Dual Purpose Female Cannabis Seedless Flower Bud Trimmers, Kief Separators and Methods

Abstract

Floor-standing equipment and methods that employ them use nylon netting to grate trim off the seedless flowers of female cannabis plants. The netting is formed into large cylindrical drum into which about five pounds of dried seedless flowers of female cannabis plants are loaded through a door flap in the netting. An electric motor or handcrank causes the load to tumble over and over a horizontal axle for 3-5 minutes at about 35-RPM. The trim drops through the netting down through a funnel bag into a plastic basin on the floor. The trimmed seedless flowers are then dropped out separately through the door flap in the netting and through the funnel bag into a second plastic basin on the floor.

Claims

1. A dual-purpose floor-standing machine that trims leafy matter from the seedless flowers of female cannabis plants, and that isolates kief from such trim, comprising: a floor-standing frame of detachable pieces that enable onsite assembly and disassembly, and that provides support for an electric motor and a horizontal axle driven at variable speeds by the motor; a tumbler drum mounted inside the top end of the floor-standing frame on the horizontal axle and formed by opposing, parallel, and equal-sized left and right tumbler drum end cap pans coaxially disposed on the horizontal axle to define a right cylinder with open walls; a rectangular-shaped porous covering having a width sufficient to stretch over and between an open space between the opposing left and right tumbler drum end cap pans, and a length sufficient to completely wrap around the circumference of both the opposing, parallel, and equal-sized left and right right tumbler drum end cap pans; a door flap disposed in the rectangular-shaped porous covering and providing for dried plant material to be loaded in and unloaded out of the interior spaces of the tumbler drum; a funnel bag chute disposed inside the floor-standing frame and outside a bottom half of the tumbler drum, and sized and mounted to allow free rotation of the tumbler drum within; a first removable basin positioned on a floor below the funnel bag chute to catch fine materials that pass through rectangular-shaped porous covering; and a second removable basin positioned on the floor below the funnel bag chute to catch coarse materials that do not pass through rectangular-shaped porous covering and are unloaded via the door flap.

2. The machine of claim 1, wherein the rectangular-shaped porous covering comprises to nylon netting and the fine materials caught in the first removable basin are leafy trim.

3. The machine of claim 1, wherein the rectangular-shaped porous covering comprises to nylon netting and the coarse materials caught in the second removable basin are trimmed seedless flowers of cannabis plants.

4. The machine of claim 1, wherein the rectangular-shaped porous covering comprises silkscreen and the fine materials caught in the first removable basin are isolated kief.

5. The machine of claim 1, wherein the rectangular-shaped porous covering comprises silkscreen and the coarse materials caught in the second removable basin are trimmings of seedless flowers of cannabis plants.

6. The machine of claim 1, wherein the tumbler drum, the horizontal axle, the electric motor, and a distal support bearing are interconnected to one another with female and male pipe threaded parts.

7. The machine of claim 1, further comprising: a dustcover that is positioned over the tumbler drum to prevent the escape of airborne particles generated from the dried plant material turning inside.

8. A method of trimming extraneous matter from the seedless flowers of female cannabis plants, comprising: loading a quantity of untrimmed and dried seedless flowers of female cannabis plants into a cylindrical tumbler drum formed of nylon netting or mesh screen with a horizontal axle; turning the cylindrical tumbler drum at about 35-RPM for about five minutes or until a substantial reduction in a material dropping with gravity through the nylon netting or mesh screen is observed; catching said trim material dropping with gravity through the nylon netting or mesh screen with a funnel bag chute placed around and under the cylindrical tumbler drum as it turns on said horizontal axle, and funneling said trim material into a removable basin below; and unloading a quantity of now trimmed and dry seedless flowers from the cylindrical tumbler drum into another removable basin placed below.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: opening a door flap in the nylon netting or mesh screen to load the quantity of untrimmed and dried seedless flowers when such door flap is positioned by rotating it to the top of the cylindrical tumbler drum.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: opening a door flap in the nylon netting or mesh screen to unload by gravity the quantity of now trimmed and dry seedless flowers when such door flap is positioned by rotating it to the bottom of the cylindrical tumbler drum.

