Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61J—CONTAINERS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR MEDICAL OR PHARMACEUTICAL PURPOSES; DEVICES OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR BRINGING PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS INTO PARTICULAR PHYSICAL OR ADMINISTERING FORMS; DEVICES FOR ADMINISTERING FOOD OR MEDICINES ORALLY; BABY COMFORTERS; DEVICES FOR RECEIVING SPITTLE
  • A61J3/00—Devices or methods specially adapted for bringing pharmaceutical products into particular physical or administering forms
  • A61J3/07—Devices or methods specially adapted for bringing pharmaceutical products into particular physical or administering forms into the form of capsules or similar small containers for oral use
  • A61J3/071—Devices or methods specially adapted for bringing pharmaceutical products into particular physical or administering forms into the form of capsules or similar small containers for oral use into the form of telescopically engaged two-piece capsules
  • A61J3/074—Filling capsules; Related operations

Definitions

• Capsules are generally filled in large numbers at a pharmaceutical manufacturer and subsequently supplied to the consumer via a dispensing chemist.
• a small number of capsules can be filled manually in dosed manner with the correct medicine by a chemist for supplying to a consumer.
• Such a manual method of filling capsules is costly.
• the present invention has for its object to enable serial filling of capsules with a desired medicine by means of a compact device which is capable of filling hundreds or thousands of capsules in a few hours.
• the present invention provides a method for filling one or more capsules with powder, comprising the following steps of:
• the present invention further provides a device for filling one or more capsules with medicine, comprising; - first supply means for supplying medicine;
• - transferring means for transferring the powder from the metering means to the opening means in order to carry the medicine into the opened capsule
• fig. 1 shows a first side view of a preferred em ⁇ bodiment of a device according to the present invention
• fig. 2 shows a second side view of the device of fig. 1
• fig. 3 is a front view of the device of fig. 1 and 2
• fig. 4 is a top view of the device of fig. l, 2 and 3
• fig. 5 shows a schematic front view of the drive of the device of fig. 1
• fig. 6 is a view in section of detail VI of fig. i
• fig. 7 is a view of detail VII of fig. 6; fig.
• fig. 15 is a view in perspective of detail XV of fig. 8;
• fig. 16 shows a side view, partly in cross section, of a second preferred embodiment of a device according to the present invention with which a preferred embodiment of the method according to the present invention can be performed;
• fig. 17 is a view in perspective of detail XVII of fig. 16;
• fig. 18 shows detail XVIII of fig. 16;
• fig. 19 shows the detail of fig. 18 in a second position;
• fig. 20 shows the detail of fig. 18 in a third position;
• fig. 21 shows the detail of fig. 18 in a fourth position;
• fig. 22 shows the detail of fig. 18 in a fifth position;
• fig. 23 shows the detail of fig. 18 in a sixth position.
• a device 1 (fig. 1, 2, 3 and 4) comprises feed means 2 for introducing medicinal powder which is stirred in a supply container 4 using a stirring member 3, in addition to supply means 5 for supplying capsules into which the medicine from reservoir 4 must be placed.
• Fig. 4 in particular shows that, via a first rotating member 6 and a second rotating member 7 consisting of two mutually slidable discs 8 and 9, the medicine is carried out of feed means 2 to a position below an empty capsule half which is placed in apertures of the rotating member 7 and opened therein.
• Driving of the device according to the invention preferably takes place using one motor 10 (fig. 3 and 5) , so that no complicated electronic control equipment is required for servicing of such a device according to the present invention.
• Both the rotating movement of the members 6 and 7 and specific up and downward movements of sliding rods can be effected with this transmission system shown in fig. 5.
• the capsules C (fig. 6 and 7) have two halves Cl, C2, whereof the one half has a slightly greater diameter than the other half so that they can be placed one over the other and be closed.
• the supply means 5 comprise an infeed member extending into a reservoir 20 and provided with a recess 22 in a cylindrical wall thereof which serves to prevent the capsules obstructing each other when entering guide tube 23.
• the latter guides capsules C into turn-over means 25 wherein is ensured that the capsules fall into rotating member 7 with their side of the large diameter on the top side of each capsule.
• These turn-over means are further provided with a retaining system 24 (fig. 14) which prevents the capsules falling through at the moment a front plate 26 is removed therefrom.
• a piston rod 31 of which is movable between the positions shown in fig. 8 and 9 (and further) using eccentric 33 on drive rod 32 (see also fig. 5) .
• the packing 34 is released from cylindrical tube 35, whereby the suction action is transferred all at once from the annular space 36 to space 37 under capsule C, whereby the lower half is pulled in downward direction and comes loose of the upper half of the capsule so that after rotation through a quarter-turn the former can be filled with medicine in the correct position.
• tube end 38 is released from disc 9, which can then make a quarter-turn.
• space 36 is in communication with space 39 since seal 29 does not then seal.
• an adjusting screw 40 (fig. 10) a dosage quantity of the supply means 2 for the medicine is adjusted.
• the medicine is carried using an up and downward movable stamping member 41 into a cavity 42 of the rotating member 6. So that no medicine is lost and a precise dose is therefore delivered, the underside of the filling means 2 is clamped onto the rotatable member 6 by means of a spring element 44.
