Smoking Product Making System and Method for Producing a Plurality of Smoking Products

The present invention generally relates to a smoking product making system and more particularly the present invention pertains to devices and methods for making a plurality of smoking products (e.g., cannabis joints, split and cigarettes) by closing the pre-rolled cones filled with smoking material.

Rolling papers are conventionally used for making smoking products such as cigarettes, joints and so on. The rolling papers are generally thin, rectangular and tissue-like paper, and generally an operator or similar personnel manually makes smoking products by dropping the smoking material such as tobacco, cannabis and so on onto the rolling paper and then the operator bundles the rolling paper in the desired shape. Then, the bundled rolling paper requires closure of ends such that the smoking material does not fall out. The smoking product so formed has a substantially cylindrical or conical shape having smoking material uniformly packed inside it.

Nowadays, pre rolled cones are trending in market as they are quick and easy to use even for beginners. The pre-rolled cones do not require high skill and precision as compared to rolling papers as the operator does not have to roll the pre rolled cones in the desired shape. The operator can simply insert the smoking material in the pre rolled cones, either manually or using techniques/machines conventionally known in the art and then close the pre rolled cones to ensure the smoking material does not fall out from the pre rolled cones. The closure of open ends of pre rolled cones is a manual and time consuming task and further, proper closing of the open ends of the pre rolled cones depends on the skill level of the operator. The force exerted by the operator for closing the pre rolled cones are not standardized for all pre rolled cones thereby increasing the chances for improper closing of many pre rolled cones.

Many attempts to provide solutions to some of the problems discussed hereinabove may be found in the prior art, such as for example: US20120138075A1discloses steps of preparing a cigarette or cigar with filter tip. As disclosed in the patent application, the final step for the preparation of cigarette requires twisting first end of cone to close open volume and keep tobacco filler material compacted. The cigar or cigarette is then ready to smoke with a filter tip at its second end.

However, twisting the open end of each pre rolled cone for closing each pre rolled cone is a manual and time consuming task. When making a large number of smoking products from pre rolled cones, time required for closing the open end of the pre rolled cone increases and also, lots of pre rolled cones are not properly closed leading to leaking or deterioration of the smoking material in the smoking product. Further, twisting the open end of each pre rolled cone one at a time requires manual effort by the operator. The method is greatly influenced by human factors, and operator must twist the open end of all the pre rolled cones with equal precision (force, method), which is difficult to achieve even for highly skilled workers/operators.

US20190320710A1 discloses a cone closure apparatus for production of smoking articles. The apparatus includes: (a) a frame; and (b) at least one cone holder supported by the frame and extending along an axis. The cone holder has a lower grip surface for applying a rotational force about the axis to an outer surface of a lower filled portion of a cone received in the cone holder. The cone having an upper empty portion disposed above the lower filled portion and protruding clear of the lower grip surface to receive a counter-rotational force about the axis, in a direction opposite the rotational force. The closure apparatus further includes (c) a drive supported by the frame for applying at least one of the rotational force and the counter-rotational force to twist the upper empty portion closed when the drive is energized. However, twisting the open end of each pre rolled cone for closing each pre rolled cone is a time consuming task. Further, the prior art US20190320710A1 involves use of electrical components such as drives, thereby limiting the use of the cone closure apparatus in environments where electricity is readily available. Further, the electrical components will require proper maintenance/servicing, which would lead to increase in costs related to production of a smoking product.

Thus, in the light of the above-mentioned background art, it is evident that, there is a need for a device and method for simultaneously closing the open end of a plurality of pre rolled cones with equal precision that would be simple in terms of design and at the same time could overcome above discussed drawbacks.

Before the present systems and methods, enablement are described, it is to be understood that this application is not limited to the particular systems, and methodologies described, as there can be multiple possible embodiments which are not expressly illustrated in the present disclosures. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular versions or embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a smoking product making system as well as method capable of simultaneously producing a plurality of smoking products.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a closure device capable of closing a plurality of pre rolled cones simultaneously, wherein the closure device comprises a base plate having a plurality of raised projections.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a closure device capable of closing a plurality of pre rolled cones with equal precision by applying equal forces for closing a plurality of pre rolled cones.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for closing open end of pre rolled cones by using the closure device wherein the method involves bringing the closure device in contact with a plurality of pre rolled cones to simultaneously close open ends of plurality of pre rolled cones.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for closing open end of pre rolled cones by using the closure device wherein the method involves bringing the closure device in contact with a plurality of pre rolled cones to simultaneously close open ends of plurality of pre rolled cones.

