Patents by Inventor Gerald Schmekel
Gerald Schmekel 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).
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Publication number: 20100139675Abstract: The invention relates to a method of producing cut tobacco material, whereby a tobacco starting material is heated and brought to a first increased pressure in one method stage; whereby the tobacco material is pumped to a second increased pressure in the second method stage which is higher than the first increased pressure; and whereby the tobacco material, heated and placed under pressure, is expanded and fed through a forming tool (23).Type: ApplicationFiled: December 12, 2007Publication date: June 10, 2010Inventors: Uwe Werner Ehling, Dietmar Franke, Gerald Schmekel
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Publication number: 20080196731Abstract: The invention relates to a method of processing tobacco fines, whereby the tobacco preparation for producing smoking articles from an initial material to be processed, which contains tobacco fines and tobacco material, is subjected to an increased mechanical pressure in order to bind the tobacco fines permanently to the tobacco material, and no extra or external binding agents are added the material to be processed in order to bind the tobacco fines to the tobacco material. It further relates to smoking articles containing smoking material produced on the basis of one of the methods proposed by the invention.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 2, 2006Publication date: August 21, 2008Inventors: Uwe Ehling, Matthias Link, Gerald Schmekel
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Publication number: 20080142027Abstract: The invention relates to a method of producing cut tobacco material, whereby a tobacco initial material is heated and placed under pressure and once heated and placed under pressure, the material is fed through a shearing gap and expanded and defibrated. It further relates to a device for producing cut tobacco material with a pressure chamber, which has a tobacco material inlet at the low-pressure end and a tobacco material outlet at the pressure end and a conveyor system for conveying the tobacco material from the inlet to the outlet, and the tobacco material outlet has a gap through which the material passes and expands, and the gap has walls which can be moved towards one another. It further relates to a smoking article containing such a cut, defibrated tobacco material product and the use of a plug screw feeder-extruder with a shearing gap outlet for defibrating tobacco material.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 28, 2005Publication date: June 19, 2008Inventors: Uwe Werner Ehling, Gerald Schmekel, Dietmar Franke, Matthias Link
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Patent number: 7387128Abstract: The invention relates to a continuous method for pressure-conditioning material for food and/or semi-luxury consumables, wherein said material (12) is introduced through an entrance (4) into a hyperbarically pressurized conditioning chamber (2), where it is treated with a conditioning agent, and extracted again from said conditioning chamber (2) at an exit (8), wherein the material (12) is conveyed continuously from said entrance (4) to said exit (8) in a conditioning chamber (2) inclined obliquely upwards, by means of a mixing conveyor, in particular a conveying screw (3).Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 2004Date of Patent: June 17, 2008Assignee: British American Tobacco (Germany) GmbHInventors: Uwe Werner Ehling, Gerald Schmekel, Frank Plückhahn, Hans-Werner Fuchs, Matthias Link
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Patent number: 7380554Abstract: The invention relates to a continuous method for pressure-conditioning material for food and/or semi-luxury consumables, wherein said material (12) is introduced through an entrance (4) into a hyperbarically pressurized conditioning chamber (2), where it is treated with a conditioning agent, and extracted again from said conditioning chamber (2) at an exit (8), wherein the material (12) is conveyed continuously from said entrance (4) to said exit (8) in a conditioning chamber (2) inclined obliquely upwards, by means of a mixing conveyor, in particular a conveying screw (3).Type: GrantFiled: February 5, 2004Date of Patent: June 3, 2008Assignee: British American Tobacco (Germany) GmbHInventors: Uwe Werner Ehling, Gerald Schmekel, Frank Plückhahn, Hans-Werner Fuchs, Matthias Link
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Publication number: 20050098186Abstract: The invention relates to a continuous method for pressure-conditioning material for food and/or semi-luxury consumables, wherein said material (12) is introduced through an entrance (4) into a hyperbarically pressurized conditioning chamber (2), where it is treated with a conditioning agent, and extracted again from said conditioning chamber (2) at an exit (8), wherein the material (12) is conveyed continuously from said entrance (4) to said exit (8) in a conditioning chamber (2) inclined obliquely upwards, by means of a mixing conveyor, in particular a conveying screw (3).Type: ApplicationFiled: December 13, 2004Publication date: May 12, 2005Applicant: British American Tobacco (Germany) GmbHInventors: Uwe Ehling, Gerald Schmekel, Frank Pluckhahn, Hans-Werner Fuchs, Matthias Link
