Apparatuses and methods for filling and packing herb receptacles with herb material
AssigneeGevorg Gabrielyan
InventorAlexander T. Lockwood
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatuses and methods are provided for filling and packing herb receptacles with herb material. For example, a method of filling and packing herb receptacles is provided which includes supporting the herb receptacles in space on a vibrating platform with the aid of a support structure having a plurality of holding apertures; dosing herb material into the herb receptacles; repositioning the vibrating platform from a loading configuration to a packing configuration to lift the herb receptacles with the herb material relative to the support structure; and packing the herb receptacles with the herb material with the vibrating platform in the packing configuration.
Claims24
An apparatus for filling and packing herb receptacles with herb material, the apparatus comprising:
- a base assembly having a vibrating platform that is, apart from vibratory movement, further movable via a user manipulable lift arrangement between a loading configuration, in which the vibrating platform is positioned at a first height for filling of the herb receptacles, and a packing configuration, in which the vibrating platform is positioned at a second height that is greater than the first height for packing the herb receptacles via the vibratory movement of the vibrating platform, the lift arrangement being configured to retain the vibrating platform at the second height during the packing of the herb receptacles;
- a holding tray positionable over the base assembly and having a plurality of holding tray apertures each sized to receive a respective herb receptacle and to encircle the herb receptacle at an intermediate location along a longitudinal length of the herb receptacle;
- and
- a loading tray removably coupled to the holding tray and having a plurality of loading tray apertures each sized to receive a respective herb receptacle and to encircle the herb receptacle at an upper location along a longitudinal length of the herb receptacle.
A method of filling and packing herb receptacles with herb material, the method comprising:
- supporting the herb receptacles in space on a vibrating platform with the aid of a support structure having a plurality of holding apertures each sized to receive a respective one of the herb receptacles and to encircle the herb receptacle at an intermediate location along a longitudinal length of the herb receptacle;
- dosing herb material into the herb receptacles;
- repositioning the vibrating platform using a user manipulable lift arrangement from a loading configuration, in which the vibrating platform is positioned at a first height for filling of the herb receptacles, to a packing configuration, in which the vibrating platform is positioned at a second height that is greater than the first height for packing the herb receptacles via vibratory movement of the vibrating platform, to lift the herb receptacles with the herb material relative to the support structure;
- and
- packing the herb receptacles with the herb material with the vibrating platform maintained in the packing configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.