BACKGROUND

Prior to the development of the present apparatus and system, paper cones were filled by hand. People would individually stuff product, such as leaves, into a single cone, and mechanically tamp down the leaves. Alternately, numerous cones could be placed in what is essentially a honeycomb structure with holes that accommodate the cones. Crumbled leaves were then scattered over the holes containing the cones and vibrations or mechanical tamping was used to pack the leaves into the cones.

Each of the foregoing resulted in inaccurate and non-uniformly filled cones. The mechanical tamping often left the leaves too compacted. Sometimes the leaves at the bottom of the cone would be packed too much, while the leaves toward the top of the cone would remain too loose. The mechanical pressure had a tendency to rip the paper cones. Simply relying on vibrations to fill the cones would often result in leaves that were too loose.

These problems were often compounded by the type of plant matter used. Specifically, for plant matter containing a relatively high oil content, the crumbled leaves tended to exhibit a sticky quality that resulted in clumping of the leaves together. The clumped leaves negatively affected the utility of the vibration method because the vibrations alone were not sufficient to break up the clumps. Similarly, the tamping method simply resulted in clumps that were more tightly packed together, exacerbating the problem. In both cases, the clumps tended to lodge in the narrow part of the cone creating air gaps or otherwise non-uniform packing of the plant material within the cone.

Non-uniform packing creates a number of problems. For example, it can affect the weight of the final product. When clumps get packed in with more loose plant matter, the density of the clumps can result in more than the desired amount of plant matter being packed into the cone. The clumps tend to burn at a different rate, disrupting the natural and correct burn rate of a correctly and uniformly packed cone. When clumps create air-gaps, the burn rate of the plant matter can be negatively affected because the lack of solid contact among the plant matter can result in an extinguishing of the plant matter. The density of the clumps can disrupt the flow of air through the plant matter, and act like a blockage in a straw.

Filling cones by hand, or with the honeycomb type packing device also necessitates closing each of the cones by hand. Using those methods, a person was required to manually manipulate each cone and fold the open end to seal in the plant material and prevent it from falling out. Often the cones would simply be closed by twisting the paper on top of the cone together to completely close and seal the top of the cone. That manual process is taxing on a person's hands and limits the number of cones that can be filled in a given amount of time. It also tends to result in non-uniform folds/twisted closures as people tend to have different techniques for folding/twisting and dexterity becomes more limited as hands and fingers become more fatigued.

SUMMARY

The present system provides an apparatus that accurately and uniformly fills paper cones with loose particles and closes the cones to prevent the particles from escaping the cones. While embodiments may generally be described herein as filling the cones with crumbled plant matter, such as crumbled dried leaves, it should be understood that any loose particles that could fit within the cone could be used as a filling for the cone without departing from the general scope of the apparatus and system. For simplicity, all such loose particles will simply be referred to herein as “leaves,” but the use of that term herein in no way limits the apparatus to only packaging organic plant matter. It should be understood that while “paper” is a common substance to be used for cones, that term is used generically herein for any relatively thin, flexile, flammable substrate and is not strictly limited to traditional paper. It should be understood that the term “cone” need not be a traditional cone with a point at one end, but may be of any generally cylindrical shape or shape having a greater length than width (or diameter, where the term “width” as it is used in describing the width of an object having a circular cross section is the diameter), though preferably the shape of a truncated traditional cone.

The present apparatus and system overcome the shortcomings of the previously described manual methods by ensuring that the leaves are uniformly and consistently packed into the cones. The process is automated, allowing for consistent packaging and uniformity in the final product. It expedites the overall process of packing the cones. The present apparatus and system includes a number of sub-components that individually perform packing functions. The sub-components each individually overcome different problems that occur when manually packaging leaves in cones. For example, an embodiment of the present apparatus and system includes a leaf hopper and trough conveyor. It precisely measures units of leaves for packaging, breaks up clumped leaves initially and prevents clumping of the leaves as the leaves are transferred through the apparatus. A conveyor, such as a carousel, manages the flow of cones into the system. It holds large quantities of cones and moves them into the precise position for packaging while preventing undesirable crimping and folding of the cone that could otherwise affect the quality of the finished, packed cone.

Another sub-component is the packing sub-assembly. It includes a hopper that feeds leaves into the cone. A combination of vibrations and successive applications of pulsed air may be used to ensure even distribution and uniform packing of leaves in the cone. A vacuum system is further connected to remove any stray leaves that failed to properly be packed into the cone and thereby prevents unnecessary buildup and waste of leaves.

A folder sub-component and injector sub-component (which in some embodiments are incorporated into a single sub-component while in other embodiments are arranged as separate sub-components) complete the packaging of the cone. The folder sub-component properly orients the cone. Folding fingers precisely bend a portion of the cone and a folding tip compresses the bent portion of the cone to close it. Depending on the product being packaged into the cones, it may be advantageous to inject a further substance, such as oil, into to the packed cone. In some instances the oil may be derived from the same family of product that is being packed into the cone, such as an oil derived from the same plant family as the leaves that are used to fill the cone. In such instances, after compressing the cone with the folding tip, an injector needle penetrates the cone and is withdrawn, leaving a deposit of the further substance through the leaves in the cone as the needle is withdrawn. This creates a line, or core, of the further substance through the leaf filled cone.

In one embodiment, after completing the folding, and if desired injecting, steps, the packaged cone is transferred to a quality control station. The quality control station checks to ensure the packaged cone meet the necessary quality parameters, for example, weight, shape, and color. Passing cones are transferred to an appropriate receptacle, while failing cones are rejected. Injecting could also be accomplished separately and after inspection.

