Package making – Apparatus for forming or partially forming receptacle and... – Forming a pocket – depression – or hollow compartment by...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-09
2001-04-03
Kim, Eugene (Department: 3721)
Package making
Apparatus for forming or partially forming receptacle and...
Forming a pocket, depression, or hollow compartment by...
C053S900000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209296
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus for enrobing medicine and other ingestible tablets in a digestible film.
The pharmaceutical industry commonly provides drugs in the form of a capsule or tablet that can be readily swallowed by a person. The dosage form known as a tablet is solid and hard with a predetermined shape. Its active ingredients are held together with a suitable binder.
Recent U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,730 issued Sep. 15, 1992 to Banner Gelatin Products Corp. teaches a method and apparatus for producing medicine tablets that are enrobed in a gelatin coating formed by applying two layers of film to opposite sides of the tablet. Hard cores or preforms are dispensed on a self-timed basis into simultaneous contact with the two films which are supported on coacting rotary dies that come together to form a nip. The hard cores contact the films adjacent this nip at places which overlay recesses formed in the dies. The elastic films deform around each core and are sealed by the dies to each other. The dies then cut the covered cores from the films.
One of the difficulties of this known apparatus is that the rotary die members which are believed to be made of metal are quite expensive to manufacture. If one or both of the rotary dies should be damaged for any reason, it may be necessary to completely replace one or both of the rotary die members at a substantial cost. Furthermore, if this should occur and it becomes necessary to shut down a manufacturing operation until the one or more rotary dies are replaced, there is likely to be substantial additional expense and loss as a result of the shutdown in operations.
Recent U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,733 issued Nov. 4, 1997 to the present applicant describes another apparatus for enrobing tablets, which apparatus employs a main linked track of die blocks with each block having a number of recesses formed in its top surface. There is also a revolving cooperating die device which can be either another linked track or a cylindrical rotary die and this device also has a plurality of recesses, each of which is cooperable with a recess of similar size in the main linked track to provide an enclosed cavity capable of holding one of the tablets. A gelatin strip is delivered to the main linked track and moves along its upper path. A tablet dispenser drops tablets into depressions formed in this gelatin strip. A second gelatin strip is delivered to the apparatus and is laid over the first strip when the two strips reach a region of contact.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for enrobing tablets in a layer of gelatin, which apparatus employs rotary die assemblies each with a series of die blocks and which apparatus can be repaired should it become damaged with reasonable speed and at less expense than the prior art rotary die members.
It is another object of the present invention to provide relatively inexpensive die blocks for use in an apparatus for enrobing ingestible tablets, these blocks being made of a hard plastics material and each having a number of similar recesses formed in the top.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide the aforementioned inexpensive die blocks for enrobing tablets, these blocks having one or more passageways for applying vacuum to the or each recess formed in the block. With these blocks vacuum can be used to pull the adjacent gelatin web into the recess, thereby forming a cup to receive the tablet.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the invention, an apparatus for enrobing tablets in a gelatin layer includes a pair of cylindrical rotary die assemblies, each die assembly including a substantially cylindrical, rotatable die support and a series of die blocks mounted on the die support for rotation about a central axis of the die support. Each block has at least one recess formed in a top surface thereof and each recess of each die assembly is cooperable with a similar recess in the other die assembly to form a cavity at a nip formed by the die assemblies. Each cavity is dimensioned to receive therein one of the tablets. The blocks of at least one of the rotary die assemblies each have one or more vacuum applying passageways that open into the at least one recess. The apparatus also includes a drive system for rotating both die assemblies around their respective central axes so that the two series move in synchronism with each other. Feed apparatus delivers a gelatin strip of selected thickness and composition to each of the die assemblies. During use of the apparatus, each gelatin strip is pulled by a respective one of the die assemblies into the nip and is laid on a section of the series of die blocks of the respective die assembly. A tablet dispensing mechanism dispenses individual whole tablets onto one of the gelatin strips at a feeding location that is upstream of the nip. A vacuum applying device is mounted adjacent at least one of the rotary die assemblies and connectible to a vacuum source. The vacuum applying device extends from a first location adjacent the nip to a second location near the tablet dispenser and has a primary vacuum applying passageway extending therealong. A portion or portions of at least one of the gelatin strips is stretched in the recess by vacuum applied to the recess by the vacuum applying device and the one or more vacuum passageways in the respective block. Each dispensing tablet is held in a stretched portion of the gelatin strip as the tablet moves into the nip.
In a preferred embodiment, each die block of each series has a number of recesses arranged in one or more rows extending transversely of its respective die assembly and is made of a hard, plastics material.
According to another aspect of the invention, a die block for use in an apparatus for enrobing ingestible tablets of selected size and shape with a gelatin film has a top, a bottom and sides extending between the top and the bottom. There are a number of similar recesses formed in the top with each recess being dimensioned to receive loosely therein at least one half of one of the tablets. A raised rim extends about a perimeter of each recess for cutting a gelatin film laid over the top of the block during use of the block, which is made of hard, plastics material.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the block is made of carbon fibre reinforced plastics material.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a die block for use in an apparatus for enrobing tablets of selected size and shape with an ingestible film, the block having a top, a bottom and sides extending between the top and the bottom. A number of similar recesses are formed in the top with each recess being dimensioned to receive therein at least one half of one of the tablets. A raised rim extends around a perimeter of each recess for cutting a gelatin film laid over the top of said block during use thereof. Each recess has a bottom and at least one sidewall forming a substantially enclosed recess with an open top. The block has two opposite ends and one or more vacuum applying passageways opening into the recesses, including an initial passageway having an open end at one end of the die block.
The tablet dispensing mechanism can comprise a number of vacuum applying members arranged in a row extending transversely of the one die assembly and the transfer mechanism includes a slidable frame member on which the vacuum applying members are mounted.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2219578 (1940-10-01), Pittenger
patent: 2387747 (1945-10-01), Cowley
patent: 2513852 (1950-07-01), Donofrio
patent: 2663128 (1953-12-01), Stirn et al.
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patent: 2775081 (1956-12-01), Stirn et al.
patent: 4567714 (1986-02-01), Chasman
patent: 4571924 (1986-02-01), Bahrani
patent: 4817367 (1989-04-01), Ishikawa et al.
patent: 5074102 (1991-12-01), Simpson et al.
patent: 5459983 (1995-10-01), Sadek et al.
patent: 5682733 (1997-11-01), Perrone
patent: 5761886 (1998-06-01), Parkhideh
patent: 881022
Kim Eugene
Lipsitz Barry R.
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