WO2023087097A1

WO2023087097A1 - Systems and methods for forming cannabis pre-rolls

Info

Publication number: WO2023087097A1
Application number: PCT/CA2022/051641
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kerry Hierons; Michael Martin; Simon SIMMONS
Original assignee: Hexo Operations Inc.
Priority date: 2021-11-19
Filing date: 2022-11-07
Publication date: 2023-05-25
Also published as: CA3238382A1

Abstract

Described herein are systems and method for forming cannabis pre-rolls. The method includes the steps of (a) providing a feed of cannabis plant material; (b) trimming the feed of cannabis plant material to form a feed of rollable cannabis plant material having successive first zones and second zones, wherein a cross-sectional area of the first zones in a plane transverse to a feed flow direction through a trimmer is greater than a cross-sectional area of the second zones in a plane transverse to the feed flow direction through the trimmer; and (c) compressing the feed of rollable cannabis plant material to form a feed of compressed rollable cannabis plant material.

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FORMING CANNABIS PRE-ROLLS

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PREVIOUS APPLICATON

[0001 ] This application claims priority from United States provisional patent application no. 63/281 ,476 filed on November 19, 2021 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for forming cannabis pre-rolls.

BACKGROUND

[0003] The following is not an admission that anything discussed below is part of the prior art or part of the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art.

[0004] Upon stage-wise legalization of cannabis-based consumer products in Canada and eventually in various other areas in the world, industrial scale production and accessibility to a wide variety of forms of cannabis-based consumer products have accelerated in order to fill emerging demands.

[0005] Although there are different methods of consuming cannabis-based consumer products (e.g., oral ingestion, topical administration or vaping cannabis oil), smoking is still the preferred mode of consuming cannabis. Typically, to form cannabis smoking articles, such as but not limited to pre-rolls, cannabis material is reduced to a particulate form and loaded into a rolling medium (typically a rolling tube, cone, or wrapper). The cannabis pre-roll can then be lit and resulting smoke is inhaled by the user.

[0006] Traditional machinery designed for forming tobacco cigarettes offers a logical starting point for designing machinery for forming cannabis pre-rolls.

[0007] For example, U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2021/0235748 to Ademe discloses a system for portioning a beaded substrate in a rod. The system described by Ademe includes a suction conveyor belt. The suction conveyor belt includes a belt suction chamber, a first belt end, and a second belt end, the second belt end opposite and downstream of the first belt end. The system also includes a metering device configured to provide the beaded substrate to the suction conveyor belt, and more specifically to the first belt end. The metering device includes a reach and a hopper. The metering device may provide the beaded substrate to the first belt end prior to the suction conveyor belt biasing a filler material onto the first belt end. The system may further include a cutting mechanism that cooperates with the metering device to position the beaded substrate a first distance away from a first cut end.

[0008] U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2003/0136419 to Muller describes a garniture tongue of a garniture device of a rod machine arranged for compressing a material. The garniture tongue includes a rod guide surface and the garniture tongue being composed at least in part of a steel alloy with high titanium carbide content.

[0009] U.S. Patent No. 4,304,243 to Seragnoli describes, for a cigarette manufacturing machine, a trimmer device for the tobacco filler that comprises two cone frustum trimming discs which are tangential to each other at their major base, this latter being provided with a cutting edge, and are mounted on inclined shafts which converge downwards. The cone-frustum surfaces of said discs are provided with equidistant grooves, of which the pitch, measured along the cutting edge, is equal to the length of the cigarettes under production, and their radial dimensions are a function of this length. Structure is provided for setting the position of said discs on their respective shafts according to their diameter, and additional structure is provided for setting the position of the trimmer device relative to the tobacco filler. A rotating brush is also provided cooperating with said discs in the trimming zone, and structure for setting the position of said brush relative to said discs.

[0010] European Patent Application No. EP2401928 to Schafforz describes a device that has a feeding direction of a tobacco rod and a finger with a contact surface is provided behind a scraper. The distance between the bottom surface of the scraper and base format of the transport direction is increased. A trimming device formed by multiple blades is provided for separating the tobacco rod from the tobacco volume.

[0011 ] That being said, cannabis and tobacco have many different physical characteristics that complicate how cannabis smoking articles can be formed. For example, cannabis is typically stickier than tobacco and has a tendency to stick to machinery during manufacturing processes. Further, cannabis is typically denser than tobacco which can have an effect on how cannabis interacts with the machinery and can and complicate manufacturing processes. Specifically, the relatively high density of cannabis compared to that of tobacco may render trimming disks known in the art used when forming tobacco cigarettes inoperable for forming cannabis pre-rolls.

[0012] Accordingly, there is a need for new and improved devices and methods of forming cannabis pre-rolls.

SUMMARY

[0013] This summary is intended to introduce the reader to the more detailed description that follows and not to limit or define any claimed or as yet unclaimed invention. One or more inventions may reside in any combination or sub-combination of the elements or process steps disclosed in any part of this document including its claims and figures.

[0014] In accordance with one aspect of this disclosure there is provided a machine for forming cannabis pre-rolls comprising an inlet for receiving a feed of cannabis plant material; a trimmer downstream of the inlet along a feed flow path, the trimmer for separating the feed of cannabis plant material into a feed of rollable cannabis plant material and a feed of excess cannabis plant material; the feed of rollable cannabis plant material having successive first zones and second zones, wherein a cross-sectional area of the first zones in a plane transverse to a feed flow direction through the trimmer is greater than a cross-sectional area of the second zones in a plane transverse to the feed flow direction through the trimmer; a compressor downstream of the trimmer along the feed flow path, the compressor for compressing the feed of rollable cannabis plant material into a compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material, the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material having a constant cross-sectional area in a plane transverse to a feed flow direction through the compressor, the cross-sectional area of the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material is less than the cross-sectional area of the first zones, the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material having successive first zones and second zones corresponding to the successive first zones and second zones of the feed of rollable cannabis plant material, the first zones of the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material having a first density and the second zones of the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material having a second density, the first density is greater than the second density.

