CARTRIDGE FILLING SYSTEM AND METHOD

Abstract

A system and method for automatically receiving, sorting, filling and sealing containers is disclosed. The containers may include cartridges that may be filled with a desired substance such as distilled cannabinoids and such. The filled and sealed cartridges may then be used for specific purposes such as for use in vape pens and the like.

Description

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

This patent document contains material subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction of this patent document or any related materials in the files of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The current invention generally relates to automatic feeder and filling machines, including machines that automatically feed and fill vape pen cartridges.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With the advent of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and other types of battery-powered smoking devices, several industries have emerged to provide a variety of different substances, and combinations of substances, that may be used with the devices.

The devices vaporize the substances into vapor that may then be inhaled by the user. This may help to eliminate carcinogens associated with smoking regular cigarettes as these carcinogens are found in the noxious gases, such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide, and in the ultrafine suspension of gummy residue also found in cigarette smoke often referred to as tar.

An e-cigarette contains a cartridge (also referred to as a vape cartridge) containing a desired fluid, popularly known as e-liquid. E-liquid may include a variety of substances such as nicotine and flavorings that may be dissolved in propylene glycol, glycerol, other carriers, other flavoring substances and any combination thereof. The e-liquid may also include substances extracted from the cannabis plant such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), terpenes, cannabidiol (CBD), other cannabinoids and other substances. These extracted substances may often be referred to as distillates. Many other types of substances may also be included in the cartridges.

The e-liquid is superheated by a battery-powered vaporizer that may transform the liquid into a vapor or mist that may then be inhaled, or “vaped”.

The cartridges use with e-cigarettes (also referred to as vape pens) are typically removable and replaceable. In this way, when one cartridge is empty it may be replaced with another.

The cartridges themselves are typically filled with the e-liquids at the factory level so that the consumer may simply purchase the filled cartridges and use them. However, the filling of the cartridges is a labor-intensive process and is currently performed primarily by hand (that is, manually). Because of this, the filling of the cartridges is expensive and time consuming.

Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for automatically filling and sealing the cartridges with a desired substance. There is also a need for a system and method to prepare the filled and sealed cartridges for shipping, for retail sales, for distribution and for other purposes. Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method that may properly package the filled and sealed cartridges.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a diagram showing aspects of a filling system according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIG. 2 depicts a cartridge according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIG. 3 shows the viscosity of two example cannabis oils versus temperature according to exemplary embodiments hereof; and

FIGS. 4-6 show aspects of a filling system according to exemplary embodiments hereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As used herein, unless used otherwise, the following term has the following meaning:

A “mechanism” refers to any device(s), process(es), routine(s), service(s), or combination thereof. A mechanism may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, using a special-purpose device, or any combination thereof. A mechanism may be integrated into a single device or it may be distributed over multiple devices. The various components of a mechanism may be co-located or distributed. The mechanism may be formed from other mechanisms. In general, as used herein, the term “mechanism” may thus be considered to be shorthand for the term device(s) and/or process(es) and/or service(s).

The following detailed description is not intended to limit the current invention. Alternate embodiments and variations of the subject matter described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The system 10 according to exemplary embodiments hereof is described with reference to FIGS. 1-6. Where the same or similar components appear in more than one figure, they are identified by the same or similar reference numerals.

In general, the system 10 may generally sort, fill and cap cartridges, cannisters and/or other types of containers. The system 10 may be completely automatic, semi-automatic, semi-manual, manual and any combination thereof. It may be preferable that the cartridges include a body which may be filled and a cap that may seal the body of the filled cartridge. In one exemplary embodiment hereof the cartridges may be vape cartridges.

Empty cartridges may be provided to the system 10 in volume, and the system 10 may first sort the cartridges by type (e.g., by size, shape, model number, etc.). The system 10 may then align or otherwise orient and/or configure the cartridges such that the system 10 may next at least partially fill the cartridges with one or more desired substance(s). The system 10 may next cap or otherwise seal the cartridges and output them for packaging, shipping or for other preparations.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the system 10 may fill and/or cap the cartridges one cartridge at a time using a process that may resemble an assembly line. However, it is contemplated that the system 10 may also fill and/or cap multiple cartridges in parallel, simultaneously and/or in real time. This may be true for the outputting of the filled and capped cartridges as well.

The system 10 may be configured to fill any type(s) of cartridges with any type(s) of substance(s) and/or any combinations of types of substances. For example, the system 10 may fill the cartridges with a liquid substance, a gaseous substance, a solid substance (e.g., a powder or other type of solid substance that may be appropriate to be placed in the cartridges), and any combinations thereof.

The substances may include, without limitation, nicotine and flavorings that may be dissolved in propylene glycol and glycerol, substances extracted from the cannabis plant such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), terpenes, cannabidiol (CBD), other cannabinoids, hash oil, carrier agents such as MCT oil to modify the viscosity of the liquid, and many other types of substances. In these examples the cartridges may include vape cartridges that may be used with a vaping device such as an e-cigarette, a vape pen or other types of vaping devices.

It is understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, upon reading this specification, that the list of substances provided above is meant for demonstration purposes, and that the system 10 may be used to fill cartridges of any type with any type or combinations of types of substances. It is also understood that the scope of the system 10 is not limited in any way by the type(s) or combinations of types of cartridges or the substances that the system 10 may use to fill the cartridges.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof as shown in FIG. 1, the system 10 may include a conveyor assembly 100, a cartridge body feeder assembly 200, a cartridge filler assembly 300, a cartridge cap feeder assembly 400, a cartridge cap fitter assembly 500, a cartridge cap fastener assembly 600, an output module assembly 700, a controller 800, an enclosure assembly 900 and other assemblies, components and elements that may be necessary for the system 10 to perform its functionalities. A cartridge 20 may include a cartridge body 30 with an inner volume and a cartridge cap 40 that may seal the cartridge body 30. For the purposes of this specification, a cartridge 20 that may be at least partially filled with a desired substance and then properly capped (sealed) may be referred to as a finished or completed cartridge 20. In addition, the cartridge 20, the cartridge body 30 and the cartridge cap 40 may be referred to as components when various assemblies of the system 10 may be described

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the system 10 may include one or more stations that may each receive a component (e.g., a cartridge body 30, a cartridge cap 40, a capped cartridge 20) and that may perform at least one operation on the received component. As the components (e.g., semi-finished components) may move from one station to the next, while having at least one operation performed on them at each station, the components may be completed and/or finished as they may sequentially travel from the first station to the last station.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the system 10 may include all and/or at least some of the following stations (without limitation):

• • Station 1. A cartridge body 30 receiving station (S1);
  • Station 2. A cartridge body filler station (S2);
  • Station 3. A cartridge cap 40 receiving station (S3);
  • Station 4. A cartridge cap fitting station (S4);
  • Station 5. A cartridge cap fastening station (S5);
  • Station 6. A completed cartridge output station (S6); and other stations.

