US2850859A

US2850859A - Apparatus for attaching metal vial seals

Info

Publication number: US2850859A
Application number: US598614A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur S Taylor; Ellsworth R Sandhage
Original assignee: American Cyanamid Co
Current assignee: Wyeth Holdings LLC
Priority date: 1956-07-18
Filing date: 1956-07-18
Publication date: 1958-09-09
Anticipated expiration: 1975-09-09

Description

A. s. TAYLOR ETAL 2,850,859

APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING METAL vIAL SEALS Sept. 9, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 18, 1956 IN V EN TORS. ARTHUR S. TAYLOR EL L5 WO/i TH R. SA NDHA GE ATTOR/VEX P 1958 A. s. TAYLOR ETAL 2,850,859

APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING METAL VIAL SEALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. ARTHUR 5. TAYLOR BgLLSWORTH R. SANDHAGE Filed July 18, 1956 Mmwk ATTORNEY.

of the components.

United States Patent APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING METAL VIAL SEALS Arthur S. Taylor, Spring Valley, and Ellsworth R. Sandhage, Pearl River, N. Y., assignors to American Cyanamid Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Maine Application July 18, 1956, Serial No. 598,614

1 Claim. (Cl. 53-310) This invention relates to a machine for curling a soft metal retaining seal around a resilient stopper in a vial to hold the stopper in the vial.

In pharmaceutical practice it has been customary to use glass vials for various serums, medicaments, medicines, and antibiotics which are prepared for hypodermic adminstration as well as other materials. In the neck of the vial is placed a resilient stopper of rubber, or a rubber substitute, with suitable means such as a metallic seal for retaining the stopper in position. Usually the seal has been of aluminum, and has been placed over the stopper and the rim on the neck of the vial, and spun into position by using a plurality of rotating forming wheels which draw the metal under the rim. Such machines have required a comparatively large space because the rotating forming wheels, as they spin around the edge of the rim were fairly bulky, and room for the operation had to be maintained. Secondly, an additional difficulty has been that the drawing of the metal under the rim of the neck of the vial has been accomplished by a lateral action, and under many circumstances the stopper and the seal have not been firmly pressed against the face of the vial during the spinning operation thus permitting leaks around the stopper.

By the present device such leaks are obviated because the stopper and the seal are firmly pressed into position independent of variations in the manufacturing tolerances The space on a production line required for the present device is much less than that which has been required by previously developed machines. This saving of space is particularly convenient if two vials are pressed or clipped together, as for example may be expedient in using a dry component and a liquid component which are to be stored together for admixture at time of use. A double vial with two parallel spaced necks is useful for such components, but previously the lack of machines for closing such vials has rendered their use impractical.

It has been found that metallic seals, usually referred to in the industry as aluminum seals, may be curled around in position by using a split curling die which embraces the neck of the vial and has a curling flange or inturned flange on the bottom. For such a die to be placed over the neck of the vial it is necessary that it be split so that it can be placed over the neck of the vial in at least two sections, and then closed for use in the curling operation. The closed curling die is generally cylindrical with an inturned flange at the bottom, there being a slightly rounded fillet between the cylindrical portion and the curved portion, so that as the leading edge of the aluminum seal is forced down the cylindrical portion, it touches the fillet and is turned inward by the flange, and thus curled under the rim on the neck of the vial. The open seals are fed by suitable means to above the curling die, and then forced downward by a ram into the curlingldie and around both the stopper and the rim on the vial, and into position. Because the ram is forcing the seal downward, it necessarily presses the resilient stopper more firmly into position than has been previously possible in commercial operations, and

the curling die action draws the metal of the seal under the rim in such a fashion that the stopper is positively retained in position.

The vial feeding means for positioning the vials may be any which are convenient, providing that it is resiliently positioned so that the vial may be pressed downward by the ram and the rim of the bottle acts in conjunction with the curling die under the influence of the ram to curl the seal. Obviously, if the vial were supported at the wrong height by the feed mechanism an adequate curling action could not be obtained or the vial would be broken.

