CONE FILLING AND COMPACTION MACHINE

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/561,846 filed on Mar. 6, 2024, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of manufacturing smoking products, and, more particularly, to a cone filling and compaction machine.

BACKGROUND

A cone filling machine for tobacco products is a device designed to streamline the process of filling pre-rolled cones with tobacco or other smoking materials. These machines are commonly used in the tobacco industry, particularly in facilities where large quantities of pre-rolled cones need to be filled efficiently.

The machine typically consists of a hopper or chamber where the tobacco or smoking material is placed. This material is then fed into individual cones or tubes, which are positioned in a holder or conveyor belt system. The machine may use vibration, compression, or other mechanisms to evenly distribute the tobacco within the cones.

Cone filling machines help automate and speed up the production process, reducing the need for manual labor and increasing efficiency. They are often used by tobacco companies, smoke shops, and manufacturers of smoking accessories. These machines come in various sizes and capacities to accommodate different levels of production demand.

However, a shortcoming of the existing cone filling machines is the difficulty in properly compacting the smoking material into the cone. To address the compaction issue, the smoking material is ground into small pieces and almost powder so that it can be properly compacted. However, the main issue with grinding smoking material is that the smaller pieces increase their surface area, and causes the smoking material to lose potency due to the increased exposure to oxygen, moisture, and heat. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved machine that is more effective at properly filling and compacting pre-rolled cones without the need to grind the smoking material into small pieces.

SUMMARY

In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved machine for compacting contents of conical wrappers. The cone filling and compaction machine includes a conical insert configured to slide into a top of a conical wrapper. The machine also includes a collar having a center aperture and the collar is coupled to the conical insert. In addition, the machine includes a compaction rod having a proximal end and an opposing distal end, where the compaction rod is slidingly engaged with the center aperture of the collar. The machine includes a clamp having a first portion and a second portion and the clamp is configured to temporarily secure the top of the conical wrapper to the conical insert as contents of the conical wrapper are being compacted.

The machine may also include an actuator coupled to the collar that is configured to slide the conical insert into the top of the conical wrapper, and an arm coupled to the proximal end of the compaction rod and configured to slide the compaction rod up and down through the collar and the distal end into the conical wrapper to compact contents therein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The aspects and the attendant advantages of the embodiments described herein will become more readily apparent by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cone filling and compaction machine in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the machine as a conical insert is being slid into a conical wrapper;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a clamp moving to a closed position around a top of the conical wrapper;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the clamp in a closed position and a compaction rod moving downward to compact contents of the conical wrapper;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the compaction rod moving upwards;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view after the contents have been compacted and the clamp is releasing;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view as a tip of the compaction rod moves upwards to a retracted position inside the conical insert; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the machine after the contents of the conical wrapper have been compacted and the process is completed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a cone filling and compaction machine is depicted and generally designated 100. The machine 100 includes a conical insert 102 configured to slide into a top 112 of a conical wrapper 108. The conical wrapper 108 is held upright in a base 106. The machine 100 also includes a collar 104 having a center aperture 105 and the collar 104 is coupled to the conical insert 102. In addition, the machine 100 includes a compaction rod 118 having a proximal end and an opposing distal end, where the compaction rod 118 is slidingly engaged with the center aperture 105 of the collar 104.

The machine 100 includes a clamp having a first portion 110a and a second portion 110b (collectively, the clamp 110ab) and the clamp 100ab is configured to temporarily secure the top 112 of the conical wrapper 108 to the conical insert 102 as contents of the conical wrapper 108 are being compacted as explained below.

The machine 100 may also include an actuator 114 coupled to the collar 104 via a connector plate 116, and the actuator 114 is configured to slide the conical insert 102 into the top 112 of the conical wrapper 108. Arm 120 is coupled to the proximal end of the compaction rod 118 and is configured to slide the compaction rod 118 up and down through the collar 104 and the distal end 122 into the conical wrapper 108 to compact contents therein. The arm 120 is driven by a servo motor 124 or other similar device, such as a pneumatic motor, as those of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, it can be seen that the actuator 114 is extending, which in turn moves the collar 104 and conical insert 102 downward into the conical wrapper 108. The conical insert 102 has a size and shape of an outer surface that engages an inner surface of the conical wrapper 108.

Once the conical insert 108 is positioned inside the top of the conical wrapper 108, the clamp 110ab begins to close around the top 112 of an outside portion of the conical wrapper 108 as shown in FIG. 3. Once the clamp 110ab is secured around the top 112 of the conical wrapper 108 as shown in FIG. 4, then the compaction rod 118 begins to move downward as shown in FIG. 5.

As the compaction rod 118 moves downward by arm 120, a distal end 122 of the compaction rod moves further into the conical wrapper 108 to compact its contents as shown in FIG. 5.

The compaction rod 118 is then moved upward by arm 120 as shown in FIG. 6, and this tamping process is repeated until the desired compaction and density of the contents is reached. The compaction rod 118 may be coupled to a servo motor 124 that provides extra control the compaction of the contents based upon Newtons of energy applied during the compacting process rather than distance.

Once the contents are compacted, the clamp 110ab opens from around the conical wrapper 108 as shown in FIG. 7, and the compaction rod 118 is moved upward by arm 120 as shown in FIG. 8.

The machine 100 then resets, as shown in FIG. 9, after the contents of the conical wrapper 108 have been compacted and the process is completed.

In another aspect, a method to compact the contents of a conical wrapper 108 using a machine 100 described above is disclosed. The machine 100 includes a conical insert 102 having an outer surface configured to slide into a top of a conical wrapper 108, a clamp 110ab configured to grip the top of the conical wrapper 108 between the outer surface of the conical insert 102 and an inside surface of the clamp 110ab, and a compaction rod 118 passing concentrically through the conical insert 102 having a proximal end and an opposing distal end.

The method of the present invention includes positioning the conical wrapper 108 in an upright position, inserting the conical insert 102 into the top of the conical wrapper 108, and moving the clamp 110ab to a closed position to grip the top of the conical wrapper 108 between the outer surface of the conical insert 102 and an inner surface of the clamp 110ab. The conical wrapper 108 is filled with contents from a hopper 126, and the method includes tamping the contents of conical wrapper with the compaction rod 118.

The compaction rod 118 may be coupled to a servo motor 124 that is configured to dynamically control the compaction rod 118 during compaction of the contents. The servo motor 124 provides extra control the compaction of the contents based upon Newtons of energy (i.e. force) applied during the compacting process rather than distance. This results in a consistently compacted product each time even if there are slight variances in the contents.

Tamping or compacting the contents comprises cyclically sliding the compacting rod 118 up and down through the conical insert 102 into the conical wrapper 108 to compact the contents as the clamp 110ab is gripping the top portion of the conical wrapper 108.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to the mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.