# US 12,109,592 B1 · Cryogenic processing system for plant material > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,109,592 B1 - Document ID: US12109592B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 18/414,243 - Filed: 2024-01-16 - Published: 2024-10-24 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2023-04-21 - Assignees: AGT-USA, Inc. - Applicants: AGT-USA, Inc. - Inventors: Steven J. Barberi; Gregory J. Gruzdowich; Louis J. Barberi; Keith W. Kilham - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12109592B1 ## CPC - B07B 1/42: Drive mechanisms, regulating or controlling devices, or balancing devices, specially adapted for screens - B07B 1/46: Constructional details of screens in general; Cleaning or heating of screens - B02C 23/10: with separator arranged in discharge path of crushing or disintegrating zone - B02C 23/18: Adding fluid, other than for crushing or disintegrating by fluid energy ({for tumbling mills B02C17/186;} feeding devices B02C23/02) - B07B 1/28: Moving screens not otherwise provided for, e.g. swinging, reciprocating, rocking, tilting or wobbling screens - B07B 13/16: Feed or discharge arrangements - B07B 2201/04: Multiple deck screening devices comprising one or more superimposed screens - B08B 15/02: using chambers or hoods covering the area {(B08B15/002 takes precedence)} - B07B: SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS BY SIEVING, SCREENING, SIFTING OR BY USING GAS CURRENTS; SEPARATING BY OTHER DRY METHODS APPLICABLE TO BULK MATERIAL, e.g. LOOSE ARTICLES FIT TO BE HANDLED LIKE BULK MATERIAL (wet separating processes, sorting by processes using fluent material in the same way as liquid B03; combinations of dry separating apparatus with wet separating apparatus B03B; using liquids B03B, B03D; sorting by magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges or vortex apparatus for carrying out physical processes B04; hand sorting, postal sorting, sorting by switching or other devices actuated in response to detection or measurement of some feature of articles or samples of material B07C) - B02C: CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN ({household tools and machines for pulverising foodstuffs, e.g. coffee and spice mills A47J42/00; pharmaceutical mortars A61J3/02; mechanical processing of refuse and garbage B03B9/06; dressing mould materials by grinding B22C5/04}; obtaining metallic powder by crushing, grinding or milling B22F9/04; {recovery of plastics by disintegrating B29B17/00; crushing raw materials in starch making C08B30/02; beaters for papermaking D21D1/02; crushing devices specially for transport in mines E21F13/002; slag crushing devices F23J1/00; fuel milling devices in combustion apparatus F23K1/00; household devices for crushing coal F24B15/02; ice disintegrating devices F25C5/02}) - B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL ## Abstract Devices and methods for improved separation of small particles from other stock. The device includes a sifting tray assembly and means for vibrating the screen of the sifting tray assembly for separating components and a cryogenic fluid source and injection system for freezing the small parts to the point where they are solid enough to pass through the screen without adhering to the screen. The method entails use of the system to separate small particles in sifting trays while spraying the stock with a cryogen such as liquid nitrogen. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for separating small components from larger components of plant stock and separating small particles from plant stock, wherein said plant stock comprises large particles and small particles, said method comprising the steps of: a particle separation system 1 comprising a sifting tray assembly 2, said sifting tray assembly comprising (a) an inlet end 12 with an inlet 7 for large particles and small particles, (b) a means 4 for separating the large particles from the small particles, (c) an outlet end 13 with an outlet 8 for discharge of the large particles and an outlet 5 for discharge of small particles, (d) a first container 44 in communication with the outlet for discharge of the large particles for collection of the large particles and (e) a second container 42 in communication with the outlet 5 for discharge of the small particles; a cryogen reservoir 25 and a cryogen injector 24 operable to inject a cryogen at cryogenic temperature into the particle separation system to cool the plant stock to cryogenic temperatures to solidify the small particles, wherein, at least after injection, the cryogen comprises a gaseous cryogen; a filter means 49 configured to remove any small particles entrained in the gaseous cryogen drawn from the particle separation system; and a first pump 47 operable to pump the gaseous cryogen, along with any small particles entrained in the gaseous cryogen, from the particle separation system and into the filter means. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 further wherein: the first pump 47 is operable to maintain vapor pressure within the particle separation system in the range of (1) a pressure substantially equal to ambient pressure to (2) a pressure 6895 Pa (1 psi/52 mmHg) less than ambient pressure. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein: the filter means comprises a bag filter, a cartridge filter, cyclone separator, a sedimenter, or an electronic precipitator. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein: the first container is a closed container with a first vent communicating from the first container to ambient atmosphere and the second container is a closed container with a second vent communicating from the second container to ambient atmosphere; the first pump is disposed in the first vent; and a second pump is disposed in a second vent. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein: the first pump is disposed with a pump inlet communicating with a large particle outlet of the sifting tray and a pump outlet communicating with the first container. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein: the first pump is disposed with a pump inlet communicating with the small particle outlet of the sifting tray and a pump outlet communicating with the second container. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein: the cryogen injector is configured to inject the cryogen at the inlet end of the sifting tray assembly; and the first pump is aligned with a pump inlet communicating with a port at the outlet end of the sifting tray assembly. