Systems and methods for a closing machine
AssigneeCoastal Counting & Industrial Scale Company, Inc.
InventorsJohn Dishion, Jason Satnick
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A closing machine including a cone loading/unloading station, at least one pick and place gripper, a holder assembly, a closing station, and a collection station. The cone loading/unloading station is configured to receive a lower tube assembly and a tray including a plurality of cones. The at least one pick and place gripper is configured to grab at least one cone of the plurality of cones. The holder assembly is configured to receive the at least one cone and move the at least one cone through the closing machine. The closing station is configured to receive the at least one cone from the holder assembly and configured to close an end of the at least one cone. The holder assembly is further configured to release the at least one cone into the collection station.
Claims19
A closing machine comprising:
- a cone loading/unloading station configured to receive a lower tube assembly and a tray including a plurality of cones from a separate measuring station and/or tamping station, wherein the cone loading/unloading station, the lower tube assembly, and the tray defines a locking mechanism that is configured to maintain the lower tube assembly and the tray in position on the cone loading/unloading station;
- at least one pick and place gripper configured to grab at least one cone of the plurality of cones in the lower tube assembly and the tray;
- a holder assembly configured to receive the at least one cone from the at least one pick and place gripper and move the at least one cone through the closing machine;
- a closing station configured to receive the at least one cone from the holder assembly and configured to close an end of the at least one cone;
- a cut station configured to remove excess material from the end of the at least one cone;
- and
- a collection station, wherein the holder assembly is further configured to release the at least one cone into the collection station.
A method of closing a plurality of prerolled cones containing a smokable product using a closing machine, the closing machine includes a cone loading/unloading station, a pick and place gripper, a holder assembly, a closing station, a cut station, a vacuum collector, a tamp station, and a collection station, the method comprises:
- receiving, with the cone loading/unloading station, a lower tube assembly and a tray including a plurality of cones from a separate measuring station and/or tamping station;
- grabbing at least one cone using the pick and place gripper;
- depositing the at least one cone into the holder assembly using the pick and place gripper;
- closing an end of each of the cones using the closing station;
- cutting excess material from an end of the cones using the cut station;
- tamping the cones using the tamp station;
- and
- releasing the cones in the collection station.
A method of manufacturing a plurality of prerolled cones using a system, the system comprising a measuring station, a tamping station, a closing machine, the closing machine includes a cone loading/unloading station, a pick and place gripper, a holder assembly, a closing station, a cut station, a vacuum collector, a tamp station, and a collection station, the method comprises:
- measuring a predetermined amount of smokable product using the measuring station;
- filling the predetermined amount of smokable product in at least one cone using the measuring station, wherein the at least one cone is positioned in a cavity of a lower tube assembly and a tray during filling;
- transporting the lower tube assembly, the tray, and the at least one cone to the tamping station;
- tamping the at least one cone using the tamping station;
- receiving the lower tube assembly, the tray, and the at least one cone into the closing machine from the tamping station;
- locking the lower tube assembly and the tray into the cone loading/unloading station using a locking mechanism;
- grabbing the at least one cone using the pick and place gripper;
- depositing the at least one cone into the holder assembly using the pick and place gripper;
- closing an end of each of the cones using the closing station;
- cutting excess material from an end of the at least one cone using the cut station;
- tamping the at least one cone using the tamp station;
- and
- releasing the at least one cone in the collection station.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.