It will be obvious the same type of sealing action takes place whether a one-, two-, or three-piece seal is being used so that the considerations dictating the type of seal to be used need not be influenced by the closing operation. The accompanying drawings illustrate a particular modification of our invention in which:

Figure 1 is a front view in partial section showing the curling die open, and the ram in its upper position.

Figure 2 shows the curling die closed, and the ram partway down having picked up a seal, with a stoppered vial in sealing position.

Figure 3 shows closing action complete with the ram having forced the seal into position and curled it under the lip of the vial.

Figure 4 has a sectional view showing the seal curled under the rim of the bottle.

Figure 5 is a top view of the curling die showing the die in open position, as a new vial moves to position on the conveyor.

Figure 6 is a top view of the closed curling die.

Figure 7 is an exploded view of a three-piece seal.

Figure 8 is an exploded view of a one-piece seal.

In these drawings for the purpose of illustration a preferred form of apparatus for the practice of the present invention is shown. A vial conveyor belt 11, having thereon spaced vials 15, passes over a vial conveyor belt support 12 which is resiliently supported by a support spring 13, which is protected by the dust shield 14. This provides a suitable series of vials for sealing, and provides a resilient support whereby commercial variations in vial size are allowed for, and the vials are resiliently supported at a proper level for the sealing operation. On the vial conveyor belt are placed the vials 15, as shown in Figures 1 and 5. As the individual vials approach the sealing position, they are positioned so that the neck of the vial 16 and the rim of the vial 17, in which is placedthe resilient stopper 18, is between

parts

19 and 20 of a two-part curling die. The two parts of the curling die, as shown at 19 and 20, oscillate in

curling die guides

21 and 22 under the control of the curling die

closing rods

23 and 24. In position the curling die halves are closed about the neck of the vial and just under the rim so that the inturned flange 25 on the curling die extends under the rim of the vial. A curling fillet 26 connects the cylindrical portion of the closed curling die, and the inturned flange 25. Over the closing position is the ram 27 which slides in a ram guide 28. The ramis raised and lowered by the ram operating lever 29. Underneath the face of the ram and above the curling die a seal 30 is retained in position by a seal supporting detent 31, which is a spring loaded member to hold the seals, as they come from the seal feed chute 32, in position above the curling die.

After the curling die has been closed the ram moves downward as shown in Figure 2, picking up an individual seal, forcing it past the seal positioning detent 31, and down over the stopper 18, the rim of the vial 17, and against the inturned flange of the curling die. As the Patented Sept. 9, 1958 leading edge of the seal 33 touches the fillet, connecting the cylindrical portion and the inturned flange, it is forced by the fillet 26 underneath the rim of the vial, and as shown in Figure 3 is forced under and in contact with the bottom of the rim of the vial thereby firmly positioning the seal in position on the neck of the vial, under the rim of the vial, and holding the resilient stopper firmly in position. The stopper is thus firmly forced into and held in the vial. Figure 4 shows a sectional view of the completed container showing how a leading edge 33 of the seal has been forced under the rim of the vial 17.

The seal may consist of a three-piece seal, as shown in Figure 7, consisting of the tear-01f cover 34, the dust disc 35, and the retaining ring 36; or a single one-piece seal 37 may be used depending upon the product being packaged, and the preferences of the manufacturer and user.

As will be obvious minor variations may be introduced, such as using a three-piece instead of a two-piece curling die, or using hydraulic power or electrical solenoids to actuate the closing ram rather than a mechanical closing means, or the other variations within the scope of the appendant claim.

We claim:

An apparatus for curling a soft metal seal around a resilient stopper in a vial which comprises: resilient means for positioning a vial, a split curling die, means for clos- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Chellis July 22, 1913 Stone June 3, 1919