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A system of claim 1 wherein: the sifting tray assembly comprises: an upper enclosure 6 with the inlet aperture 7 located at the first, inlet end 12 of the upper enclosure, and the large particle outlet aperture 8 located at the outlet end 13 of the upper enclosure; a sifting screen 4 having a first end and a second end, said first end of the sifting screen proximate the first end 12 of the upper enclosure and the second end of the sifting screen proximate the second, outlet end 13 of the upper enclosure a cryogen injector 24 disposed proximate the first end 12 of the upper enclosure, said cryogen injector configured to supply a cryogenic fluid to plant stock entering the upper enclosure 6; a bottom pan 3 with the first end 12 and the small particle outlet aperture 5 located at a second end 11 of the bottom pan 3, and a top open to the sifting screen 4, and a bottom 3B with a closed surface; wherein the sifting screen 4 is disposed between the upper enclosure 6 and bottom pan 21; a first container 44 in communication, through a first hose 45, with the outlet 8 for discharge of the large particles, for collection of the large particles and a second container 42 in communication, through a second hose 43, with the outlet 5 for discharge of the small particles, for collection of the small particles; wherein the first container 44 is a closed container with a first vent 46 communicating from the first container 44 to ambient atmosphere and the second container 42 is a closed container with a second vent 46 communicating from the second container 42 to ambient atmosphere; a filter system in fluid communication with the sifting system, said filter system comprising first pump 47 for drawing cryogenic fluid from the sifting system; a filter 49 for filtering any small particles entrained in the cryogenic fluid drawn from the sifting system and forced through the filter by the first pump 47. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, further comprising: an additional sifting tray assembly; wherein at least one sifting tray assembly has a gas recovery outlet 48 located at the second, outlet end 13 of the upper enclosure of said at least one sifting assembly, said gas recovery outlet in fluid communication with the first pump 47. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein: first pump 47 is disposed in fluid communication with a first hose communicating with at least one sifting tray assembly, operable to draw cryogen from the upper enclosure of the at least one sifting tray assembly through the outlet for discharge of the large particles. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein: the pump is disposed in line with the first vent of the first container, operable to draw cryogen from the first container for discharge from the system. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein: a second pump is disposed in line with the second vent of the second container, operable to draw cryogen from the second container for discharge from the system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) A method of separating trichomes from plant stock, said method comprising: providing the system of claim 8; depositing plant stock comprising one or more of stems, stalks, leaves, flowers, at least one of which have trichomes attached, into the hopper, transporting the plant stock through a conveyor 34 while exposing the plant stock to the cryogen by spraying or washing cryogen over the plant stock, depositing the plant stock into a mill 35 and milling the plant stock while exposing the plant stock to a cryogen by spraying or washing cryogen over the plant stock, depositing the milled plant stock into a first sifting tray assembly 2A of the system of claim 8; and vibrating the first sifting tray assembly 2A to (1) separate a first population of small particles from the larger particle of the plant stock in the first tray, and (2) cause or facilitate movement of the larger plant stock particles downwardly, over the sifting screen 4 and within the upper enclosure 6 and toward the large particle outlet aperture 8 of the first sifting tray assembly 2A, and cause or facilitate movement of a first population of small particles downwardly within the pan bottom 3 of the first sifting tray assembly 2A toward the small particle outlet aperture 5 of the first sifting tray assembly, and spraying cryogen over the plant stock within the first sifting tray assembly 2A, or within the inlet or outlet tube 15 of the first sifting tray assembly 2A while vibrating and moving the stock toward the outlet apertures 5, 8 of the first sifting tray assembly 2A, passing the first population of small particles from the first sifting tray assembly 2A to a second sifting tray assembly 2B; vibrating the second sifting tray assembly 2B to (1) separate a second population of small particles from the first population of small particles in the second sifting tray assembly, and (2) cause or facilitate movement of the larger plant stock particles downwardly, over the sifting screen and within the upper enclosure 6 and toward the large particle outlet aperture 8 of the second sifting tray assembly 2B, and cause or facilitate movement of a second population of small particles downwardly within the pan bottom 3 of the second sifting tray assembly 2B toward the small particle outlet aperture 5 of the second sifting tray assembly 2B, and spraying cryogen over the plant stock within the second sifting tray assembly 2B, or within the inlet or outlet tube 15 of the second sifting tray assembly 2B while vibrating and moving the stock toward the outlet apertures of the second sifting tray 2B assembly, passing the second population of small particles from the second sifting tray assembly 2B; drawing the gaseous cryogen from the particle separation system with a first pump 49; and operating the first pump to force the gaseous cryogen through a filter means 49 to remove any small particles entrained in the gaseous cryogen drawn from the particle separation system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of: passing the separated small particles from a first sifting tray assembly through to the inlet of a second sifting tray assembly, and so on, for sifting operations through as many sifting tray assemblies as necessary to separate particles of the desired size, and collecting particles of the desired sized from a last small particle outlet aperture (if the last sift provides the desired small particles without unwanted smaller particles) or collecting particles of the desired sized from a last large particle outlet aperture (if the last sift provides the desired small particles in the upper enclosure and sifts undesired even smaller small particles through the sifting screen). ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein plant stock is hops, and the method is used to separate lupulins from other components of hops. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, where in plant stock is salvia, and the method is used to separate essential oils from other components of salvia. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, where in plant stock is cannabis, and the method is used to separate trichomes from other components of cannabis.