Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B43/00—Forming, feeding, opening or setting-up containers or receptacles in association with packaging
  • B65B43/42—Feeding or positioning bags, boxes, or cartons in the distended, opened, or set-up state; Feeding preformed rigid containers, e.g. tins, capsules, glass tubes, glasses, to the packaging position; Locating containers or receptacles at the filling position; Supporting containers or receptacles during the filling operation
  • B65B43/54—Means for supporting containers or receptacles during the filling operation
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B5/00—Packaging individual articles in containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, jars
  • B65B5/10—Filling containers or receptacles progressively or in stages by introducing successive articles, or layers of articles
  • B65B5/101—Filling containers or receptacles progressively or in stages by introducing successive articles, or layers of articles by gravity
  • B65B5/103—Filling containers or receptacles progressively or in stages by introducing successive articles, or layers of articles by gravity for packaging pills or tablets
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B65/00—Details peculiar to packaging machines and not otherwise provided for; Arrangements of such details
  • B65B65/02—Driving gear
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B67/00—Apparatus or devices facilitating manual packaging operations; Sack holders
  • B65B67/02—Packaging of articles or materials in containers
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
  • G07F11/004—Restocking arrangements therefor
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
  • G07F11/02—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines
  • G07F11/44—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which magazines the articles are stored in bulk
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
  • G07F11/46—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from movable storage containers or supports
  • G07F11/48—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from movable storage containers or supports the storage containers or supports, e.g. magazine, being pivotally mounted
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
  • G07F11/62—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
  • G07F17/0092—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles

Definitions

• the discrete medicaments can be loaded into the supply chamber of the feeder unit while said supply chamber is positioned at an angle to the vertical direction .
• the discrete medicaments can be loaded in such a way that they can be deflected via or slide over one of the inclined circumferential surfaces of the supply chamber towards the bottom end of said supply chamber, instead of falling directly onto said bottom end .
• the risk of damage to the discrete medicaments can thus be minimized or reduced .
• the filling station can autonomously hold the feeder unit in the inclined orientation, so that the operator has both hands free to perform the filling .
• Figures 1-5 show a feeder unit 8 and a filling station 1 for filling said feeder unit 8 with discrete medicaments , discrete solid medicaments , pharmaceuticals or solid items , articles or substances for medical use, e . g . pills , tablets , capsules or the like .
• the medicaments are 'discrete ' in the sense that they can be dispensed one-by- one, individually, separately or in dose units .
• the feeder unit 8 is also known as a ' canister' or a 'medication dispensing unit container' .
• the feeder unit 8 is part of a large number of feeder units (not shown) to be installed in an array of feeder positions of an automated dispensing device .
• the feeder unit 8 is provided with a plurality of positioning slots 86 , 87 that can be mated with corresponding positioning members at the array of feeder positions in the automated dispensing device for accurate positioning and/or alignment of said feeder unit 8 .
• the feeder unit 8 can be positioned and/or aligned in the same way or a similar way with the feeder dock 4 of the filling station 1 in a manner that will be described hereafter in more detail .
• the holder 3 comprises a platform 30 for receiving, supporting and/or carrying the feeder dock 4 and any feeder unit 8 placed thereon .
• the holder 3 has a generally elongated shape , extending in a longitudinal direction L for receiving the feeder unit 8 in an orientation in which the feeder plane F is parallel or substantially parallel to said longitudinal direction L .
• FIG 3 shows the situation in which the feeder unit 8 is placed on the feeder dock 4 .
• the holder 3 is in the upright orientation A.
• Figure 4 shows that the cover 83 has been removed from the feeder unit 8 . In case of a hinged cover, the cover is tilted into the open position .
• the filling opening 85 is now exposed .
• Figure 5 shows the situation in which the holder 3 , and the feeder unit 8 supported thereon, has been swivelled from the upright orientation A into the first inclined orientation B .
• the filling station 1 can autonomously hold the feeder unit 8 in the first inclined orientation B, so that the operator has both hands free to perform the filling .
• the discrete medicaments 9 may now be loaded into the supply chamber 80 via the filling opening 85.
• the supply chamber 80 is conveniently positioned at an angle to the vertical plane Z .
• the internal circumferential surface or side wall of the supply chamber 80 is arranged at a relatively shallow angle to the horizontal plane X .
• the discrete medicaments 9 can be loaded in such a way that they can be deflected via or slide over the side wall of the supply chamber 80 towards the bottom end of said supply chamber 80 , instead of falling directly onto said bottom end .
• the risk of damage to the discrete medicaments 9 can thus be minimi zed or reduced . While figure 5 shows manual filling, the filling could be performed by a machine , robot or other manner than hand-filling .
• the abutment members 136, 137 may be slightly modified to take into account the positions of the first inclination stopper 121 and the second inclination stopper 122 .
• the swivel mechanism 105 is adj usted accordingly such that the swivel axis S is located closer to or in the symmetrical mid-plane of the holder 103 , for example coinciding with the feeder plane F .
• the position of the shaft opening 134 is closer a center position with the holder 103 . This allows for a more symmetrical swiveling in both swivel directions Rl , R2 .
• Figure 7 shows a further alternative filling station 201 according to a third embodiment , which dif fers from the previously discussed filling stations 1 , 101 in that it features an upright stopper 220 and/or one or more inclination stoppers 221 , 222 , 223 , 224 in the form of magnets .
• the one or more stoppers 220-224 may be provided in one of the base 202 or the holder 203 , with corresponding ferromagnetic features in the other of the base 202 and the holder 203 .
• the one or more stoppers 220-224 can be used to retain the holders 203 in one or more orientations relative to the base 202 with a magnetic force .
• the aforementioned abutment members and/or release members are not required, but may still be provided as an additional security .
• Figure 8 shows a further alternative filling station 301 according to a fourth embodiment , which di ffers from the previously discussed filling stations 1 , 101 , 201 in that the further alternative filling station 301 further comprises a swivel drive 351 , preferably housed in the base 302 , for driving a swiveling of the holder relative to the base 302 between the upright orientation A and one or more inclined orientations B, C .
• the swivel drive 351 may be configured to drive the shaft 350 directly .
• the previously discussed filling stations 1 , 101 , 201 , 301 may optionally be provided with a control unit 6 and/or further electronics , such as sensors , RFID readers , barcode scanners , processors , memory and the like , preferably housed in the base 2 , 102 , 202 , 302 , to provide additional functionality to and/or at least partially automate the filling operation .
• the control unit 6 can be operationally and/or electronically connected to the feeder dock 4 to read out information from the feeder unit 8 , or receive signals from the weighing element 44 indicative of the weight of the feeder unit 8 or its contents .
• the filling station 1 , 101 , 201 may be configured to identify the feeder unit 8 that is placed on the holder 3 during the filling operation, to ensure that the correct feeder unit 8 is being filled .
• the control unit 6 may be loaded with computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the control unit 6 to calculate the amount of discrete medicaments 9 loaded into the feeder unit 8 based on the weight of the feeder unit 8 before , during and/or after the filling operation .
• the control unit 6 can be operationally and/or electronically connected to the swivel drive 351 to control the position of the holder 3 relative to the base 302 .

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Supply Of Fluid Materials To The Packaging Location (AREA)
• Basic Packing Technique (AREA)
• Medical Preparation Storing Or Oral Administration Devices (AREA)
• Filling Of Jars Or Cans And Processes For Cleaning And Sealing Jars (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=83059388

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2022
  • 2022-08-22 MX MX2024002351A patent/MX2024002351A/es unknown
  • 2022-08-22 WO PCT/NL2022/050482 patent/WO2023027581A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2022-08-22 AU AU2022335241A patent/AU2022335241A1/en active Pending
  • 2022-08-22 CA CA3229832A patent/CA3229832A1/en active Pending
  • 2022-08-22 EP EP22758599.9A patent/EP4392951A1/en active Pending
  • 2022-08-22 JP JP2024510730A patent/JP2024532247A/ja active Pending
  • 2022-08-22 KR KR1020247009681A patent/KR20240055774A/ko unknown

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