[0015] In some embodiments, the machine may further comprise a wrapper downstream of the compressor along the feed flow path. The wrapper for wrapping the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material in paper.

[0016] In some embodiments, the machine may further comprise at least one cutter downstream of the wrapper along the feed flow path. The cutter for separating the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material into smokable portions.

[0017] In some embodiments, the trimmer may comprise a first trimming disk and a second trimming disk. Each of the first and second trimming disks may have a cutting edge and a plurality of recesses spaced apart along the cutting edge.

[0018] In some embodiments, the cannabis pre-rolls may have a diameter and the recesses may have a depth between one sixth of the diameter and one third of the diameter.

[0019] In some embodiments, the cannabis pre-rolls may have a diameter of 6mm and the recesses may have a depth between 1 mm and 2mm.

[0020] In some embodiments, the cannabis pre-rolls may have a diameter of 5mm and the recesses may have a depth between 0.83mm and 1 ,67mm.

[0021 ] In some embodiments, the cannabis pre-rolls may have a diameter of 8mm and the recesses may have a depth between 1 ,33mm and 2.66mm.

[0022] In some embodiments, the cannabis pre-rolls may have a diameter of 9mm and the recesses may have a depth between 1 ,5mm and 3mm.

[0023] In some embodiments, the recesses may have a radial length between 12mm and 20mm.

[0024] In some embodiments, between adjacent recesses there may be a nonrecessed portion. The non-recessed portion may have a radial length between 80mm and 168mm. [0025] In some embodiments, the recesses may have a radial length between 6mm and 10mm.

[0026] In some embodiments, between adjacent recesses there may be a nonrecessed portion. The non-recessed portion may have a radial length between 40mm and 84mm.

[0027] In some embodiments, each of the first and second trimming disks may comprise between three and six recesses.

[0028] In accordance with one aspect of this disclosure, there is a method of making a cannabis pre-roll comprising (a) providing a feed of cannabis plant material; (b) trimming the feed of cannabis plant material to form a feed of rollable cannabis plant material, the feed of rollable having successive first zones and second zones, wherein a cross-sectional area of the first zones in a plane transverse to a feed flow direction is greater than a cross-sectional area of the second zones in a plane transverse to the feed flow direction; and (c) compressing the feed of rollable cannabis plant material to form a feed of compressed rollable cannabis plant material, the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material having a constant cross-sectional area in a plane transverse to the feed flow direction, the cross-sectional area of the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material is less than the cross-sectional area of the first zones.

[0029] In some embodiments, the pre-roll may have a diameter and a cross-section of the first zones in the plane transverse to the feed flow direction may have a first height and a cross-section of the second zones in the plane transverse to the feed flow direction may have a second height, wherein the first height may be one sixth to one third greater than the second height.

[0030] In some embodiments, the pre-roll may have a diameter of 6mm and the first height may be 1 mm to 2mm greater than the second height.

[0031 ] In some embodiments, the pre-roll may have a diameter of 5mm and the first height may be 0.83mm to 1 ,67mm greater than the second height.

[0032] In some embodiments, the pre-roll may have a diameter of 8mm and the first height may be 1 ,33mm to 2.66mm greater than the second height. [0033] In some embodiments, the pre-roll may have a diameter of 9mm and the first height may be 1 ,5mm to 3mm greater than the second height.

[0034] In some embodiments, the method of making a cannabis pre-roll may further comprise rolling the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material.

[0035] In some embodiments, the method of making a cannabis pre-roll may further comprise cutting the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material intermediate each of the second zones to form cut second zone ends.

[0036] In some embodiments, the method of making a cannabis pre-roll may further comprise attaching a spacer to the cut second zone ends.

[0037] In some embodiments, the method of making a cannabis pre-roll may further comprise attaching a first end of the spacer to a first cut second zone end and attaching a second end of the spacer to a second cut second zone end.

[0038] In some embodiments, the method of making a cannabis pre-roll may further comprise cutting the spacer intermediate the first end of the spacer and the second end of the spacer.

[0039] In some embodiments, the method of making cannabis pre-rolls may further comprise cutting the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material intermediate each of the first zones.

[0040] In accordance with one aspect of this disclosure, there is a trimming disk for a machine for forming cannabis pre-rolls comprising an upper surface; a lower surface; a cutting edge extending between the upper surface and the lower surface about a circumference of the trimming disk; and a plurality of spaced apart recesses in upper surface, the recesses positioned along the circumference of the trimming disk and having a depth between one sixth and one third a diameter of the cannabis pre-rolls.

[0041 ] In some embodiments, the diameter of the cannabis pre-rolls may be 6mm and the depth of the recesses may be between 1 mm and 2mm.

[0042] In some embodiments, the diameter of the cannabis pre-rolls may be 5mm and the depth of the recesses may be between 0.83mm and 1.67mm. [0043] In some embodiments, the diameter of the cannabis pre-rolls may be 8mm and the depth of the recesses may be between 1 ,33mm and 2.66mm.

[0044] In some embodiments, the diameter of the cannabis pre-rolls may be 9mm and the depth of the recesses may be between 1 ,5mm and 3mm.

[0045] In some embodiments, adjacent recesses may be spaced between 80mm and 168mm apart.

[0046] In some embodiments, the recesses may have a length along the circumference of the trimming disk between 12mm and 20mm.

[0047] In some embodiments, adjacent recesses may be spaced between 40 and 84mm apart.

[0048] In some embodiments, the recesses may have a length along the circumference of the trimming disk between 6mm and 10mm.

[0049] In some embodiments, the trimming disk may comprises between three and six recesses.