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a smoking product making system as well as method for simultaneously producing a plurality of smoking products. The smoking product making system comprising: a receptacle comprising a plurality of holes, wherein each hole comprises a top opening and a bottom opening and each hole is configured to releasably hold a pre rolled cone wherein each pre rolled cone is atleast partially filled with a smoking material and comprises a top end and a bottom end; a closure device comprising a base plate and a plurality of raised projections extending from the base plate, wherein each raised projection is configured to fold an extended portion of each pre rolled cone projecting outside the top opening of the hole; thereby closing the top end of each pre rolled cone. A predefined sequence of movements of the closure device relative to the receptacle simultaneously closes top ends of a plurality of pre rolled cones such that each raised projection folds an extended portion of a pre rolled cone projecting outside the top opening of the hole.

Embodiments of the present invention disclose an ejection devices as well as methods for at least partially ejecting a plurality of pre rolled cones having closed top ends from the receptacle.

In an embodiment, the plurality of holes formed in the receptacle is formed as a plurality of through holes, wherein each through hole extends from the top surface of the receptacle to the bottom surface of the receptacle. Each through hole comprises a top opening formed on a top surf ace and a bottom opening formed on a bottom surf ace of the receptacle. The ejector device comprises an ejector plate and a plurality of raised projections extending from the ejector plate, wherein each raised projection of the ejector plate is configured to push the bottom end of the pre rolled cone through the bottom opening of the receptacle.

In another embodiment, the ejection devices/methods could utilize other means/techniques to atleast partially eject/remove a plurality of pre rolled cones having closed top ends from the receptacle. The means/techniques can include but not limited to inverting and/or shaking the receptacle, applying pressurized air/gas to remove pre rolled cones, using vacuum removal of pre rolled cones and so on.

In an embodiment, a pair of handles may be provided on the closure device to enable grasping by the hands of the operator for moving the closure device.

In another embodiment, the smoking product making system comprises a locking enclosure for removable interlocking with the second portion of the receptacle.

In another embodiment, the bottom end of each pre rolled cone includes a filter tip.

In another embodiment, the length of the plurality of raised projections of the ejector device is smaller than the length of the holes of the receptacle.

In another embodiment, the length of the plurality of raised projections of the ejector device is equal or larger than the length of the holes of the receptacle.

In another embodiment, the ejector device comprises a plurality of sidewalls extending from the peripheral edges of the ejector plate.

In another embodiment, the numbers of sidewalls are less or equal to the number of edges of the ejector plate of the ejector device.

Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components.

Some embodiments, illustrating its features, will now be discussed in detail. The words “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” and “including,” and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Although any methods, and systems similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments, the preferred methods, and systems are now described. The disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary.

The various features and embodiments of closure device and method of the present invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying figures, namely.

Referring to accompanying figures, especially, a smoking product making systemis shown capable of simultaneously producing a plurality of smoking products, in accordance with various embodiments of present invention. As shown in, the plurality of smoking products (e.g., cannabis joints, spliff and cigarettes) are produced by closing the plurality of pre-rolled coneswherein each pre-rolled coneis atleast partially filled with smoking material. Each pre-rolled conefurther comprises a top endand a bottom end, the entirety of which will be described in greater detail in the description to follow.

According to an embodiment as shown in,and, the smoking product making systemcomprises a receptacleconfigured to releasably hold the plurality of pre rolled cones, the entirety of which will be described in greater detail in the below description.

According to another embodiment as shown in,and, the smoking product making systemcomprises a receptacleconfigured to releasably hold the plurality of pre rolled cones, the entirety of which will be described in greater detail in the below description.

According to various embodiments as shown in, further, the smoking product making systemcomprises a closure deviceconfigured for closing the top endof a plurality of pre rolled cones, the entirety of which will be described in greater detail in the below description.

According to an embodiment as shown in, Further, the smoking product making systemcomprises an ejector deviceconfigured to push the bottom endof the plurality of pre rolled cones, the entirety of which will be described in greater detail in the below description.

