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Actor Marlon Brando has four patents, all named "Drumhead tensioning device and method."
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7004177 | Method and device for detecting foreign bodies in cigarettes The invention relates to a method for detecting and selecting foreign parts in cigarettes, in which the tobacco is exposed in the vicinity of the cigarette maker to microwave radiation and both a signal SD relating to the tobacco density and a signal S | 02/28/2006 |
| 6691493 | Method of and apparatus for encoding and recording identifying indicia for arrays of rod-shaped commodities Packs of rod-shaped smokers' products comprise containers of a material which permits monitoring of their contents by a suitable detector serving to generate signals which indicate the presence of characteristic indicia on one or more packed smokers' prod... | 02/17/2004 |
| 6421126 | Density checking apparatus for tobacco flavor-tasting article or component of tobacco flavor-tasting article In an optical density checking apparatus, a 0.7-μm first light beam not transmitted through shredded leaf tobacco and a 1.3-μm second light beam transmitted through the shredded leaf tobacco, which are from first and second light sources, are synthesize... | 07/16/2002 |
| 6407807 | Method and apparatus for testing cigarette heads The invention relates to a method for testing cigarette heads, at least one region of a cigarette head being irradiated with light, and light reflected by the cigarette head being received by a detector in such a way that irradiating and received reflecte... | 06/18/2002 |
| 6213128 | Apparatus and method for making and inspecting multi-component wrapped article In an apparatus for making and inspecting a multi-component cigarettes, each cigarette including two or more different components arranged relative to one another, the apparatus includes a device for advancing a web in a first direction. The apparatus fur... | 04/10/2001 |
| 6173716 | Method and apparatus for inspecting cigarette density A density inspection apparatus and method. The apparatus is disposed downstream of a wrapping section of a cigarette manufacturing machine. In accordance with pulse output signals generated by a rotary encoder in synchronism with the travel of a cigarette... | 01/16/2001 |
| 6075882 | System and method for optically inspecting cigarettes by detecting the lengths of cigarette sections An inspection station irradiates a moving cigarette with a one or more strobed arrays of infrared LEDs. The infrared radiation which passes through the cigarette is received by a video camera, which forms a digital image of the cigarette. A computer then ... | 06/13/2000 |
| 6070592 | Filter assembly machine for producing ventilated tobacco products A filter assembly machine for producing ventilated tobacco products; the machine having a conveying drum in turn having a number of peripheral seats for successively feeding the products along a given path extending about an axis of the drum; the products... | 06/06/2000 |
| 6062226 | Cigarette manufacturing apparatus When tobacco shreds continuously supplied while the supply amount thereof is controlled are wrapped continuously with an elongated cigarette paper to form a tobacco rod and the tobacco rod is cut to predetermined lengths to manufacture cigarettes, the fil... | 05/16/2000 |
| 5695070 | Unit for sampling and quality controlling tobacco items, particularly cigarettes A unit for sampling and quality controlling tobacco items, in particular cigarettes, wherein a sample item, fed by a first conveyor along a first given path, is transferred automatically by a selectively operated spoon-shaped diverter along a second path ... | 12/09/1997 |
| 5583633 | Device for detecting a defect in charcoal type filters of manufactured filter cigarettes A device for inspecting the filter end face of a filter cigarette is provided with an optical sensor having an aperture ring for emitting a measuring light toward the filter end face and receiving the light reflected from the filter end face and outputtin... | 12/10/1996 |
| 5526827 | System for monitoring the quantity of cut tobacco in cigarettes A monitoring system comprises an inspection device incorporated in a cigarette manufacturing machine and a server computer connected to the inspection device by means of a communication line. The inspection device includes a measuring circuit for continuo... | 06/18/1996 |
| 5505215 | Method and device for position controlling cigarette filter paper A cigarette, with a cigarette paper and a filter paper of different colors and separated by a boundary line with a given nominal position, is fed past a pair of optical sensors located on either side of the nominal position of the boundary line. The optic... | 04/09/1996 |
