Patent Application
20200288768
The overall field of invention is devices and methods for production of pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes.
Marijuana cigarettes, commonly known as joints, are a traditional means for smoking marijuana. As marijuana use has progressively been legalized and normalized, pre-rolled joints have gained significant popularity as a means for distribution and consumption of marijuana.
A joint, like any cigarette, is formed through a process by which the smoking material, in this case marijuana, is encased in a tube of paper known as rolling paper. The joint will have a distal end that is lit to burn, and a proximal end, through which a user will draw smoke. Various characteristics of the rolling paper and smoking material will affect a joint's physical integrity, how joint burns, and a user's smoking experience.
A typical tobacco cigarette is formed of shredded tobacco that is tightly packed. This tight packing is necessary to produce desirable burning and smoking characteristics. Specifically, tightly packed tobacco will burn in a uniform manner while still allowing free passage of smoke through its volume. Therefore, a smoker may draw smoke through a tightly packed tobacco cigarette with little effort. Shredded tobacco tends to be coherent, in that the shreds tend to intertwine to some degree, therefore causing the shredded tobacco to clump together. Tightly-packed shredded tobacco tends to remain coherent, and as a result, a typical cigarette may be formed to be open at the distal end, such that the smoking material, tobacco, is not encased, but rather, is open to the environment at the distal end.
Marijuana exhibits different physical and combustion characteristics than tobacco, as well as varying significantly from specimen to specimen. Marijuana, as prepared for a joint, is generally ground into granules, as opposed to the shreds typical of tobacco. Marijuana granules are not typically coherent. Furthermore, the optimal tightness of a joint's packing will depend on the physical characteristics of the marijuana specimen being used, and may range from loose to tight. Loose packing tends to promote uneven burning, while tight packing can impede a user's ability to draw smoke through the joint. Generally, optimal tightness is as tight as possible while still allowing free passage of smoke through the joint body.
A well-packed joint that is open at the distal end will tend to shed its contents during handling. As a result, it is desirable and traditional to close a joint at the distal end. It may be noted that while a tobacco cigarette does not require distal closure, it does not create undesirable characteristics. Closure of tobacco cigarettes is merely omitted as a non-necessity.
Joint closure may be achieved by folding or forming the rolling paper over the distal end such that it is substantially closed to the environment in a manner that will prevent the joint contents from escaping. The state of the art for joint closure requires that joints be closed by hand. A person manufacturing joints will use his or her fingers to grasp an amount of excess rolling paper at the distal tip, then fold or twist the rolling paper to achieve closure. Due to the large number of joints that are produced, the closure process represents a non-trivial amount of labor for joint manufacturers.
A need exists for a device and process for joint closure that reduces the amount of labor that is required to close a joint.
It is the object of the present invention to reduce the amount of labor that is required for distal closure of a cigarette or joint by providing a device and related method for folding and dimpling the distal tip of a joint through single actuation.
Smoking material: A combustible material filling a cigarette or joint.
Rolling paper: Paper that encases smoking material in a cigarette or joint.
Excess rolling paper: Rolling paper that extends beyond the smoking material at the distal tip of a cigarette.
Axial: Of or related to the major axis of a cylinder, cone, or any body of generally cylindrical or conical shape.
Radial: Of or related to any direction vector that resides on the plane normal to the axial direction.
In the Summary above and in this Detailed Description, the claims below, and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particular features of the invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure of the invention in this specification includes all possible combinations of such particular features. For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect or embodiment of the invention, or a particular claim, that feature can also be used—to the extent possible—in combination with and/or in the context of other particular aspects and embodiments of the invention, and in the invention generally
The term “comprises” and grammatical equivalents thereof are used herein to mean that other components, ingredients, steps, etc. are optionally present. For example, an article “comprising” (or “which comprises”) components A, B, and C can consist of (i.e., contain only) components A, B, and C, or can contain not only components A, B, and C but also contain one or more other components.
Where reference is made herein to a method comprising two or more defined steps, the defined steps can be carried out in any order or simultaneously (except where the context excludes that possibility), and the method can include one or more other steps which are carried out before any of the defined steps, between two of the defined steps, or after all the defined steps (except where the context excludes that possibility).
The term “at least” followed by a number is used herein to denote the start of a range including that number (which may be a range having an upper limit or no upper limit, depending on the variable being defined). For example, “at least 1” means 1 or more than 1. The term “at most” followed by a number is used herein to denote the end of a range, including that number (which may be a range having 1 or 0 as its lower limit, or a range having no lower limit, depending upon the variable being defined). For example, “at most 4” means 4 or less than 4, and “at most 40%” means 40% or less than 40%. When, in this specification, a range is given as “(a first number) to (a second number)” or “(a first number)—(a second number),” this means a range whose limits include both numbers. For example, “25 to 100” means a range whose lower limit is 25 and upper limit is 100, and includes both 25 and 100.