Referring to accompanying figures, especiallyandthat shows a top perspective view and a bottom view of the receptaclerespectively, according to an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment as shown in, the receptacleis a substantially trapezoid shaped body as seen from top view. Further, in another embodiment, other shapes for the receptaclecan include but not limited to rectangular shape, circular shape, and square shape and so on. Further, the receptaclecomprises a first portionand a second portionas shown in. The first portionhas a larger cross sectional area than the second portion. The first portionincludes a top surfaceand the second portionincludes a bottom surface. As seen, the receptaclecomprises a plurality of holesextending through the top surfaceof the first portion. As seen in, the holesare formed in the receptaclein an array pattern. In alternative embodiments, the holescan be formed in the receptaclein various forms/patterns such as but not limited to linear pattern, circular pattern and so on. Each holehave a substantially conical shape and each holeis adapted to hold a pre rolled coneas seen in. Further each holecomprises a top openingformed on a top surfaceof the receptacle.

Referring tothat shows sectional side view of the receptacle, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As seen, the receptacleis capable of holding the plurality of pre rolled conesin the plurality of holes. Each pre rolled coneis at least partially filled with a smoking material such as but not limited to tobacco, marijuana and/or combinations thereof. Each pre rolled conecomprises a top end, and a bottom end. Both the top endas well as the bottom endhas substantially circular shape and the top endhas a larger cross sectional area than the bottom end. The top endof each pre rolled coneis open so that the smoking material can be inserted/removed from the pre rolled conethrough the top end. The cross sectional area of the bottom endof each pre rolled coneis configured such that the pre rolled coneand/or smoking material is not expelled out from the bottom openingof the receptacle. In another embodiment (not shown), the bottom endof each pre rolled conecould include a filter tip which would not allow expulsion of the smoking material from the bottom end. As seen, each pre rolled coneis inserted into the holeof the receptacleand an extended portionof length L of each pre rolled coneprojects outside the top openingof a hole.

Referring to,andthat shows a top view, bottom view and sectional side view of the receptaclerespectively, according to another embodiment of the present invention. The receptacleis similar to the receptacleexcept for the modification(s) that the receptaclecomprises a plurality of through holesextending from the top surfaceof the first portionto the bottom surfaceof the second portion. Further each through holecomprises a top openingformed on a top surfaceand a bottom openingformed on a bottom surfaceof the receptacle. The cross sectional area of the bottom endof each pre rolled coneis equal or smaller than the bottom openingof the receptaclesuch that the pre rolled coneand/or smoking material doesn't get not expelled out from the bottom openingof the receptacle. The receptacleis placed on a rigid support surface (for e.g. ground surface, table surface) during operative use of the closure device() along with the receptacle.

Referring tothat shows a perspective view of the closure device, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As seen, the closure devicecomprises a base plateand a plurality of raised projections. The plurality of raised projectionsextend from the base plate. Each raised projectionhave a tip of any shape including but not limited to hemispherical shape, flat shape, conical shape and so on and each raised projectioncan have any shape including but not limited to cylindrical, conical shape, polygonal shape and so.

In another embodiment, as shown in, the base plateof the closure devicemay include a pair of handlesto be grasped by the operator or similar personnel for moving the closure device.

In another embodiment, the cross sectional area of each raised projectionis selected such that the raised projectionis form fit (close fit) with the extended portionof a pre rolled conewhen the closure deviceis pushed against the plurality of pre rolled conespresent/disposed within the plurality of holesof the receptacle(as shown in).

In another embodiment, the cross sectional area of each raised projectionis selected such that the plurality of raised projectionscompresses the smoking material filled in the plurality of pre rolled coneswhen the closure deviceis pushed against the plurality of pre rolled conesdisposed within the plurality of holesof the receptacle(as shown in). This compression of the smoking material makes an empty unfilled space in the extended portionof the plurality of pre rolled cones.

Referring toalong with, a method for closing the top endof the plurality of pre rolled conesdisposed/present in the receptacleby using the closure deviceis shown. As seen, the extended portionof the plurality of pre rolled cones(as shown in) projects outside the top openingof the holes. The closure deviceis moved relative to the receptaclesuch that the closure devicesimultaneously closes the top endof the plurality of pre rolled conesusing a predefined sequence of movements of the closure device. The receptacleis placed on a rigid support surface (for e.g. ground surface, table surface) during operative use of the closure devicealong with the receptacle. The predefined sequence of movements of the closure devicerelative to the receptacleto simultaneously closes top endsof a plurality of pre rolled coneswill be described in greater detail in the description below.

