US Patent Issued to Altria Client Services on Feb. 17 for "System adapted to promote re-utilization of a rejected container loaded with content" (Virginia Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 17 -- United States Patent no. 12,552,574, issued on Feb. 17, was assigned to Altria Client Services LLC (Richmond, Va.).

"System adapted to promote re-utilization of a rejected container loaded with content" was invented by Loren Duvekot (Goochland, Va.) and James D. Evans (Chesterfield, Va.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A high-speed automated separation apparatus includes a pair of flexible discs, a driver to rotate the flexible discs, a feeder to position a rigid body at a first location between the flexible discs, a spreader and a converger operable upon the flexible discs such that opposing portions of the flexible disc converge upon the positioned rigid body. The ...