Abstract: A gate assembly, for a dedicated feeder sub-system in a pharmaceutical product packaging system, includes a flexible gating structure. Product feed tubes leading from a product bin to a packaging web loading station carry slots in which flexible bands operate to intercept product within the product feed tubes. A drive mechanism controls the position of the flexible bands to intercept the line of flow product units and to index a single product unit at a time from each feed tube. The indexing of individual product from each feed tube is simultaneous thereby loading a matrix of product onto the packaging web in a single load operation. The operation of the drive is timed in synchronism with the operation of the packaging system. Change over adjustments are available for different product shapes, sizes and characteristics.

Abstract: An apparatus for feeding a plurality of pharmaceutical product simultaneously onto a matrix of formed blister webbing is provided. The dedicated feeder structure is held within a housing which incorporates a plurality of hanger plates for easy manual exchange and replacement of the feeder component subsystems called "change parts". These components include a reciprocating bin carried on a platform for simultaneously delivering a plurality of product in a desired matrix format. A plurality of entrance chutes, assembled into the matrix formation simultaneously feeds the product downward from the bin. A horizontally operated shuttle gate having a plurality of product orifices operates to simultaneously open and close each chute and to transfer the respective matrix of product to a release guide structure which may be implemented as a template or a plurality of release chutes. The release guide structure feeds the matrix of formed blister webbing.