Article dispensing – Cellular magazine type – Conveyer type
Utility Patent
1999-05-04
2001-01-02
Noland, Kenneth W. (Department: 3651)
Article dispensing
Cellular magazine type
Conveyer type
C221S277000
Utility Patent
active
06168045
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a unit for orienting and supplying bottom shells of medicinal capsules.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As is known, medicinal capsules normally comprise a substantially cup-shaped bottom shell; a top shell for closing the bottom shell; and a given quantity of drug enclosed inside the bottom shell. The top and bottom shells are normally made of hard gel, which is rapidly dissolved by gastric acids to release the drug within a short time from the drug being taken.
Currently used machines for producing medicinal capsules receive the drug and the empty capsules separately at the input, and supply, at the output, a succession of capsules containing a predetermined quantity of drug.
Such machines normally comprise a pocket conveyor for feeding a succession of capsules along a path extending through a supply station where the empty capsules are oriented and inserted successively inside the pockets on the conveyor; a parting station where each top shell is detached from the respective bottom shell to open the capsule; a cleaning station where any processing residue is removed from inside each bottom shell; a dispensing station where a predetermined quantity of drug is fed into each bottom shell; a closing station where each top shell is put back onto the respective bottom shell; and, finally, a pickup station where the medicinal capsules are removed off the pocket conveyor.
The marketing of new types of controlled-release medicinal capsules, however, now calls for supplying production machines separately with the drug and the top and bottom shells. To do this, various units for orienting and supplying the bottom shells have been devised, but which are relatively complex and fail to provide for a sufficiently high hourly output rate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a unit for orienting and supplying bottom shells, which is straightforward and cheap to produce, and which provides for a higher hourly output rate than currently used units.
According to the present invention, there is provided a unit for orienting and supplying bottom shells of medicinal capsules; the unit comprising an orienting assembly for receiving the bottom shells in bulk at the input and supplying a succession of equioriented bottom shells at the output; and the unit being characterized by said orienting assembly comprising a drum, which is mounted for rotation about a first axis, has a number of seats, each for housing a bottom shell, and has a number of unloading conduits, each communicating with a respective seat and by which the bottom shell housed in the seat is conveyed outwards of the seat; the orienting assembly also comprising supply means for successively feeding into each seat on the drum a bottom shell coaxial with a second axis; and extracting means for successively ejecting each bottom shell from the respective seat and into the respective unloading conduit; said seats on the drum being so formed as to equiorient the bottom shells ejected from the seats.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5405048 (1995-04-01), Rogers et al.
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
MG2 S.p.A.
Noland Kenneth W.
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