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Patent number: 6880814Abstract: The invention relates to process gas conditioning for tobacco dryers. In particular, it relates to a device for conditioning dryer which includes a vaporization unit with a chamber for introducing and vaporizing water to be added to the process gas, wherein the vaporization unit is arranged before the tobacco dryer and before the tobacco is introduced into the process gas. Furthermore, the invention relates to a vaporization unit for introducing water vapor into the flow of process gas in a tobacco dryer which includes a through-flow tank in which water introduced via a number of spray jets is completely vaporized, in contact with the process gas, and to a method for conditioning process gas for a tobacco dryer, in particular a flow dryer, wherein vapor is added to the process gas by introducing and vaporizing water, the water in the flow of process gas being vaporized in an vaporization unit before the tobacco dryer and before the tobacco is introduced into the process gas.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2002Date of Patent: April 19, 2005Assignee: British American Tobacco (Germany GmbH)Inventors: Frank Pluckhahn, Gerald Schmekel, Arno Weiss, Dietmar Franke
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Patent number: 6834653Abstract: The invention concerns a method and an apparatus for expanding foodstuffs and luxury foodstuffs/tobacco materials capable of being expanded, in particular moist tobacco materials, wherein said materials in a carrier flow comprising steam pass through an expansion zone, comprising a Laval nozzle, in which the speed of sound is attained in the narrowest cross section.Type: GrantFiled: June 3, 2002Date of Patent: December 28, 2004Assignee: British American Tobacco (Germany) GmbHInventors: Frank Pluckhahn, Gerald Schmekel, Arno Weiss
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Publication number: 20040206367Abstract: The invention relates to a method for conditioning comminuted tobacco material by heating and moistening with water vapor, wherein the comminuted tobacco material free-falls down through a chamber operating in a continuous process and is treated during free-fall with water vapor via nozzles; a hyperbaric pressure is maintained in said chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 11, 2004Publication date: October 21, 2004Applicant: British American Tobacco (Germany)Inventors: Uwe Werner Ehling, Frank Pluckhahn, Gerald Schmekel, Arno Weiss
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Publication number: 20040182258Abstract: The invention relates to a continuous method for pressure-conditioning material for food and/or semi-luxury consumables, wherein said material (12) is introduced through an entrance (4) into a hyperbarically pressurized conditioning chamber (2), where it is treated with a conditioning agent, and extracted again from said conditioning chamber (2) at an exit (8), wherein the material (12) is conveyed continuously from said entrance (4) to said exit (8) in a conditioning chamber (2) inclined obliquely upwards, by means of a mixing conveyor, in particular a conveying screw (3).Type: ApplicationFiled: February 5, 2004Publication date: September 23, 2004Inventors: Uwe Werner Ehling, Gerald Schmekel, Frank Pluckhahn, Hans-Werner Fuchs, Matthias Link
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Patent number: 6779527Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for conditioning comminuted tobacco material by heating and moistening with water vapor, wherein the comminuted tobacco material free-falls down through a chamber operating in a continuous process and is treated during free-fall with water vapor via nozzles; a hyperbaric pressure is maintained in said chamber.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2001Date of Patent: August 24, 2004Assignee: British American Tobacco (Germany) GmbHInventors: Uwe Werner Ehling, Frank Plückhahn, Gerald Schmekel, Arno Weiss
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Patent number: 6542234Abstract: The invention relates to a method of detecting the particles of a tobacco particle stream in the production of smokable articles by scanning by means of a fine-beam light barrier, the diameter of which is smaller than the dimensions of the tobacco particles, and from the distribution of the dimensions of the tobacco particles determined by darkening of the fine-beam light barrier.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2000Date of Patent: April 1, 2003Assignee: British-American Tobacco (Germany) GmbHInventors: Reinhard Ulrich, Arno Weiss, Gerald Schmekel, Heinz-Werner Masurat, Uwe Werner Ehling
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Publication number: 20020189624Abstract: The invention concerns a method and an apparatus for expanding foodstuffs and luxury foodstuffs/tobacco materials capable of being expanded, in particular moist tobacco materials, wherein said materials in a carrier flow comprising steam pass through an expansion zone, comprising a Laval nozzle, in which the speed of sound is attained in the narrowest cross section.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 3, 2002Publication date: December 19, 2002Applicant: British American Tobacco (Germany) GmbHInventors: Frank Pluckhahn, Gerald Schmekel, Arno Weiss
