Conveyor for use in contaminaton sensitive equipment

• US 20020104741A1
• Filed: 02/07/2001
• Published: 08/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IMA North America, Inc. (IMA Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Kalish, Inc.
• Inventors: Buckley, David, Yablonovitch, Max
• Granted Patent: US 6,568,151 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 198/803.14
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 15/42 having ribs, ridges, or other surface projections
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 15/58 with means for holding or retaining the loads in fixed position, e.g. magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/02 Articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 29/00 Rotary conveyors, e.g. rotating discs, arms, star-wheels or cones mechanical projectors B65G31/00; screw or rotary spiral conveyors B65G33/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/082 grouping articles in rows
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/80 Turntables carrying articles or materials to be transferred, e.g. combined with ploughs or scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 53/90 Capsules

Abstract

The present invention relates to a disposable conveyor for use with an apparatus handling contamination-sensitive discrete items. The conveyor has at least one cavity, each cavity capable to carry at least one discrete item. The conveyor is adapted to be mounted on the contamination-sensitive apparatus that, in operation, is capable to impart movement to the conveyor for displacing the conveyor, and its cavities, along a predetermined path. The present invention also relates to a method for transporting discrete items in a machine performing production runs with different types of contamination-sensitive discrete items. The method involves installing a conveyor as described above on the machine and using it to perform a first production run with a first type of discrete items. The conveyor is then disposed of and a new conveyor installed on the machine, used to perform a second production run with a second type of discrete items, different from the first type.

Claims

1. A disposable conveyor for use with an apparatus handling contamination-sensitive discrete items, said conveyor defining a support surface having at least one cavity therein, said cavity capable to carry at least one discrete item, said conveyor adapted to be mounted on the contamination-sensitive apparatus whereby in operation the apparatus is capable to impart movement to said conveyor for displacing said support surface along a predetermined path.

2. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 1, wherein at least a section of said conveyor includes a continuous sheet of flexible material.

3. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 2, wherein said predetermined path includes at least one inflection area, said material possessing sufficient flexibility to bend at said inflection area.

4. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 4, wherein when said cavity in said support surface passes over said inflection area during displacement of said support surface along said predetermined path, said cavity releases from said conveyor any discrete items carried by said cavity.

5. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 4, wherein said support surface has a plurality of cavities, a subset of cavities passing over said inflection area substantially simultaneously during displacement of said support surface along said predetermined path, whereby each cavity in said subset of cavities releases from said conveyor any discrete items carried thereby.

6. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 5, wherein said support surface has a predetermined number of cavities.

7. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 6, wherein said conveyor includes an identifier for uniquely identifying said conveyor.

8. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 7, wherein said identifier includes reference data characterising said conveyor for a particular operation to be performed by the apparatus.

9. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 8, wherein said identifier includes position data for uniquely identifying said cavities.

10. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 9, wherein the cavities in said support surface define cavity groupings, each cavity grouping having a predetermined number of cavities, said position data uniquely identifying each cavity grouping.

11. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 7, wherein said identifier is machine-readable.

12. A disposable conveyor ad defined in claim 11, wherein said identifier includes at least one bar code printed on the material of said conveyor.

13. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 11, wherein said identifier includes at least one bar code laser etched into the material of said conveyor.

14. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 11, wherein said identifier includes at least one magnetic tag.

15. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 14, wherein said identifier is a magnetic strip.

16. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 4, wherein said conveyor is a continuous belt of said flexible material.

17. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 16, wherein said inflection area is defined by a belt roller of the apparatus over which said support surface moves during displacement of said support surface along said predetermined path.

18. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 17, wherein the apparatus has first and second belt rollers in a spaced-apart relationship, said conveyor being mounted on the first and second belt rollers of the apparatus whereby said predetermined path is a continuous loop defined around the first and second belt rollers.

19. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 18, wherein said conveyor includes positioning members for centering said conveyor on said first and second belt rollers.

