CONE FILLING APPARATUS AND RELATED METHODS

• US 20190320707A1
• Filed: 04/23/2019
• Published: 10/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canopy Growth Corporation
• Original Assignee: Canopy Growth Corporation
• Inventors: BOUCHER, LUC, MULLINS, TORRIN, TUTTON, JOHN, WATTERS, ROBERT
• Granted Patent: US 11,369,133 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A24C 5/02 Cigarette-filling machines
• CPC Class Codes: A24C 5/06 with pressing-chamber
• CPC Class Codes: A24C 5/393 with a vibrating conveyor

Abstract

A cone filling apparatus for production of smoking articles includes: (a) a cone pallet including a plurality of cavities, each cavity for holding a respective cone; (b) a delivery chute having a load end for receiving a smokeable product from a source and an unload end downstream of the load end for unloading the smokeable product from the chute; and (c) a dosing tray disposed above the pallet. The dosing tray includes a plurality of transfer sleeves. Each sleeve has an upper sleeve end for receiving smokeable product unloaded from the unload end of the chute, and a lower sleeve end for dispensing the smokeable product into a cone held in a respective cavity aligned beneath the lower sleeve end.

Claims

1. A cone filling apparatus for production of smoking articles, comprising:

a. a cone pallet including a plurality of cavities, each cavity for holding a respective cone;

b. a delivery chute having a load end for receiving a smokeable product from a source and an unload end downstream of the load end for unloading the smokeable product from the chute; and

c. a dosing tray disposed above the pallet, the dosing tray comprising a plurality of transfer sleeves, each sleeve having an upper sleeve end for receiving smokeable product unloaded from the unload end of the chute, and a lower sleeve end for dispensing the smokeable product into a cone held in a respective cavity aligned beneath the lower sleeve end.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the chute is configured to provide a controlled flow of the smokeable product to the dosing tray.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the chute comprises an inner chute surface for conveying the smokeable product, and a plurality of prongs adjacent the inner chute surface for inhibiting consolidation of the smokeable product.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the load end is at an elevation greater than the unload end to facilitate transport of smokeable product along the chute by gravitational force.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the chute comprises at least a first chute segment and a second chute segment downstream of the first chute segment, the first chute segment comprising the load end and the second chute segment comprising the unload end.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the chute comprises a third chute segment intermediate the first chute segment and the second chute segment.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the third chute segment has a third segment upstream end for receiving product from the first chute segment and a third segment downstream end for delivering product to the second chute segment.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein one of the chute segments is inclined at a first angle from the horizontal and another one of the chute segments is inclined at a second angle from the horizontal, the second angle different from the first angle.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the chute is sized to receive one batch amount of the smokeable product, the batch amount equal to an amount of product required to fill all the cones in the cone pallet.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the chute is configured to preferentially advance product granules by size.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the chute is configured to advance larger granules ahead of smaller granules.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a vibratory drive operable to urge vibration of the chute.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the vibratory drive has an adjustable frequency and amplitude, the frequency and amplitude tunable to facilitate a desired flow rate and preferential advancement of the smokeable product based on granule size along the chute.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transfer sleeves and the plurality of cavities are of equal quantity.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dosing tray includes a collection chamber above the transfer sleeves for receiving the product from the unload end of the chute and facilitating dispersion of the product among the transfer sleeves.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lower ends of the transfer sleeves are simultaneously aligned with open upper ends of the respective cavities.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of cavities and the plurality of transfer sleeves are arranged about a vertical axis in a circular array, and the apparatus further comprises a rotary drive for rotating the dosing tray about the vertical axis.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the cone pallet is releasably coupled to the dosing tray to rotate with the dosing tray and maintain alignment of the transfer sleeves and the cavities.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein rotation of the dosing tray is synchronized with a rate at which product is dispensed from the unload end of the chute such that the dosing tray rotates an integer multiple of times while receiving one batch of the smokeable product from the unload end, the one batch equal to an amount of product required to fill all the cones in the cone pallet.

20. A method of production of smoking articles, comprising:

a. positioning a plurality of cones in respective cavities of a cone pallet;

b. positioning the cone pallet under a dosing tray;

c. conveying a smokeable product along a chute toward an unload end of the chute, the unload end positioned above the dosing tray; and

d. unloading the smokeable product from the unload end of the chute and into the cones through a plurality of transfer sleeves of the dosing tray.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein step (c) includes controllably flowing the smokeable product along the chute to the unload end.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein step (c) includes conveying the smokeable product along the chute at least in part by gravitational force.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising loading the chute with one batch amount of the smokeable product and unloading the batch amount from the unload end in step (d) prior to loading a subsequent batch amount on the chute, the batch amount equal to an amount of smokeable product required to fill all the cones in the cone pallet.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein step (c) includes preferentially advancing granules of the smokeable product based on granule size.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein step (c) includes advancing larger granules ahead of smaller granules.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein step (c) includes imparting vibrations on the chute.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising adjusting at least one of an amplitude and a frequency of the vibrations to facilitate a desired flow rate and preferential advancement of the smokeable product based on granule size.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein step (c) includes conveying the smokeable product along a plurality of chute segments of the chute, and the method further includes vibrating a first one of the chute segments at a first frequency and a first amplitude, and vibrating a second one of the chute segments at a second frequency and a second amplitude, and wherein at least one of (i) the second frequency is different from the first frequency and (ii) the second amplitude is different from the first amplitude.

29. The method of claim 20, wherein each of the cavities and the transfer sleeves are arranged about a vertical axis in a circular array, and the method further includes, during step (d), rotating the dosing tray and the cavity pallet about the vertical axis to facilitate generally equal dispersion of the smokeable product among the cavities.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising synchronizing rotation of the dosing tray and the cavity pallet with a rate at which the smokeable product is unloaded from the chute such that the dosing tray rotates an integer multiple of times while receiving one batch amount of the smokeable product from the unload end of the chute, the batch amount equal to an amount of smokeable product required to fill all the cones in the cone pallet.

31. The method of claim 20, wherein step (d) includes:

(i) partially filling the first cone with a first amount of the smokeable product,

(ii), after (i), partially filling a second cone with the smokeable product, and

(iii), after (ii), depositing a second amount of the smokeable product into the first cone on top of the first amount.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the first amount of the smokeable product has a first average granule size, and the second amount of the smokeable product has a second average granule size, the second average granule size smaller than the first average granule size.

33. The method of claim 20, further comprising, after step (d), compacting the smokeable product in the cones.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising, prior to the compacting step, moving the cone pallet from under the dosing tray to a compaction station.

35. The method of claim 20, further comprising, after step (d), twisting an upper portion of each cone to close the cones.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising, prior to the twisting step, moving the cone pallet to a cone closure station.