[0050] In accordance with one aspect of this disclosure, there is a wrapped feed of rollable cannabis plant material made in accordance with the above method.

[0051] It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that an apparatus or method disclosed herein may embody any one or more of the features contained herein and that the features may be used in any particular combination or sub-combination.

[0052] These and other aspects and features of various embodiments will be described in greater detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] Fora better understanding of the described embodiments and to show more clearly how they may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0054] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a machine for forming cannabis pre- rolls. [0055] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a trimming zone and a compression zone of the machine of FIG. 1 .

[0056] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of trimming disks of the trimming zone of the machine of FIG. 2.

[0057] FIG. 4A is a schematic side view of a cannabis pre-roll.

[0058] FIG. 4B is a schematic end view of a non-spacer end of the cannabis preroll of FIG. 4A.

[0059] FIG. 40 is a schematic end view of a spacer end of the cannabis pre-roll of FIG. 4A.

[0060] FIG. 4D is a cross-section view of the cannabis pre-roll of FIG. 4A taken along line 4D-4D.

[0061] FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of a hopper and a shaping zone of a machine for forming cannabis pre-rolls.

[0062] FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a compression zone and rolling zone of the machine of FIG. 5.

[0063] FIG. 7 is a schematic top view of the compression zone and the rolling zone of the machine of FIG. 6.

[0064] FIG. 8A is a schematic side view of a cutting zone of the machine of FIG. 5, a feed of cannabis plant material is shown with paper thereon.

[0065] FIG. 8B is a schematic side view of the cutting zone of the machine of FIG. 8A, the feed of cannabis plant material is shown without the paper thereon.

[0066] FIG. 9 is a schematic side view of a spacer insertion zone of the machine of FIG. 5.

[0067] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of a second cutting zone of the machine of FIG. 5. [0068] FIG. 11 A is a schematic side view of another example a machine for forming cannabis pre-rolls, the machine cuts a feed of cannabis plant material into individual smokable portions prior to attaching a spacer.

[0069] FIG. 12 is a schematic side view of a hopper and a shaping zone of another example of a machine for forming cannabis pre-rolls.

[0070] FIG. 13 is a schematic side view of a compression zone and rolling zone of the machine of FIG. 12.

[0071 ] FIG. 14 is a schematic top view of the compression zone and the rolling zone of the machine of FIG. 13.

[0072] FIG. 15A is a schematic side view of a cutting zone of the machine of FIG. 12, a feed of cannabis plant material is shown with paper thereon.

[0073] FIG. 15B is a schematic side view of the cutting zone of the machine of FIG. 15A, the feed of cannabis plant material is shown without the paper thereon.

[0074] FIG. 16 is a schematic side view of a spacer insertion zone of the machine of FIG. 12.

[0075] The drawings included herewith are for illustrating various examples of articles, methods, and apparatuses of the teaching of the present specification and are not intended to limit the scope of what is taught in any way.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0076] Various apparatuses will be described below to provide an example of an embodiment of each claimed invention. No embodiment described below limits any claimed invention and any claimed invention may cover apparatuses that differ from those described below. The claimed inventions are not limited to apparatuses having all of the features of any one apparatus described below or to features common to multiple or all of the apparatuses described below. It is possible that an apparatus described below is not an embodiment of any claimed invention. Any invention disclosed in an apparatus described below that is not claimed in this document may be the subject matter of another protective instrument, for example, a continuing patent application, and the applicants, inventors or owners do not intend to abandon, disclaim or dedicate to the public any such invention by its disclosure in this document.

General Description of Cannabis Plant Material for a Cannabis Pre-Rolls

[0077] As described in detail below, cannabis plant material may be supplied to a machine for forming a cannabis pre-roll. As used herein, the term "cannabis plant material" refers to any part of the plant such as cannabis trim, cannabis flower (also called "cannabis bud"), cannabis kief, or any combination thereof. The plant material can be processed by removing any plant stems of a cannabis plant. The resulting cannabis material with stems removed can include both flower and trim, only cannabis trim, or only cannabis flowers.

[0078] As used herein, the term "cannabis kief' refers to isolated cannabis trichomes, namely trichomes that have been separated from cannabis plant material plant using any method known in the art. For example, and without wishing to be limiting in any manner, the isolated cannabis trichomes may be obtained by a chemical separation method or may be separated by manual processes like dry sifting or by water extraction methods. Such methods are known in the art, and as such will not be further described here. Because of inherent limitations to existing separation methods, some plant matter or other foreign matter can be present in cannabis kief.

[0079] As used herein, the term “cannabis plant(s)”, encompasses wild type cannabis and also variants thereof, including cannabis chemovars (or “strains”) that naturally contain different amounts of the individual cannabinoids. For example, some cannabis strains have been bred to produce minimal levels of THC, the principal psychoactive constituent responsible for the high associated with it and other strains have been selectively bred to produce high levels of THC and other psychoactive cannabinoids. Cannabis plants produce a unique family of terpeno-phenolic compounds called cannabinoids, some of which produce the “high” one experiences from consuming marijuana.

[0080] Optionally, the cannabis plant material may include one or more additional component. In some examples, the one or more additional component may be added to alter the characteristics of the cannabis plant material, such as cannabinoid content, potency, entourage effect, odor, color, and the like. As used herein, the term "cannabinoid" generally refers to any chemical compound that acts upon a cannabinoid receptor such as CB1 and CB2. A cannabinoid may include endocannabinoids (produced naturally by humans and animals), phytocannabinoids (found in cannabis and some other plants), and synthetic cannabinoids (manufactured artificially).

[0081 ] A cannabinoid may be in an acid form or a non-acid form, the latter also being referred to as the decarboxylated form since the non-acid form can be generated by decarboxylating the acid form. Within the context of the present disclosure, where reference is made to a specific cannabinoid, the cannabinoid can be in its acid or non- acid form or be a mixture of both acid and non-acid forms.

