CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] The present patent application claims the priority benefit of U.S. provisional patent application number 62/817,447 filed March 12, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Disclosure

[0002] The present disclosure is generally related to systems and methods for the creation of a kit of cannabis consumables. More specifically, the present disclosure is related to the creating of cannabis consumable kits having known bioavailability of cannabinoids.

2. Description of the Related Art

[0003] Cannabis is a flowering plant belonging to the family cannabaceae. There are three common species, or sub-species, of cannabis namely cannabis sativa, cannabis indica and cannabis ruderalis. Cannabis has long been used for hemp fiber, oils, medicinal purposes, and as a recreational drug. Cannabis contains a unique class of terpeno-phenolic compounds known as cannabinoids or phytocannabinoids, which have been extensively studied since the discovery of the chemical structure of the principle cannabinoids delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (A9-THC), commonly known as THC, and cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD. THC is the main cannabinoid substituent responsible for psychoactive effects, whereas CBD is non-psychoactive and is widely known to have therapeutic potential. The majority of cannabinoid compounds are secreted by glandular trichromes which occur abundantly on the floral calyxes and bracts of female cannabis plants. When used by humans medicinally or recreationally, cannabis can be consumed in a variety of routes, including vaporizing or smoking dried flower buds and leaf portions, resins, extracted oils, waxes, and edibles (such as eating lozenges, candies, baked goods, drinking beverages, and by taking capsules).

SUMMARY OF THE CLAIMED INVENTION

[0005] Examples of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for providing a kit for producing cannabis-infused products including one or more cannabinoids to provide a predictable effect. In particular, a system for creating a kit based on user's selections of various elements including a cannabis product form, a desired effect, a cannabis extract or concentrate, a desired onset time, and a desired duration of the effect is described. The system can provide options for each component of the kit based on what is currently available through the kit manufacturing equipment. The system can then provide the user with the kit, including kit components and a set of instructions for creating the products.

[0006] In addition to allowing users to create a personalized kit, the system and methods described herein can provide users with cannabis infused final products which have known effects, including the time periods for an onset of the effect and the duration of time which the effect should last. The system and methods described herein can further allow users to update their kits based on actual experiences.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment in which a system for creating a kit of cannabis consumables based on specified effects.

[0008] FIGS. 2A and 2B are flowcharts illustrating an exemplary method for creating a kit of cannabis consumables based on specified effects.

[0009] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for ordering a kit of cannabis consumables created based on specified effects.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] The present disclosure presents a system and method for the creation of kits having one or more cannabis consumables therein. The kit can include consumable products having one or more cannabinoids of known bioavailability. The bioavailability of the cannabinoids present in a consumable can be affected by several factors including, but not limited to, the cannabinoid present, the cannabinoid carrier or modifier, and the method of ingestion, which can result in an unpredictable experience for both experienced and inexperienced users. The cannabis consumable kit as described herein can deliver a predictable experience to users of cannabis containing consumables including foods or beverages. Specifically, the disclosed cannabis consumable kit can deliver more than one cannabis product in a single consumable or multiple consumables that have differing bioavailability times. Additionally, the disclosed kit can provide a means of delivering two different cannabis-related experiences in a single kit which can be tailored to a user's needs and profile.

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment 100 in which a system for creating a kit of cannabis consumables based on specified effects. The network environment 100 can include a server 102 that is communicably coupled with kit production equipment 126 via a communications network 130. The server 102 can be operable to receive instructions from a user via a user portal 120 and send production parameters to the kit production equipment 126. In at least one example, the server 102 can include a memory 104 having a plurality of databases stored thereon. The databases can include, but are not limited to, a product database 106, cannabis database 108, a bioavailability database 110, an inventory database 112, and a kit database 114. Additionally, the server 102 can include a kit creation module 116 which can access the memory 104 and databases stored thereon and is operable to create a cannabis consumable kit based on various user selected elements.

