Patent Application
20170239304
The present invention relates to a system, apparatus, and method for extracting essential oil from plant material, and in particular, for extracting essential oil from cannabis plants. The present invention is configured to extract essential oil from any strain of cannabis plant by applying heat and pressure.
Essential oils are known for having the characteristic fragrance of the plant from which they are derived such that they contain the “essence of” the plant's fragrance. Essential oils are typically used in perfumes, cosmetics, soaps, and household cleaning products. Essential oils have also been used for flavoring food and drink, and for medicinal purposes as well.
Interest in essential oils has peaked in recent decades with the popularity of aromatherapy which is a branch of alternative medicine that uses essential oils and other aromatic compounds for curative effects. When used for aromatherapy, essential oils are typically volatilized or diluted in a carrier oil and used in massage, diffused in the air by a nebulizer, heated over a candle flame, or burned as incense.
Extracting essential oil from cannabis plants is different from other types of plants because cannabis oil is more viscous and “sticky” in nature. Each strain of cannabis produces its own unique essential oil, and the viscosities of essential oils extracted from strains of cannabis range from viscous to almost solid. In view of the viscous nature of cannabis oil, there is a need for a system, apparatus, and method that properly extracts essential oil from cannabis plants.
Methods for extracting essential oil from cannabis plants have typically involved the use of a solvent which is removed after the extraction of the essential oil is completed. A disadvantage of using solvents is that solvents are harmful to the natural properties of the essential oil. This is because methods that use solvents for extracting essential oil are extremely volatile processes that can destroy and/or separate many of the terpenes contained in the essential oil. Terpenes are important components of essential oils because they are responsible for the aroma and flavor characteristics of the essential oil.
Attempts to avoid the use of solvents for extracting essential oil from cannabis plants have used heated plates that are pressed against the plant material for extraction of the essential oil under heat and pressure. A problem with this method is that it must be done in small batches, and is thus time consuming. In order to increase production, larger plate sizes have been used. However, both the yield and the quality of the essential oil are compromised when scaling is done in this manner. This is because using larger plates increases the amount of plant material being pressed at once and this makes it difficult for the essential oil found in the center of the plant material to escape and make its way completely out of the plant material. Also, using larger heated plates causes the essential oil to sit on the heated plates for longer periods of time and this produces a lower quality essential oil because the terpenes in the essential oil will begin to degrade over time while the essential oil is in contact with the heated plate.
The present invention overcomes the aforementioned problems of cannabis oil extraction, in one example embodiment, by replacing the heated plates with a unique heated roller system that allows for a continuous feed of plant material for applying pressure and heat. The present invention in one aspect comprises among other features top and bottom rollers, a heating unit for heating the rollers, and a driving unit for driving the rollers. The top and bottom rollers apply heat and pressure to extract the essential oil from the cannabis plant. The present invention can thus enable a user to extract essential oil from the user's preferred strain of cannabis plant with ease and efficiency.
By virtue of the features of the present invention, the present invention can not only cut down on labor, it also can increase the quality of the essential oil extracted from the cannabis plant by minimizing the time the plant material is in contact with a heated surface. The present invention is also scalable for industrial production of large quantities of essential oil because there is no degradation of the quality of the essential oil when roller size is increased as the plant material will still only be in contact with a heat surface for a minimal amount of time no matter the size of the rollers.
The solution of the present invention to the problem of extracting essential oil from cannabis plants is unconventional because persons having ordinary skill in the art of cannabis oil extraction have had doubts as to the ability of a roller to sufficiently apply pressure and heat for the extraction of essential oil from cannabis plants. The inventors of the present invention were able to overcome the challenges of using a heated roller system by sourcing the appropriate type of material for the rollers and developing a novel way to heat the rollers in combination with determining an optimal pressure, temperature, and roller speed for extracting essential oils of high quality while simultaneously increasing production yield. Thus, the present invention is an unconventional solution with respect to previous methods and systems which use either solvents or heated plates, and which, for the reasons discussed above, produce essential oils of lower quality and lower yield because of the degradation of terpenes in the plant oil.
The present invention in a first aspect provides an apparatus for extracting essential oil from plant material comprising top and bottom rollers, means for rotating the top and bottom rollers, and means for adjusting the pressure applied by the top roller, and means for heating the top and bottom rollers.
The present invention in another aspect provides a method for extracting essential oil from plant material, comprising the steps of applying heat and pressure from top and bottom rollers to a plant material being fed through the top and bottom rollers, and wherein the top and bottom rollers are heated by a temperature controller.
The present invention in a third aspect provides a system for extracting essential oil from a cannabis plant, comprising top and bottom rollers, a first unit adapted to rotate the top and bottom rollers, and a second unit adapted to adjust the pressure applied by the top roller, wherein the top and bottom rollers are heated by a temperature controller.
