Apparatus for filling cartridges of e-vapor devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11267593-B2
Application number	US-202016780048-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2020
Priority date	Dec 27, 2016
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

An apparatus for the automated filling of cartridges of e-vapor devices may include a filling drum configured to receive at least one cartridge of an e-vapor device. The apparatus may additionally include a needle assembly including at least one hypodermic needle. The needle assembly is configured to transition between a lowered state and a raised state. The lowered state is where the hypodermic needle is moved down into the cartridge, while the raised state is where the hypodermic needle is lifted up and away from the cartridge. The apparatus may further include a pump assembly configured to pump a pre-vapor formulation into the cartridge when the needle assembly is in the lowered state. The pump assembly may include a variable amplitude cam system configured to adjust an amount of the pre-vapor formulation for pumping to the cartridge without changing start and stop times for the pumping.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pump assembly for automated filling of cartridges of e-vapor devices, comprising:
a pump cam follower configured to interact with a pump cam to effectuate a first displacement corresponding to a general drawing action and to effectuate a second displacement corresponding to a general pumping action for a pre-vapor formulation, the pump cam follower being fixed on a first side of an auxiliary drive plate, the auxiliary drive plate including an auxiliary plate follower fixed on a second side of the auxiliary drive plate, the second side of the auxiliary drive plate being opposite the first side; and
a variable amplitude cam system engaged with the auxiliary drive plate and configured to translate the general drawing action to an adjusted drawing action and to translate the general pumping action to an adjusted pumping action for the pre-vapor formulation, the variable amplitude cam system including a pivotable track that receives the auxiliary plate follower fixed on the second side of the auxiliary drive plate.

2. The pump assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pump cam follower is configured to ride within a pump track extending around the pump cam, the pump cam being a barrel cam.

3. The pump assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pump cam follower is configured to effectuate a downward displacement corresponding to the general drawing action and an upward displacement corresponding to the general pumping action.

4. The pump assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pivotable track is configured to swing downwards about a track pivot to translate the general drawing action to the adjusted drawing action and to swing upwards about the track pivot to translate the general pumping action to the adjusted pumping action.

5. The pump assembly of claim 1 , wherein the variable amplitude cam system includes an adjuster bolt configured to be rotated to attain a desired translation of the general drawing action and the general pumping action to the adjusted drawing action and the adjusted pumping action, respectively.

6. The pump assembly of claim 1 , wherein the general drawing action and the general pumping action are facilitated with an auxiliary slide, and the adjusted drawing action and the adjusted pumping action are facilitated with a primary slide.

7. A variable amplitude cam system for an apparatus for automated filling of cartridges of e-vapor devices, comprising:
a pivotable track configured to swing about a track pivot;
an adjuster block arrangement interfacing with the pivotable track such that a swinging of the pivotable track about the track pivot translates to a displacement of the adjuster block arrangement, the adjuster block arrangement including an adjuster block and an adjuster block follower secured to the adjuster block, the pivotable track defining a slot path therein, the adjuster block follower configured to shift along the slot path in response to a rotation of an adjuster bolt, a cam follower being secured to the adjuster block on a side opposite the adjuster block follower; and
the adjuster bolt configured to mate with the adjuster block arrangement via a thread engagement, the adjuster bolt being rotatable to effectuate an incremental shift of the adjuster block arrangement along the adjuster bolt so as to adjust an amount of pre-vapor formulation for pumping to the cartridges.

8. The variable amplitude cam system of claim 7 , wherein the adjuster block arrangement is configured to shift toward the track pivot when the adjuster bolt is rotated in a first direction so as to decrease the amount of pre-vapor formulation for pumping to the cartridges and configured to shift away from the track pivot when the adjuster bolt is rotated in an opposite second direction so as to increase the amount of pre-vapor formulation for pumping to the cartridges.

9. The variable amplitude cam system of claim 7 , wherein the adjuster block defines an internally-threaded through hole therein, the adjuster bolt having an externally-threaded surface and a bolt head at a proximal end of the adjuster bolt, the adjuster bolt extending though the adjuster block, the externally-threaded surface of the adjuster bolt engaged with the internally-threaded through hole of the adjuster block, the adjuster bolt being rotatable via the bolt head so as to shift the adjuster block along a length of the adjuster bolt.

10. The variable amplitude cam system of claim 7 , wherein the adjuster bolt is configured to alter a vertical displacement of the adjuster block arrangement resulting from the swinging of the pivotable track by altering a distance of the adjuster block arrangement from the track pivot.

11. The variable amplitude cam system of claim 7 , wherein the pivotable track is configured to swing downwards to effectuate a drawing action for procuring the pre-vapor formulation from a reservoir and configured to swing upwards to effectuate a pumping action for pushing the pre-vapor formulation to the cartridges.

12. A method for automated filling of cartridges of e-vapor devices, comprising:
adjusting a fill amount of pre-vapor formulation by modifying a pump stroke length with a pivotable track and an adjuster bolt while maintaining a constant time period for pumping the pre-vapor formulation into the cartridges, modifying the pump stroke length including modifying a path of a cam follower secured on a first side of an adjuster block with a path of an adjuster block follower in the pivotable track, the adjuster block follower being secured on a second side of the adjuster block opposite the first side.

Assignees

• Altria Client Services Llc

Inventors

• Garthaffner Travis Martin
• Straight Jeremy Jay

Classifications

• F04B49/121

  Lost-motion device in the driving mechanism · CPC title

• B65B37/20

  by volume measurement · CPC title

• A24F40/42

  Cartridges or containers for inhalable precursors · CPC title

• F04B1/07

  by varying the relative eccentricity between two members, e.g. a cam and a drive shaft · CPC title

• B67C3/26

  Filling-heads; Means for engaging filling-heads with bottle necks · CPC title