Patents by Inventor Shigenobu Kushihashi

Shigenobu Kushihashi 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: 8511459
    Abstract: A cigarette bundle feeder has a discharge duct which forms a lower part of a hopper and delivers filter cigarettes towards a bottom plate located under the hopper to produce a cigarette bundle, the discharge duct having a plurality of discharge passages arranged adjacent to each other in a width direction of the hopper to make the filter cigarettes flow downwards separately, the discharge passages opening in one direction; a front plate disposed at one side of and adjacent to the discharge duct, and extending in the width direction to cover the discharged passages of the discharge duct; and a plurality of suction holes formed in the front plate and having open ends that open towards the discharge duct, for sucking, through the open ends, tobacco shreds that spill from the cigarette ends of the filter cigarettes and drop into a gap between the front plate and the discharge duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc.
    Inventors: Koichi Akagi, Shigenobu Kushihashi, Tetsuo Ueno
  • Publication number: 20130001045
    Abstract: A cigarette bundle feeder has a discharge duct which forms a lower part of a hopper and delivers filter cigarettes towards a bottom plate located under the hopper to produce a cigarette bundle, the discharge duct having a plurality of discharge passages arranged adjacent to each other in a width direction of the hopper to make the filter cigarettes flow downwards separately, the discharge passages opening in one direction; a front plate disposed at one side of and adjacent to the discharge duct, and extending in the width direction to cover the discharged passages of the discharge duct; and a plurality of suction holes formed in the front plate and having open ends that open towards the discharge duct, for sucking, through the open ends, tobacco shreds that spill from the cigarette ends of the filter cigarettes and drop into a gap between the front plate and the discharge duct.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Inventors: Koichi AKAGI, Shigenobu Kushihashi, Tetsuo Ueno
  • Patent number: 7243656
    Abstract: A manufacturing machine for rod-shaped articles comprises a wrapping section (4) for forming a rod-shaped article by wrapping a filler material in a wrapper. The wrapping section has a forming bed (6) for guiding a garniture tape (10), which is used to form the rod-shaped article, in travel. The manufacturing machine further comprises a cooling system for cooling the forming bed (10). The cooling system is provided with cooling passages (43, 45, 47, 49, 143, 145, 149) formed in portions 6A to 6D of the forming bed (6) and a circuit for supplying a coolant to the cooling passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc.
    Inventors: Shigenobu Kushihashi, Susumu Shimizu, Susumu Shimada, Hiroshi Okamoto, Toru Kano, Takashi Sato
  • Publication number: 20070117700
    Abstract: A filter rod making machine comprises a plurality of feed wheels (50) for feeding filter elements (fA, fC) at intervals; a conveyor (18) for receiving the filter elements (fA, fC) from the feed wheels (50) and forming an element stream in which the filter elements (fA) and the filter element (fC) are arranged alternately; a wrapping apparatus (62) for forming the element stream into a composite element column (CE) in which the filter elements (fA, fC) are in close contact with each other, and then into a composite element rod (ER) by wrapping the composite element column (CE) in a paper web (W); a cutting apparatus (92) for cutting the composite element rod (ER) into individual filter rods (FR); and a phase change apparatus (112) for adjusting the rotation phase of the feed wheel (50) on the basis of information on the filter rod (FR) cut.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Publication date: May 24, 2007
    Inventors: Shigenobu Kushihashi, Masayoshi Saito, Shinji Ishii
  • Patent number: 7101439
    Abstract: A fluid application device stores seam paste in a reservoir tank 18 and feeds the seam paste to a pressure tank 20 through a feed pump 22. Inside of the pressure tank 20 is maintained under a given air pressure by a pneumatic unit 26, and the seam paste is supplied from the pressure tank 20 to an application nozzle 16 through a supply pipe 24. A level sensor 28 detects fluid level of stored seam paste in the pressure tank 20, and a detection signal is input to a controller 30. The controller 30 controls operation of the feed pump 22 based on the detection signal that is transmitted from the level sensor 28 and also controls a supply amount of the seam paste to the pressure tank 20 to maintain the fluid level in the pressure tank 20 at a fixed level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc.
    Inventors: Shigenobu Kushihashi, Syozo Horikawa, Junji Ueno
  • Patent number: 6941994
    Abstract: A double-faced splicing tape of the present invention splices a first web used for forming a tobacco rod and a second web in a stand-by state to and has a plurality of perforations extending in a longitudinal direction of the webs. Furthermore, the present invention provides a feeding device for making the double-faced splicing tape hang toward a feeding position located in between a main delivery path of the first web and a sub-delivery path of the second web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc.
