as well as maximum contact between the gas phase and the carbon surface of the spherical beads during smoking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Philip Morris USA Inc.
    Inventors: John B. Paine, III, Zuyin Yang, Kent B. Koller, Jay A. Fournier, Charles E. Thomas, Jr., Timothy S. Sherwood, Zhaohua Luan, Shuzhong Zhuang, Jose M. G. Nepomuceno, Diane L. Gee, Georgios D. Karles
  • Patent number: 7784471
    Abstract: A smoking article such as a cigarette comprises a tobacco rod and a filter component having a cavity filled with spherical beaded carbon. As mainstream tobacco smoke is drawn through the filter component, targeted gas phase smoke constituents are removed as the smoke passes through the carbon. During the filter manufacturing process the spherical beaded carbon flows like a liquid and substantially completely fills the cavity. Point-to-point contact between the spherical beads together with substantially complete filling of the cavity produces minimal channeling of ambulatory gas phase as well as maximum contact between the gas phase and the carbon surface of the spherical beads during smoking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Philip Morris USA Inc.
    Inventors: John B. Paine, III, Zuyin Yang, Kent B. Koller, Jay A. Fournier, Charles E. Thomas, Jr., Timothy S. Sherwood, Zhaohua Luan, Shuzhong Zhuang, Jose G. Nepomuceno, Diane L. Gee, Georgios D. Karles
  • Patent number: 6860273
    Abstract: A zone or plug of porous adsorbent material, primarily activated carbon, is placed in the tobacco rod of a cigarette a short distance from the lighting end thereof. The amount of activated carbon is sufficient for effective removal of volatile smoke constituents while allowing the cigarette to burn continuously. The activated carbon traps volatile smoke constituents in close proximity to the burning coal in the first puffs of the cigarette. As the cigarette continues to burn, the burning coal consumes the activated carbon. The adsorbed smoke constituents are effectively removed without releasing them back into the mainstream smoke. Following the consumption of the activated carbon in the tobacco rod, the cigarette is unchanged from a cigarette of conventional design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: Philip Morris Incorporated
    Inventor: Charles E. Thomas, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6814786
    Abstract: A filter includes at least two monolithic sorbent segments and a mixing segment between the two monolithic sorbent segments. The monolithic sorbent segments comprise porous sorbent materials that are capable of selectively removing one or more selected gaseous constituents from a gas flow. The filter can be incorporated in a smoking article, such as a cigarette, to remove one or more selected constituents from mainstream smoke. Methods for making the filter and smoking articles including the filter, as well as methods for smoking a cigarette comprising the filter, are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: Philip Morris USA Inc.
    Inventors: Shuzhong Zhuang, John B. Paine, III, Timothy S. Sherwood, Jay A Fournier, Kent B. Koller, Zhaohua Luan, Charles E. Thomas, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4168623
    Abstract: Volatile content of a sample is determined by volatilizing a portion of such content, taking weight measurements at uniform intervals during such volatilization after a preselected delay, obtaining differences between weight measurements taken at times separated by a predetermined uniform measure and processing such weight differences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1977
    Date of Patent: September 25, 1979
    Assignee: Philip Morris Incorporated
    Inventor: Charles E. Thomas, Jr.