Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – With conveying means to supply successive receivers – With head – manifold or supply lowering means
Patent
1998-08-14
2000-03-14
Douglas, Steven O.
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
With conveying means to supply successive receivers
With head, manifold or supply lowering means
141 67, 141100, 141102, 141103, 141182, 141236, 141237, 141238, 141244, 141250, B67C 326
Patent
active
060359056
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for introducing each of a plurality of doses of particulate material into a respective compartment of a container. The invention is particularly applicable to the loading of a multi-compartment container with a powdered medicament.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Co-pending PCT Patent Application No PCT/GB94/02716 (Publication No WO95/16483) describes a method of filling a container such as may be used in an inhaler for dispensing medication for respiratory complaints. In that method, the container, which takes the form of a flexible plate, is laid flat on a porous bed and an excess of powdered medicament applied to one face of the plate. Gas pressure is then used to urge the medicament into apertures in the plate, which is then wiped clean of any excess of powdered medicament and sealed on opposite faces with laminate foil so that each aperture of the plate holds a respective individually encapsulated dose of medicament.
In this method, the volume of each dose is determined by the capacity of each aperture in the plate, and cannot therefore be altered for any given container. In addition, residual traces of particulate material must be removed from the face of the plate before the foil laminate is applied, otherwise the effectiveness of the seal between the foil and the plate may be compromised.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of introducing each of a plurality of doses of particulate material into a respective compartment of a container, the method comprising the steps of: reduce the capacity thereof; respective protuberance inserted in said compartment; and respective compartment.
Thus the method enables a container, the compartments of which hitherto would have been completely filled, to hold smaller doses of particulate material. This is a particular advantage if the container is for use as an inhaler since containers of the same basic dimensions can then be used to hold doses of medicament which differ in volume.
In addition, if each compartment is completely filled, with a protuberance inserted, the volume of the resultant dose of material will be the net of the total volume of the compartment and the volume occupied by the protuberance thus, for a given size of compartment, the volume of the dose can be controlled by selecting a protuberance of suitable dimensions.
Preferably, each protuberance comprises a conduit which is inserted part-way into the respective compartment and through which said particulate material is introduced into said compartment.
Preferably, the distance by which each conduit can be inserted into its respective compartment is determined by stop means which engage with the portions of the container around the entrance to the compartment to prevent further insertion.
Conveniently, the container may comprise a plate having a plurality of apertures, each of which constitutes a respective compartment, and in this case the apertures are preferably filled by the steps of positioning the plate on a porous bed with the apertures in communication with a reservoir of particulate material; applying gaseous pressure to the material in the reservoir so as to transfer particulate material from the reservoir to the apertures, the porosity of the bed being such as to allow the passage of gas but to prevent the particulate material from passing all the way through the apertures and escaping from the underside of the plate. Preferably, the gas is passed through the porous bed via the reservoir and the apertures.
The use of gas provides additional control over the force with which the particulate material is urged into the apertures, and hence the density of the material therein.
Preferably, the bed comprises a perforated base plate and a sheet of finely porous material, for example filter paper, interposed, in use, between the base plate and the container
The apertures, once filled, are preferably sealed so that each dose is individually encapsulated i
REFERENCES:
patent: 249544 (1881-11-01), Pritchard
patent: 3718164 (1973-02-01), Stewart
patent: 4731979 (1988-03-01), Yamamoto et al.
patent: 4751948 (1988-06-01), Hertig et al.
patent: 4884602 (1989-12-01), Yamamoto et al.
patent: 5775389 (1998-07-01), Griffin
Douglas Steven O.
Maust Timothy L.
Merck Patent Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung
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