U.S. Patent No. 9,974,821 B2 (‘821) issued on May 22, 2018, for “Method of juicing cannabis plant matter.” It was issued to applicant/inventor Matthew Kennedy, of Westminster, California, although the corresponding application publication lists Drive Juicery, LLC, as the assignee. This is one of several patents in the cannabis space that has been issued to individual applicants/inventors. The specification describes the method of harvesting cannabis matter through a juicing process, which includes a) harvesting, b) grinding, c) inserting into a mesh filter, d) pressing through hydraulic press, and e) collecting of the juice. Further described is the novel aspect of obtaining cannabis plant matter through juicing, while the prior art describes obtaining it through heating processes. The claims are directed to the method of harvesting cannabis plant matter, and includes further limitations for the grinding at 2400 rpm (step b), inserting into a mesh filter bag at 400 – 600 microns (step c), and the final product obtained as tetrahydrocannabinol acid (THCA) (step d).
Figure 1 below illustrates the process of harvesting cannabis plant matter.
The ‘821 patent is subect to patent term adjustment under 35 U.S.C. §154(b) of 279 days, extending the patent term to December 29, 2036.
The International Patent Classification is A61K (preparations for medical, dental or toilet purposes (i.e., methods specially adapted for pharmaceutical products into particular physical form).
This is example of a sole inventor obtaining patent protection for an invention, in spite of the conventional wisdom that patents are only available to large companies. Cannabis industry patents are relatively new, and more cannabis-related inventions are expected to enter the patenting process in the next few years.
Please contact Yonaxis for more information on patent processes if you have any questions.