It is understood that the system 10 may include additional stations in addition to those listed above, that some of the stations S1-S6 may be combined to form a single station (e.g., station S1 may be combined with station S2 to form a station that receives and fills the cartridge body 30 with the substance at the combined single station S1), that some of the stations may be omitted, and that that scope of the system 10 is not limited by the stations that it may include. For example, the system 10 may include multiple filler stations S2, with each filler station S2 at least partially filling the cartridges with different filler substances. In another example, the system 10 may include multiple filler stations S2 that may each fill cartridges 30 in unison, simultaneously, synchronized, sequentially and/or in any order (and with the same and/or different substances and any combination thereof).

The components (e.g., the cartridge body 30) may be moved relative to the stations S1-S6. That is, the components themselves may be physically moved (e.g., by the moving of the receptacle 106 within which the component(s) may be held) while the stations S1-S6 may be generally fixed in position, or the stations S1-S6 may be moved while the components are generally fixed in position. In either case, the components and the stations S1-S6 may be moved relative to one another so that the stations S1-S6 may act upon the components in a sequential manner.

For the purposes of this specification, the system 10 will be described in relation to the moving of the components (e.g., by the moving of the receptacle 106 within which the component may be held) and with the stations S1-S6 generally fixed in position. However, it is understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the stations S1-S6 may be physically moved while the components may be held at a fixed position (e.g., held fixed within the receptacle 106) to generally achieve the same outcome(s). It is also understood that any combination(s) of the components being moved and/or the stations S1-S6 being moved are also contemplated in this specification. All in all, the components and the stations S1-S6 may move relative to one another so that the components may sequentially interact with each station S1-S6 as required. It is also understood that the scope of the system 10 is not limited in any way by the way in which the components and/or the stations S1-S6 may move relative to one another.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the conveyor assembly 100 may generally move or transport each component from one station to another station as necessary for the completion of the components. In this way, each component may visit each station (preferably sequentially) in order to have each operation performed on it as necessary. Alternatively, when a component may not require the operation of a particular station, the conveyor assembly 100 may not necessarily deliver that component to the unnecessary station. Or, if the component may be delivered to the station, the operation may not necessarily be performed

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the conveyor assembly 100 may generally include a base 102, one or more conveyors 104, one or more receptacles 106 configured with the one or more conveyors 104, a movement providing device 108 and other elements. Note that while FIG. 1 shows eight receptacles 106 in the conveyor 104, the conveyor 106 may include any number of receptacles 106 as required.

The base 102 may generally provide support and stability to the components of the conveyor assembly 100 and to other elements of the system 10 as required. The base 102 may rest on the ground, on a tabletop, or may be arranged in other types of configurations. It may be preferable that the base 102 be constructed of materials that may be rigid and strong enough to support the conveyor(s) 104, the movement providing device 108 and other elements of the system 10. For example, the base 102 may comprise metal (steel, aluminum, etc.), hard plastics, composite materials, other types of materials and any combination thereof. It may also be preferable that the base 102 have a footprint that may be large enough to provide adequate vertical and/or lateral support to any components that it may support.

The conveyor 104 may include any type(s) of conveyors (and/or any combinations of type(s) of conveyors) that may be adequate for moving the components (e.g., the cartridge bodies 30, the cartridge caps 40, the capped cartridges 20) from one station to the next. In one exemplary embodiment hereof as shown in FIG. 1, the conveyor assembly 100 may be in the form of a rotary conveyor.

The rotary conveyor 104 may include a disk (preferably circular) that may generally rotate about its center point. The rotary conveyor 104 may also include one or more receptacles 106 that may be generally configured circumferentially about its periphery. Each receptacle 106 may be adapted to receive one or more components such as a cartridge 20. As shown in FIG. 2, a cartridge 20 may include a cartridge body 30 with an inner volume and a cartridge cap 40 that may seal the inner volume. The receptacles 106 may secure the components (e.g., the cartridge body 20 and/or a capped cartridge 20) and move them from one station to another. In this way, as the rotary conveyor 104 may rotate, the receptacles 106 may be moved from one position to another along the circumferential trajectory of the conveyor 104. Note that the conveyor 104 may rotate clockwise, counterclockwise or any combination thereof as depicted by arrow A.

The rotary conveyor 104 may rotate in sequential steps, and the steps may be controlled and sufficiently precise and repeatable. After each sequential step of movement, the rotary conveyor 104 may then pause for a predetermined amount of time so that the system 10 may perform one or more operations. The movements may be provided by the movement providing device 108 that may include a stepper motor that may rotate the conveyor 104 in fixed increments. The movement providing device 108 may be electric, pneumatic (utilizing compressed air), hydraulic, mechanical, may be powered by other means and any combination thereof. Other types of motors such as AC brushless motors, DC brushed motors, DC brushless motors, direct drive motors, linear motors, servo motors, other types of movement providing devices and any combination thereof may also be used.

In one exemplary example, the conveyor 104 may rotate a distance (a step), pause to allow the system 10 to perform an operation, rotate again a distance, pause again to allow the system 10 to perform an operation, and so on. Given this, it may also be preferable that the stations S1-S6 be sequentially spaced apart at distances that may match the sequential steps that the rotary conveyor 104 may take (e.g., 30°). In addition, the receptacles 106 may be configured on the conveyor 104 in locations that may correspond to the locations of the stations S1-S6. In this way, with each step moved, the rotary conveyor 104 may move a receptacle 106 (and the component held by each receptacle 106) from one station to the next. It may also be preferable that the steps be uniform, but non-uniform steps may also be used. It is understood that the example step size described above is meant for demonstration and that the conveyor 104 may rotate using any step size or any combination of step sizes as necessary.

Each station S1-S6 may be associated with a particular module of the system 10. For example, station S1 may be associated with the cartridge body feeder 200, station S2 may be associated with the cartridge filler 300, station S3 may be associated with the cartridge cap feeder 400, station S4 may be associated with the cartridge cap fitter 500, station S5 may be associated with the cartridge cap fastener 600 and station S6 may be associated with the output module 700. Other stations may also be associated with other modules of the system 10. In this way, the operation that may be performed by the system 10 on each component at each station S1-S6 may be facilitated by the appropriate module 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the system 10 may include a cartridge body feeder assembly 200 that may feed a cartridge body 30 into a receptacle 106 at a particular station (e.g., at station S1). The cartridge feeder 200 may include an appropriate type of feeding system designed to properly orient the cartridge body 30 given the cartridge body's center of mass in relation to its center of volume.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the cartridge body feeder 200 may include a bowl feeder (also commonly known as a vibratory feeder) into which a multitude of empty cartridge bodies 30 (at random orientations) may be placed. The feeder 200 may include a specifically designed bowl 202 that may orient the cartridge bodies 30 in a specific orientation. The feeder 200 may also include a vibrating drive unit that may be configured to provide a vibration of particular frequency and magnitude to the bowl 202. The applied vibrations may cause the parts to move up a circular inclined track that may be designed to orient the parts in a consistent and repeatable position (e.g., right side up with the opening to the inner volume of the cartridge body 30 at the top). In this way, the cartridges 30 may be fed into a corresponding receptacle 106 (at station S1) in the proper orientation to be filled (at station S2) and capped (at stations S3-S5).