    Inventors: Shigenobu Kushihashi, Junichi Nagai, Hisao Suzuki, Fumio Kubo, Syozo Horikawa
  • Publication number: 20040188029
    Abstract: A double-faced splicing tape of the present invention splices a first web used for forming a tobacco rod and a second web in a stand-by state to and has a plurality of perforations extending in a longitudinal direction of the webs. Furthermore, the present invention provides a feeding device for making the double-faced splicing tape hang toward a feeding position located in between a main delivery path of the first web and a sub-delivery path of the second web.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2004
    Publication date: September 30, 2004
    Inventors: Shigenobu Kushihashi, Junichi Nagai, Hisao Suzuki, Fumio Kubo, Syozo Horikawa
  • Publication number: 20040124285
    Abstract: A fluid application device stores seam paste in a reservoir tank 18 and feeds the seam paste to a pressure tank 20 through a feed pump 22. Inside of the pressure tank 20 is maintained under a given air pressure by a pneumatic unit 26, and the seam paste is supplied from the pressure tank 20 to an application nozzle 16 through a supply pipe 24. A level sensor 28 detects fluid level of stored seam paste in the pressure tank 20, and a detection signal is input to a controller 30. The controller 30 controls operation of the feed pump 22 based on the detection signal that is transmitted from the level sensor 28 and also controls a supply amount of the seam paste to the pressure tank 20 to maintain the fluid level in the pressure tank 20 at a fixed level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2003
    Publication date: July 1, 2004
    Inventors: Shigenobu Kushihashi, Syozo Horikawa, Junji Ueno
  • Publication number: 20040025889
    Abstract: A manufacturing machine for rod-shaped articles comprises a wrapping section (4) for forming a rod-shaped article by wrapping a filler material in a wrapper. The wrapping section has a forming bed (6) for guiding a garniture tape (10), which is used to form the rod-shaped article, in travel. The manufacturing machine further comprises a cooling system for cooling the forming bed (10). The cooling system is provided with cooling passages (43, 45, 47, 49, 143, 145, 149) formed in portions 6A to 6D of the forming bed (6) and a circuit for supplying a coolant to the cooling passages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2003
    Publication date: February 12, 2004
    Inventors: Shigenobu Kushihashi, Susumu Shimizu, Susumu Shimada, Hiroshi Okamoto, Toru Kano, Takashi Sato
  • Patent number: 6024148
    Abstract: An apparatus for sticking a double-sided adhesive tape in a predetermined position on a web, including an adhesive tape roll holding mechanism for tape roll, an adhesive tape delivery mechanism for delivering an adhesive tape laminate from the tape roll, and a pressing member for pressing the adhesive tape laminate against the web. The delivered adhesive tape laminate is held under pressure between the pressing member and the web, whereupon each of tape pieces on a seal of the laminate is stuck on the web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2000
    Assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc.
    Inventors: Masayoshi Saitoh, Shigenobu Kushihashi, Shozo Horikawa
  • Patent number: 5711318
    Abstract: A trimming control device for a cigarette manufacturing machine is provided with a pair of rotatable trimming disks having pockets on their peripheral edges for trimming a shredded tobacco layer on a tobacco band, a detecting device for detecting a filling density of the shredded tobacco in a tobacco rod, and a control board to which output from the detecting device is supplied. The control board makes a filling density distribution in the cigarette rod by sampling the output of the detecting device, extracts a peak zone including a peak from the filling density distribution, and determines a target cutting position of a tobacco rod at the central position of the peak zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1998
    Assignee: Japan Tobacco, Inc.
    Inventors: Masayoshi Saitoh, Shigemitsu Inomata, Shigenobu Kushihashi
  • Patent number: 5441214
    Abstract: A paper web reservoir apparatus comprises a reservoir box, which has an inlet port through which a paper web paid out from a paper web supply section is introduced into the reservoir box, an outlet port through which the paper web delivered to a cigarette rod forming machine, and a number of vent holes bored through the wall of the reservoir box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 15, 1995
    Assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc.
    Inventors: Shigenobu Kushihashi, Shigemitsu Inomata
  • Patent number: 5439009
    Abstract: The device according to the present invention has a delivery axis of tobacco rod which extends from a wrapping section to an inspecting section in a cigarette manufacturing apparatus, a rod guide which can move between the forward position on the delivery axis and the backward position away from the delivery axis, the rod guide directing and leading the tobacco rod sent out from the wrapping section to the inspecting section, and a rod deflector which is located above the rod guide and which can rotate from an up position that is higher than the delivery axis to a down position where the delivery axis is shut off, the rod deflector cutting the tobacco rod and also deflecting the delivery direction of the tobacco rod on the wrapping section side to lead it into a dust box when the rod deflector rotates from the up position to the down position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 8, 1995
    Assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc.
    Inventors: Shigenobu Kushihashi, Hiroshi Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 5370137
    Abstract: A control apparatus according to the present invention comprises a hinge for rockably supporting a second upper mold, which is utilized for the final formation of a tobacco rod, right over a lower mold of a cigarette production machine, an adjusting device for adjusting the diameter of the tobacco rod by rocking the second upper mold, a pulse motor for use as a drive source for the adjusting device, a pair of sensors for measuring diametrical widths of the formed tobacco rod with respect to two directions perpendicular to each other, a central processing unit for controlling the drive of the pulse motor in accordance with output signals from the sensors so that the diameter of the tobacco rod to be formed are within an allowable range, by means of a drive controller for the pulse motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc.
    Inventors: Shigenobu Kushihashi, Makoto Kakiuchi, Hidenori Muramoto