Packing plant matter in pre-rolls to make smokable product

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and devices for packing particulate plant matter in pre-rolls to make smokable products, for example, packing particulate plant matter from Cannabis plants in cones to make joints.

1 .- 38 . (canceled) 
     
     
         39 . A method of packing particulate plant matter in an open-ended pre-roll to make a smokable product, comprising:
 a. providing an open-ended pre-roll having walls defining an inner volume, a closed proximal end, an open distal end and a longitudinal axis passing therebetween;   b. placing said pre-roll inside a volume of a pre-roll holder so that said open distal end of said pre-roll is oriented upwards; and   c. subsequent to ‘b’, filling said inner volume of said pre-roll through said open distal end with particulate plant matter over a period of time, and during said period of time, repeatedly tamping particulate plant matter contained inside said inner volume of said pre-roll with a tamper,   thereby making a smokable product.   
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein said tamping is effected by a tamper which is actively moved downwards by application of a force by a mechanism to tamp said particulate plant matter contained inside said inner volume of said pre-roll. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein said tamping is effected by a tamper which is allowed to drop downwards due to gravity to tamp said particulate plant matter contained inside said inner volume of said pre-roll. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein said tamping is repeated at a rate of not less than about 1 tamp/4 seconds and not more than about 20 tamps/second. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein a maximal force applied by said tamper to a surface of plant matter during each individual tamp is within 10% of a target tamping force. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein said tamper is a solid elongated object having a distal tip and a tamper axis, said distal tip entering said inner volume of said pre-roll through said open distal end of said pre-roll with a repeated tamping motion. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein said filling is performed by directing particulate plant matter out of a distal end of a filling conduit through said open distal end of said pre-roll into said inner volume of said pre-roll, said distal end of said filling conduit having walls with an outer dimension and an inner dimension. 
     
     
         46 . A device for filling pre-rolls, comprising:
 at least one pre-roll holder including a volume, said volume configured to hold a pre-roll with an open distal end thereof oriented upwards;   a filling/tamper station configured to fill an inner volume of a pre-roll held in a said pre-roll holder that is located at said filling/tamper station with particulate plant matter dispensed through a filling conduit of said filling/tamper station through said open distal end of said pre-rollover a period of time, and during which said period of time further repeatedly tamping particulate plant matter contained inside said inner volume of said pre-roll with a tamper;   a fine-filling station comprising a weighing scale configured to determine a weight of a pre-roll with particulate plant matter therein held in a said pre-roll holder that is located at said fine-filling station, said fine-filling station configured to optionally add particulate plant matter to a pre-roll held in a said pre-roll holder that is located at said fine-filling station through said open distal end of said pre-rollover a second period of time with reference to a weight of a pre-roll as determined by said weighing scale; and   a holder conveyer functionally-associated with said pre-roll holder configured to convey a pre-roll held in a said pre-roll holder from said filling/tamper station to said fine-filling station.   
     
     
         47 . The device of  claim 46 , having at least two pre-roll holders functionally-associated with said holder conveyer. 
     
     
         48 . The device of  claim 47 , configured to concurrently:
 fill with particulate plant matter a first pre-roll held in a first said pre-roll holder at said filling/tamper station; and   fill with particulate plant matter a second pre-roll held in a second said pre-roll holder at said fine-filling station.   
     
     
         49 . The device of  claim 46 , said filling/tamper station configured to tamp particulate plant matter through an open distal end of a said pre-roll with said tamper at a rate of between about 1 tamp/4 seconds and about 20 tamps/second. 
     
     
         50 . The device of  claim 46 , said filling/tamper station comprising a mechanism that is configured to move said tamper in a tamping motion which configuration includes configuration to apply a force to actively move said tamper downwards from an upper position to a lower position thereby tamping particulate plant matter contained inside an inner volume of a pre-roll. 
     
     
         51 . The device of  claim 46 , said filling/tamper station comprising a mechanism that is configured to move said tamper in a tamping motion which configuration includes configuration to allow said tamper to drop downwards from an upper position to a lower position due to gravity, thereby tamping particulate plant matter contained inside an inner volume of a pre-roll. 
     
     
         52 . The device of  claim 46 , said tamper being a solid elongated object having a distal tip and a tamper axis, configured so that said distal tip enters a inner volume of a said pre-roll through said open distal end thereof. 
     
     
         53 . The device of  claim 46 , said filling/tamping station configured so that during filling of a said pre-roll, said filling conduit is not inside an inner volume of said pre-roll. 
     
     
         54 . The device of  claim 46 , said filling/tamping station configured so that during filling of a said pre-roll, said filling conduit is located inside an inner volume of said pre-roll. 
     
     
         55 . The device of  claim 46 , wherein said filling/tamper station is configured so that during said tamping, said tamper passes through said filling conduit and out through a distal end of said filling conduit. 
     
     
         56 . The device of  claim 55 , wherein a clearance between a portion of said tamper that passes through said filling conduit and inner walls of said filling conduit is not less than about 1.5 mm on all sides. 
     
     
         57 . The device of  claim 46 , said weighing scale configured to repeatedly determine a weight of a said pre-roll during said second period of time. 
     
     
         58 . A device useful for the separation of aggregates of particulate plant matter into separate particles comprising:
 a. a housing defining an inner volume with an upper chamber having a narrow neck defined by neck walls at the bottom thereof;   b. positioned inside said neck, a rotatable scraper plate having an axis, an upper surface, a lower surface, a periphery, a thickness and holes, said holes providing fluid communication between said upper surface and said lower surface, wherein a clearance between said periphery of said scraper plate and said neck walls is not more than about 4 mm; and   c. a rotatable shelf positioned below said scraper plate, said rotatable shelf coaxial with said scraper plate and having an upper surface perpendicular to said axis of said scraper plate;   wherein the dimensions of said rotatable shelf perpendicular to said axis are such that particles falling from said upper surface of said scraper plate through said holes fall onto said upper surface of said rotatable shelf,   further comprising a mechanism for simultaneously rotating both said scraper plate and said rotatable shelf around said axis.