Patent ID: 12221264

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description and drawings are illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, in certain instances, well-known or conventional details are not described in order to avoid obscuring the description. References to one or another embodiment in the present disclosure can be, but not necessarily are, references to the same embodiment; and, such references mean at least one of the embodiments.

Reference in this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features are described which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others.

The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinary meanings in the art, within the context of the disclosure, and in the specific context where each term is used. Certain terms that are used to describe the disclosure are discussed below, or elsewhere in the specification, to provide additional guidance to the practitioner regarding the description of the disclosure. For convenience, certain terms may be highlighted, for example using italics and/or quotation marks: The use of highlighting has no influence on the scope and meaning of a term; the scope and meaning of a term is the same, in the same context, whether or not it is highlighted. It will be appreciated that the same thing can be said in more than one way.

Consequently, alternative language and synonyms may be used for any one or more of the terms discussed herein. Nor is any special significance to be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussed herein. Synonyms for certain terms are provided. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification including examples of any terms discussed herein is illustrative only, and is not intended to further limit the scope and meaning of the disclosure or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the disclosure is not limited to various embodiments given in this specification.

Without intent to further limit the scope of the disclosure, examples of instruments, apparatus, methods and their related results according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are given below. Note that titles or subtitles may be used in the examples for convenience of a reader, which in no way should limit the scope of the disclosure. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

In the case of conflict, the present document, including definitions, will control. It will be appreciated that terms such as “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “side,” “short,” “long,” “up,” “down,” and “below” used herein are merely for ease of description and refer to the orientation of the components as shown in the figures. It should be understood that any orientation of the components described herein is within the scope of the present invention.

FIG.1is an illustration of terpene infusion and preservation system100. Terpene infusion and preservation system100may include any pod or non-direct contact delivery vessel device component110that is placed inside of a container120. Pod component110may be any shape and size depending on the need and use such as disc or puck shaped. Container120may be any type of storage device or package such as but not limited to a jar, cup, bottle, mylar bags, product packing, or other container suited to hold dried material such as herbs. Container120in some embodiments may have a cylindrical body with a twistable top, screw on top, or any type of connection that may be opened or removed from the cylindrical body so that items such as matchsticks may be stored inside of the cylindrical body.

The pod component110may include a top and bottom component as a hollow body portion125and a Snap-On lid130both being molded of a suitable flexible and resilient plastic material, such as ethylene-based octene-1 plastomer produced through a solution polymerization process using a metallocene catalyst. This provides a material with toughness, puncture resistance, and low-temperature impact strength. The body portion125may be of any configuration and includes a base at the bottom and a cylindrical sidewall that extends upward of the base. The cylindrical sidewall extends upward to a neck. The neck serves as the mouth of the container to receive the lid130.

A bead may be formed peripherally about a medial portion of the neck and acts as a detent for engaging a complementary groove formed on the interior wall of the cap. The body portion125may have single opening142at the base whereby medium190(paper or any other suitable material) infused with terpene will rest over and upon the base. Similarly, the lid130may have a single opening144that is aligned vertically with the hole142in the base. The dual hole system has been proven to be an improved configuration for infusion from medium190while not allowing direct contact of terpenes to the product because opening142is directly below medium190while medium190directly rests on it allowing for a bigger opening and the terpenes also simultaneously travel directly upward to hole144. In alternate embodiments there may be a plurality of holes or a mesh of holes in any number of arrangements and sizes.

The lid130includes a central disk portion having a skirt or flange portion extending entirely thereabout. The perimeter of the skirt is smaller than the circumference of the cylindrical sidewall so that the outer margin of the cylindrical sidewall always extends beyond the periphery of the skirt. The under edge of the lid130is preferably flat to make surface to surface abutment with the flat face of the shoulder thereby normally defining an extremely fine line about the entire area of contact. Thus, when the lid130is snapped over the neck there is ordinarily no gap between the cylindrical sidewall and the skirt which is readily engaged for lifting the lid.

The body portion125may be shaped to receive medium190infused with a terpene blend which matches the natural terpenes present in a specific product's strain or dried materials or other combustible material that is to be placed into container120. In further embodiments there may be two baskets or two slots in body portion125for receiving different medium190sinfused with terpene blends to increase results. One or more pods having a second medium190for enhanced effects may also be connected to one another in a stacked formation with an inner groove on the top of a pod betting fitted over by a bottom of a pod that is positioned above it and secured by a friction fit or daisy chain formation or other pattern by one or more connectors133at an edge of the pods.

During use, the terpene infused matrix inside pod component110fills container120via the openings on pod component110and establishes a balance between the terpenes in the dried material and the terpenes in the head space without liquid terpene contacting the product directly. The terpenes work together to create an equilibrium which keeps the native terpenes from escaping the dried material. The result is the preservation of inherent terpenes plus infusion of the container's non-native terpenes into the product.

Pod component110may have a strain matching specific terpene blend intended to compliment the customer's native terpene profile whereby a customer could choose to use a terpene blend with a focus on a specific flavor. For instance, it could be lemon, citrus, berry etc.

Here are some example terpenes (but not limited to) that may be infused into medium190: -alpha-Bisabol 23089-26-1 (+)-Borneol 464-43-7 Camphene 79-92-5 (−)-Borneol 464-45-9 Camphor 76-22-2 (R)-(+)-Camphor 464-49-3 (1S)-3-(+)-Carene 498-15-7 (S)-(−)-Camphor 464-48-2 trans-Caryophyllene 87-44-5 alpha-Cedrene 469-61-4 (−)-Caryophyllene-oxide 1139-30-6 Endo Fenchyl Alcohol 2217 Feb. 9 (+)-Cedrol 77-53-2 (L)-(−)-Fenchone 7787-20-4 Eucalyptol 470-82-6 Geraniol 106-24-1 Farnesene 502-61-4 (−)-Guaiol 489-86-1 (+)-Fenchone 4695-62-9 alpha-Humulene 6753-98-6 Geranyl Acetate 105-87-3 (R)-(+)-Limonene 5989-27-5 Hexahydro thymol 89-78-1 trans-Nerolidol 40716-66-3 Isoborneol 124-76-5 alpha-Pinene 80-56-8 (−)-Isoeugenol 89-79-2 beta-Pinene 127-91-3 Linalool 78-70-6 (+)-Pulegone 89-82-7 p-Mentha-1,5-diene 99-83-2 Sabine Hydrate 546-79-2 beta-Myrcene 123-35-3 Sabinene 3387-41-5 Nerol 106-25-2 alpha-Terpinene 99-86-5 cis-Nerolidol 3790-78-1 gamma-Terpinene 99-85-4 Ocimene 13877-91-3 Terpineol 8000-41-7 Valencene 4630-07-3 Terpinolene 586-62-9

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. The present invention according to one or more embodiments described in the present description may be practiced with modification and alteration within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Thus, the description is to be regarded as illustrative instead of restrictive of the present invention.