[0012] The product database 106 can include various types of products which can be included in the disclosed kit including, but not limited to, food and beverage products which can be infused with a cannabinoids. The product database 104 can additionally include a listing of the ingredients and preparation methods necessary for each of the products stored thereon. A non-exhaustive list of consumable products which can be infused with cannabinoids includes, but is not limited to, tinctures, baked goods, gummies, candies, chocolates, cooking oils, dairy products, juices, water, carbonated beverages, teas, coffee, smoothies, alcohols, and any other consumable product capable of being infused with cannabinoids. The cannabis database 108 can include a list of cannabis plants and products, including but not limited to various dried cannabis flower cultivars, cannabis extracts, and cannabis concentrates which are available to create the cannabis infused products using the kit. The cannabis database 108 can be

continuously updated based on the current cannabis inventory available to the kit production equipment 126. The bioavailability database 110 can include a list of the various processing and post processing steps which can be taken to alter the bioavailability of the active ingredient of the cannabis extracts and/or concentration. For example, the bioavailability database 110 can include bioavailability modifiers which can adjust the speed and/or duration at which the cannabis effects are felt by a consumer. The inventory database 110 can include an up-to-date inventory of cannabis cultivars, cannabis products, cannabis extracts, cannabis concentrates, bioavailability modifiers, and product ingredients which are presently available to the kit production equipment 126 for use in the creation of a cannabis consumable kit.

[0013] A user can create a cannabis consumable kit including one or more desired products having a known bioavailability through a user portal 120 accessible via a user device 118. The user device 118 can include, but is not limited to, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, a smart phone, and a tablet. The user device 118 can be used to access the user portal 120 via an application stored on the user device 118. The user portal 120 can include, at least, an ordering system 122 and a kit history database 124. In at least one example, the ordering system 122 can be used to create a cannabis consumable kit including instructions for the creation of one or more desired cannabis infused products. The ordering system 122 can be communicatively coupled with the server 102 via a communications network 130. The communication network 130 as described herein may be wired and/or a wireless network. If the communications network 130 is wireless, the communications network 130 may be implemented using communication techniques such as Visible Light Communication (VLC), Worldwide

Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Infrared (IR) communication, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), Radio waves, and other communication techniques known in the art. The

communication network 130 may allow ubiquitous access to shared pools of configurable system resources and higher-level services that can be rapidly provisioned with minimal management effort, often over Internet and relies on sharing of resources to achieve coherence and economies of scale, like a public utility, while third-party clouds 128 enable organizations to focus on their core businesses instead of expending resources on computer infrastructure and maintenance. The communication network 130 can allow the ordering system 122 to access the databases described in detail above. An exemplary method for ordering a cannabis consumable kit is described in detail with respect to FIG. 3.

[0014] The kit creation module 116 can access each of the databases stored on the memory 104 and can allow a user to create kit production parameters having specific bioavailability and cannabinoid profiles based on the user's preference. The kit creation module 116 can be operable to narrow the selection of items stored in the product database 106, cannabis database 108, and bioavailability database 110 to show a user only the available inputs as indicated in the inventory database 112. Additionally, the kit creation module 116 can determine which available products match the product profile the user is trying to create. After the kit creation module 116 prepares a suitable kit, the contents and quantity of the items included in the completed kits are stored in the kit database 114. Each time a user creates and/or orders a cannabis consumable kit using the user portal 120, the details of the kit can be stored in the kit history database 124 and correlated to the user.

[0015] The kit production equipment 126 can be communicatively coupled with both the user portal 120 and the server 102 and operable to combine the user selected components of the cannabis consumable kit. For example, the communications network 130 can transmit the user selections from the user portal 120 and kit parameters determined by the kit creation module 116 and send instructions including the products, ingredients, and quantities to the kit production equipment 126.

[0016] FIGS. 2A and 2B are flowcharts illustrating an exemplary method 200 for creating a kit of cannabis consumables based on specified effects. Such method 200 may result from execution of the kit creation module 116. One skilled in the art will appreciate that, for this and other processes and methods disclosed herein, the functions performed in the processes and methods may be implemented in differing order. Furthermore, the outlined steps and operations are only provided as examples, and some of the steps and operations may be optional, combined into fewer steps and operations, or expanded into additional steps and operations without detracting from the essence of the disclosed embodiments.