11. A machine for trimming extraneous matter from the seedless flowers of female cannabis plants, comprising: a cylindrical tumbler drum formed of nylon netting and mounted to turn on a horizontal axle, and providing for a loading a quantity of untrimmed and dried seedless flowers of female cannabis plants; a motor and/or hand crank connected to turn the cylindrical tumbler drum at variable speed of 0-35 RPM for about five minutes or until a substantial reduction in a trim material dropping with gravity through the nylon netting occurs; a funnel bag chute placed around and under the cylindrical tumbler drum, and that allows the cylindrical tumbler drum to turn freely on said horizontal axle, and that is configured to catch said trim material as it drops with gravity through the nylon netting; a removable basin placed below the funnel bag chute and on the floor to receive said trim material while the cylindrical tumbler drum is turned; and another removable basin placed below the funnel bag chute and on the floor to receive a quantity of now trimmed and dry seedless flowers from the cylindrical tumbler drum after it stops turning.

12. The machine of claim 11, further comprising: a door flap in the nylon netting opened to load the quantity of untrimmed and dried seedless flowers when such door flap is positioned by rotating it to the top of the cylindrical tumbler drum.

13. The machine of claim 11, further comprising: a door flap in the nylon netting opened to unload by gravity the quantity of now trimmed and dry seedless flowers when such door flap is positioned by rotating it to the bottom of the cylindrical tumbler drum.

14. The machine of claim 11, further comprising: a dustcover that is positioned to shroud the tumbler drum to prevent a dispersal of airborne particles produced by an agitation of any dried plant material turning inside.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1A is a perspective view diagram of the floor standing frame, motor drive, and horizontal axle cylindrical tumbling drum form for a female cannabis flower bud trimmer embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] FIG. 1B is a perspective view diagram of how a rectangular patch of netting is wrapped around the horizontal axle cylindrical tumbling drum form of the female cannabis flower bud trimmer of FIG. 1A;

[0014] FIG. 1C is a side view of the female cannabis flower bud trimmer of FIG. 1A without the floor-standing frame so the funnel bag chute and a removal catch basin can be shown in relation to the cylindrical tumbling drum that is covered with the netting;

[0015] FIG. 2 is a side view of the cylindrical tumbling drum of FIGS. 1A-1C that is covered with the netting and is shown here to include a zippered door flap and radial lips on the opposing drum ends;

[0016] FIGS. 3A-3F illustrate the steps in a method embodiment of the present invention for using the equipment described to trim extraneous matter from the seedless flowers of female cannabis plants;

[0017] FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate the steps in a method embodiment of the present invention for using the equipment described to extract kief from extraneous matter earlier separated during trimming from the seedless flowers of female cannabis plants;

[0018] FIG. 5 is a perspective diagram of an inexpensive and portable version of the trimmers described in the above Figs;

[0019] FIG. 6 is an exploded assembly and partial cross sectional view of a motor and tumbler drum drivetrain useful in embodiments of the present invention. These pieces all couple together with matching female pipe threads (FPT) and male pipe threads (MPT);

[0020] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a clear vinyl dustcover that can be slipped over the PVC framework of a trimmer like that of FIG. 5; and

[0021] FIGS. 8A and 8B are perspective views of a baby-carriage type folding top dustcover in its open (FIG. 8A) and closed (FIG. 8B) positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0022] FIGS. 1A-1C represent a floor-standing female cannabis flower bud trimmer embodiment of the present invention and is referred to herein by the general reference numeral 100. The floor-standing trimmer 100 is user-assembled onsite from a shipping box of pieces that include a rectangular frame of welded box metal channel 102, four matching removable legs 104-107, a variable speed electric motor 108, a horizontal axle 110 set inside the width of the frame 102 and driven by the motor 108, and two inwardly dished cylindrical end plates 112-113 coaxially mounted on the horizontal axle 110. The two inwardly dished cylindrical end plates 112-113 have lips 114 and 115 radially turned outward. Two lengths of hook-and-loop tape 116 and 117, such as VELCRO brand, are wound around and glued to fully wrap around 360-degrees of each of the two cylindrical end plates 112-113.