As shown in
The apparatus (1) further comprises a top roller (9) so that the plant material is fed between the top roller (9) and the bottom roller (8). Both the top and bottom rollers (8, 9) rotate as the plant material passes through, and each roller applies pressure and heat on the plant material for extracting essential oil from the plant material. The bottom roller (8) on the opposite side of the main gear (5) comprises a first matching gear (22) which is engaged with a second matching gear (23) of the top roller (9). Although details of the first and second matching gears (22, 23) are not shown in
The top and bottom rollers (8, 9) are mounted in a channel (10) located in the housing (2) of the apparatus (1). The bottom roller (9) is fixed in position while top roller (8) is spring loaded in the channel (10) such that the pressure applied by the top roller (9) on the plant material that passes between the top and bottom rollers (8, 9) can be adjusted. Spindle bolts (11) located on the top plate (12) of the apparatus (1) are used for adjusting the pressure exerted on the plant material by the top roller (9) as the plant material passes through the rollers (8, 9).
As shown in
The left and right top plates (33, 34) can be made, for example, from aluminum, whereas the left and right towers (35, 36) and the left and right moving elements (39, 40) can be made, for example, from stainless steel. Of course, it is also possible that these components be made from other types of suitable materials such as other types of non-corrosive metal alloys. The screws (38) for raising or lowering the left and right top plates (33, 34) and thereby compressing or decompressing the springs (37) in each of the left and right support towers (35, 36) can be of a hexagonal socket requiring an Allen key or hex key. It is also contemplated that instead of screws (38), threaded bolts and nuts can be used for raising or lowering the left and right top plates (33, 34). Also,
In both the first and second embodiments of the present invention, a hand crank (4) is depicted for driving the gears of the apparatus (1) and rotating the top and bottom rollers (8, 9); however, it is contemplated that instead of, or in addition to the hand crank (4), a motor may also be used to drive the top and bottom rollers (8, 9). For example, an electrical motor can be used to power the top and bottom rollers (8, 9). The electrical motor can be powered, for example, by an external source of electricity or by an internal battery power source. In addition to electrical motors, other drive mechanisms can be used as well; for example, it is contemplated that any type of motor including internal combustion engines could be used to drive the top and bottom rollers (8, 9). It is also contemplated that the apparatus (1) can be equipped with both a motor and a hand crank (4) such that the hand crank (4) can be utilized in the event of a motor malfunction to power the top and bottom rollers (8, 9).
In both embodiments of the present invention, the surfaces of the top and bottom rollers (8, 9) are smooth and flat. However, it is also possible that the surfaces of the rollers (8, 9) are optionally embedded with grooves, bumps, and other geometric shapes to aid the compression of the plant material as it passes through the rollers (8,9). In a preferred embodiment, the top and bottom rollers (8, 9) are made from stainless steel; however, it is also possible that the rollers (8, 9) can be made from other materials such as other types of non-corrosive metal alloys.
When working with different types of plant material, adjusting the temperature and pressure applied by the apparatus (1) will aide in quality and yield of the essential oil extracted from the plant material. The top roller (8) in both embodiments is spring loaded by the spring (37). This allows the plant material to be fed into the top and bottom rollers (8, 9), and as the top and bottom rollers (8, 9) turn causing the plant material to pass through, the heat and pressure applied from the rollers (8, 9) to the plant material extracts essential oil from the plant material.
In both the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the temperature controller (13) is configured to regulate the top and bottom rollers (8, 9) to have a temperature of approximately 150° F. to 250° F., and more preferably, a temperature of approximately 180° F. to 200° F. for the extraction of essential oil from strains of cannabis plant. Temperatures above these ranges can degrade the terpenes in the cannabis essential oil thus diminishing the quality of the essential oil, and temperatures below these ranges may not effectively and/or efficiently extract the essential oil from the cannabis plant material.
In both the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the pressure applied by the spring biased top roller (9) onto the plant material that passes through the top and bottom rollers (8, 9) can be adjusted between approximately 300 psi and 4000 psi, and more preferably for strains of cannabis plants, the pressure can be adjusted between approximately 500 psi and 2000 psi. Pressures below this range may be insufficient for the efficient extraction of essential oil from the cannabis plant material and may thus lead to waste of cannabis plant material. Pressures above this range may cause blowouts leading the cannabis plant material to bust out of the filter bags, and may contaminate the rosin with the cannabis plant material. Also, pressures above this range may exert a force between the top and bottom rollers (8, 9) that can damage the apparatus (1) without a significant gain of oil extraction.