| 5490527 | Apparatus for sampling filter cigarettes during the manufacturer thereof A sampling apparatus of the present invention comprises a sampling drum located in the vicinity of a drum train of a filter attachment, a suction carrier arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the sampling drum and having a sampling groove, a suction... | 02/13/1996 |
| 5423128 | Cigarette filter rod minimum point gauge Provided is an apparatus which allows for the facile and accurate measurement of the recess of a cylindrical core of filter tow which is surrounded by a paper wrapper which extends beyond the core to form the recess.... | 06/13/1995 |
| 5284164 | Method for improving the quality of products produced in the cigarette manufacturing process The present invention comprises a method for improving the quality of products produced in a cigarette manufacturing process. Selected machine operating parameters for at least one machine are monitored, as well as the product being produced. Samples of t... | 02/08/1994 |
| 5284165 | Statistical ventilation control device for ventilated cigarettes A statistical ventilation control device for ventilated cigarettes, wherein an annular conveyor presents a number of seats, each receiving a respective ventilated cigarette arranged perpendicular to the traveling direction of the conveyor; one of the afor... | 02/08/1994 |
| 5259401 | Method of and apparatus for perforating cigarette paper and the like A running web or discrete tubular wrappers of rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry are perforated with a variable-intensity high-energy pulsed laser beam which is controlled in such a way that the intensity of radiation and/or the length... | 11/09/1993 |
| 5228462 | Cigarette inspection device Inspection of completed cigarettes is accomplished by the cigarettes traveling on a rolling drum past a single stationary rolling block with preferably two cameras connected to a vision system. The first camera views the cigarette before the rolling block... | 07/20/1993 |
| 5214969 | Automatic testing of a plurality of smoking articles A flexible automatic test facility for measuring physical parameters of smoking articles and components of smoking articles, e.g., filter portions. The test facility includes a microprocessor based controller device, apparatus for severing the filter port... | 06/01/1993 |
| 5209249 | Cigarette checking apparatus A cigarette checking apparatus having a selector mechanism for selectively withdrawing cigarettes from a first transportation roller, transporting the cigarettes to a conveyor; and a second conveyor for transporting the selected cigarettes to a number of ... | 05/11/1993 |
| 5141001 | Method of and apparatus for ascertaining the filling power of fibrous material in cigarettes and the like The hardness of cigarettes which move in a direction at right angles to their axes is measured with one or more pivotable levers which rest on the moving cigarettes to elastically deform the adjacent portions of the cigarettes. The extent of elastic defor... | 08/25/1992 |
| 5110213 | Method and apparatus for measuring concentration of a material in a sample A method and apparatus for nondestructively, quickly and accurately measuring concentration of a material in a sample, for example carbon concentration in a carbon-containing sheet, by optically sensing a two-dimensional portion of the carbon-containing s... | 05/05/1992 |
| 5063943 | Method of and apparatus for monitoring the quality of a tobacco stream The ratio of different types of tobacco in a tobacco stream which is conveyed past a trimming device is monitored by monitoring the distance of the trimming plan from the conveyor for the stream while the mass flow of the stream is maintained at a constan... | 11/12/1991 |
| 5010904 | Method and apparatus for detecting loose ends of cigarettes The invention is directed to an inspection method, apparatus and system for identifying cigarettes having insufficient tobacco at their lighting end in which cigarettes are conveyed serially through a beam of infrared radiation. The amount of infrared rad... | 04/30/1991 |
| 4986285 | Method and apparatus for ascertaining the density of wrapped tobacco fillers and the like The density of successive increments of a cigarette rod is measured by an apparatus which employs one or more photocells operating with ultraviolet, infrared or visible light. The radiation source of each photocell emits a beam of ultraviolet, infrared or... | 01/22/1991 |
| 4962771 | Filter assembly machine cigarette sampling unit A unit for sampling cigarettes on a filter assembly machine, which unit is designed to cooperate with a conveyor for feeding the cigarettes through the filter assembly machine, and features a sampling conveyor tangent to the feed conveyor and having an ev... | 10/16/1990 |