• the pin-like member 45 of the stamping means 41 it is ensured by means of an adapted curve of an edge 46 on eccentric wheel 47 that during a quarter-turn of the shaft 32 (fig. 5) the pin-like member 45 is held stationary precisely above the metering aperture (see also fig. 11, 12 and 13) . Provision is also made that an unopened capsule is ejected according to arrow A (fig. 12), as the discs 8, 9 can then not move in relation to each other.
• FIG. 8 and 9 Also shown in fig. 8 and 9 is how, using a push rod 60, the capsules C, C* are closed in mould parts 61, 62 which are urged toward each other by means of a spring element 63 (see also fig. 15) .
• FIG. 16 (fig. 16, 17) according to the present invention, which likewise serves to perform the method according to the pres ⁇ ent invention, comprises a frame 101 to which a shaft 103 driven by a motor (not shown) is rotatably mounted via a chain or belt 102.
• a reservoir 104 for medicinal powder Arranged on the upper part of frame 101 as in the embodiment according to fig. 1-16 are a reservoir 104 for medicinal powder, a supply device 105 provided with turn-over means for supplying capsules in the correct position and a rotatable disc 106 which is rotated through a quarter-turn at a time for admitting the empty capsules, opening the empty capsules, introducing the medicinal powder and discharging the closed and filled capsules. It can be seen particularly in fig.
• the stepwise movement of disc 106 takes place by means of a so-called Maltese cross 107 which is coupled via tooth wheels 108 and 109 to a shaft 110 for causing rotation of disc 106.
• the Maltese cross 107 is driven via a curve disc 111 which is arranged on a shaft 112 which is coupled to the driven shaft 103 using tooth wheels 113 and 114.
• a further improvement of the second preferred em ⁇ bodiment relative to the embodiment of fig. 1-15 relates to the accurate feeding in doses of the medicinal powder into the lower half of the opened capsule.
• a rotatable stirring element 115 Placed in reservoir 104 is a rotatable stirring element 115 which consists of two parts 116 and 117 coupled in spring-mounted manner to each other and which is placed eccentrically of the centre line of reservoir 104 and is driven rotatably via a rotating element 118 driven by a motor (not shown) , wherein due to the eccentric placing the powder is urged toward the right- hand side of the reservoir in fig. 16 and 17.
• a metering device 130 comprises an up and downward movable tube 131 and a pin member 132 movable up and downward independently of the tube, which elements are movable via drive rod 133 respectively 134 via discs 135 respectively 136 via arms 137 respectively 138.
• an adjusting mechanism 139 and spring 140 the position of the tube 131 can be adjusted relative to pin 132 and the metering quantity thus adjusted.
• the capsule In the position shown in fig. 18 the capsule is opened and comprises a lower half Cl and an upper half C2, wherein preferably via a cam mechanism as shown in fig. 11 and 12 of the first embodiment the lower disc portion 141 is shifted in relation to upper disc portion 142.
• a metering chamber 145 is filled with powder, whereafter the outer tube 131 (and pin member 132) is carried downward into the position shown in fig. 19 due to the shape of the curve disc coupled to the outer tube.
• capsule half Cl is carried below the metering chamber 145 (fig. 20) by rotating the cam disc 153.
• the tube 131 (fig. 21) is subsequently carried directly above this capsule half, whereafter, as shown in fig. 22, the powder is carried in its entirety and extremely quickly into this capsule half Cl by means of pin 132, wherein the outer tube 131 prevents powder escaping while just enough space is nevertheless left open between capsule half Cl and the outer tube that the air present in the capsule half can escape as according to arrows A.
• the rapid movement of pin 132 is effected by stop member 160 (see fig. 17) along which the wheel 161 runs off which is mounted rotatably on curve disc 136.
• the pin 132 and the tube 131 are subsequently re ⁇ tracted by the drive rods, whereafter the position shown in fig. 23 is assumed by rotating the curve disc 153 and 154, wherein the filled lower capsule half Cl is urged back in the direction of the upper capsule half C2, while by shifting slide element 152 the metering chamber 145 is enlarged and opened to the interior of reservoir 104 so that powder P added by the stirring device is carried to a sufficient and accurate degree into this space, whereafter the cycle according to fig. 18-23 is repeated during passage of a following capsule.
• the dose quantity in a capsule can be adjusted using the adjusting mechanism 139, while for the use of large or small capsules only a small number of elements on the disc 106 have to be replaced, in addition to several elements on the turn-over means.
• the reservoir for the powder together with the slide elements 150, 151 and 152 can be removed as a whole from the device and thus easily cleaned.
• the present invention is not limited to the above described embodiments thereof; the requested rights are defined in the first instance by the following claims.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Medicinal Chemistry (AREA)
• Pharmacology & Pharmacy (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Basic Packing Technique (AREA)
• Medical Preparation Storing Or Oral Administration Devices (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=19863049

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (4)

Citations (7)

• 1993
  • 1993-10-25 NL NL9301843A patent/NL9301843A/nl not_active Application Discontinuation
• 1994
  • 1994-10-25 WO PCT/NL1994/000261 patent/WO1995011658A1/en active Application Filing
  • 1994-10-25 AU AU11226/95A patent/AU1122695A/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (7)

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