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US 4,971,077 AGranted
On-line tobacco evaluation system and method
AssigneeR. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
InventorsLuis M. Dominguez, Calvin W. Henderson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention comprises a product moving apparatus for moving a tobacco product, a vertical feeder tube for metering the tobacco product onto the product moving apparatus at a predetermined rate, a system for maintaining a predetermined height of the tobacco product in the feeder tube, and an infrared detection apparatus connected to the feeder tube to detect the concentration of menthol in the tobacco product.
Claims22
An apparatus, comprising:
- means for moving a tobacco product;
- a feeding means having a vertical tube for feeding said tobacco product onto said moving means at a predetermined rate;
- means for maintaining a predetermined height of said tobacco product in said vertical tube;
- and
- a full spectrum near-infrared reflectance detection apparatus connected to said vertical tube to detect the concentration of at least one component in said tobacco product.
2 more elements
An apparatus as claimed in claim wherein said component comprises sugar.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a vertical metering tube for metering a product;
- means for maintaining a predetermined height of product in said vertical metering tube;
- means for receiving product from said vertical metering tube at a predetermined rate;
- means for sensing a flow of product through said vertical metering tube;
- means for determining the concentration of a predetermined component of said product while said product is flowing through said metering tube;
- and
- means for interrupting the operation of said determining means if the flow of product through said metering tube stops.
4 more elements
A method, comprising:
- feeding a product into a vertical metering tube;
- metering said product from said vertical metering tube onto a product receiving line at a predetermined rate;
- sensing a flow of product through said vertical metering tube;
- determining the concentration of a predetermined component of said product while said product is flowing through said metering tube;
- and
- halting the determining step if the flow of product through said metering tube stops.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.