The bowl's track length, width and depth may be designed to apply to the types of cartridge bodies 30 that may be properly oriented and subsequently fed to the conveyor 104. The bowls 202 may be any type of appropriate types such as cylindrical, conical, stepped and other types of bowls.

The bowl 202 and the tracks may also include coatings that may aid in the traction of the cartridges 30. The frequency, speed and other characteristics of the applied vibrations may be controlled by the vibrating drive which may in turn be controlled by a controller (e.g., the controller 800, self-contained controllers or other controllers) as described in other sections. Sensors may also be configured with the feeder 200 (e.g., with the bowl 202) to provide information to the controller 800 regarding the vibrational levels at the bowl 202. These settings may also control the flow of the components from the feeder 200 to the conveyor assembly 100.

The properly oriented cartridge bodies 30 may be transported from the feeder 200 to the conveyor 100 via feed tubes, tracks, other types of conveyors and any combination thereof. In one exemplary implementation, the bodies 30 may be fed one-by-one into corresponding receptacles 106 on the conveyor 104. That is, as the rotary conveyor 104 may rotate each receptacle 106 from station to station and pause, the feeder assembly 200 may place a single cartridge body 30 into the corresponding receptacle 106 at the station S1. Once a cartridge body 30 has been placed into an awaiting empty receptacle 106 at station S1, the rotary conveyer 104 may step one movement forward, thus delivering the cartridge 30 in the receptacle 106 to the next station (e.g., station S2), and moving an empty receptacle 106 into position at station S1 to receive an empty cartridge body 30 from the feeder 30. This process may repeat with each placed cartridge body 30 at station S1 being moved to station S2, and an empty receptacle 106 being moved into position at station S1 to receive an empty cartridge 30.

While the above description may describe the feeder 200 as a bowl feeder, the feeder 200 may also include a centrifugal feeder, a step feeder, a linear feeder, a carpet feeder, a 3-axis vibration feeder, and any other types and/or combinations of types of feeders.

The feeder assembly 200 may also include one or more hoppers that may store the cartridge bodies 30 and regulate the flow of the bodies 30 into the feeder system (e.g., into the bowl(s) 202).

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the feeder 200 may be designed to also sort different types of cartridge bodies 30 in addition to properly orienting the bodies 30. In this way, cartridge bodies 30 of different types may be added to the feeder 200 to be first sorted by type, and then properly oriented. If this may be the case, the feeder 200 may include separate feed tubes that may each feed different types of cartridge bodies 30 to associated receptacles 106 on the conveyor 104.

In another exemplary embodiment hereof, the system 10 and the feeder 200 may include sorter assemblies that may first sort the different types of cartridge bodies 30, and then provide each type of cartridge body 30 to a feeder 200 that may be appropriate for that specific type of body 30. In this way, the system 10 may include different feeders 200 for different types of cartridge bodies 30.

In some exemplary embodiments hereof, the feeder 200 and the associated receptacles 106 may be adapted to sort a wide variety of cartridge models and body styles. For example, the feeder 200 and the receptacles 106 may support the following cartridges 20 (without limitation): plastic oil vape cartridges, wickless oil vape cartridges, glass tank oil vape cartridges, ceramic cell vape cartridges, metal vape cartridges, other types of vape cartridges, all types of non-vape cartridges as applicable and any combination thereof. The cartridges 20 may be cylindrical, rectangular or other shapes. The volumes of the cartridges may include 0.25 g, 0.5 g, 1.0 g and so on. Typical cartridges 20 may be 1-3 inches tall and 0.25-1.0 inches wide. It is understood that the example types of cartridges listed above are meant for demonstration and that the system 10 may be adapted to work with any type of fillable cartridge, and that the scope of the system 10 is not limited in any way by the type of cartridge(s) 20 it may be adapted to fill.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the system 10 may include a cartridge body filler assembly 300 that may fill a cartridge body 30 with one or more substances at a particular station (e.g., at station S2). The cartridge filler 300 may include one or more chambers 302 that may contain the substance(s) to be input into the cartridge bodies 30 at station S2. The chamber 302 may comprise an appropriate material and size that may be suitable for the storing of the filler substance. For example, the chamber 302 may comprise stainless steel, glass or other types or combinations of types of materials and may hold any adequate volume of the filler substance (e.g., one-half liter, one liter, two liters, three liters, four liters, five liters, ten liters, twenty liters and other volumes. It is understood that the scope of the system 10 is not limited in any way by the volume of the chamber 302. The chamber 302 may be temperature controlled as will be described in detail below.

The filler 300 may include a feed line 304 that may transport the substance to the conveyor 104 (station S2). The feedline 304 may include an appropriate type of tubing, piping or other type of passageway that may adequately transport the substance(s) from the chamber 302 to the conveyer 104. For example, the feedline may include ⅜-inch tubing or other types of tubing. It may be preferable for the tubing to be thermally insulated so that the substance flowing through the tubing may retain its temperature as it flows from the chamber 302 to the station S2. However, this may not be necessary, especially if the distance between the chamber 302 and the station S2 is short and the time it takes for a volume of substance to flow between the chamber 302 and the station S2 is quick.

The dimensions of the feed line 304 (such as its length and/or diameter) may be chosen to best transport the filler substance from the chamber 302 to the station S3. For example, the diameter of the feed line 304 may be chosen to ensure that the filler substance, being a desired viscosity, may flow through the feed line 304 without clogging or otherwise becoming obstructed. In one exemplary embodiment, the feed line 304 may have a diameter of ⅜-inch in order to ensure that the filler substance may flow through the feed line 304 at a desired rate. However, other diameter tubing may also be used.

The length of the feed line 304 may preferably be kept as short as possible so that the time it may take for a small volume of filler substance (e.g., the amount to fill one cartridge body 30) to travel from the chamber 302 to the filler station S2 may be as quick as possible. In this way, the temperature of the filler substance (and therefore the viscosity of the substance as well) may not drift significantly during the transit of the substance. This may help to ensure that the substance may substantially remain at the desired viscosity during the filling process of the cartridges 30. For example, the length of the feed line 304 may be 18 inches or other lengths.

The output of the feedline 304 may be configured with an output mechanism 308 such as a needle, nozzle or other type of outlet that may direct and guide the substance out of the feed tubing 304 and into the awaiting cartridge body 30.

