Method for characterizing fibers with shape and size used for coding

• Main Authors: MCLEOD ANDREW ERVIN, WILSON STEVEN ANTHONY, SEILER BRIAN DOUGLAS, RENFRO LARRY WAYNE, GAYNOR SCOTT GREGORY, COLLAZO HUMBERTO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 07.06.2016
• Subjects: APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBONFILAMENTS; CALCULATING; CHECKING-DEVICES; CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS,THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; CHEMISTRY; CIGARETTES; CIGARS; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; COMPUTING; COUNTING; CRIMPING OR CURLING FIBRES, FILAMENTS, THREADS, ORYARNS; FINISHING OR DRESSING OF FILAMENTS, YARNS, THREADS, CORDS,ROPES OR THE LIKE; HANDLING OF COINS OR OF PAPER CURRENCY OR SIMILAR VALUABLEPAPERS, e.g. TESTING, SORTING BY DENOMINATIONS, COUNTING,DISPENSING, CHANGING OR DEPOSITING; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS; HUMAN NECESSITIES; IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL; IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS OR MOUTHPIECES; MECHANICAL FINISHING OF YARNS OR ROPES; MECHANICAL METHODS OR APPARATUS IN THE MANUFACTURE OFARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES ORRIBBONS; METALLURGY; MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARS OR CIGARETTES; NATURAL OR ARTIFICIAL THREADS OR FIBRES; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PAPER-MAKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PHYSICS; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; PRESENTATION OF DATA; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE; PULP COMPOSITIONS; RECOGNITION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; SEPARATION; SMOKERS' REQUISITES; SPINNING; TEXTILES; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TOBACCO; TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G; WARPING OR BEAMING; YARNS; YARNS OR THREADS

Disclosed is a method of characterizing a fiber sample comprising standard fibers and identification fibers which can be used for tracking and tracing fibers through at least part of the supply chain. Each identification fiber exhibits at least one distinct feature. Each group of distinguishable identification fibers can exhibit a taggant cross-section shape, a taggant cross-section size, or combination of the same taggant cross-section shape and same taggant cross-section size. The distinct features and the number of fibers in each group of distinguishable identification fibers can represent at least one supply chain component of the fibers. The fiber sample can include a portion of an acetate tow band or a filter made from the acetate tow band, and the supply chain information can include the manufacturer of the acetate tow band and the customer of the acetate tow band.