20. A disposable conveyor as defined in claim 4, wherein said conveyor is a disk of said flexible material.

21. An apparatus for filling containers with tablets, said apparatus comprising:

a) a tablet bin retaining a plurality of tablets, said tablet bin including a discharge aperture for releasing tablets therefrom;

b) a disposable conveyor having a plurality of cavities, each cavity capable to carry at least one tablet, said conveyor being located adjacent said discharge aperture for receiving tablets therefrom;

c) a drive unit operative to impart movement to said conveyor for displacing said conveyor along a predetermined path, whereby as said conveyor moves beneath said tablet bin said cavities are filled with tablets;

d) a tablet releasing station located along said predetermined path, said conveyor being operative to transport tablets in said cavities from said tablet bin to said tablet releasing station, at said tablet releasing station said cavities releasing the tablets contained therein; and

e) a container filling station for receiving the tablets released from said cavities at said tablet releasing station, said container filling station being operative to direct tablets to at least one container.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein said apparatus further includes an inspection unit for detecting the contents of said cavities as said conveyor is displaced along said predetermined path.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein said inspection unit is capable to verify the number of tablets directed to the at least one container by said container filling station.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein said inspection unit includes at least one sensor device compatible with the material of said conveyor for detecting the contents of said cavities of said conveyor.

25. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein at least a section of said conveyor includes a continuous sheet of flexible material.

26. An apparatus as defined in claim 25, wherein said predetermined path includes at least one inflection area, said material possessing sufficient flexibility to bend at said inflection area.

27. An apparatus as defined in claim 26, wherein said tablet releasing station includes said inflection area, whereby when said cavities pass over said inflection area during displacement of said conveyor along said predetermined path, said cavities release any tablets contained therein.

28. An apparatus as defined in claim 27, wherein a subset of cavities pass over said inflection area substantially simultaneously during displacement of said conveyor along said predetermined path.

29. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein said conveyor has a predetermined number of cavities.

30. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein said conveyor includes an identifier for uniquely identifying said conveyor.

31. An apparatus as defined in claim 30, wherein said identifier includes reference data characterising said conveyor for a particular operation to be performed by said apparatus.

32. An apparatus as defined in claim 30, wherein said identifier includes position data for uniquely identifying said cavities.

33. An apparatus as defined in claim 32, wherein the cavities in said conveyor define cavity groupings, each cavity grouping having a predetermined number of cavities, said position data uniquely identifying each cavity grouping.

34. An apparatus as defined in claim 30, wherein said identifier is machine-readable.

35. An apparatus as defined in claim 32, wherein said identifier includes at least one bar code printed on the material of said conveyor.

36. An apparatus as defined in claim 32, wherein said identifier includes at least one bar code laser etched into the material of said conveyor.

37. An apparatus as defined in claim 32, wherein said identifier includes at least one magnetic tag.

38. An apparatus as defined in claim 37, wherein said identifier is a magnetic strip.

39. An apparatus as defined in claim 27, wherein said conveyor is a continuous belt of said flexible material.

40. An apparatus as defined in claim 39, wherein said apparatus includes a belt roller defining said inflection area, said conveyor moving over the belt roller during displacement of said conveyor along said predetermined path.

41. An apparatus as defined in claim 40, wherein said apparatus includes first and second belt rollers in a spaced-apart relationship, said conveyor being mounted on the first and second belt rollers of said apparatus whereby said predetermined path is a continuous loop defined around the first and second belt rollers.

42. An apparatus as defined in claim 41, wherein said conveyor includes positioning members for centering said conveyor on said first and second belt rollers.

43. An apparatus as defined in claim 27, wherein said conveyor is a disk of said flexible material.

44. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein said container filling station includes a plurality of chutes, each chute directing tablets released from said cavities at said tablet releasing station to at least one container.

45. An apparatus for transporting discrete items, said apparatus comprising:

a) a holding station retaining a plurality of discrete items, said holding station including a discharge aperture for releasing discrete items therefrom;

b) a disposable conveyor including a plurality of cavities, each cavity capable to carry at least one discrete item, said conveyor being located adjacent said discharge aperture for receiving discrete items therefrom;

c) a drive unit operative to impart movement to said conveyor for displacing said conveyor along a predetermined path, whereby as said conveyor moves beneath said holding station said cavities are filled with discrete items, said conveyor being operative to transport discrete items in said cavities along said predetermined path.

46. A method for transporting discrete items in a machine performing production runs with different types of contamination-sensitive discrete items, said method comprising:

a) installing a conveyor on the machine, the conveyor having a plurality of cavities therein, each cavity capable to carry at least one discrete item, during a production run the machine imparting movement to the conveyor for displacing the cavities along a predetermined path;

b) performing a first production run using a first type of discrete items;

c) disposing of the conveyor;

d) installing a new conveyor on the machine; and

e) performing a second production run using a second type of discrete items different from the first type of discrete items.