The chamber 302 may be temperature controlled so that the temperature within the chamber 302, and therefore the temperature of the substance held within the chamber 302, may be variably set to a desired temperature. The chamber 302 may include heating elements to heat substance and/or cooling elements to cool the substance as necessary to achieve the desired temperature. It may be preferable that the temperature within the chamber 302 be held constant as desired regardless of the amount of substances that may be held within the chamber 302 at any given time. Because the viscosity of the substance may be dependent on its temperature, by controlling the temperature of the chamber 302, a desired viscosity of the filler substance may be achieved and held.

The chamber 302 may be pressure controlled so that the pressure within the chamber 302 may be variably set to a desired pressure (e.g., via the controller assembly 800 or otherwise). It may be preferable that the pressure within the chamber 302 be held constant as desired regardless of the amount of substances that may be held within the chamber 302 at any given time. This may help in minimizing any air bubbles within the substances as the substances may be transferred to the cartridges 30. This may also allow for a controlled, steady and predictable flow rate of the filler substance from the chamber 302 to the station S2 and into the cartridge bodies 30 (as described below).

The filler 300 may also include a controllable valve assembly 306 that may be configured with the chamber 302, the feed line 304 and/or the output mechanism 308 and that may open and close to dispense the desired amount of substance at a time. When the valve 306 may open, the pressure within the chamber 302 may force the substance out of the chamber 302, through the valve 306, through the feedline 304 and out the output mechanism 308. When the valve 306 may then close, the valve 306 may stop the flow of the substance. It may be preferable that the opening and closing of the valve 306 be adequately abrupt so that the dispensing of the substance may be turned on and off abruptly as well. In this way, specific and precise amounts of the substance may be dispensed into the awaiting cartridge body 30 that may be held within a receptacle 106 at station S2. The valve assembly 306 may be configured with the chamber 302, the feed line 304 and the output mechanism 308 at any position with respect to the elements 302, 304, 308.

Alternatively, pressurized gas may be input into the chamber that may in turn force a predefined volume of the substance out of the chamber 302, into the feed lines 304, out the output mechanism 308 and into the cartridge body 30. In this scenario, an input gas valve may be used to input the bursts of gas that may be required to move a desired amount of filler substance out of the chamber 302, through the feed line 304 and out the output mechanism 308. The valve assembly 306 may or may not be required in this embodiment.

The flow rate of the substance from the chamber 302 through the feed line 304 and out the output mechanism 306 may depend on the viscosity of the substance and the pressure in the chamber 302, and the viscosity of the substance may depend on its temperature. The amount of time the valve assembly 306 may remain open in order to dispense a known and specified amount of the substance into the cartridge body 30 may depend on the volumetric flow rate through the valve 306, and may therefore depend on the pressure within the chamber 302 and the temperature of the chamber 302.

In some exemplary embodiments hereof, the temperature of the filler assembly 300 may be held to predefined specifications in order to set the viscosity of the substance to a known level. In this way, by setting the pressure within the chamber 302 to a specified value, the flow rate of the substance may be controlled and known. The temperature and pressure specifications may be set in the control software that may run on the controller assembly 800.

FIG. 3 shows the viscosity of two example cannabis oils versus temperature. As shown, the viscosity of the two example cannabis oils is highly dependent on the temperature of the oils. For example, the viscosity of Oil 1 is shown to drop by almost two orders of magnitude and the Oil 2 is shown to drop by over one order of magnitude over a relatively small temperature range (e.g., over ˜20° C. from 25° C. to 45° C.). The Oils 1 and 2 may be representative of some types of cannabis oils as known in the art, and the scope of the system 10 is not limited in any way by the viscosities of the substances that it may fill.

In some exemplary embodiments hereof, the chamber 302 may set and hold the temperature of the filler substance at a desired temperature T_S+/−Δt where T_S is the target temperature of the filler substance and Δt is the uncertainty of the temperature. In some exemplary embodiments, the temperature T_S may be equal to 80° C.-100° C. and the uncertainty Δt may be +/−5° C. However, other temperatures and uncertainty levels may also be used depending on the viscosity of the distillate. In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the temperature sensor that monitors the temperature of the distillate within the chamber 302 may be able to detect changes in the temperature of 0.1° C.

By controlling the temperature of the chamber 302, a desired viscosity of the filler substance may be achieved and held. By controlling the pressure within the chamber 302, a desired flowrate of the filler substance through the feedline 304 (described below) may be achieved. By controlling both the temperature and the pressure, a substance flow rate through the filler assembly 300 may be set, controlled and achieved.

The output needle 308 may be configured with an actuator that may raise and lower the needle 308 so that the output tip of the needle 308 may be placed within the top opening of the cartridge body 30 to dispense the substance into the cartridge 30. In this way, the needle 308 may be lifted to an upper position to allow the cartridge 30 to be moved into place by the conveyor 104 and the receptacle 106, and then lowered to a lower position to dispense the substance into the cartridge 30. After the desired amount of substance may be dispensed into the cartridge 30, the needle 308 may be raised to the upper position to allow the cartridge 30 to be moved away from station S2 and to the next stations (e.g., station S3) and for a new cartridge 30 to be delivered to the station S2 to be subsequently filled by the filler assembly 300.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the filler assembly 300 may deliver 0.5 milliliters (ml) of the substance into each cartridge body 30. In another exemplary embodiment hereof, the filler assembly 300 may deliver 0.3 ml, 1.0 ml, 1.5 ml, 2.0 ml, 2.5 ml, 3.0 ml, 4.0 ml, 5.0 ml or other amounts of the substance into the cartridge bodies 30. In this way, the system 10 may automatically deliver from 0-3 ml of the substance, from 0-5 ml of the substance, or any range of amounts of substances into the cartridge bodies 30 as required by the cartridges 20 and/or their applications. It is understood that the system 10 may deliver any amounts of any desired substance into the cartridge bodies 30, and that the scope of the system 10 is not limited in any way by the amounts of the substances that the system 10 may deliver into the cartridge bodies 30.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the system 10 may include a cartridge cap feeder assembly 400 that may feed a cartridge cap 40 onto an awaiting filled cartridge body 30. The filled cartridge body 30 may be filled with the desired substance (at station S2) and may be unsealed and capless. The conveyor 104 may move the filled cartridge body 30 into place (from station S2 to station S3), and the cap feeder 400 may place a cap onto the top of the cartridge body 30.

