Patents by Inventor Susan E. Plunkett

Susan E. Plunkett 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).

  • Publication number: 20240099374
    Abstract: An electronic smoking article includes a liquid supply region including liquid material and a heater-wick element operable to wick liquid material and heat the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol. The heater-wick element is formed of a carbon or graphite foam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Susan E. PLUNKETT, David B. KANE
  • Patent number: 11832652
    Abstract: An electronic smoking article includes a liquid supply region including liquid material and a heater-wick element operable to wick liquid material and heat the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol. The heater-wick element is formed of a carbon or graphite foam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Susan E. Plunkett, David B. Kane
  • Publication number: 20220030945
    Abstract: An electronic smoking article includes a liquid supply region including liquid material and a heater-wick element operable to wick liquid material and heat the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol. The heater-wick element is formed of a carbon or graphite foam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Susan E. PLUNKETT, David B. KANE
  • Patent number: 11147312
    Abstract: An electronic smoking article includes a liquid supply region including liquid material and a heater-wick element operable to wick liquid material and heat the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol. The heater-wick element is formed of a carbon or graphite foam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Susan E. Plunkett, David B. Kane
  • Publication number: 20200170296
    Abstract: An electronic smoking article includes a liquid supply region including liquid material and a heater-wick element operable to wick liquid material and heat the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol. The heater-wick element is formed of a carbon or graphite foam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Susan E. PLUNKETT, David B. KANE
  • Patent number: 10561177
    Abstract: An electronic smoking article includes a liquid supply region including liquid material and a heater-wick element operable to wick liquid material and heat the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol. The heater-wick element is formed of a carbon or graphite foam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Susan E. Plunkett, David B. Kane
  • Publication number: 20190082742
    Abstract: An electronic smoking article includes a liquid supply region including liquid material and a heater-wick element operable to wick liquid material and heat the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol. The heater-wick element is formed of a carbon or graphite foam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Publication date: March 21, 2019
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Susan E. PLUNKETT, David B. KANE
  • Patent number: 10136678
    Abstract: An electronic smoking article includes a liquid supply region including liquid material and a heater-wick element operable to wick liquid material and heat the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol. The heater-wick element is formed of a carbon or graphite foam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Susan E. Plunkett, David B. Kane
  • Patent number: 9848644
    Abstract: An electronic smoking article includes a liquid supply region including liquid material and a heater-wick element operable to wick liquid material and heat the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol. The heater-wick element is formed of a carbon or graphite foam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Susan E. Plunkett, David B. Kane
  • Publication number: 20170340019
    Abstract: An electronic smoking article includes a liquid supply region including liquid material and a heater-wick element operable to wick liquid material and heat the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol. The heater-wick element is formed of a carbon or graphite foam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2017
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Susan E. PLUNKETT, David B. KANE
  • Publication number: 20140238422
    Abstract: An electronic smoking article includes a liquid supply region including liquid material and a heater-wick element operable to wick liquid material and heat the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol. The heater-wick element is formed of a carbon or graphite foam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: Altria Client Services Inc.
    Inventors: Susan E. Plunkett, David B. Kane
  • Patent number: 8066010
    Abstract: A filter component includes a catalyst surrounded by a thermally insulative carbon fiber composite. The catalyst can catalyze the chemical reaction of selected gaseous constituents of a gas stream. During catalysis, the catalyst can reach high temperatures. The carbon fiber composite can contain heat generated during the catalysis within the filter component and thereby reduce heat transfer to the surroundings. The filter component can be used in smoking articles. Methods of making and using the filter-component and methods for treating mainstream tobacco smoke are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Philip Morris USA Inc.
    Inventors: Piers Newbery, Antonis Tsakotellis, Susan E. Plunkett, Kenneth H. Shafer
  • Publication number: 20110100384
    Abstract: A filter component includes a catalyst surrounded by a thermally insulative carbon fiber composite. The catalyst can catalyze the chemical reaction of selected gaseous constituents of a gas stream. During catalysis, the catalyst can reach high temperatures. The carbon fiber composite can contain heat generated during the catalysis within the filter component and thereby reduce heat transfer to the surroundings. The filter component can be used in smoking articles. Methods of making and using the filter-component and methods for treating mainstream tobacco smoke are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2011
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Applicant: Philip Morris USA Inc.