[0082] The cannabinoid may be extracted from any suitable source material including, but not limited to, cannabis or hemp plant material (e.g., flowers, seeds, and trichomes) or may be manufactured artificially (for example cannabinoids produced in yeast, as described in WO2018/148848). Cannabinoids can be extracted from a cannabis or hemp plant material according to any procedure known in the art. For example and without wishing to be limiting, a "crude extract" containing a cannabinoid may be obtained by extraction from plant materials using for example aliphatic hydrocarbons (such as propane, butane), alcohols (such as ethanol), petroleum ether, naphtha, olive oil, carbon dioxide (including supercritical and subcritical CO2), chloroform, or any combinations thereof. Optionally, the crude extract may then be "winterized", that is, extracted with an organic solvent (such as ethanol) to remove lipids and waxes (to produce a "winterized extract"), as described for example in US 7,700,368, US 2004/0049059, and US 2008/0167483, which are each herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. Optionally, the method for obtaining the cannabinoid may further include purification steps such as a distillation step to further purify, isolate or crystallize one or more cannabinoids, which is referred to in the art and herein as a "distillate"; US 2016/0346339, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a process for extracting cannabinoids from cannabis plant material using solvent extraction followed by filtration, and evaporation of the solvent in a distiller to obtain a distillate. The distillate may be cut with one or more terpenes. The crude extract, the winterized extract or the distillate may be further purified, for example using chromatographic and other separation methods known in the art, to obtain an "isolate". Cannabinoid extracts may also be obtained using solvent-less extraction methods; for example, cannabis plant material may be subjected to heat and pressure to extract a resinous sap ("rosin") containing cannabinoids; methods for obtaining rosin are well-known in the art.

[0083] It is to be understand that in embodiments of the present disclosure, the one or more additional component may include a combination of any one of the above examples of additional components.

General Description of a Machine for Forming Cannabis Pre-rolls

[0084] Referring first to FIG. 1 , shown therein is an example of a machine 100 for forming cannabis pre-rolls 102. An example of a cannabis pre-roll 102 is shown in FIGS. 4A-4D. As shown in FIG. 4C, the cannabis pre-roll 102 may have a spacer 104 at one end thereof. As shown in FIG. 4B, the cannabis pre-roll 102 may have an open end 108 at an opposite end thereof. Accordingly, the cannabis plant material 112 of the cannabis pre-roll 102 may be unobstructively visible when viewing the open end 108 of the cannabis pre-roll 102. In contrast, the paper of a typical joint may be twisted shut at one end.

[0085] The paper of a typical joint may be twisted shut at one end to hold the cannabis plant material therein during transport of that joint. In contrast, as is described in detail below, to stop unwanted discharge of cannabis plant material 112 from the nonspacer end (i.e., the open end 108) of a cannabis pre-roll 102, a portion of the cannabis plant material 112 at the non-spacer end 108 may be compressed and may have a relatively high density (i.e., be a zone of high linear density 114) compared to the remaining portion of cannabis plant material 112 within the cannabis pre-roll 102 (i.e., compared to a zone of low linear density 116). Being compressed and having a relatively high density may cause the cannabis plant material 112 at the non-spacer end 108 of the cannabis pre-roll 102 to naturally want to expand. Paper 120 wrapped around the cannabis plant material 112 of the cannabis pre-roll 102 may limit expansion of the zone of high linear density 114 of cannabis plant material 112 at the non-spacer end 108 of the cannabis pre-roll 102. The limited expansion of the zone of high linear density 114 of cannabis plant material 112 by the paper 120 may cause the zone of high linear density 114 of the cannabis plant material 112 to form a plug 122 at the non-spacer end 108 of the cannabis pre-roll 102. This plug 122 may stop undesirable discharge of cannabis plant material 112 from the non-spacer end 108 of the cannabis pre-roll 102.

[0086] Referring back to FIG. 1 , the machine 100 for forming cannabis pre-rolls 102 may include a hopper 130 for receiving cannabis plant material 112 for the cannabis pre-rolls 102. The hopper 130 may act as an inlet to the machine 100 for receiving a feed of cannabis plant material 112. Cannabis plant material 112 may be supplied to the machine 100 by any means known in the art. In the example illustrated, an operator of the machine 100 manually empties containers of cannabis plant material 112 into the hopper 130.

[0087] The inlet to the machine 100 may be in flow communication with a transport system for transferring the cannabis plant material 112 through the machine 100. In the example illustrated, the hopper 130 is positioned vertically higher than a first conveyor belt 132 of the transport system so that gravity may urge the cannabis plant material 112 from the hopper 130 to the conveyor belt 132. In the schematic illustrations shown in FIGS. 5-10, a single conveyor belt 132 is shown to extend through the machine 100. However, it is to be understood that the transport system may include any number of successive conveyors, grips, wheels, etc. to move material about the machine 100. The transport system may define a feed flow path of the cannabis plant material 112 through the machine 100.

[0088] The transport system may move the cannabis plant material 112 from the inlet to the machine 100 to at least a trimmer 134, a compressor 136, a wrapper 138, and a cutter 140 of the machine 100, each of which are described in greater detail below.

[0089] In the example illustrated, as the cannabis plant material 112 is transferred from the hopper 130 to the wrapper 138, the cannabis plant material 112 is formed into a compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150. The compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150 has an average linear density (i.e., weight per length) of cannabis plant material 112 which correlates with a desired amount of cannabis plant material 112 to be rolled into a single cannabis pre-roll 102. That is, for example, if a cannabis pre-roll has a 53mm smokable portion 152 (i.e., length 154 of the cannabis pre- roll 102 not including the spacer 104) and the cannabis pre-roll 102 is to contain 450mg of cannabis plant material 112, the average linear density of the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150 may be about 8.49mg/mm of cannabis plant material 112.