The cap feeder assembly 400 may include an appropriate type of feeding system designed to properly orient the cartridge cap 40 given the cap's center of mass in relation to its center of volume, and then to provide the cap 40 to the station S3 to be placed on the cartridge body 30. The cap feeder 400 may include any and/or all of the aspects, elements and/or embodiments of the other feeder assemblies (e.g., the cartridge body feeder assembly 200) as the aspects, elements and/or embodiments may pertain to the cap feeder assembly 400 and the cartridge caps 40 that the feeder assembly 400 may sort and provide. In this way, the cap feeder 400 may feed the caps 40 to the conveyor 104 (e.g., to station S3) to be placed onto the corresponding cartridge bodies 30 in the proper orientation. In addition, different types of caps 40 may be sorted for different types of cartridge bodies 30, and the system 10 may include different feeder assemblies 400 that may each sort and place the different types of caps 40 on the corresponding different types of cartridge bodies 30.

In addition, the cap feeder 400 may include a robotic arm, actuator, gripper and/or any other delivery device that may precisely place the cap 40 onto the body 30 of the cartridge. The gripper may be configured with an actuator that may raise and lower the gripper so that in the upper position the gripper may receive a cap 40 from the feeder 400, and in the lower position the gripper may place and release the cap 40 onto the top of the cartridge body 40. The gripper may also move laterally as required. After the cap 40 has been placed on the cartridge 30, the gripper may be raised to the upper position to allow the cartridge 30 to be moved away from the station S3 and to the next stations (e.g., station S4) and for a new cartridge 30 to be delivered to the station S3 to subsequently receive a cap 40 from the cap feeder assembly 400.

It may be preferable that the cap 40 may be placed onto the top of the cartridge body 30 so that it may stay in place on the body 30 while the cap/body combination may move to the next station (e.g., station S4) where the cap 40 may be further fitted onto the body 30.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the system 10 may include a cap fitting assembly 500. The cap fitting assembly 500 may be associated with station S4 and may include a fitter head 502 that may be placed on top (and over the sides as necessary) of the cap 40. The cap fitting assembly 500 may then apply a downward pressure to the fitter head 502 and the cap 40 in order to better fit the cap 40 onto the top of the cartridge body 30. This may be a preparational step that may facilitate the next step of sealing the cap 40 onto the body 30 (a performed at station S5). For example, if the next step is to seal the cap 40 by screwing the cap 40 onto the cartridge body 30, this fitting step at station S4 may pre-align and/or prime the threads on the cap 40 with the corresponding threads on the top of the cartridge body 30. In this way, the cap fastener assembly 600 may then successfully screw the cap 40 onto the body 30 as described below.

The fitter head 502 may be configured with an actuator that may raise and lower the head 502 so that the head 502 may be placed onto the cap 40 and subsequently raised off of the cap 40. In this way, the head 502 may be lifted to an upper position to allow the cartridge 30 to be moved into place by the conveyor 104 and the receptacle 106, and then lowered to a lower position to apply the required pressure to the cap 40. After the cap 40 has been fitted onto the cartridge 30 in this manner, the head 502 may be raised to the upper position to allow the cartridge 20 to be moved away from station S4 and to the next stations (e.g., station S5) and for a new cartridge 30 to be delivered to the station S4 to have its cap 40 subsequently properly fitted by the cap fitting assembly 500.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the system 10 may include a cap fastening assembly 600. The cap fastening assembly 600 may be associated with station S5 and may include a fastening head 602 that may be placed on top (and over the sides as necessary) of the cap 40 and that may grip the cap 40. The cap fastening assembly 600 may then apply a rotational force (spinning) to the fastening head 602 and to the cap 40 in order to screw the cap 40 onto the top of the cartridge body 30. The fastening head 602 may spin clockwise, counterclockwise and/or any combination thereof as required to tighten the cap 40 onto the cartridge body 30. Alternatively, the cap fastening assembly 600 may apply a downward force onto the fastening head 602 and to the cap 40 to pressure fit the cap 40 onto the cartridge body 30. Other methods of securing the caps 40 onto the cartridge bodies 30 may also be used (e.g., detents, heat sealed lamination, etc.)

The fastening head 602 may be configured with an actuator that may raise and lower the head 602 so that the head 602 may grip the cap 40 while in the down position. In this way, the head 602 may be lifted to an upper position to allow the cartridge 20 to be moved into place by the conveyor 104 and the receptacle 106, and then lowered to a lower position to grip the cap 40 and to apply the required spinning movement to the cap 40 to tighten it. After the cap 40 has been tightened onto the cartridge 30 in this manner, the head 602 may be raised to the upper position to allow the cartridge 20 to be moved away from station S5 and to the next stations (e.g., station S6) and for a new cartridge 30 to be delivered to the station S5 to have its cap 40 subsequently properly fastened by the cap fastening assembly 600.

The cap fastening assembly 600 may include a torque setting device that may set the proper amount of torque to be applied by the fastening head 602 to the cap 40 to properly tighten the cap 40. The torque setting device may also limit the amount of applied torque so that the cap 40 may not be overtightened. The torque setting device may be mechanical, electrical and any combination thereof. While the cap 40 is being tightened, the cartridge body 30 may be held secure so that it may not rotate. In this way the cap 40 may be screwed onto the body 30. The receptacle 106 may hold the body 30 from turning, or a secondary gripper may be introduced to provide this function.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the system 10 may include an output module assembly 700. The output module assembly 700 may be associated with station S6 and may include an output mechanism that may remove each filled, capped and thereby finished cartridge 20 from its associated receptacle 106 as it visits the station S6. The output module 700 may include a mechanism that may grip and remove each finished cartridge 20 from its receptacle 106, that may push the finished cartridge 20 from its receptacle 106, that may pull the finished cartridge 20 from its receptacle 106, that may otherwise remove the finished cartridge 20 from its receptacle 106 and any combination thereof. Alternatively, the receptacle 106 itself may open or otherwise drop the finished cartridges 20 into an output chute as each cartridge 20 may arrive at the station S6. The finished cartridges 20 may then be collected for removal or may be transported to other assemblies as described below. It understood that any removal mechanism may be used to remove each finished cartridge 20 from its corresponding receptacle 106, and that the scope of the system 10 is not limited in any way by the way in which the finished cartridges 20 may be removed from the system 10 at the station S6 or otherwise.

In another exemplary embodiment hereof, the output module assembly 700 may also include an output feeder assembly 700A and/or an output packaging assembly 700B. The output feeder assembly 700A may sort, orient and output the finished cartridges 20 for removal in bulk, or may feed the finished cartridges 20 to an additional assembly such as the output packaging assembly 700B. The output feeder assembly 700A may include any and/or all of the aspects of the other feeder assemblies (e.g., the cartridge body feeder assembly 200 and/or the cartridge cap feeder assembly 400 as well as any hoppers and other accessories that may be associated with the feeders) as the aspects may pertain to the output feeder assembly 700A.