[0023] FIG. 1B shows how a tumbler drum is formed with netting. A rectangular patch of nylon netting 118 is fringed along its outside edges with one part of a hook-and-loop tape 120 about 1.5 wide. The rectangular patch of nylon netting is wide enough to bridge over and overlap both outside diameters of the two inwardly dished cylindrical end plates 112-113, and is long enough to fully wrap around 360-degrees to form a large cylindrical drum. A door flap 122 fitted with zippers and/or hook-and-loop tape allows user access to load in and unload materials during use. Protective inside flaps should be included to cover the zippers such that they do not get clogged with kief or other fine materials.

[0024] The two matching and opposing dished cylindrical end plates 112-113 have radially turned outward lips 114 and 115 that help seal with the netting 118 and to exclude debris from fouling the opposing hook-and-loop tape pieces. Typical diameters for the two cylindrical end plates 112-113 range from 17 to 22, depending on the target weights of materials to be batch processed.

[0025] The variable speed electric motor 108 preferably has a variable range of zero to 35-RPM. Near zero, its speed control is used to position the tumbler drum for loading and unloading of material. In operation, the material loaded inside will begin to roll around in a log until the speed gets high enough for it to break in waves and tumble over the horizontal axle 110. The best speed, about 35-RPM produces a continuous curling wave of material inside the tumbler drum. At too high a speed, centrifugal force will press the material all along the inside for full rotations. Too high a speed prevents the trimming action from operating properly or efficiently. But speeds as low as 20-RPM are useful when the user intends for the trimming to be as gentle as possible.

[0026] FIG. 1C shows a clear vinyl, rectangular funnel bag chute 130 that is hung inside frame 102 and legs 104-107, but outside the bottom half of the large cylindrical drum formed by the netting and the two cylindrical end plates 112-113. The purpose of this rectangular funnel bag is to direct materials dropping through the netting, or through a door flap in the netting, down into a smaller opening plastic dishpan basin 132, like a 16128 RUBBERMAID DISHPAN. Making the funnel bag chute 130 of clear vinyl helps the user to see the progress of the trimming and to see the trim materials dropping through inside.

[0027] The structural pieces of trimmer 100 are generally comprised of steel and/or aluminum. Overall, the trimmer 100 is floor-standing and generally about 60 tall, 36 wide, and about 36 deep. Lighter duty embodiments are generally smaller and weigh less, and are limited to processing smaller-weight loads.

[0028] The trimming action is not unlike the polishing action that occurs inside a rock polisher that tumbles loose rocks around inside a drum. The flowers knock against each other will tumbling around, and that breaks off any remaining protruding leafy matter. The finished value of trimmed buds is maximum when the trichomes and crystals remain on the buds.

[0029] FIG. 2 represents a drum and motor assembly 200, in an embodiment of the present invention. A rectangular patch of nylon netting 202 has a hook-and-loop tape trimming 204, 205 about 1.5 wide all around its outside longitudinal and lateral perimeters. The rectangular patch of nylon netting 202 is wide enough to bridge over and still overlap both outside diameters of two inwardly dished cylindrical end plates 206, 207. And the rectangular patch of netting 202 is long enough in its length to fully wrap around and seal 360-degrees of the respective diameters to form a large cylindrical drum 210.

[0030] The two inwardly dished cylindrical end plates 206, 207 have radially turned out lips 212, 213 to help seal with the netting 202 and to exclude fugitive debris from fouling the opposing hook-and-loop tape pieces 204-205 and 214-215. These matching lengths of hook-and-loop tape 214-215 are wound around and glued to fully wrap all 360-degrees of the circumferences of each of the two cylindrical end plates 206-207. Typical diameters for the two cylindrical end plates 206-207 range from 16 to 26, so the length of the netting 202 and the matching lengths of hook-and-loop tapes 204, 205, 214, and 215 will easily run about 70.