[0017] Specifically, a method 200 for creating a cannabis consumable kit using the kit creation module 116 can begin at block 202 of FIG. 2A. At block 202, the kit creation module 116 of the server 102 receives a kit creation request. In at least one example, the kit creation request can be received from a user portal 120 as described with respect to FIG. 1, above. At block 204, the kit creation module 116 retrieves data relating to previously created kits from the kit database 114. The kit creation module 116 then provides the received data to the requestor via a communications network 130 as described above. At block 206, the kit creation module 116 determines whether the user has selected a preexisting kit. If the user selected a preexisting kit, the method 200 proceeds to block 228 and transmits an instruction to the kit production equipment 126 to begin production cycle. On the contrary, if the user does not select a preexisting kit, the method 200 proceeds to block 208 to proceed with the kit content selection process.

[0018] At block 208, the kit creation module 116 retrieves the listing of products which can be included infused with a cannabinoid using a cannabis consumable kit. The products available for cannabis infusion are described in detail with respect to the product database 106 of FIG. 1. At block 210, the kit creation module 116 can retrieve a list of available ingredients for the production of any of the products from the inventory database 112. The kit creation module 116 can then filter the available product list to include only those products whose complete ingredient list is available in the inventory database 112 at block 212. Once the available products list is updated based on the available inventory, the kit creation module 116 can provide the user with the available options and receive user selections. At block 214, the kit creation module 116 can receive a user selected product to infuse with cannabinoids for the kit being produced. The method 200 can continue to block 216, as indicated in FIG. 2B. [0019] For example, at block 216, the kit creation module 116 can receive a user defined desired effect. The desired effect can be any known effect related to the consumption of one or more cannabis compounds. Cannabis plants consist of over 500 unique chemical compounds, including over 100 cannabinoids, including, but not limited to, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabinol (CBN), tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), cannabidivarin (CBDV), cannabichromene (CBC), and cannabigerol (CBG). Cannbis plants can also consist of over 200 terpenes, including myrcene, limonene, linalool, caryophyllene, alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, alpha-bisabolol, eucalyptol, trans-nerolido, humulene, delta 3 carene, camphene, borneol, berpineol, valencene, geraniol, etc. Consumption of such compounds can produce various effects including, but are not limited to, promote relaxation, promote sleep, reduction of inflammation, pain relief, increased muscle control, reduction in anxiety, increased appetite, relief of nausea, increase focus, treat various ailments, slow the progression of diseases, and the like. At block 218, the kit creation module 116 can retrieve information relating to the available cannabis cultivars, cannabis products, cannabis extracts, and cannabis concentrates from the cannabis database 108 which have been shown to induce the user's desired effect. The kit creation module 116 can then transmit the cannabis cultivar, cannabis product, cannabis extract, and cannabis concentrate options to the user for selection.

[0020] At block 220, the kit creation module 116 can receive the user selected cannabis cultivar, cannabis product, cannabis extract, or cannabis concentrate for inclusion in the user's kit. For example, if the user desires to create their own cannabis extract or cannabis concentrate, the user may select a specific cannabis cultivar for inclusion in their kit. In such example, the user may select a cannabis plant including, but not limited to, dried cannabis plant material. In the alternative, the user may select a pre-made cannabis extraction or concentrate for inclusion in the kit. In addition to the user's cannabis cultivar, cannabis product, cannabis extract, or cannabis concentrate selection, the kit creation module 116 can also receive a desired duration of the effect. For example, the use can provide a preferred time frame for which the user wish the desired effect to last. In at least one example, the desired duration can include a preferred onset time frame, such as within one hour of consumption, as well as a desired duration of the effect, such as temporary or long lasting. It should be understood that the desired onset time and duration as provided are merely exemplary and are not intended to be limiting. In at least one example, the cannabis cultivar, cannabis product, cannabis extract, and/or cannabis concentrate selected by the user may not have a natural bioavailability corresponding to the user's desired duration of effect. For example, at block 222 the kit creation module 116 can retrieve a list of available bioavailability modifiers from the bioavailability database 110. Bioavailability modifiers which can be used to predictably adjust the bioavailability of a cannabis compound can include, but are not limited to, fats, carrier oils, vegetable oils, emulsifiers, terpenes, or any other carrier element capable of adjusting the bioavailability of a cannabinoid. For example, the natural onset time period and/or duration of the effect of a cannabis cultivar, cannabis product, cannabis extract, or cannabis concentrate can be adjusted by the addition of a bioavailability modifier. As such, the kit creation module 116 can provide a list of bioavailability modifiers capable of adjusting the bioavailability of the user selected cannabis cultivar, cannabis product, cannabis extract, or cannabis compound to reach the desired duration of effect. At block 224, the kit creation module 116 can receive the user selected bioavailability modifier.