The output packaging assembly 700B may receive the finished cartridges directly from the output module assembly 700 and/or from the output feeder assembly 700A. The output packaging assembly 700B may also receive the packaging that the finished cartridges 20 may be placed. If unsorted and/or not properly oriented, the output packaging assembly 700B may sort and/or properly orient the packages. Accordingly, the output packaging assembly 700B may include any and/or all of the aspects of the other feeder assemblies (e.g., the cartridge body feeder assembly 200 and/or the cartridge cap feeder assembly 400 as well as any hoppers and/or other accessories that may be associated with the feeders) as the aspects may pertain to the output packaging assembly 700B.

The output packaging assembly 700B may then place the finished cartridges 20 into the appropriate packaging (e.g., retail packaging, wholesale packaging, shipping packaging, other types of packaging and any combination thereof) and subsequently seal or otherwise close the packages. The packaging may be single unit, multiunit of any number and any combination thereof. The packages of finished cartridges 20 may then be output and provided to their next destination.

In some exemplary embodiments, the system 10 may include quality control mechanisms (e.g., optical sensors, magnetic sensors, mechanical sensors, weight sensors, etc.) that may determine whether or not a particular operation performed at a particular station (S1-S6) may have been performed successfully and to a specified specification. The specifications may be set using the controller assembly 800. For example, station S1 may include an optical sensor that may confirm that the cartridge body 30 is oriented correctly within the receptacle 106 (e.g., opening on top) so that it may receive the filler substance at station S2. In another example, filler station S2 may include an optical sensor (or a weight sensor, etc.) that may confirm that the cartridge body 30 was filled to the correct level. In another example, station S3 may include an optical sensor to confirm that the cartridge cap 40 was successfully placed onto the cartridge body 30. In another example, station S5 may include a torque sensor that may confirm that the cap 40 was tightened onto the cartridge body 30 to a sufficient torque threshold. It is understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the above examples are meant for demonstrational purposes and that the system 10 may include other types of sensors or quality control mechanisms that may help to confirm that the operation(s) performed by the system 10 at one or more stages S1-S6 were performed to an adequate degree of performance. In addition, the scope of the system 10 is not limited in any way by the quality control mechanisms that the system 10 may or may not include.

In some exemplary embodiments hereof, if a quality control mechanism determines that a particular operation was not performed at a particular station S1-S6 within a predetermined performance threshold, the system 10 may implement a corrective action process. In some scenarios, this may include the system 10 pausing and/or moving the conveyer 104 back to a prior position. For example, if it may be determined that the cartridge body 30 may not be oriented correctly at station S1, the system 10 may pause and replace the incorrect cartridge body 30 with a correctly oriented body 30. In another example, if the cartridge body 30 was found to be insufficiently filled at station S2, the system 10 may pause, go back and refill the cartridge body 30 to the correct level. In another example, if the cap 40 was found to be improperly placed on the cartridge body 30 (or possibly not placed on the body 30 at all), the system 10 may place another cap 40 onto the body. It is understood that the examples above are meant for demonstration and that the system 10 may or may not perform any type of corrective action as required. It is also understood that the scope of the system 10 is not limited in any way by the corrective actions that the system 10 may or may not take.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, any of the assemblies 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 700A, 700B may be combined. For example, the cartridge cap fitter assembly 500 and the cartridge cap fastener assembly 600 may be combined into a single assembly that may fit and fasten the caps at a single station. In another example, the cartridge cap feeder assembly 400, the cartridge cap fitter assembly 500 and the cartridge cap fastener assembly 600 may be combined into a single assembly that may place a cap onto a cartridge body, fit the cap and fasten the cap at a single station. It is understood that this example is meant for demonstration purposes and that any of the assemblies may be combined to form new assemblies, and that the scope of the system 10 is not limited in any way by the number and/or combinations of assemblies that it may include to perform its functionalities.

In addition, while this description depicts each station S1-S6 as associated with a single assembly 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 700A, 700B, it is understood that this representation is meant for demonstration purposes and that any of the stations S1-S6 may be associated with one or more assemblies 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 700A, 700B. It is also understood that the scope of the system 10 is not limited in any way by the number of assemblies that each station may be associated with.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the system 10 may include a controller assembly 800 that may control some of the aspects of at least some of the assemblies 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 700A, 700B. The controller assembly 800 may include one or more computers, smartphones, tablet computers, laptops, personal computers, hubs, servers or any other type of controller or combination thereof. The controller 800 may also include software, firmware, applications, scripts and other types of code (collectively referred to as software) that may facilitate the control of at least some of the assemblies 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 700A, 700B and their functionalities. The software may include a graphical user interface (GUI), dialogues, menus, toolbars and other types of interface mechanisms that may allow the user of the system 10 to set the parameters of the system 10 and at least some of its assemblies 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 700A, 700B. In this way, the user may control the system 10 and its assemblies 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 700A, 700B with the controller 800. For example, the user may user the controller 800 to set the temperature of the filler chamber 302, the pressure of the filler chamber 302, the rotational speed of the conveyor assembly 100, the amount of time the conveyor 104 may pause at each station S1-S6, the amount of substance that the filler assembly 300 may dispense into each cartridge 30, other aspects of the assemblies 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 700A, 700B and any combination thereof.

The controller 800 may be networked, paired or otherwise configured with the hardware elements of the system 10 (e.g., the assemblies 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 700A, 700B and other elements) and may communicate with these and other hardware elements via wireless technologies, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, RF, microwave, optical or other types of wireless technologies. Alternatively, the controller 800 and the hardware may communicate via transmission lines or cables, or via any combination thereof.

The controller assembly 800 may also communicate with a cloud platform (e.g., through an Internet connection) such that it may relay data from the hardware of the system 10 or other information to the cloud platform 300 as desired and/or as necessary. The controller assembly 800 may also receive information from the cloud platform. This may also allow a user to control the system 10 through a mobile application that may be in communication with the system 10 via the cloud platform.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof as shown in FIGS. 4-6, the system 10 may include an enclosure assembly 900 that may generally enclose at least a portion of the system 10 elements. The enclosure assembly 900 may include a cabinet, a box, a cage, other types of enclosures and any combination thereof.

The enclosure assembly 900 may include one or more internal compartments that may house the different assemblies and elements of the system 10, and doors that may open to allow access to the compartments. The enclosure may also include other types of openings such as portals and other types of openings that may allow assemblies that may be positioned outside the enclosure 900 to have access to the internal compartments.

The enclosure assembly 900 may provide a dust-free environment and may also help to maintain a constant temperature during operation of the system 10.

In some exemplary embodiments as shown in FIGS. 4-6, some assemblies such as the cartridge body feeder assembly 200 and the cartridge cap feeder assembly 400 may be positioned outside the enclosure 900 so that the cartridge bodies 30 and the cartridge caps 40 may be provided to the feeders 200, 400 from outside the enclosure 900. The feeders 200, 400 may then provide the cartridge bodies 30 and the caps 40 through the portals into the internal compartment(s) of the enclosure 900 and to the conveyor assembly 100 as required.