[0031] A zippered door flap 220 is included in the rectangular patch of nylon netting 202 and allows easy user access to the interior of the large cylindrical drum 210. A variable-speed electric motor 222 is provided with a variable speed control rheostat 224 which permits a user to easily rotate and position the zippered door flap 220 to the top or the bottom of the large cylindrical drum 210. Such zippered door flap 220 would be best positioned to the top when loading in materials. Similarly, such zippered door flap 220 would be best positioned to the bottom when the materials need to be dumped through the clear vinyl, rectangular funnel bag that is hung inside frame 102 and legs 104-107, down to a plastic dishpan basin. Two parallel zippers 226 and 228 are preferred since this can save wear-and-tear on the hook-and-loop tapes.

[0032] FIGS. 3A-3F represent the steps in a method for trimming the seedless flower buds of female cannabis plants. The large cylindrical drum 210 of FIG. 2 is represented here as a tumbler drum 302 with a zippered door flap 304. In FIGS. 3A-3C the tumbler drum 302 is fitted with netting, and in FIGS. 3D-3F, the tumbler drum 302 is retro-fitted with netting. The initial use of netting in FIGS. 3A-3C allows small flower popcorn-size buds to fall through that must be separated from the trim and recaptured in FIGS. 3D-3F.

[0033] In FIG. 3A, a first step 310 begins with loading a dry quantity of cannabis, e.g., 3-6 pounds, into the tumbler drum 302 through the door flap 304 while it is positioned near the top. In FIG. 3B, a next step 312 uses the motor or a handcrank to turn the tumbler drum 302 near maximum speed until trim debris visually ceases to flow out, e.g., 20-35 RPM for five minutes. The trim fallout, which includes small leaves, some kief, and small flower popcorn-size buds are collected in a plastic dishpan basin with the assistance of a clear vinyl, rectangular funnel bag (not shown here). See FIGS. 4A-4C for the deliberate isolation of the kief from trim into a final product.

[0034] In FIG. 3C, a step 314, a fresh, empty plastic dishpan basin is placed below, the door flap 304 is opened, and rotated to the bottom position such that the large flower buds all drop into the empty plastic dishpan basin. This product then is held in reserve as a better, more valuable part of the final quantity of trimmed buds. The netting is then exchanged for netting on tumbler drum 302.

[0035] In FIG. 3D, a step 316, the contents of plastic dishpan basin from step 312 is loaded through the door flap 304 after it's rotated to the top position. In FIG. 3E, a next step 318 uses the motor or handcrank to again turn the tumbler drum 302 near maximum speed until trim debris visually ceases to flow out, e.g., 20-35 RPM for five minutes. The small flower popcorn-size buds stay inside tumbler drum 302 and only trim pieces are collected below in another plastic dishpan basin. Again, the use of a clear vinyl, rectangular funnel bag helps the user to see when the step is concluded.

[0036] In FIG. 3F, a step 320, a fresh, empty plastic dishpan basin is placed below, the door flap 304 is opened, and rotated to the bottom position such that the small, now trimmed, popcorn-size flower buds all drop into the empty plastic dishpan basin. This product then added to the large trimmed buds that were held in reserve from step 314 in FIG. 3C.

[0037] The standard measure of screen mesh size relates to how many threads per inch are present. But the gaps between these threads will narrow as the threads get thicker. The preferred embodiments here use 110 micron or 151-195 micron screens to allow some control over the size of particles being isolated.

[0038] The floor-standing trimmer 100 of FIG. 1 can change function between being a traditional trimmer, popcorn-size bud separator, and kief-separator (aka pollinator) by the user's changing of the netting between , , and 110-120 silkscreen. A kief-separator (aka pollinator) separates the fine powdery trichome and bits of crystalized resin from the trim obtained in FIG. 3E, step 318.

[0039] The stalks of mature trichomes typically reach a maximum diameter of about 40-microns. And the corresponding heads are usually three times that, about 120-micron, with a maximum of 135-microns. So, mesh sizes above 120 (125-micron pass through) are not commonly used in making kief. Any mesh that is too fine will block the largest trichome heads from passing through the silkscreen mesh.

[0040] A 170-mesh (88-micron pass through) blocks most the mature trichome heads. Any trichome stalks that do break off will be small enough to pass through even finer mesh sizes. If the intention is to deliberately separate the heads from the stalks, then a 200-mesh screen (74-micron) is called for. Going the other way, classic Afghani pressed hash has a large amount of debris because large, 50-60 mesh screens are used.

