Method and apparatus for trimming buds and flowers
View Patent ↗The present invention is an apparatus for trimming plants, in particular, buds and flowers, to remove unwanted plant material. A typical application would be to process a plant to leave only trimmed buds and flowers for use in potpourri, fragrant sashes, or as a prelude to further processing of essential oils. The apparatus employs a combination of a slotted metal drum and a lawn mower type cutting reel that are rotated in the same direction, but at different speeds, to create a cutting interface that shears off the unwanted plant material. The apparatus further employs a vacuum manifold to collect the debris and transfer it into a waste collection device.
1. A plant trimmer for trimming materials from plants comprising:
(a) a frame having front and rear mounting plates;
(b) a rotatable slotted drum, said slotted drum open on both ends and supported by said mounting plates, said slotted drum for receiving plant material in one end and delivering plant material from the other end;
(c) a rotatable cutting implement mounted parallel to the exterior of said slotted drum and supported by said mounting plates, said cutting implement for shearing unwanted plant parts projecting through the slots in said slotted drum;
(d) adjustable bearing mounts holding said cutting implement on each end of said cutting implement, said adjustable bearing mounts attached to said front and said rear mounting plates of said frame with a clamp that allows said adjustable bearing mounts to be adjusted and then locked in place, thereby enabling the position of said cutting implement to be raised and lowered in relation to said slotted drum, thus enabling the adjustment of a cutting interface between said slotted drum and said cutting implement;
(e) a manifold enclosing said cutting implement except for the cutting interface between said slotted drum and said cutting implement, said manifold for (i) directing a vacuum on the plant material in said slotted drum for pulling the unwanted plant parts through the slots in said slotted drum to be cut on the outside of said slotted drum by said cutting implement and (ii) moving the desired plant parts from one end of said slotted drum to the other end of said slotted drum;
(f) a motor supported by one of said frame and said mounting plates and coupled to said slotted drum enabling rotation thereof;
(g) a motor mounted on the other of said frame and said mounting plates and coupled to said cutting implement enabling rotation thereof; and
(h) a switch that simultaneously powers and regulates the operation and speed of both said motors.
2. The plant trimmer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said cutting implement comprises a cutting reel.
3. The plant trimmer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said adjustable bearing mounts comprise: a bearing mounting plate, said bearing mounting plate made with a small offset from center for the placement of the bearing for holding said cutting reel; said bearing mounting plate being held in place by means of a rotatable clamp on the opposite side of said front or rear mounting plates of said frame; said adjustable bearing mounts being able to be un-clamped, rotated, and then re-clamped for the purpose of causing the slightly offset bearing to be closer to, or further from, the centerline of said slotted drum, thereby allowing for the adjustment of the cutting interface between said slotted drum and said cutting reel.
4. The plant trimmer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said cutting implement comprises a cutting reel, and further including a roller brush located parallel to, and in contact with, said slotted drum and held in place between said front and rear mounting plates of said frame by bearings.
5. The plant trimmer as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said roller brush is held in place by bearings that can be adjusted in location so that the distance and pressure between said roller brush and said slotted drum can be adjusted for optimal cleaning of said slotted drum.
6. The plant trimmer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said cutting implement comprises a cutting reel, and further including a liquid sprayer located parallel to said slotted drum between said front and rear mounting plates of said frame.
7. The plant trimmer as claimed in claim 6 , wherein said liquid sprayer includes a valve which is actionable to adjust the flow of liquid from off to full pressure for optimal cleaning of said slotted drum.
8. The plant trimmer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said frame includes front and rear ends and a height adjustment mechanism on one of said ends to allow said frame to slant downwards towards the other of said ends.
9. The plant trimmer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said frame includes front and rear ends and pairs of wheels respectively on said front and rear ends to allow said plant trimmer to be rolled from location to location.
10. A method for trimming materials from a plant comprising the steps of:
(a) rotating a slotted drum and a cutting implement in the same direction, but at different speeds, said slotted drum and said cutting implement mounted in parallel and at close distance to create a cutting interface, said cutting implement held parallel to said slotted drum by adjustable bearing mounting plates,
(b) applying a vacuum to a manifold enclosing said cutting implement to pull unwanted plant material through the slots in said slotted drum and to move wanted plant material from one end (entrance) of said slotted drum to the other end (exit) of said slotted drum;
(c) inserting plant material into one end (entrance) of the slotted drum; and
(d) activating the switch controlling motors that rotate both said slotted drum and said cutting implement, thereby, enabling unwanted plant material to be trimmed from the wanted plant material.
11. The method according to claim 10 further comprising the step of adjusting said cutting interface between said slotted drum and said cutting implement by un-clamping, rotating, and then re-clamping said adjustable bearing mounting plates, said adjustable bearing mounting plates having a small offset from center for the placement of the bearing for holding said cutting implement, thereby allowing for the adjustment of the said cutting interface between said slotted drum and said cutting implement.
12. The method according to claim 10 further comprising the step of cleaning said slotted drum with a roller brush located parallel to, and in contact with, said slotted drum.
13. The method according to claim 10 further comprising the step of cleaning said slotted drum with a liquid sprayer coupled to a source of cleansing liquid and located parallel to said slotted drum.
14. The method according to claim 10 further comprising the step of adjusting the slant of said slotted drum from horizontal to lower on one end of said slotted drum by using a height adjustment mechanism on one end of the frame holding said slotted drum.