It is understood that some certain elements of the system 10 may reside outside the enclosure 900 and some certain elements of the system 10 may reside inside the enclosure 900, and that the scope of the system 10 is not limited in any way by what elements may reside inside the enclosure 900 and what elements may reside outside the enclosure 900.

The enclosure 900 may also include one or more power supplies that may provide the correct type and level of power to each assembly 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 700A, 700B of the system 10. Or, each assembly 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 700A, 700B may include its own power supply. It is also understood that the enclosure may include one or some power supplies for some of the assemblies 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 700A, 700B and that some of the assemblies 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 700A, 700B may include their own power supplies.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the process and method of providing cartridge bodies 30 and cartridge caps 40, of filling the bodies 30 with a desired substance, of capping or otherwise sealing the filled cartridge bodies 30, and of outputting the finished cartridges 20 (including packaging the finished cartridges) may include at least some of the following steps (without limitation).

At station S1, the conveyor assembly 100 may receive into a receptacle 106 a cartridge body 30 in the correct orientation (e.g., open end up) from the cartridge body feeder 200.

The conveyor assembly 100 may then move the cartridge body 30 to station S2 where the cartridge filler 300 may insert a desired amount of the filler substance into the cartridge body 30. The cartridge filler 300 may provide the desired substances at the proper temperature to achieve the desired viscosity of the substances. It may also be preferable that the filler 300 minimize the amount of air bubbles that may be included in the substances.

The conveyor assembly 100 may then move the filled cartridge body 30 to station S3 where the cartridge cap feeder 400 may place a cap 40 onto the cartridge body 30.

The conveyor assembly 100 may then move the capped cartridge body 30 to station S4 where the cartridge cap fitter 500 may properly orient the cap 40 onto the cartridge body 20 with the proper orientation and pressure fit to be prepped for station S5.

The conveyor assembly 100 may then move the capped and prepped cartridge body 30 to station S5 where the cartridge cap fastener 600 may fasten the cap 40 onto the body 30. This may be achieved by screwing the cap 40 onto the body 30 if the cap 40 and body 30 include corresponding threads, by pressure fitting the cap 40 onto the body 30, or by other attachment methods and/or mechanisms.

The conveyor assembly 100 may then move the completed cartridge 20 to station S6 where the finished cartridge 20 may be output from the conveyor assembly 100 (and possibly from the system 10).

The output finished cartridge 20 may be transferred into an output feeder assembly 700A (possibly via a hopper) where the finished cartridges 20 may be sorted and/or properly aligned for packaging.

The output feeder assembly 700A may then transfer the properly oriented finished cartridges 20 to an output packaging assembly 700B that may package the finished cartridges 20 into appropriate type packaging. The output packaging assembly 700B may also sort the packaging as necessary so that the finished cartridges 20 may be placed into the packaging, the packaging may be sealed, and the packages may be provided to their next destinations.

In another exemplary embodiment hereof, the process and method of providing vape cartridge bodies 30 and vape cartridge caps 40, of filling the bodies 30 with a THC distillate, a CBD distillate, terpenes, cutting agents such as MCT oil and/or other substances and any combination thereof, of capping or otherwise sealing the filled cartridge bodies 30, and of outputting the finished cartridges 20 (including packaging the finished cartridges 20) may include at least some of the following steps (without limitation). Note that for the purpose of this specification the substances including THC distillate, CBD distillate, terpenes, cutting agents such as MCT oil and/or other substances and any combination thereof will be referred to here as the distillates.

At station S1, the conveyor assembly 100 may receive into a receptacle 106 a cartridge body 30 in the correct orientation (e.g., open end up) from the cartridge body feeder 200.

The conveyor assembly 100 may then move the cartridge body 30 to station S2 where the cartridge filler 300 may insert a desire amount of the distillates into the cartridge body 30. The cartridge filler 300 may provide the distillates at the proper temperature to achieve the desired viscosity of the distillates. It may also be preferable that the filler 300 minimize the amount of air bubbles that may be included in the distillates.

The conveyor assembly 100 may then move the filled cartridge body 30 to station S3 where the cartridge cap feeder 400 may place a cap 40 onto the cartridge body 30.

The conveyor assembly 100 may then move the capped cartridge body 30 to station S4 where the cartridge cap fitter 500 may properly orient the cap 40 onto the cartridge body 20 with the proper orientation and pressure fit to be prepped for station S5.

The conveyor assembly 100 may then move the capped and prepped cartridge body 30 to station S5 where the cartridge cap fastener 600 may fasten the cap 40 onto the body 30. This may be achieved by screwing the cap 40 onto the body 30 if the cap 40 and body 30 include corresponding threads, by pressure fitting the cap 40 onto the body 30, or by other attachment methods and/or mechanisms.

The conveyor assembly 100 may then move the completed cartridge 20 to station S6 where the finished cartridge 20 may be output from the conveyor assembly 100 (and possibly from the system 10).

The output finished cartridge 20 may be transferred into an output feeder assembly 700A (possibly via a hopper) where the finished cartridges 20 may be sorted and/or properly aligned for packaging.

The output feeder assembly 700A may then transfer the properly oriented finished cartridges 20 to an output packaging assembly 700B that may package the finished cartridges 20 into appropriate type packaging. The output packaging assembly 700B may also sort the packaging as necessary so that the finished cartridges 20 may be placed into the packaging, the packaging may be sealed, and the packages may be provided to their next destinations.

As discussed herein, embodiments of the present invention include various steps or operations. A variety of these steps may be performed by hardware components or may be embodied in machine-executable instructions, which may be used to cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor programmed with the instructions to perform the operations. Alternatively, the steps may be performed by a combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. The term “module” refers to a self-contained functional component, which can include hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof.

One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate and understand, upon reading this description, that embodiments of an apparatus may include a computer/computing device operable to perform some (but not necessarily all) of the described process.

Embodiments of a computer-readable medium storing a program or data structure include a computer-readable medium storing a program that, when executed, can cause a processor to perform some (but not necessarily all) of the described process.

Where a process is described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the process may operate without any user intervention. In another embodiment, the process includes some human intervention (e.g., a step is performed by or with the assistance of a human).

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “at least some” means “one or more,” and includes the case of only one. Thus, e.g., the phrase “at least some ABCs” means “one or more ABCs”, and includes the case of only one ABC.

As used herein, including in the claims, term “at least one” should be understood as meaning “one or more”, and therefore includes both embodiments that include one or multiple components. Furthermore, dependent claims that refer to independent claims that describe features with “at least one” have the same meaning, both when the feature is referred to as “the” and “the at least one”.

As used in this description, the term “portion” means some or all. So, for example, “A portion of X” may include some of “X” or all of “X”. In the context of a conversation, the term “portion” means some or all of the conversation.