[0041] Leaf matter in cannabis carries only a relatively small amount of cannabinoids, around 0.5%, and the trichomes around and in the seedless female flowers carry much higher concentrations of cannabinoids. If the trichomes are separated from the plant matter in the flowers, the kief yield will normally be about a third of total mass of flowers. The cannabinoids from the trichomes in the kief will be about 2.5 times more concentrated than the original flowers. About half the finished weight is the cannabinoids and terpenoids, with the rest being the trichome structural materials. Thus, thirty grams of flowers/buds can be expected to yield five grams of cannabinoids and terpenoids.

[0042] FIGS. 4A-4C represent a change of a trimmer 100 into a kief-separator (aka pollinator). Essentially, the nylon netting is replaced by a 110-micron silkscreen covered drum 402 that will pass through the trichomes by retaining anything larger size inside. In a first step 400, illustrated in FIG. 4A, a plastic dishpan basin 404 of cannabis plant trim and random bits of trichomes are poured 406 through a door flap 408 in drum 402 positioned near the top. A second step 409 is illustrated in FIG. 4B. The silkscreen covered drum 402 is rotated by motor or hand crank to tumble the material from plastic dishpan basin 404 around inside for several minutes at 0-35 RPM. A kief fallout 410 will form on the outside surface of the silkscreen mesh and most will fall to the floor where another plastic dishpan basin 412 is set by the user to catch it. A third and final step 413 in FIG. 4C includes stopping the drum 402 with the door flap 408 at the bottom and open. This will allow gravity to help unload steams, leaves, and other trim 414 into a third plastic dishpan basin 416. Some scraping or pushing by hand or with a tool may be needed to clear it all.

[0043] FIG. 5 represents a low cost trimmer 500 in an embodiment of the present invention that is less expensive, easier to transport, and lighter-duty than trimmer 100 of FIG. 1. Its frame 502 is entirely made up of or plastic PVC pipe sections 504-524, socket elbow-tees 526-532, socket cross-elbows 534-536, and socket-tees 538. (Some elements not able to be shown in this perspective view are not numbered.) These pieces are delivered mostly unassembled to typical retail end users and are dry fitted together without glue for use by them. Not using glue allows the trimmer 500 to be disassembled again and more readily transported.

[0044] A cylindrical drum form 550 about 19 in diameter and 20 in length is supported for turning with a horizontal axle 552. Such is positioned inside the top half of frame 502 and a clear vinyl funnel bag 554 is positioned inside the bottom half of frame 502 to catch loosened trim that escapes through a covering of netting 556. At its top, the clear vinyl funnel bag 554 circuits completely around the bottom half outer diameters of cylinder ends 558 and 559, and does so without contacting or dragging on the netting 556 or cylinder ends 558 and 559. A smaller opening at the bottom of the clear vinyl funnel bag 554 neatly focuses the loose trim into a plastic dishpan basin set below on the floor by the user.

[0045] A zippered door flap 560 is stitched into the netting 556 and allows materials to be loaded and unloaded from inside the cylindrical-drum netting enclosure formed by elements 550,556,558,559. A variable-speed electric motor 562 is connected to turn the netting enclosure on horizontal axle 552 at 0-35 RPM. A wide, soft-bristle brush mounted to the back of the frame and positioned to gently sweep along the whole width of surface of the netting enclosure as it turns on horizontal axle 552 can help automatically clear the netting of snags of stems and leaves. A clear vinyl dust cover (not shown) may sometimes be used and is slipped over the outside of the top half of frame 502 to prevent too much fugitive powder and debris from flying out into the air and onto the surrounding floor.

[0046] FIG. 6 represents a motor and tumbler drum drivetrain 600 useful in various embodiments of the present invention. A critical aspect of what is shown here is that the major pieces all couple together with matching female pipe threads (FPT) and male pipe threads (MPT). For example, and in both PVC and steel pipes and fittings are widely available and relatively inexpensive. A variable speed electric motor 602 can be adjusted by a user to turn a whole tumbler drum assembly at 0-35 RPM. The motor 602 is mounted at a left end to a supporting floor-standing frame. A MPT 604 threads into a FPT 606 mounted by a first flange 608 to a left tumbler drum end cap pan 610. The left tumbler drum end cap pan 610 is dished and open here to the right.

