Patents by Inventor Vivian Willis

Vivian Willis 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: 20070000505
    Abstract: A component of a smoking article having tobacco beads. The tobacco beads can be located in a filter and/or a tobacco rod. The filter can be a multi-component filter, wherein an sorbent (preferably upstream) removes at least one constituent from mainstream tobacco smoke passing through the filter and downstream tobacco beads compensates for taste lost to the sorbent. The tobacco beads optionally include flavorants in addition to tobacco particulates. The tobacco beads can be located within a cavity in the filter or within the tow. This component can comprise additional flavors, which are released into the mainstream smoke under ambient conditions. The tobacco beads optionally include binders such as microcrystalline cellulose or other cellulosic material, which can be formed into a paste with tobacco powder and optionally with additional flavors. The paste can be extruded and spheronized to form the tobacco beads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2006
    Publication date: January 4, 2007
    Inventors: Shuzhong Zhuang, Georgios Karles, Jose Nepomuceno, Richard Jupe, Gerson Assmann, Stephen Zimmermann, Benjamin Lewis, James Sherron, Vivian Willis
  • Publication number: 20060272662
    Abstract: A cigarette having a multi-component filter wherein an upstream sorbent removes at least one constituent from mainstream tobacco smoke passing through the filter and a downstream flavor segment compensates for taste lost to the sorbent. The flavor component includes cellulosic flavor bearing granules which release volatile flavor constituents into the mainstream smoke under ambient conditions. The cellulosic granules include microcrystalline cellulose or other cellulosic material which can be formed into a paste with the flavor additive, extruded and spheronized to form the flavor granules.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2006
    Publication date: December 7, 2006
    Inventors: Richard Jupe, Rowland Dwyer, Donald Laslie, Arlington Finley, Barbara Taylor, Cecil Smith, Vivian Willis