[0090] It is to be understood that the smokable portion 152 of the cannabis pre-roll 102 may be of any length 154, diameter 156, and contain any amount of cannabis plant material 112 known in the art. For example, the smokable portion 152 of a cannabis preroll 102 may be between 50mm and 90mm in length 154. The smokable portion 152 of a cannabis pre-roll 102 may be between 5mm and 9mm in diameter 156. The smokable portion 152 of a cannabis pre-roll 102 may contain between 6.6mg/mm and 10.5mg/mm of cannabis plant material 112.

[0091 ] While the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150 may have an average linear density, the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150 may include discrete zones of low linear density and high linear density (i.e. , a zone of high linear density 114 a zone of low linear density 116). It may be desirable for the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150 to have discrete zones of low linear density and high linear density 116, 114 because, as discussed above, zones of high linear density 114 may be used to form a plug 122 at the open end 108 of the cannabis pre-roll 102. This plug 122 may stop undesirable discharge of cannabis plant material 112 from the cannabis pre-roll 102 during the manufacturing process and when being used by an end user. A zone of low linear density 116 has been found to not form a suitable plug 122, and therefore it may be undesirable for an entire cannabis pre-roll 102 to have an average linear density equal to that of a zone of low linear density 116. It may be undesirable for an entire cannabis pre-roll 102 to have an average linear density equal to that of a zone of high linear density 114 because (a) a high average linear density may negatively impact the bum rate of the cannabis pre-roll 102; (b) the suction force required to draw air through the cannabis pre-roll may be too high for comfortable smokeabilty; (c) the cost to manufacture a single cannabis pre-roll 102 may be uneconomical due to the high volume of cannabis plant material 112 therein; and/or (d) a high average linear density may result in a cannabis pre-roll 102 with too much cannabis therein per the regulations and/or for the average user to consume in one session. [0092] Referring now to FIG. 3, to form a compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150 having discrete zones of low linear density and high linear density 116, 114, the feed of the cannabis plant material 112 may first be trimmed by a trimmer 134. Any trimmer 134 known in the art may be used. In the example illustrated, the trimmer 134 is a pair of trimming disks 158a, 158b. As shown in FIG. 5, the trimming disks 158 may be positioned along the transport system so that as the cannabis plant material 112 passes by the trimming disks 158 and the trimming disks 158 may cut away any excess cannabis plant material 112. That is, the trimmer 134 may separate the feed of the cannabis plant material 112 into a feed of rollable cannabis plant material 160 and a feed of excess cannabis plant material 162 (see, e.g., FIG. 5).

[0093] In the example illustrated, particularly in FIG. 5, the conveyor belt 132 applies a vacuum to the cannabis plant material 112 so that the cannabis plant material 112 can be suspended below the conveyor belt 132. Accordingly, the feed of excess cannabis plant material 162 cut away by the trimming disks 158 can fall into, for example, a collection bin 164. This feed of excess cannabis plant material 162 can be returned to the hopper 130. As shown, the trimming disks 158 may be spaced apart from the conveyor belt 132 so as to trim the feed of the cannabis plant material 112 in a height direction. In other examples, the trimmer 134 may trim the feed of the cannabis plant material 112 in a width direction. In yet other examples, the trimmer 134 may trim the feed of the cannabis plant material 112 in both the height and width direction. The distance that trimming disks 158 are spaced apart from the conveyor belt 132 may depend on the desired linear density of the cannabis pre-roll 102. The distance the trimming disks 158 are spaced apart from the conveyor belt 132 may also depend on the level of vacuum applied to the feed of the cannabis plant material 112 by the conveyor belt 132. The level of vacuum applied to the feed of the cannabis plant material 112 by the conveyor belt 132 may affect the distance the trimming disks 158 are spaced apart from the conveyor belt 132 because the level of vacuum will determine the density of the cannabis plant material 112 of the feed of the cannabis plant material 112 provided to the trimming disks 158.

[0094] For example, to form a cannabis pre-roll 102 with a 53mm smokable portion 152 and 450mg of cannabis plant material 112 therein, the trimming disks 158 may be spaced from the conveyor belt 132 by a first distance in the height direction. To form a cannabis pre-roll 102 with a 53mm smokable portion 152 and 550mg of cannabis plant material 112 therein, the trimming disks 158 may be spaced from the conveyor belt 132 by a second distance. Wherein, in this example, the second distance is greater than the first distance to provide a feed of rollable cannabis plant material 160 with a greater amount (e.g., 100mg) of cannabis plant material 112 therein. In the example illustrated, increasing the spacing between the trimming disks 158 and the conveyor belt 132 by 0.25mm corresponds with a 1 mg/mm change to the linear density of the feed of rollable cannabis plant material 160.

[0095] In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, each trimming disk 158a, 158b of the pair of trimming disks has an upper surface 180a, 180b and a lower surface 182a, 182b. As shown, a cutting edge 176a, 176b may extend between the upper surface 180a, 180b and the lower surface 182a, 182b about a circumference of the trimming disks 158a, 158b. A plurality of recesses 166 may be positioned along the circumference of each of the trimming disks 158a, 158b. As shown, the plurality of recesses 166 may extend inwardly from the upper surface 180a, 180b of the trimming disks 158a, 158b.

[0096] After the feed of the cannabis plant material 112 has been trimmed, the feed of rollable cannabis plant material 160 will have first zones 168 which correspond to the size and location of the recesses 166 of the trimming disk 158a, 158b and second zones 170 which correspond to the size and location of the non-recessed portion 172 of the trimming disk 158a, 158b (see, FIG. 5). The first zones 168 may contain a greater amount cannabis plant material 112 compared to adjacent second zones 170 trimmed by the nonrecessed portion 172 of the trimming disks 158a, 158b. Put another way, as shown in FIG. 5, a cross-sectional area of the first zones 168 in a plane transverse to a feed flow direction 174 through the trimmer 134 may be greater than a cross-sectional area of the second zones 170 in a plane transverse to the feed flow direction 174 through the trimmer 134.

