US Patent Issued to Altria Client Services on June 30 for "Drop-down device" (Virginia, Alabama Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 16 -- United States Patent no. 12,668,438, issued on June 30, was assigned to Altria Client Services LLC (Richmond, Va.).

"Drop-down device" was invented by Dwight David Williams (Powhatan, Va.) and Dremere Kevon Woods (Tuscaloosa, Ala.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A dosing apparatus includes a doser mechanism that discharges an index amount of a granular material based on drawing the granular material from an intake hopper. A drop-down device is coupled between the intake hopper and a supply hopper and enables enable a flow of the granular material from the supply hopper to the intake hopper through a conduit. The drop-down device restricts a flow rate of the flow of ...