Compaction apparatus and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11259559-B2
Application number	US-201916391468-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2019
Priority date	Apr 23, 2018
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A compaction apparatus for compacting a smokeable product in production of smoking articles includes: (a) a frame for removably receiving a cone pallet. The cone pallet includes a plurality of cavities. Each cavity holds a cone filled with a volume of the smokeable product. The apparatus further includes (b) a compaction mechanism including: (i) at least one pin alignable above an open upper end of a respective cone and movable from a retracted position, in which the pin is spaced apart from the smokeable product in the cone, toward an advanced position for inserting a lower portion of the pin into the volume of the smokeable product. The compaction mechanism further includes (ii) a vibratory drive coupled to the pin and operable to vibrate the pin when the lower portion of the pin is within the volume of the smokeable product for inducing settlement of the smokeable product.

First claim

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A compaction apparatus for compacting a smokeable product in production of smoking articles, comprising:
a) a frame for removably receiving a cone pallet, the cone pallet including a plurality of cavities, each cavity holding a respective cone filled with a volume of the smokeable product, each cone having an open upper end;
b) a compaction mechanism supported by the frame, the compaction mechanism including:
i. at least one pin extending along a pin axis and alignable above the open upper end of a respective cone, and when aligned, the pin movable vertically relative to the cone pallet from a retracted position, in which the pin is spaced apart from the smokeable product in the respective cone, toward an advanced position for inserting a lower portion of the pin into the volume of the smokeable product in the respective cone; and
ii. a vibratory drive coupled to the pin, the vibratory drive operable to vibrate the pin when the lower portion of the pin is within the volume of the smokeable product of the respective cone for inducing settlement of the smokeable product;

wherein the compaction mechanism includes (iii) a collar positionable in the open upper end of the cone atop the smokeable product for generally covering the open upper end when the pin is in the advanced position, wherein the collar includes a front face for bearing against an upper surface of the smokeable product in the respective cone for exerting a compressive force on the smokeable product.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the collar has an interior aperture for slidably receiving the pin therethrough, and when the collar is positioned atop the smokeable product, the pin translates relative to the collar during movement toward the advanced position.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a plunger attached to the pin above a rear face of the collar, the rear face opposite the front face, wherein the plunger is spaced apart from the rear face of the collar when the pin is in the retracted position, and the plunger bears against the rear face of the collar when the pin is in the advanced position for pushing the collar downwardly to exert the compressive force.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the collar is formed of a generally rigid material, and the plunger is formed of a generally elastic material.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each cavity has a cavity height between an upper end of the cavity and a lower end of the cavity, and wherein the pin advances through at least 20% of the cavity height when moving toward the advanced position.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the pin advances through at least 50% of the cavity height when moving toward the advanced position.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the vibratory drive is tunable to adjust at least one of a vibration frequency and a vibration amplitude for vibrating the pin.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pin has a pin outer diameter greater than 1.1 mm.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the pin outer diameter is greater than 1.3 mm.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the vibratory drive is operable to initiate vibration of the pin prior to insertion of the pin into the volume of the smokeable product.

11. A method of compacting a smokeable product in a cone for production of smoking articles, the method comprising:
a) positioning a respective cone of a cone pallet in alignment with a pin, the cone containing a volume of the smokeable product and having an open upper end;
b) advancing the pin into the volume of the smokeable product through the open upper end of the cone;
c) when the pin is in the volume of the smokeable product, vibrating the pin to induce settlement of the smokeable product in the cone;
(d) positioning a col lar in the open upper end of the cone atop the smokeable product to generally cover the open upper end when the pin is in the volume of the smokeable product; and
(e) urging the collar downwardly to exert a compressive force on the smokeable product.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein step (c) and step (e) are performed simultaneously.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the collar is urged downwardly via a plunger attached to the pin above the collar.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein step (e) includes exerting the compressive force for at least 8 seconds.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein step (b) includes advancing the pin through the collar while the collar is atop the smokeable product.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising withdrawing the pin from the smokeable product while the collar is atop the smokeable product.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising vibrating the pin while the pin is being advanced through the smokeable product.

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising vibrating the pin while the pin is being withdrawn from the smokeable product.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein step (c) includes vibrating the pin for at least 8 seconds.

20. The method of claim 11 , further comprising tuning at least one of a vibration frequency and a vibration amplitude for vibrating the pin.

21. The method of claim 11 , further comprising initiating vibration of the pin prior to advancement of the pin into the volume of the smokeable product.

22. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, after step (b), reciprocating the pin along a vertical axis in the volume of the smokeable product.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the reciprocating step includes vertically translating a tip of the pin in successive strokes over a time period between a lower limit and an upper limit above the lower limit, and raising the lower limit over the time period.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the reciprocating step includes raising the upper limit over the time period.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the raising of the upper and lower limits is coordinated to maintain a generally common stroke length of the pin over the time period.

26. The method of claim 23 , wherein the upper limit remains at a generally common elevation over the time period to reduce a stroke length of the pin when the lower limit is raised.

27. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, after step (c), withdrawing the pin from the volume of the smokeable product and urging a tamping face downwardly against an upper surface of the smokeable product to exert a compressive force thereon.

28. The method of claim 27 , further comprising, translating the pin relative to a tamping collar through which the pin extends to bring a tip of the pin and an annular front face of the collar into vertical alignment for forming the tamping face.

29. A compaction apparatus for compacting a smokeable product in production of smoking articles, comprising:
a) a frame defining at least one station for removably receiving a cone pallet, the cone pallet including a plurality of cavities, each cavity configured to hold a respective cone filled with a volume of smokeable product;
b) a compaction mechanism positionable above the cone pallet when the cone pallet is received in the station, the compaction mechanism including:
i. at least one pin extending along a pin axis and alignable with a respective cavity, and when aligned, the pin movable vertically relative to the cone pallet

Assignees

• Canopy Growth Corp

Inventors

• Kaufmann Ben
• Muir Rod
• Sirois Mike
• Smith Jessica Kara

Classifications

• A24C5/06 Primary

  with pressing-chamber · CPC title

• A24C5/54

  Folding the ends of cigarette paper tubes after filling them with tobacco · CPC title

• A24D1/02

  with special covers · CPC title