Jack L Flinchum, 728920 Ambridge Ln, Kernersville, NC 27284

2004018, Sep 23, 2004

Mar 20, 2003

10/393529

Dale Poindexter - East Bend NC, US
Jack Flinchum - King NC, US
Franklin Stump - Winston-Salem NC, US

A24B003/18

131/291000, 131/296000

A method of expanding tobacco involves introducing a steam flow and a tobacco material into a duct having an inlet and an outlet and defining an arcuate flow path. The tobacco is entrained in the steam flow and conveyed along the arcuate flow path and toward the outlet. The presence of the steam results in volumetric expansion of the tobacco as the steam and entrained tobacco travel along the flow path. The steam and entrained tobacco are then collected and separated. As such, an expanded tobacco is provided.

5159942, Nov 3, 1992

Jun 4, 1991

7/710273

Paul A. Brinkley - Winston-Salem NC
Thomas W. Brown - Winston-Salem NC
Jack G. Flinchum - Pfafftown NC
Thomas A. Perfetti - Winston-Salem NC
James S. Thomasson - Statesville NC
Harvey J. Young - Advance NC

R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company - Winston-Salem NC

A24B 1518

131298

Reconstituted tobacco material is provided by extracting tobacco material using water to provide an insoluble portion and an aqueous extract. The insoluble portion is formed into a sheet-like shape. The aqueous extract is blended with a further tobacco extract which is provided by treating Burley tobacco strip with ammonia and steam. The aqueous tobacco extract and further tobacco extract optionally can be heat treated, contacted with a water soluble phosphate salt, and/or contacted with levulinic acid. The aqueous extract and further tobacco extract are combined with the insoluble portion, resulting in a reconstituted tobacco material. The reconstituted tobacco material is blended with other tobacco materials and employed as cut filler in cigarette manufacture.

5445169, Aug 29, 1995

Aug 17, 1992

7/931072

Paul A. Brinkley - Winston-Salem NC
Jack G. Flinchum - Pfafftown NC
James S. Thomasson - Statesville NC

R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company - Winston-Salem NC

A24B 1524

131297

Tobacco extracts are provided within a polyhydric alcohol carrier. Tobacco strip is extracted with ammonia and steam to provide a mixture of water, tobacco extract and ammonia. The mixture is contacted with a polyhydric alcohol to provide a resulting mixture. The water then is evaporated from the resulting mixture to provide a mixture of 30 weight parts tobacco extract, 65 weight parts polyhydric alcohol and 5 weight parts water.

5697385, Dec 16, 1997

Jun 6, 1996

8/659477

Sydney Keith Seymour - Clemmons NC
Calvin Wayne Henderson - Clemmons NC
Jack Gray Flinchum - King NC
Ford Mitchell Shore - Clemmons NC

R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company - Winston-Salem NC

A24B 314
A24B 1524

131370

A real-time cast sheet weight monitoring and control system in which the weight of a cast base sheet of wet laid tobacco slurry as well as the weight of a composite tobacco cast sheet formed by applying dry granular tobacco to the wet laid cast sheet prior to drying is disclosed in which two beta gauge sheet weight sensing devices are used to provide input signals to a controller which alternately uses those signals to monitor and control the weight of the cast base sheet by means of controlling the servo drive motors of a casting blade in a head box which is casting the wet laid sheet onto a stainless steel belt and which also uses those same signals to control the variable speed drive of a top loader for controlling the amount of dry granular tobacco which is uniformally applied to the wet laid cast base sheet prior to the drying of the composite tobacco cast sheet material formed thereby. The controller primarily monitors and controls the total weight of the composite tobacco cast sheet but interrupts that monitoring and control function periodically to monitor and control the weight of the wet laid cast base sheet.