Method and apparatus for orienting articles
An apparatus for orienting pills has an upper assembly portion, a lower assembly portion, and a channel formed in the upper assembly portion and the lower assembly portion. Between the upper assembly portion and the lower assembly portion is a smooth-walled twist portion which twists to rotate the pills as the pills move from the upper assembly portion to the lower assembly portion to dispense the pills into blister packages in a desired orientation.
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The present invention is directed to automatic packaging of articles, and more particularly, to an apparatus for orienting pills or capsules to be placed, for example, into blister packs.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONBlister packages contain small articles, such as a pharmaceutical dosage form of medicinal products. These packages allow the user to access the product by applying pressure to the blister to force the product from an individual blister or capsule through a rupturable layer. Blister packs maintain an advantage over pill bottles in that with blister packs, when a single dose is needed, only the pill which is to be taken is disturbed. The remaining doses are maintained within their individual blisters and are not exposed to environmental factors.
Blister packs usually contain at least two layers: a clear plastic layer as a cover, and a foil layer as a barrier that together define an individual blister. In some instances, the foil layer is reinforced with a paper layer. The plastic cover layer usually defines cavities into which pills are maintained. These cavities are generally shaped similar to the shape of the pill (i.e. if the pill is oblong, the location is generally rectangular, if the pill is circular, the location is generally circular).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA method and an apparatus provide for orienting pills. According to an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus has a channel. The channel includes a smooth-walled twist portion which twists to rotate the pills as the pills move along the channel. In an exemplary embodiment, the smoothed-walled twist portion rotates the pills 90°.
According to another exemplary embodiment, a packaging apparatus is included for placing pills in a specific orientation into blister packs. The packaging apparatus includes an upper assembly portion having a hopper attached thereto and adapted to hold pills dispensed therein. A lower assembly portion is connected to the upper assembly portion and disposed at an angle to the upper assembly portion. A channel is formed in the upper assembly portion and the lower assembly portion. The channel includes a smooth-walled twist portion that twists 90° to rotate the pills 90° as the pills move from the upper assembly portion to the lower assembly portion. An impeller is disposed in the hopper of the upper assembly portion to urge the pills in the hopper into the channel of the upper assembly portion.
A method is also contemplated for orienting pills to be placed into blister packs. The method includes inserting the pills into a smooth-walled channel defined by an upper assembly portion and rotating the pills 90° within the channel as the pills move from the upper assembly portion to a channel disposed in a lower assembly portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing. It is emphasized that, according to common practice, the various features of the drawing are not to scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of the various features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. Included in the drawing are the following figures:
Referring now to the drawing, in which like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout the various figures that comprise the drawing,
Orientation device 300 is shown in more detail in the perspective views of
As illustrated in more detail in
Referring again to
The present invention also provides for a method of orienting pills to be placed into blister packs. The methods includes inserting pills into a smooth-walled channel defined by upper assembly portion 204. Once inserted, the pills are rotated 90° in twist portions 406 as the pills move from upper assembly portion 304 to lower assembly portion 306.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein with reference to specific embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the invention.
While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein, it will be understood that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the appended claims cover all such variations as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
1. An apparatus for orienting pills, comprising:
- an upper assembly portion;
- a lower assembly portion; and
- a channel formed in said upper assembly portion and said lower assembly portion, said channel including a smooth-walled twist portion which twists to rotate said pills as said pills move from said upper assembly portion to said lower assembly portion.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said channel above said twist portion has a width that is less than a width of said channel below said twist portion.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said upper assembly portion and said lower assembly portion are of unibody construction.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said pills are rotated 90° by said smooth-walled twist portion.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said upper assembly portion is disposed at an angle to said lower assembly portion.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said upper assembly portion is substantially co-planar with said lower assembly portion.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a stop member at a bottom of said lower assembly portion which prevents said pills from leaving said channel.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said channel is one of a plurality of channels which rotates said pills 90°.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an impeller with blades, said impeller rotates to sweep said pills into said channel.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a circular member which rotates below said lower assembly portion, said circular member including locations into which said pills are situated before said pills are deposited onto a packing material.
11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said smooth-walled twist portion of said channel includes a guide on a fourth side.
12. A packaging apparatus for placing pills in a specific orientation into blister packs comprising:
- an upper assembly portion;
- a hopper attached to said upper assembly portion and adapted to hold pills dispensed therein;
- a lower assembly portion connected to said upper assembly portion and disposed at an angle to said upper assembly portion;
- a channel formed in said upper assembly portion and said lower assembly portion, said channel including a smooth-walled twist portion which twists to rotate said pills as said pills move from said upper assembly portion to said lower assembly portion; and
- an impeller disposed in said hopper of said upper assembly portion to urge said pills in said hopper into said channel of said upper assembly portion.
13. The packaging apparatus of claim 12, wherein said channel above said twist portion has a width that is less than a width of said channel below said twist portion.
14. The packaging apparatus of claim 12 further comprising a drum defining a series of locations for receiving pills from said lower assembly.
15. The packaging apparatus of claim 14 further comprising a conveyor carrying said blister packs at a predetermined linear speed, said drum carrying said pills received from said lower assembly portion rotates at a speed synchronous with said speed of said conveyer, wherein pills carried in said cavities of said drum are placed into said blister packs on said conveyer.
16. The packaging apparatus of claim 12, wherein said pills are rotated 90° by said smooth-walled twist portion.
17. A method for orienting pills to be placed into blister packs, the method comprising the steps of:
- inserting the pills into a smooth-walled channel defined by an upper assembly portion;
- rotating the pills within the channel as the pills move from the upper assembly portion to a channel disposed in a lower assembly portion.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the upper assembly portion is disposed at an angle to the lower assembly portion.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the channel defined by the upper assembly portion has a width that is less than the width of the channel defined by the lower assembly portion.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein said pills are rotated 90° by said smooth-walled twist portion.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 5, 2004
Publication Date: May 11, 2006
Applicant:
Inventor: Dieter Stueckle (Forest Grove, PA)
Application Number: 10/981,979
International Classification: B65B 1/04 (20060101);