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “using” means “using at least,” and is not exclusive. Thus, e.g., the phrase “using X” means “using at least X.” Unless specifically stated by use of the word “only”, the phrase “using X” does not mean “using only X.”

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “based on” means “based in part on” or “based, at least in part, on,” and is not exclusive. Thus, e.g., the phrase “based on factor X” means “based in part on factor X” or “based, at least in part, on factor X.” Unless specifically stated by use of the word “only”, the phrase “based on X” does not mean “based only on X.”

In general, as used herein, including in the claims, unless the word “only” is specifically used in a phrase, it should not be read into that phrase.

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “distinct” means “at least partially distinct.” Unless specifically stated, distinct does not mean fully distinct. Thus, e.g., the phrase, “X is distinct from Y” means that “X is at least partially distinct from Y,” and does not mean that “X is fully distinct from Y.” Thus, as used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “X is distinct from Y” means that X differs from Y in at least some way.

It should be appreciated that the words “first,” “second,” and so on, in the description and claims, are used to distinguish or identify, and not to show a serial or numerical limitation. Similarly, letter labels (e.g., “(A)”, “(B)”, “(C)”, and so on, or “(a)”, “(b)”, and so on) and/or numbers (e.g., “(i)”, “(ii)”, and so on) are used to assist in readability and to help distinguish and/or identify, and are not intended to be otherwise limiting or to impose or imply any serial or numerical limitations or orderings. Similarly, words such as “particular,” “specific,” “certain,” and “given,” in the description and claims, if used, are to distinguish or identify, and are not intended to be otherwise limiting.

As used herein, including in the claims, the terms “multiple” and “plurality” mean “two or more,” and include the case of “two.” Thus, e.g., the phrase “multiple ABCs,” means “two or more ABCs,” and includes “two ABCs.” Similarly, e.g., the phrase “multiple PQRs,” means “two or more PQRs,” and includes “two PQRs.”

The present invention also covers the exact terms, features, values and ranges, etc. in case these terms, features, values and ranges etc. are used in conjunction with terms such as about, around, generally, substantially, essentially, at least etc. (i.e., “about 3” or “approximately 3” shall also cover exactly 3 or “substantially constant” shall also cover exactly constant).

As used herein, including in the claims, singular forms of terms are to be construed as also including the plural form and vice versa, unless the context indicates otherwise. Thus, it should be noted that as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Throughout the description and claims, the terms “comprise”, “including”, “having”, and “contain” and their variations should be understood as meaning “including but not limited to”, and are not intended to exclude other components unless specifically so stated.

It will be appreciated that variations to the embodiments of the invention can be made while still falling within the scope of the invention. Alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose can replace features disclosed in the specification, unless stated otherwise. Thus, unless stated otherwise, each feature disclosed represents one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The present invention also covers the exact terms, features, values and ranges, etc. in case these terms, features, values and ranges etc. are used in conjunction with terms such as about, around, generally, substantially, essentially, at least etc. (i.e., “about 3” shall also cover exactly 3 or “substantially constant” shall also cover exactly constant).

Use of exemplary language, such as “for instance”, “such as”, “for example” (“e.g.,”) and the like, is merely intended to better illustrate the invention and does not indicate a limitation on the scope of the invention unless specifically so claimed.

While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Although certain presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains that variations and modifications of the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method for automatically filling cartridges with a substance, the method comprising:

(A) providing a substance to a chamber;

(B) providing a plurality of cartridge bodies to a cartridge body feeder;

(C) providing a plurality of cartridge caps to a cartridge cap feeder;

(D) using the cartridge body feeder to deliver a first cartridge body to a first receptacle at a first station;

(E) using a filler to fill the first cartridge body with at least some of the substance to form a first filled cartridge body;

(F) moving the first filled cartridge body to a second station or moving a second station to the first filled cartridge body;

(G) using the cartridge cap feeder to deliver a first cartridge cap to the first filled cartridge body;

(H) moving the first cartridge cap and the first filled cartridge body to a third station or moving a third station to the first cartridge cap and the first filled cartridge body;

(I) using a cartridge cap securing mechanism to secure the first cartridge cap to the first filled cartridge body to form a first filled and capped cartridge body.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps:

(J) moving the first filled and capped cartridge body to a fourth station or moving a fourth station to the first filled and capped cartridge body; and

(K) outputting the first filled and capped cartridge body.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step:

(L) using a packager to package the output first filled and capped cartridge body.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step:

(A)(1) heating and/or cooling the substance to a first temperature to achieve a first substance viscosity.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step:

(G)(1) using the cartridge body feeder to deliver a second cartridge body to a second receptacle at the first station; and

(G)(2) using the filler to fill the second cartridge body with at least some of the substance to form a second filled cartridge body.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step:

(H)(1) moving the second filled cartridge body to a second station or moving a second station to the second filled cartridge body.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step:

(I)(1) using the cartridge cap feeder to deliver a second cap to the second filled cartridge body.

8. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step:

(J)(1) moving the second cap and the second filled cartridge body to a third station or moving a third station to the second cap and the second filled cartridge body; and

(J)(2) using the cartridge cap securing mechanism to secure the second cap to the second filled cartridge body to form a second filled and capped cartridge body.

9. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step:

(K)(1) moving the second filled and capped cartridge body to a fourth station or moving a fourth station to the second filled and capped cartridge body; and

(K)(2) outputting the second filled and capped cartridge body.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the substance includes a distillate.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first cartridge body includes a vape cartridge.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first cartridge cap includes a vape cartridge cap.

13. A system for automatically filling cartridges with a substance, the system comprising:

a temperature-controlled substance chamber;

a cartridge body feeder;

a cartridge cap feeder;

a first receptacle adapted to receive a first cartridge body from the cartridge body feeder;

a first station configured with a filler to fill the first cartridge body with at least some of the substance to form a first filled cartridge body;

a second station configured with a capping mechanism adapted to receive a first cartridge cap from the cartridge cap feeder and to place the first cartridge cap on the first filled cartridge body;

a third station configured with a cartridge cap securing mechanism to secure the first cartridge cap to the first filled cartridge body to form a first filled and capped cartridge body; and

a conveyor adapted to sequentially move the first receptacle from the first station, to the second station and to the third station, or to sequentially move the first station, the second station and the third station to the first receptacle.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising a fourth station adapted to output the first filled and capped cartridge body.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising a packager to package the output first filled and capped cartridge body.

16. The system of claim 13 further comprising a second receptable adapted to receive a second cartridge body from the cartridge body feeder.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the first receptable is adapted to secure the first cartridge body from rotational movement.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the substance includes a distillate.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the first cartridge body includes a vape cartridge.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein the first cartridge cap includes a vape cartridge cap.