Referring to, firstly the closure deviceis brought in alignment relative to the receptaclesuch that each raised projectionof the closure deviceis coaxial relative to extended portionof the pre rolled cone. Then, the closure deviceis moved/pushed towards the receptacle(as seen in) in a direction substantially perpendicular to the top surfacesuch that each raised projectionof the closure deviceapplies a downward force towards the receptacleas shown by the arrows in.

In an embodiment, the downward force exerted by the plurality of raised projectionscompresses the smoking material (as seen in) filled in the plurality of pre rolled cones. The top endof the plurality of pre rolled conesare open such that each raised projectionenters the open endthereby compressing the smoking material filled in a pre rolled coneand producing an empty unfilled space in the extended portionof a pre rolled cone. The hollow extended portionso formed is folded down in steps described below in greater detail.

In another embodiment, the downward force exerted by the raised projectionsresults in tamping of the extended portionof the pre rolled cones. The tamping of the extended portionreduces the length L (as shown in) of the extended portionby partially folding and/or pushing the extended portiontowards the receptacle. The extended portion now projecting outside the top openingof the holeshas an overall length L′ (not shown in figures) wherein the magnitude of length L′ is smaller than L.

Afterwards, the closure deviceis moved/pulled away from the receptacleand then the closure deviceis moved in a horizontal plane substantially parallel to the top surfacein a specific direction as shown insuch that each raised projectionapplies a radially inward force towards the extended portionof the pre rolled cone. The extended portionhas a substantially cylindrical shape and the radially inward force exerted by each raised projectiontowards the extended portionin a specific direction as shown by the arrows infolds a specific portion (for e.g. an arc, a quadrant) of the extended portion, thereby forming an arcuate fold in the extended portion.

Afterwards, the closure deviceis moved/pulled away from the receptacleand then the closure deviceis moved in a horizontal plane substantially parallel to the top surfacein a specific direction as shown insuch that each raised projectionapplies a radially inward force towards the extended portionof the pre rolled cone. The extended portionhas a substantially cylindrical shape and the radially inward force exerted by each raised projectiontowards the extended portionin a specific direction as shown by the arrows infolds a specific portion (for e.g. an arc, a quadrant) of the extended portion, thereby forming an arcuate fold in the extended portion.

Afterwards, the closure deviceis moved/pulled away from receptacleand then the closure deviceis moved in a horizontal plane in an another direction substantially parallel to top surfaceas shown insuch that each raised projectionapplies a radially inward force towards the extended portionof the pre rolled cone. The extended portionhas a substantial cylindrical shape and the radially inward force exerted by a raised projectiontowards the extended portionin another direction as shown by the arrows infolds another portion (for e.g. an arc, a quadrant) of the extended portion, thereby forming another arcuate fold in the extended portionof a pre rolled cone.

In another embodiment, the inward radial movement of each raised projectionmay be followed by moving/pushing the closure devicetowards the receptaclein a direction substantially perpendicular to top surfaceto further fold down the another portion and/or compress the smoking material to form a hollow extended portionusing similar method as shown in.

By repeating steps of radially moving each raised projectionof the closure devicetowards the extended portion from multiple directions and optionally followed by moving/pushing the closure devicein a direction substantially perpendicular to top surfacetowards the receptacle (as shown in) as depicted in above embodiments a number of times, the closure devicecan be used to fold multiple portions of the extended portion, eventually closing the top endso that the length of the extended portionis substantially zero (as can be seen inand). As shown in, each raised projectionof the closure devicepushes the folded multiple portions of the extended portiontowards the holeto eventually close the top endof a pre rolled cone. The number of times, the steps of radially moving the raised projectionof the closure devicein a direction towards the extended portion optionally followed by moving/pushing the closure devicein a direction substantially perpendicular to top surfacetowards the receptacleare repeated, is a natural number more than one. The operator can repeat steps multiple times to avoid “cat ears”, which are small projections caused by folds having too large of an angular spacing between two adjacent folds. Cat ears are avoided by folding at sufficiently close angular spacing between folds which can be done by folding from multiple directions. As shown in, the top endof a plurality of pre rolled conesis closed and no extended portion projects outside the top openingof the holethat is the length of the extended portionis substantially zero.

The rigid support surface supports movement of the closure devicerelative to the receptacleas it is capable of withstanding forces exerted by the closure deviceon the receptacle. The receptacleis placed on the rigid support surface during closing of the top endof the pre rolled cones.

In an embodiment, the rigid support surface includes a ground surface including but not limited to table top, machine top, floor surface and so on.