| 4955948 | Process and apparatus for the checking of cigarettes For the checking of cigarettes for their correct formation in terms of a sufficient tobacco content, electrooptical test processes have been employed for a relatively long time. The use of these processes has hitherto made it necessary to employ high-perf... | 09/11/1990 |
| 4955398 | Relating to the monitoring of rod-like articles The invention is based on the realization that for a rod-like article, a cigarette for example, having a plurality of ventilation gas flows, the flows can be equated to a single equivalent flow nominally occurring at an "equivalent ventilation point". By ... | 09/11/1990 |
| 4953573 | Rod monitoring device A sensor for detecting open longitudinal seams in the continuous wrapper of cigarette or cigarette filter rod produced by a continuous rod-making machine relies on detection by a microphone (54) of disturbance caused by the defective seam to an air stream... | 09/04/1990 |
| 4944314 | Cigarette ends testing A cigarette ends tester includes a conveyor for conveying cigarettes sideways past a source of light arranged to direct light substantially axially into the ends of successive cigarettes in such a way that the paper wrapper around the end of each cigarett... | 07/31/1990 |
| 4938237 | Apparatus for testing cigarettes and separating out defective cigarettes For the testing of cigarettes (11, 11a, 11b) within a cigarette magazine (10), there is a test unit (21) which is arranged at a distance above magazine shafts (17) or a cigarette store (14) for these. In the test unit (21), the cigarettes run in vertical ... | 07/03/1990 |
| 4907607 | Process and device for testing cigarettes or the like for faults For testing cigarettes, a test head confronts end faces of the cigarettes. Light beams emitted by a light transmitter are transmitted through those cigarettes having a tobacco deficiency. The transmitted light exits from sides of the defective cigarettes ... | 03/13/1990 |
| 4901860 | Apparatus for testing and classifying cigarettes or the like Plain or filter cigarettes are tested at a first station by two or more testing devices each of which monitors the cigarettes for the presence or absence of a particular defect. The testing devices generate defect signals which are delayed by shift regist... | 02/20/1990 |
| 4865051 | Apparatus for the continuous determination of two physical properties of the constituents of a smokable article An apparatus for the continuous determination of two physical properties of the constituents of a smokable article from the mechanical properties of a rod of tobacco or filter fibres during the production of said rod employs a format finger for compacting... | 09/12/1989 |
| 4865052 | Method of and apparatus for making a stream from particles of the tobacco processing industry The density of a stream of tobacco particles at the underside of a foraminous belt conveyor is monitored by an array of X-ray detectors to generate signals each denoting the density of a different thin layer in successive increments of the stream. Such si... | 09/12/1989 |
| 4865054 | Method of and apparatus for making and processing streams of fibrous material of the tobacco processing industry One or more streams of tobacco in a rod making machine are tested by several density monitoring units one of which employs a source of nuclear radiation and at least one other of which employs a source of optical radiation. The resulting density signals a... | 09/12/1989 |
| 4858626 | Method of optimizing the standard weight variation of cigarettes on a dual-rod cigarette manufacturing machine A method of optimizing the standard weight deviation of cigarettes on a machine having at least two manufacturing lines for producing continuous cigarette rods in which mean values and standard deviations are determined periodically relative to test measu... | 08/22/1989 |
| 4848370 | Method for controlling at least two of the physical properties, decisive for the quality of the finished smokable article, of a material rod of filter or tabacco material In a method for controlling at least two physical properties, decisive for the quality of the finished smokable article, of a material rod of filter or tobacco material for the manufacture of smokable articles, in particular in filter or cigarette manufac... | 07/18/1989 |
| 4771794 | Method and apparatus for controlling at least two physical properties, decisive for the quality of the finished product, of a rod made of smokable material In a method and an apparatus for controlling the physical properties of a rod of smokable material the actual values of at least two physical properties, in particular resistance to draw and hardness or deformation of the tobacco rod or of the smokable ar... | 09/20/1988 |