[0021] At block 226, the kit creation module 116 can determine whether or not the kit selection process is complete. For example, the user can define more than one desired effect, thus creating a kit having multiple cannabis consumables, each consumable having a different desired effect. As such, if the kit creation module 116 determined that the kit selections are not complete, the method 200 can return to block 216, where an additional user desired effect is received. In the same manner as described above, the user can define a second desired effect which can be similar to or different from the first desired effect. For example, a first desired effect can be a rapid relief of pain, and a second desired effect can be an increased ability to fall asleep. In an alternative example, a product such as a beverage can be selected where a first desired effect is intoxication and a second desired effect is relaxation. Such examples are provided for illustrative purposes only, it should be readily recognized that any combination of known effects of cannabis compounds can be combined into the kit.

[0022] Once the kit creation module 116 receives the additional user selected effect, the method 200 can be repeated and the kit creation module 116 can receive user selections of a cannabis cultivar, cannabis product, cannabis extract, or cannabis concentrate, desired duration of the additional effect, and bioavailability modifier. In at least one example the additional user selected cannabis cultivar, cannabis product, cannabis extract, or cannabis concentrate, desired duration of effect, and bioavailability monitor can be different from the first selections. It should be generally understood, that the method 200 including block 216 through block 226 can be repeated as many times as necessary to create the desired kit. When each of the kit selections have been made, the method 200 can proceed to block 228, where the kit creation module 116 can transmit the kit selections to the kit production equipment 126 and the production of the user-defined cannabis consumable kit is begun. In at least one example, information relating to the user selections and the kit contents are stored in the kit database 114.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 300 for ordering a kit of cannabis consumables created based on specified effects. Such method 300 may result from execution of the ordering system 122.

[0024] Specifically, a method 300 for ordering a personalized cannabis consumable kit can begin at block 302, where a user logs into a user portal 120. As described with respect to FIG. 1, the user portal 120 can be accessed via an application stored on a user device 118. In at least one example, the user portal 120 can store information relating to the user including, but not limited to, age, height, weight, and gender. A user can then initiate an order via ordering system 122. At block 304, the ordering system 122 can receive preexisting kit options from the kit database 114 of the server 102 via a communications network 130, as described above. At block 306, the ordering system 122 can request the user select either a preexisting kit or to create a new kit. If the user selects a preexisting kit, the method 300 can proceed to block 318 and an order can be placed for the preexisting cannabis consumable kit. In the alternative, if the user selects to create a new kit, the method 300 can proceed to block 308.

[0025] The ordering system 122 can obtain a list of available products from the kit creation module 116 of the server 102. At block 308, the user can select the desired product to be infused with one or more cannabis compounds. At block 310, the ordering system 122 can provide the user with a plurality of desired effects as described in detail above. The user can select one of the plurality of desired effects which relates to the experience they want to have in their product. At block 312, the ordering system 122 can receive a list of cannabinoids, such as cannabis extracts or cannabis concentrates, which can produce the desired effect which the user has selected. The user can then select the cannabinoid they would like to have infused into their product. The ordering system 122 can also query the user regarding the preferred onset time and duration of the effects. The user can input selections based on their desired experience. At block 314, the ordering system 122 can provide the user with a list of bioavailability modifiers which are capable of adjusting the bioavailability of the selected cannabinoid to meet the selected onset time and duration of effects previously selected. The user can select the preferred bioavailability modifier to be added to the product.