With respect to the speed of the rollers (8, 9), if the cannabis plant material is passed through the top and bottom rollers (8, 9) too quickly, it can result in a decrease in the yield of the essential oil extracted. Thus, the speed at which the top and bottom rollers (8, 9) rotate is critical for proper essential oil extraction from cannabis plants. As an example, in both the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the time the plant material is in contact with the rollers (8, 9) should be approximately 20 seconds to 5 minutes, and more preferably for strains of cannabis plants, approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute and 30 seconds. Faster speeds may reduce the yield of the essential oil extracted from the cannabis plant and thus lead to waste of cannabis plant material, however, faster speeds may also mean that the essential oil will spend less time under the heat and pressure applied by the heated rollers (8, 9) which improves the quality of the extracted essential oil. Slower speeds may increase the yield of the essential oil extracted from the cannabis plan material, however, slower speeds may also mean that the cannabis plant material will spend more time under the heat and pressure applied from the heated rollers (8, 9) which can lower the quality of the extracted essential oil.
The apparatus (1) in both embodiments of the present invention can be a small tabletop unit for personal and/or home use, or can be built on a larger scale for industrial production of essential oil, for example. In industrial operations, the apparatus (1) may be powered by a motor for feeding more plant material through larger rollers with larger heating elements.
The present invention in another aspect provides a method for extracting essential oil from plant material comprising the steps of using the apparatus (1) to apply heat and pressure from the top and bottom rollers to plant material being fed through the top and bottom rollers. Before being fed into the top and bottom rollers (8, 9), the plant material can be wrapped in a screen material and parchment paper. The plant material is placed in the screen material to allow the essential oil to escape while holding back the solid plant material. The parchment paper is used on the outside of filter bag to catch the extracted oil so that it can be gathered and collected. Thus, after passing through the top and bottom rollers (8, 9), the essential oil can be collected from the parchment paper. The screen material can be made of nylon mesh and can come in different micron ratings depending on the filtering and purity preferences of the user of the apparatus (1). Alternatively, the plant material can be fed into the rollers (8, 9) with only the screen material and no parchment paper. In this case, the essential oil drains off the bottom roller (8) into a tray (19) for collection. An advantage of the present invention over previous oil extractors and methods of plant oil extraction is that the oil extracted from the present invention flows in a single direction making its collection easier and less messy.
Any part of the plant that contains trichomes can be used for the extraction of essential oil. Trichomes are small hairs or other outgrowths from the epidermis of a plant. With respect to cannabis plants, trichomes are most commonly found in the flower and fan leaves of the plant. Thus, the system, apparatus, and method of the present invention typically use the flowers and fan leaves of the cannabis plant which are removed from the stem of the plant, and are pressed by the apparatus (1) for the extraction of essential oil from the cannabis plant.
The essential oils extracted from the system, apparatus, and method of the present invention can be used for smoking, cooking edibles, and topical creams. Also, because of the aromatic properties of essential oils, it is possible to use the essentials extracted from cannabis plants for perfumes, candles, incenses, soaps, and aromatherapy diffusers.
The present invention or certain part(s) or function(s) thereof, including, for example, the hand crank or power motor, the speed or temperature of the rollers, etc., may be controlled using hardware, software, or a combination thereof, and may be controlled by one or more computer systems or other processing systems. A computer system for controlling the operations of the present invention and capable of controlling the functionality described herein can include one or more processors connected to a communications infrastructure (e.g., a communications bus, a cross-over bar, or a network). Various software embodiments are described in terms of such an exemplary computer system. After reading this description, it will become apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the relevant art how to implement the present invention using other computer systems and/or architectures.
The computer system can include a display interface that forwards graphics, text, and other data from the communication infrastructure (or from a frame buffer) for display on a display unit. The display interface can communicate with a browser. The computer system also includes a main memory, preferably a random access memory, and may also include a secondary memory and a database. The secondary memory may include, for example, a hard disk drive and/or a removable storage drive, representing a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, etc. The removable storage drive reads from and/or writes to a removable storage unit in a well-known manner. The removable storage unit can represent a floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, etc. which is read by and written to by the removable storage drive. As will be appreciated, the removable storage unit can include a computer usable storage medium having stored therein computer software and/or data.
The computer system may also include a communications interface which allows software and data to be transferred between the computer system and external devices. The terms “computer program medium” and “computer usable medium” are used to refer generally to media such as the removable storage drive, a hard disk installed in the hard disk drive, and signals. These computer program products provide software to the computer system.
Computer programs or control logic are stored in the main memory and/or the secondary memory. Computer programs may also be received via the communications interface. Such computer programs or control logic (software), when executed, cause the computer system or its processor to perform the features and functions of the present invention, as discussed herein.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiments, it is understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as herein described. Also, while the embodiments described above are generally described as relating to an apparatus, system, and method for extracting essential oil from cannabis plants, it is understood that the present invention may also be used for the extraction of essential oils from different types of plants and materials.
The present application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Appln. No. 62/299,364 filed Feb. 24, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62299364 | Feb 2016 | US |