[0097] As discussed in more detail below, a length 196 of the recesses 166 determines the length of the zones of high linear density 114 and a depth 200 of the recesses 166 determines the relative density between the zones of high linear density 114 and the zones of low linear density 116. It has been found that if the depth 200 of the recesses 166 is below 1 mm for a pre-roll 102 with a 6mm diameter 156, the relative density between the zones of high linear density 114 and the zones of low linear density 116 will not be sufficient to allocate enough cannabis plant material 112 to the zones of high linear density 114 to form a plug 122. Further, it has been found that if the depth 200 of the recesses 166 is above 2mm for a pre-roll 102 with a 6mm diameter 156, the zones of high linear density 114 and the resulting plugs 122 may be too dense for proper smokeability of the final cannabis pre-roll 102. That is, the depth 200 of the recesses 166 may be determined based on the diameter 156 of the pre-roll 102 to be produced. Specifically, the depth 200 of the recesses 166 may be between one sixth and one third of the diameter 156 of the cannabis pre-roll 102. It is to be understood that the values provided herein are approximated and may changed plus or minus five percent based on the strain of cannabis plant material 112 for a particular batch of pre-rolls 102.

[0098] For example, for pre-rolls 102 having a 5mm diameter 156, it has been found that the depth 200 of the recesses 166 may be between 0.83mm and 1.67mm. For pre-rolls 102 having a 8mm diameter 156, it has been found that the depth 200 of the recesses 166 may be between 1.33mm and 2.66mm. For pre-rolls 102 having a 9mm diameter, it has been found that the depth 200 of the recesses 166 may be between 1 ,5mm and 3mm.

[0099] In a specific example, when forming a cannabis pre-roll 102 having a 6mm diameter 156, the non-recessed portion 172 of the disks 158a, 158b may be spaced 4.4mm from the conveyor belt 132. In this example, the recesses may have a 1.5mm depth 200. In this example, the cross-sectional area of the second zones 170 may be 34.76mm² and the cross-sectional area of the first zones 168 may be 46mm².

[00100] Referring now to FIG. 6, after the feed of the cannabis plant material 112 has been trimmed by the trimming disks 158, forming a feed of rollable cannabis plant material 160, the feed of rollable cannabis plant material 160 may be compressed by a compressor 136. Any means known in the art for compressing a feed of the cannabis plant material 112 may be used. In the example illustrated, the feed of rollable cannabis plant material 160 is compressed between a compression plate 178 and the conveyor belt 132. [00101 ] As shown in FIG. 6, the feed of rollable cannabis plant material 160 may be compressed into a rod 190 having a constant cross-section. During compression the first zones 168 of the feed of rollable cannabis plant material 160 may be compressed into first zones of high linear density 114 and the second zones 170 of the feed of rollable cannabis plant material 160 may be compressed into second zones of low linear density 116.

[00102] In accordance with the specific example discussed above, the compressor may compress the feed of rollable cannabis plant material 160 into a rod having a 6mm diameter 156. That is, the second zones 170 may be compressed by at least 18.7% by the compressor 160 to form zones of low linear density 114, and the first zones 168 may be compressed by at least 39.4% by the compressor to form zones of high linear density (i.e., a compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150).

[00103] As shown in FIG. 6, after the feed of the cannabis plant material 112 has been compressed, the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150 may be rolled in paper 120. Any method known in the art for rolling the cannabis plant material 112 in a paper 120 may be used. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the paper 120 is wrapped around the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150 and an adhesive supplied to the paper 120 by an adhesive gun 184 is used to secure lateral edges 186a, 186b of the paper 120 together.

[00104] Referring now to FIGS. 8A and 8B, after the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150 is rolled in paper 120, the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150 may be cut into double length smokable portions 188. As shown in FIG. 8B, a double length smokable portion 188 includes a first smokable portion 152a joined to a second smokable portion 152b. More specifically, a double length smokable portion 188 includes a first zone of low linear density 116a, a first zone of high linear density 114a, a second zone of high linear density 114b, and a second zone of low linear density 116b. To form double length smokable portions 188, any cutter 140 known in the art may be used to cut through zones of low linear density 116 of the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150 after it is rolled in paper 120. FIG. 8B shows the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150 as shown in FIG. 8A without the paper 120 thereon to help illustrate how the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150 may be cut.

[00105] Referring now to FIG. 9, after the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150 has been wrapped in paper 120 and cut into double length smokable portions 188, a spacer 104 may be applied to each end of the double length smokable portions 188. FIG. 9 shows the double length smokable portions 188 without the paper 120 thereon to help illustrate how the spacer 104 may be applied to each end of the double length smokable portions 188.

[00106] Optionally, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11 B, before a spacer 104 is applied to the smokable portions 152, the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150 may be cut into individual smokable portions 152 as opposed to double length smokable portions 188. It is to be understood that the feed of rollable cannabis plant material 150 may first be cut into double length smokable portions 188 by a first cutter 140 and subsequently cut into individual smokable portions 152 by a second cutter 140.

[00107] Regardless of whether double length smokable portions 188 or individual smokable portions 152 are cut prior to applying the spacer 104, in a preferred embodiment, the spacer 104 is applied to the end of the smokable portion 152 opposite the end having the zone of high linear density 114.

[00108] Any method known in the art for affixing a spacer 104 to a smokable portion 152 of a cannabis pre-roll 102 may be used. In some examples, the spacer 104 may be a double length spacer 192. As shown in FIG. 9, the double length spacer 192 may be applied to a first smokable portion 152a at a first end of the double length spacer 192 and may be applied to a second smokable portion 152b at a second end of the double length spacer 192. In the example illustrated, a tipping patch of paper 194 is wrapped around the spacer 104 and the distal ends of the smokable portions 152 of the cannabis pre-rolls 102 to join the spacer 104 to the smokable portions 152 of the cannabis pre-rolls 102.