[0026] At block 316, the ordering system 122 can query whether the user would like to include an additional product with a different desired effect to their customized kit. If the ordering system 122 determines that the kit selections are not complete, the method 300 can return to block 310 where the user selects the desired effect. The method 300 can continue as described above, allowing the user to select a desired cannabis cultivar, product, extract or concentrate, onset time, duration of effect, and bioavailability modifier. In at least one example, one or more of the selected effects, cannabinoids, onset times, duration of effects, and bioavailability modifiers are different for a first desired effect and a second desired effect. When, at block 316, the method 300 determines that the kit selections are complete, the method 300 can proceed to block 318 and the ordering system 122 can place the kit order based on the user selections. The kit created using the method 300 described herein can provide the user with a predictable experience based on their selections.

[0027] As described above, the ordering system 122 can save the kit information in the kit history database 124 for the user. In at least one example, the user portal 120 can further include a feedback system, wherein a user can enter comments relating to the actual effect each of the products produced by the kit the user experienced. In at least one example, if the user's actual experience does not match the originally selected effect the ordering system 122 can provide a suggested alternation to the kit. Specifically, the ordering system 122 may suggest a different cannabinoid or bioavailability modifier be substituted into the kit in order to adjust the user's actual experience. [0028] An exemplary user portal 120 including instructions for creation of the cannabis infused consumable as selected by the user is provided as Table 1.

Table 1

As indicated, the user portal 120 can include detailed information regarding the components of a user's kit including, but not limited to, the kit components and amount of each component the user should have received. For example, the exemplary user portal 120 of Table 1 displays elements of a cannabis consumable kit for making a fast-acting pain relief cannabis product and a long-lasting relaxation and sleep-inducing cannabis product. The user portal 120 can also include a link to a set of instructions for combining the provided kit ingredients to form the desired cannabis infused products. For example, if the user has selected a cannabis plant cultivar instead of an extract or concentrate, the instructions can include instructions on how to extract the desired cannabinoids to use in making the final cannabis product. The instructions can also include instructions for estimating the cannabinoid dosage for a recommended serving size of the product. In at least one example, the recommended serving size of the product can take the user information stored on the user portal 120 into account including, but not limited to, user age, height, weight, and gender. In at least one example, the instructions can be provided in the form of a PDF document.

[0029] In the example provided in Table 1, the kit will produce two separate cannabis products: the rapid pain relief THC drops, which will have a high THC content and provide a rapid onset of effects, and the relaxation brownies, which will have a high CBD, low THC cannabinoid mixture to be consumed after the rapid pain relief drops to provide relaxation and help induce sleep. In other examples, the kit may produce two different versions of the same cannabis-infused product, for example a baked good where one baked good will have a high THC content and a rapid onset of a psychoactive effect, and the second baked good will have a relaxing cannabinoid mixture to be consumed after the THC effects of the first baked good have peaked. As indicated, the instructions can include instructions relating to how the baked goods should be prepared as well as when to consume which baked good. For example, the instructions may state that the baked good having the first cannabinoid should be consumed first and that the baked good having the second cannabinoid should be consumed after a predetermined period of time, such as 2 to 3 hours later.

[0030] While the example provided with respect to Table 1 describes a kit including elements to produce cannabis infused products having two different effects on a consumer, it should be recognized that the example is merely illustrative and the kit can be designed to create any desired cannabis infused consumables. Additionally, it should be noted that while the example relating to Table 1 indicates that the kit includes two different cannabinoids any number of different cannabinoids can be included in the kit, based on the user's selections.

[0031] The foregoing detailed description of the technology has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the technology to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The described embodiments were chosen in order to best explain the principles of the technology, its practical application, and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the technology in various embodiments and with various modifications are suited to the particular use contemplated.