Drug bag strip winding and bundling machine

Details Drug bag strip winding and bundling machine Drug bag strip winding and bundling machine

1999-04-13

2001-04-10

Vo, Peter (Department: 3721)

Package making

With contents treating

Reshaping

C053S591000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06212855

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a winding machine for winding a strip of series-connected drug bags formed by a drug packaging machine, and a bundling machine for bundling the thus wound strip.
In a conventional bundling machine of this type, a web of serially connected drug bags formed by a drug packaging machine is automatically cut into a plurality of strips each for a particular patient and distributed to the respective patients.
As shown in
FIG. 11
, this conventional bundling machine comprises a cutter
2
for cutting a web of series-connected drug bags formed by a drug packaging machine W into a plurality of strips S each consisting of three bags F containing drugs to be taken in the morning, afternoon, and evening of one day, U-shaped gutters
18
for stacking the strips for each patient, and a bundling unit
6
for putting a band B around the stack of strips S in each gutter.
As shown in
FIG. 11
, the gutters
18
are movable laterally one by one to the position opposite an opening
16
of the bundling unit
6
. With a gutter
18
opposite the opening
16
, the stack of strips S in the gutter is pushed out into the opening
16
of the bundling unit
6
where a band B is put on, and the thus bundled strips are dropped into a box
19
.
Since strips of drug bags are bundled for each patient, it is easy for hospital personnel to distribute each bundle of strips to the corresponding patient. Since each strip includes three bags containing drugs to be taken in the morning, afternoon and evening of each day, patients can take their drugs easily simply by opening the bags one at a time.
But since each bundle consists of a plurality of separate bags each for one day, a more or less senile patient might mistake drugs to be taken in the evening for drugs to be taken in the morning, or take only drugs to be taken in the morning.
Also, when the band is removed, strips tend to become scattered, so that handling is difficult even for sane patients.
An object of this invention is to provide a device which can wind a strip of serially connected drug bags in such a way that patients can take their drugs in the right order with high reliability, and a device for efficiently bundling the thus wound strip.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to this invention, there is provided a winding machine for winding a web of serially connected drug bags which is being fed along a feed path, the winding machine comprising a pair of engaging members rotatably provided along the feed path for winding the web therearound with one end of the web engaged between the engaging members.
With the drug bag winding machine according to this invention, when the rotary member is rotated with the leading end of the web of drug bags engaged between one pair of the engaging protrusions, the web abuts another pair of protrusions and the first pair of protrusions repeatedly and alternately. The web is thus wound around two pairs of protrusions.
According to this invention, there is also provided a winding/bundling machine comprising a winding device for winding a web of serially connected drug bags which is being fed in a predetermined direction, a cutter for cutting the thus wound web into strips of a predetermined length, a conveyor for feeding the thus wound and cut strips of drug bags, and a bundling unit for putting a band around each of the wound, cut and fed strips of drug bags.
With the drug bag strip bundling machine according to this invention, while wound by the winding machine, the web is cut into strips each for one patient or one prescription. Each strip is fed by the conveyor and a band is put around the strip. The drug bags of each strip never separate from each other because they are integrally connected together.
In the arrangement in which the protrusions are retractable into the rotary member, strips can be more easily fed to the bundling station by removing them from the rotary member.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4601154 (1986-07-01), Ausnit
patent: 4694959 (1987-09-01), Ausnit et al.
patent: 4783948 (1988-11-01), Kando

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