Patent Publication Number: US-2022211094-A1

Title: Automatic cone loading and filling station

Description:
This application claims the benefit of provisional U.S. Patent Appl. Ser. No. 63/361,413, filed Dec. 21, 2021, and incorporated by reference herein. 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/856,271, filed Apr. 23, 2020, also incorporated by reference herein, which claims the benefit of provisional U.S. Patent Appl. Ser. Nos. 62/922,056, filed Sep. 23, 2019, and 62/995,884, filed Feb. 19, 2020. 
    
    
     I current novel invention is a carousel magazine that hold stacked paper or hemp smokable cones. The carousel is indexed with a home position sensor to a set of actuators that is controlled by air or electric to open and close two different tapped holders. For example, the top and bottom gripping actuators can open and close to hand off one cone from a stack of one or more cone one at a time. The top actuator with a tapered cone split holder housing grips the top of the upper most stacked cones while the bottom gripper moves up using a second linear actuator the grab the bottom semi-hard filter assemble to pull the bottom cone from the stack with the top gripper applies presser or friction to the top cone allowing to hand off one cone at a time from top gripper to bottom gripper. The second bottom gripper that has captured the bottom filter assemble of the cone moves in a downward position to place the single cone in a rotating turret assemble that will rotate to a filling station and then rotate to a twisting station for final processing and packaging. The cones can be pulled from a rotating stack or linear stack. 
    
    
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cone loading station. The cone removable tube land holder is  1 . The rotation of the turret assemble is  3 . The direction  4  of the linear actuator  13  moving the bottom linear actuator gripper  10  in the direction of up and down while the gripper opens and closes in the direction of  6 . The upper gripper  8  moves the gripper split tapper cone assemble in the direction of  5 . The motor  12  rotated with turret assemble. The cone  9  will be loaded in place of the cone  11  when the turret  14  rotates in new cone holder in place not shown. 
       FIG. 2  Is a side view of an automatic cone loading assemble  19  is the top cone grooved tapered gripper and  18  is the bottom cone grooved tapered gripper that is loaded in the turret assemble  23 , that is rotated by motor  24 . The lower gripper assembles  10 , 18  travels up and down by linear actuator  22 . The bottom gripper taper split cone holder has a formed tube  17  that guides the cone  11  projectile into the cone holder  23 . Both Actuators  8  and  10  open and close in sync to hand one cone from the top actuator to the bottom actuator one at a time in a up and down linear motion. 
       FIG. 3  is a side view of a cone loading where the actuator  10  is closed slightly and actuator  8  has released the stack of cones into the tapered holder  17 . Once the hand off has been made auctor  8  closes on the top of the second one in the stack of cones allowing the actuator  10  to move downward with just one cone. 
       FIG. 4  is a side perspective view of the top sensor  27  and the bottom sensor  26  that gives feedback to the computer that a cone  30  is in place for loading and will signal the operator the cone despising is empty. 
       FIG. 5  Is a side perspective view of a cone  30  being dispensed into a split cone holder  29   a , 29   b . The actuator  8  is holding the stack of cones in place and will release the stack of cones into the holder  29  when the actuator  10  returns to the upper limit sensor of the linear actuator  22 . 
       FIG. 6  Is a perspective view of linear actuator gripping tapered jaws  34 , 35  upper gripper and  36 , 37  bottom grippers actuator jaws. The top of the top cone is  39 , the top cone is  32  that is stacked into the bottom cone  28  into the top  41  of the bottom cone  28 . The top grippers  34 , 35  pinch cone  32  while the bottom grippers  36 , 37  that have a smaller tapered opening to match the taper of the cone will pull apart the friction between the two cones using gravity and friction between the grippers  36 , 37  and the hard-spiral filter material of the bottom of the tapered cone not shown. 
       FIG. 7  Is a front view of  FIG. 6, 45,46  is the direction the tapered holders  34 , 35 , 36 , 37  opens and closes. 
       FIG. 8  is a cut away view of  FIG. 7 , the hard filter on the cone is  50   a  that enters into a receive  50  the top cone  47  is held by friction of the tapered walls  48 . A stepper motor or air-cylinder opens and closed the tapered actuator holders to hand off one cone at a time. 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the tapered cone grippers  52   a  is the tapered cone receiver and  52   a  is the filter grab zone that is slightly open when surrounding a stacked cone and then closed to grab and cone and pull it from a stack while the top gripper  52   c  zone hold the top cone in place. 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a cone loading station  55  that rotated a cone to the next station by rotating turret  59  with motor  60  to the next weighing station  57  that fills the cone where it is rotated to the twisting station  56  for final assemble where it is discharges onto a conveyor or container. 
       FIG. 11  Is a top view of a cone loading  61 , filling  62 , vibrating  63  and twisting station  64  with a rotating turret assemble  65 . 
       FIG. 12  Is a perspective view of a cone loading  61 , filling  62 , vibrating  63  and twisting station  64  with a rotating turret assemble  65 , additional stations not shown.