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Publication number: 20020185755Abstract: The invention relates to process gas conditioning for tobacco dryers. In particular, it relates to a device for conditioning process gas for a tobacco dryer, in particular a flow dryer, comprising a means for introducing and vaporizing water to be added to the process gas, wherein the means comprises a vaporization unit arranged before the tobacco dryer and before the tobacco is introduced into the process gas.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 10, 2002Publication date: December 12, 2002Applicant: British American Tobacco (Germany) GmbHInventors: Frank Pluckhahn, Gerald Schmekel, Arno Weiss, Dietmar Franke
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Patent number: 6397851Abstract: A method and an apparatus for expanding foodstuffs and luxury foodstuffs/tobacco materials capable of being expanded, in particular moist tobacco materials, wherein said materials in a carrier flow comprising steam pass through an expansion zone, comprising a Laval nozzle, in which the speed of sound is attained in the narrowest cross section.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2000Date of Patent: June 4, 2002Assignee: British American Tobacco (Germany) GmbHInventors: Frank Pluckhahn, Gerald Schmekel, Arno Weiss
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Publication number: 20020033182Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for conditioning comminuted tobacco material by heating and moistening with water vapor, wherein the comminuted tobacco material free-falls down through a chamber operating in a continuous process and is treated during free-fall with water vapor via nozzles; a hyperbaric pressure is maintained in said chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2001Publication date: March 21, 2002Inventors: Uwe Werner Ehling, Frank Pluckhahn, Gerald Schmekel, Arno Weiss
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Patent number: 6067995Abstract: The invention relates to a coaxial cigarette including a rod comprising a rod core, a rod core wrapping, a rod jacket and a rod jacket wrapping; and a filter comprising a filter core, a filter core wrapping, a filter jacket and a filter jacket wrapping, a smoke flow stopper being provided between the rod core and the filter jacket and/or the rod jacket and the filter core in the zone joining the rod core wrapping and filter core wrapping, the invention also relating to a method of producing such a cigarette.Type: GrantFiled: November 23, 1998Date of Patent: May 30, 2000Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco CorporationInventors: Werner Schneider, Thomas Jung, Erwin Kausch, Bernd Spallek, Gerald Schmekel
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Patent number: 5791353Abstract: The invention relates to a method of denitrating tobacco stem material in which the tobacco stem material is input at a first point in a housing, guided through a solvent and output at a second point from the housing, the complete method being implemented at an overpressure, and to an apparatus for implementing the method with an elongated, approximately cylindrical housing and at least one rotatable feeder screw, said housing being configured pressure-tight and comprising locks or nozzles or inputting and/or outputting process flows.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 1996Date of Patent: August 11, 1998Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobaccco CorporationInventors: Gitta Junemann, Gerald Schmekel, Arno Weiss, Wilfried Stiller
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Patent number: 5121758Abstract: A glue for sealing the side seams of smokable articles contains 5 to 40 percent by weight dry substance pectin in an aqueous dispersion; to produce this glue the aqueous dispersion of the pectin is prepared by charging the pectin portion-wise into heated, demineralized water, stirring the corresponding mixture and executing a chain decomposition of the pectin.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 1990Date of Patent: June 16, 1992Assignee: B.A.T. Cigarettenfabriken GmbHInventors: Gerald Schmekel, Wilfried Stiller, Meinhard Meyer, Knut Moller
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Patent number: 5119835Abstract: A method is described for extracting tobacco alkaloids from tobacco in which the tobacco alkaloids are extracted from the tobacco with carbon dioxide under supercritical conditions and the tobacco alkaloids separated from the carbon dioxide, wherein in the carbon dioxide for the extraction of the tobacco alkaloids from the tobacco is mixed with a solid 2 to 3-basic organic acid having a total of 2 to 6 carbon atoms, a monoalkali or monoammonium salts thereof in order to appreciably shorten the extraction times.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 1991Date of Patent: June 9, 1992Assignee: B.A.T. Cigarettenfabriken GmbHInventors: Volker Heemann, Gerald Schmekel, Uwe Ehling, Bernhard Hauser, Casper H. Koene, Helge Rabitz