[00109] Referring now to FIG. 10, if a double length spacer 192 is applied between two adjacent smokable portions 152a, 152b, after the double length spacer 192 has been secured thereto, a cutter 140 may be used to cut the double length spacer 192 into single length spacer segments, thereby forming individual cannabis pre-rolls 102. [00110] Alternatively, single length spacer segments may be applied to the smokable portions 152.

[00111 ] The spacer 104 may be any spacer 104 known in the art. For example, the spacer can be a paper spacer such as a spiral tip paper spacer that gives a more even draw than a standard folded or "W¹ style spacer.

[00112] As discussed above, the length of the first zone 168 and the length of the second zone 170 of the feed of rollable cannabis plant material 160 may establish the length 154 of the smokable portion 152 of the cannabis pre-roll 102. Accordingly, it is the radial length 196 of each recess 166, and the radial length 198 between adjacent recesses 166 (i.e., the length of the non-recessed portions 172) that may set the length 154 of the smokable portion 152 of the cannabis pre-roll 102. It has been found that the optimal length 196 of each recess 166 is between 12mm and 20mm when double length smokable portions 188 are formed (as discussed below, single length smokable portions 152 may be formed by the trimming disks 158). It has also been found that the optimal length 198 of non-recessed portions 172 is between 80mm and 168mm when double length smokable portions 188 are formed.

[00113] When the length 196 of each recess 166 and/or the length 198 of the nonrecessed portions 172 are outside of the ranges outlined above, the trimming disks 158 may quickly become clogged up by the cannabis plant material 112.

[00114] Further, it has been found that the optimal depth 200 of each recess 166 of the trimming disks 158 is between 1 mm and 2mm, or about 1.5mm, when the diameter 156 of the resulting cannabis pre-roll 102 being formed is about 6mm. The depth 200 of each recess 166 may increase correspondingly for cannabis pre-rolls 102 having an increased diameter 156.

[00115] In machines for forming tobacco cigarettes, similar trimming disks may be used. However, the optimal depth of each recess in tobacco trimming disks when forming tobacco cigarettes having a 6mm diameter is between 2.5mm and 4mm. It has been found that the recess 166 of a cannabis trimming disk 158 must have a lower depth 200 compared to that of a tobacco trimming disk because cannabis plant material 112 is generally denser than tobacco and cannabis plant material 112 is generally not as compressible as tobacco. Accordingly, if one were to use a tobacco trimming disk to form first and second zones 168, 170 of a feed of rollable cannabis plant material 160, the resulting zone of high linear density 114 may be too dense for proper smokeability.

[00116] Further, for cannabis pre-rolls 102, the amount of cannabis plant material 112 within a smokeable portion 152 may be regulated. Accordingly, it has been found that if a tobacco trimming disk were to be used to trim the cannabis plant material 112, too much of the allotted amount of cannabis plant material 112 would be allocated to the zones of high linear density 114. Having too much cannabis plant material 112 in the zones of high linear density 114 may result in zones of low linear density 116 with not enough cannabis plant material 112 for proper smokeablity. Further the resulting cannabis pre-rolls 102 may be susceptible to being crushed when being stacked during downstream processing because of voids that may exist in the zones of low linear density 116.

[00117] Referring now to FIGS. 12-15 a second example of a machine 100 for producing smokable portions 152 is shown. The example illustrated in FIGS. 12-15 is similar to that illustrated in FIGS. 5-10, with like features marked with the same reference numbers. The difference between the example illustrated in FIGS. 12-15 is that the recesses 166 of the trimming disk 158a, 158b are sized and shaped to form a single zone of high linear density for a single smokable portion 152. The non-recessed portion 172 of the trimming disk 158a, 158b are also sized and shaped to form a single zone of low linear density 116 for a single smokable portion 152. In view of the alternative trimming disk 158 configuration, as shown in FIG. 15B, the feed may be cut at the transition between the adjacent zones of low linear density and high linear density 116, 114. Otherwise, the machine illustrated in FIGS. 12-15 operates in a similar manner to the machine illustrated in FIGS. 5-10.

[00118] Accordingly, what has been described above is intended to be illustrative of the claimed concept and non-limiting. It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that other variants and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto. The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments and examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

Claims

1 . A machine for forming cannabis pre-rolls comprising: an inlet for receiving a feed of cannabis plant material; a trimmer downstream of the inlet along a feed flow path, the trimmer for separating the feed of cannabis plant material into a feed of rollable cannabis plant material and a feed of excess cannabis plant material; the feed of rollable cannabis plant material having successive first zones and second zones, wherein a cross-sectional area of the first zones in a plane transverse to a feed flow direction through the trimmer is greater than a cross-sectional area of the second zones in a plane transverse to the feed flow direction through the trimmer; and a compressor downstream of the trimmer along the feed flow path, the compressor for compressing the feed of rollable cannabis plant material into a compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material, the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material having a constant cross-sectional area in a plane transverse to a feed flow direction through the compressor, the cross-sectional area of the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material is less than the cross-sectional area of the first zones, the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material having successive first zones and second zones corresponding to the successive first zones and second zones of the feed of rollable cannabis plant material, the first zones of the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material having a first density and the second zones of the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material having a second density, the first density is greater than the second density.

2. The machine of claim 1 , further comprising a wrapper downstream of the compressor along the feed flow path, the wrapper for wrapping the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material in paper.

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3. The machine of claim 2, further comprising at least one cutter downstream of the wrapper along the feed flow path, the cutter for separating the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material into smokable portions.