[0047] A second flange 612 and FPT 614 provide a supporting coupling through to a horizontal axle 618 that carries over to the right side in this FIG. 6. A MPT 620 threads into a FPT 622 and a third flange 624, these couple through right tumbler drum end cap pan 626 to a fourth flange 628 and FPT 630. A MPT 632 on one end of a coupler pipe 634 provides rotational distal support with a bearing block 636 mounted to the supporting floor-standing frame. One advantage of building motor and tumbler drum drivetrain 600 with common MPT and FPT water pipe pieces is they make for easy field assembly and disassembly onsite by the user.

[0048] Dashed lines are used in FIG. 6 between the left and right tumbler drum end cap pans 610 and 626. These represent the nylon netting used during trimming and the alternative mesh screening used for kief isolation.

[0049] In general, embodiments of the present invention include a dual-purpose floor-standing machine that trims leafy matter from the seedless flowers of female cannabis plants, and also isolates kief from such trim. A floor-standing frame of detachable pieces enable onsite assembly and disassembly, and provide mechanical support for an electric motor and a horizontal axle driven at variable speeds by the motor. A tumbler drum mounted is inside a top end of the floor-standing frame on the horizontal axle. Such is formed by opposing, parallel, and equal-sized left and right tumbler drum end cap pans coaxially disposed on the horizontal axle to define a right cylinder with open walls.

[0050] A rectangular-shaped porous covering has a width sufficient to stretch over and between an open space between the opposing left and right tumbler drum end cap pans, and has a length sufficient to completely wrap around the circumference of both the opposing, parallel, and equal-sized left and right tumbler drum end cap pans. A door flap is disposed in the rectangular-shaped porous covering and provides for dried plant material to be loaded-in and unloaded-out of the interior spaces of the tumbler drum.

[0051] A funnel bag chute is disposed inside the floor-standing frame and outside a bottom half of the tumbler drum. It is sized and mounted to allow free rotation of the tumbler drum within. A first removable basin is initially positioned on a floor below the funnel bag chute to catch fine materials that pass through rectangular-shaped porous covering. A second removable basin is subsequently positioned on the floor below the funnel bag chute to catch coarse materials that do not pass through rectangular-shaped porous covering and that must be unloaded via the door flap.

[0052] Tumbling dry cannabis the way the equipment and methods described herein do will produce airborne clouds of valuable kief and other fines and powders including mildew spores. A removable dustcover that fully shrouds the tumbler drums in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 2, 3B, 3E, 4B, 5, and 6, should be in position whenever the tumbler drum is turning more than a few RPM. Otherwise, such airborne clouds can interfere with, annoy, trigger allergies, or even harm the health of workers and users in the vicinity. Profits are also improved by keeping the airborne kief from dispersing and becoming irretrievable.

[0053] FIG. 7 represents such a dustcover 700 made of clear vinyl that is cut and stitched to just fit over the top half of the low-cost trimmer 500 (FIG. 5). Any kief that collects inside after use can be scraped off or wiped clean. Clear vinyl material is preferred so that the user can verify the speed settings are producing a continuous curling wave of dry material tumbling around over the horizontal axle 552 (FIG. 5), and see when the equipment should be stopped for a next step in the process.

[0054] FIGS. 8A and 8B represents a folding dustcover 800 that resembles the folding top of a baby carriage. A folding top frame is covered with clear vinyl that is cut and stitched in a half dome to fit over trimmer 100 (FIG. 1A). After use, kief that collected inside can be scraped off or wiped clean. Here too, clear vinyl material is preferred so that the user can verify the variable speed motor settings are producing a continuous curling wave of dry material tumbling around over the horizontal axle 110 (FIGS. 1A, 1B).

[0055] Although the present invention has been described in terms of the presently preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be interpreted as limiting. Various alterations and modifications will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art after having read the above disclosure. Accordingly, it is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as covering all alterations and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.