Apparatus and method for filling a hollow circular-section sleeve with a product

Abstract

A pre-formed cone filling apparatus ( 100 ) is disclosed for filling paper cones ( 130 ) with a ground product such as tobacco or another leaf- or plant-based product such as cannabis The apparatus 100 has individual cone holders ( 110 ) mounted vertically on the circumference of a horizontally-oriented rotating wheel ( 120 ). The cone holders move in pairs between a number of processing stations which are located around the circumference of the wheel ( 120 ). The processing stations include a loading station ( 200 ) for loading an individual cone ( 130 ) into each cone holder ( 110 ), a seating station ( 300 ) to ensure the cones ( 130 ) are correctly seated in the holders ( 110 ) and correctly shaped, a filling station ( 500 ) for filling a cone with the product, and a closing station ( 600 ) for closing the open end of the filled cone. The filling station also has primary and secondary tamping pins for controlling the product density during and after filling.

1 . Apparatus for filling a hollow circular-section sleeve with a product, wherein the sleeve has an open end and a closed or partially-closed end, the apparatus comprising a plurality of sleeve holders each for receiving a sleeve, each holder being arranged on a base which is movable between a plurality of processing stations, the processing stations including:
 a loading station for loading the sleeve into a sleeve holder;   a filling station including:
 a feed channel/tube having an aperture and being configured to supply product into the sleeve, 
 a primary tamping pin configured to tamp the product while the product is supplied into the sleeve, by lowering through the aperture during the filling operation and contacting the product, and 
 a secondary tamping pin configured to tamp the product after the product has been supplied into the sleeve; and 
   a closing station for closing the open end of the filled sleeve.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of holders are mounted around the circumference of a rotatable base and the plurality of processing stations are arranged circumferentially around the base. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the loading station includes a magazine for storing a plurality of stacked sleeves. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the filling station is configured to supply a predetermined amount of product to the sleeve. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the feed channel/tube is configured to vibrate during supply of a predetermined amount of product to the sleeve. 
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the filling station includes one or more sensors configured to determine the position of the primary and/or secondary tamping device during tamping. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the closing station includes a twist mechanism configured to clamp and twist the sleeve end closed. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the processing stations include a seating station configured to correctly seat the sleeve in the holder. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the seating station includes a probe for inserting into the sleeve which is configured to supply air to correctly seat the sleeve in the holder. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the seating station includes a former for inserting into the sleeve to shape the cone. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the processing stations include a checking station configured to check that the open end of the sleeve is properly open and in the correct position for filling. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the processing stations include a check-weighing station configured to check the weight of the filled sleeve and to generate a signal which is supplied to the filling station to check or adjust the amount of product. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the processing stations include a discharge station to remove the filled, closed sleeve from the holder. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the processing stations include a cleaning station for cleaning the empty holder. 
     
     
         18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the hollow circular-section sleeve is a cylinder or a cone. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the hollow circular-section sleeve is a truncated cone. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the hollow circular-section sleeve is formed from paper. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the closed or partially-closed end is closed by means of a filter or crutch. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the product is in a ground, cut, flaked, fibrous or loose form. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the product includes tobacco or another leaf- or plant-based product such as cannabis.