4. The machine of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the trimmer comprises a first trimming disk and a second trimming disk, each of the first and second trimming disks having a cutting edge and a plurality of recesses spaced apart along the cutting edge.

5. The machine of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cannabis pre-rolls have a diameter and the recesses have a depth between one sixth of the diameter and one third of the diameter.

6. The machine of claim 5, wherein the cannabis pre-rolls have a diameter of 6mm and the recesses have a depth between 1 mm and 2mm.

7. The machine of claim 5, wherein the cannabis pre-rolls have a diameter of 5mm and the recesses have a depth between 0.83mm and 1.67mm.

8. The machine of claim 5, wherein the cannabis pre-rolls have a diameter of 8mm and the recesses have a depth between 1 ,33mm and 2.66mm.

9. The machine of any one of claims 4, wherein the cannabis pre-rolls have a diameter of 9mm and the recesses have a depth between 1 ,5mm and 3mm.

10. The machine of any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein the recesses have a radial length between 12mm and 20mm.

11 . The machine of any one of claims 4 to 10, wherein between adjacent recesses there is a non-recessed portion, the non-recessed portion having a radial length between 80mm and 168mm.

12. The machine of any one of claims claim 4 to 9, wherein the recesses have a radial length between 6mm and 10mm.

13. The machine of any one of claims 4 to 9, or 12, wherein between adjacent recesses there is a non-recessed portion, the non-recessed portion having a radial length between 40mm and 84mm.

14. The machine of any one of claim 4 to 13, wherein each of the first and second trimming disks comprises between three and six recesses.

15. A method of making a cannabis pre-roll comprising: a) providing a feed of cannabis plant material; b) trimming the feed of cannabis plant material to form a feed of rollable cannabis plant material, the feed of rollable having successive first zones and second zones, wherein a cross-sectional area of the first zones in a plane transverse to a feed flow direction is greater than a cross-sectional area of the second zones in a plane transverse to the feed flow direction; and c) compressing the feed of rollable cannabis plant material to form a feed of compressed rollable cannabis plant material, the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material having a constant cross-sectional area in a plane transverse to the feed flow direction, the cross-sectional area of the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material is less than the cross-sectional area of the first zones.

16. The method of making a cannabis pre-roll of claim 15, wherein the pre-roll has a diameter and a cross-section of the first zones in the plane transverse to the feed flow direction has a first height and a cross-section of the second zones in the plane transverse to the feed flow direction has a second height, wherein the first height is one sixth of the diameter to one third of the diameter greater than the second height.

17. The method of making a cannabis pre-roll of claim 16, wherein the pre-roll has a diameter of 6mm and the first height is 1 mm to 2mm greater than the second height.

18. The method of making a cannabis pre-roll of claim 16, wherein the pre-roll has a diameter of 5mm and the first height is 0.83mm to 1 ,67mm greater than the second height.

19. The method of making a cannabis pre-roll of claim 16, wherein the pre-roll has a diameter of 8mm and the first height is 1 ,33mm to 2.66mm greater than the second height.

20. The method of making a cannabis pre-roll of claim 16, wherein the pre-roll has a diameter of 9mm and the first height is 1 ,5mm to 3mm greater than the second height.

21. The method of making a cannabis pre-roll of any one of claims 15 to 20, further comprising wrapping the compressed feed of rollable cannabis plant material in paper to form a wrapped feed of rollable cannabis plant material.

22. The method of making a cannabis pre-roll of claim 21 , further comprising cutting the wrapped feed of rollable cannabis plant material intermediate each of the second zones to form cut second zone ends.

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23. The method of making a cannabis pre-roll of claim 22, further comprising attaching a spacer to the cut second zone ends.

24. The method of making a cannabis pre-roll of claim 23, further comprising attaching a first end of the spacer to a first cut second zone end and attaching a second end of the spacer to a second cut second zone end.

25. The method of making a cannabis pre-roll of claim 24, further comprising cutting the spacer intermediate the first end of the spacer and the second end of the spacer.

26. The method of making cannabis pre-rolls of any one of claims 21 to 25, further comprising cutting the wrapped feed of rollable cannabis plant material intermediate each of the first zones.

27. A trimming disk for a machine for forming cannabis pre-rolls comprising: an upper surface; a lower surface; a cutting edge extending between the upper surface and the lower surface about a circumference of the trimming disk; and a plurality of spaced apart recesses in upper surface, the recesses positioned along the circumference of the trimming disk and having a depth of between one sixth and one third a diameter of the cannabis pre-rolls.

28. The trimming disk of claim 27, wherein the diameter of the cannabis pre-rolls is 6mm and the depth of the recesses is between 1 mm and 2mm.

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29. The trimming disk of claim 27, wherein the diameter of the cannabis pre-rolls is 5mm and the depth of the recesses is between 0.83mm and 1.67mm.

30. The trimming disk of claim 27, wherein the diameter of the cannabis pre-rolls is 8mm and the depth of the recesses is between 1 ,33mm and 2.66mm.

31 . The trimming disk of claim 27, wherein the diameter of the cannabis pre-rolls is 9mm and the depth of the recesses is between 1 ,5mm and 3mm.

32. The trimming disk of any one of claims 27 to 31 , wherein adjacent recesses are spaced between 80mm and 168mm apart.

33. The trimming disk of any one of claims 27 to 32, wherein the recesses have a length along the circumference of the trimming disk between 12mm and 20mm.

34. The trimming disk of any one of claims 27 to 31 , wherein adjacent recesses are spaced between 40 and 84mm apart.

35. The trimming disk of any one of claims 27 to 21 or 34, wherein the recesses have a length along the circumference of the trimming disk between 6mm and 10mm.

36. The trimming disk of any one of claims 27 to 35, wherein the trimming disk comprises between three and six recesses.

37. A wrapped feed of rollable cannabis plant material made in accordance with the method of any one of claims 21 to 26.

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