The present invention is a cigarette closure device and method that will close the distal tip of a cigarette through a single actuation. To operate the device, a rolled cigarette that is open at its distal tip is held by the device, and the device is actuated to sequentially fold portions of excess distal tip rolling paper in a manner that effectively closes the cigarette distal tip to the environment. In an embodiment, the device is a handheld tool that closes the distal tip of a cigarette by pressing a plunger. In alternative embodiments, the device is semi-automated or fully automated, and the plunger is actuated through non-manual means.
In the embodiment, the depression mechanism 108 resides within a housing 116 that is rigidly affixed to the positioners 102. The housing 116 is open at its upper end 118, and a portion of the depression mechanism 108 extends through the opening. The portion of the depression mechanism extending through the opening is a plunger 122 that is adapted to receive a depressing axial force supplied by an operator.
During actuation of the embodiment, a user will manually apply a downward or depressing force to the plunger 122 sufficient to compress the spring mechanism 116 and displace the depression mechanism toward the cigarette positioner 102. As the axial force is applied to the depression mechanism 108, the depression features 110 are urged downward into contact with the distal tip of the cigarette.
In alternative embodiments, any means for actuating and cycling the depression mechanism 108 between a retracted and depressed state may be used. Means for cycling between retracted and depressed states may include pneumatic, hydraulic, electric, or electro-mechanical actuators such as cylinder-pistons, linear motors, ball-screws, belt drives, mechanical linkages, or any other actuator capable of providing the cyclical motion. In the preferred embodiment, the depression mechanism is exhibits strict axial motion due to the arrangement of concentric cylinders that provide for sliding axial motion along the major axis. In alternative embodiments, the depression mechanism may by guided by other means such as a hinge or other mechanism that provides for motion that is not strictly axial during the entire actuation path. The key element to the axial actuation is that it is generally in the direction of the cigarette major axis during the formation of the rolling paper folds and dimple.
The dimpler 114 portion of the depression mechanism has a dimpling surface 128 that resides at the highest height above the positioner 102, such that during actuation, the dimpling surface 128 contacts the joint after the shaped depressors 112 have completed the folding portion of the operation. Upon completion of the folding portion of the closure, the dimpler 114 depresses the center of the distal tip to form a generally flat or concave depression at the distal tip, which serves to secure the folds in a manner that will tend to retain closure, even upon handling of the finished joint product.
The shaped depressors 112 are flexible or are flexibly affixed to the depression mechanism in the radial direction such that upon forming a fold, the depressor can be urged outward away from the joint. In the embodiment, the distal positioner has grooves 120 adapted to receive the shaped depressors during actuation to cause the radial displacement of the depressors such that axial motion of a depressor is translated into radial motion by nature of the depressors' interaction with the grooves. In alternative embodiments, the radial spring rate of a depressor may be tuned to allow the joint itself to provide sufficient physical resistance to force the radial displacement of a depressor 112 after a fold is formed.
In an embodiment, the shaped depressor 112 is attached to the depression mechanism 108 by an elongate member 124 having a large length-to-thickness ratio that is adapted to form a leaf spring that is substantially rigid in the axial direction while providing spring-resistance in the radial direction. In alternative embodiments, shaped depressors may be attached to the depression mechanism by alternative means for providing substantially rigid axial positioning and displaceable radial positioning.
The depression surfaces 126 have a surface profile that is adapted to both fold excess rolling paper as well as displace the shaped depressors radially outward during and after the folding operation. In the preferred embodiment, the distal positioner 104 aids the radial displacement by incorporating grooves 120 to receive and guide the shaped depressors during closure. During closure, the shaped depressors 112 slide within the grooves 120, and it is beneficial to reduce sliding friction. Sliding friction can be modified by altering the angle of the depression surfaces with respect to the axial motion as well as through material or coating selection reduce the coefficient of friction. In the preferred embodiment, the depression mechanism is stainless steel, and therefore it is beneficial for the groove material to have a low friction coating. The angle or profile of a depression surface should be chosen that balances the surface's ability to form a fold while being sufficiently steep to cause the axial motion to be translated into radial motion. In the preferred embodiment the angle of the depression surfaces is approximately 30 degrees.
The device may be made of virtually any combination of materials that are substantially rigid including metal, plastic, thermoplastic, composite, or other suitable materials or material combinations.
While preferred and alternate embodiments have been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this CIGARETTE CLOSURE DEVICE AND METHOD. Accordingly, the scope of the CIGARETTE CLOSURE DEVICE AND METHOD is not limited by the disclosure of these preferred and alternate embodiments. Instead, the scope of the CIGARETTE CLOSURE DEVICE AND METHOD is to be determined entirely by reference to the claims. Insofar as the description above and the accompanying drawings (if any) disclose any additional subject matter that is not within the scope of the claims below, the inventions are not dedicated to the public and Applicant hereby reserves the right to file one or more applications to claim such additional inventions.
The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with this specification and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.
All the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35. U.S.C. § 112 ¶6. In particular, the use of “step of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of U.S.C. § 112 ¶6.