    Inventors: Piers Newbery, Antonis Tsakotellis, Susan E. Plunkett, Kenneth H. Shafer
  • Patent number: 7878209
    Abstract: A filter component includes a catalyst surrounded by a thermally insulative carbon fiber composite. The catalyst can catalyze the chemical reaction of selected gaseous constituents of a gas stream. During catalysis, the catalyst can reach high temperatures. The carbon fiber composite can contain heat generated during the catalysis within the filter component and thereby reduce heat transfer to the surroundings. The filter component can be used in smoking articles. Methods of making and using the filter-component and methods for treating mainstream tobacco smoke are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Philip Morris USA Inc.
    Inventors: Piers Newbery, Antonis Tsakotellis, Susan E. Plunkett, Kenneth H. Shafer
  • Patent number: 7503960
    Abstract: Filters and smoking articles include at least one carbon fiber composite molecular sieve sorbent capable of selectively removing one or more selected constituents from mainstream smoke. Methods for making cigarette filters and smoking articles using the carbon fiber composite molecular sieve sorbent and methods for treating mainstream tobacco smoke in a cigarette comprising the carbon fiber composite molecular sieve sorbent are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Assignee: Philip Morris USA Inc.
    Inventors: Susan E. Plunkett, Kenneth H. Shafer
  • Patent number: 7282105
    Abstract: Miniature planar IR waveguides of thickness 30–50 ?m, consisting of 12-mm long, 2-mm wide strips of Ge supported on ZnS substrates and tapered quasi-tapered waveguides, tapered from a thickness of 1 mm at the ends to a minimum of 1–100 ?m at the center, are disclosed. The surface sensitivity is increased as a function of incidence or bevel angle. The tapered waveguide improves the efficiency of the optical coupling both into the waveguide from an FTIR spectrometer, and out of the waveguide onto a small-area IR detector. The tapering makes it possible to dispense with using an IR microscope couple light through the waveguide, enabling efficient coupling with a detector directly coupled to an immersion lens. This optical arrangement makes such thin supported waveguides more useful as sensors, because they can be made quite long (e.g. 50 mm) and mounted horizontally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Inventors: Susan E. Plunkett, James J. Stone, Mark Stephen Braiman
  • Patent number: 6496636
    Abstract: Miniature planar IR waveguides of thickness 30-50 &mgr;m, consisting of 12-mm long, 2-mm wide strips of Ge supported on ZnS substrates and tapered quasi-tapered waveguides, tapered from a thickness of 1 mm at the ends to a minimum of 1-100 &mgr;m at the center, are disclosed. The surface sensitivity is increased as a function of incidence or bevel angle. The tapered waveguide improves the efficiency of the optical coupling both into the waveguide from an FTIR spectrometer, and out of the waveguide onto a small-area IR detector. The tapering makes it possible to dispense with using an IR microscope couple light through the waveguide, enabling efficient coupling with a detector directly coupled to an immersion lens. This optical arrangement makes such thin supported waveguides more useful as sensors, because they can be made quite long (e.g. 50 mm) and mounted horizontally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Inventors: Mark Stephen Braiman, Susan E. Plunkett, James J. Stone
  • Patent number: 5980831
    Abstract: We have fabricated miniature planar IR waveguides of thickness 30-50 .mu.m, consisting of 12-mm long, 2-mm wide strips of Ge supported on ZnS substrates. Evidence for efficient propagation of broadband IR light through these waveguides is provided by the presence of characteristic high and low frequency optical cut-offs of Ge; by the observation of an oscillatory interference pattern in the transmittance spectrum, which exhibits a dependence on waveguide thickness and propagation angle closely matching waveguide theory; and by the detection of strong evanescent-wave absorption from small (2 mm.sup.2) droplets of liquid, e.g. water, on the waveguide surface. As also predicted by theory, the surface sensitivity (detected light absorbance per unit area of sample-waveguide contact) was shown to increase as a function of incidence or bevel angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Inventors: Mark S. Braiman, Susan E. Plunkett, James J. Stone