Medicine feeding apparatus

• US 20050115634A1
• Filed: 11/10/2004
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PHC Holdings Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Biomedical Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mori, Takashi, Kobayashi, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,073,543 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 141/104
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/32 by gravity
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

An object of the invention is to provide a medicine feeding apparatus in which it is possible to prevent a medicine from being broken by well absorbing and reducing a kinetic energy at a time of discharging the medicine even in the case that a downsizing and a densification are promoted for making a discharge speed of the medicine higher, and it is possible to efficiently guide the medicine to an outlet portion of a hopper. Further, the medicine feeding apparatus is provided with a main body, a plurality of tablet cases receiving medicines, a chute received in the main body and through which the medicine discharged from the tablet case comes down, a hopper received in the main body, provided in correspondence to a lower side of the chute and collecting the medicines, and a filling apparatus received in the main body and filling the medicines collected by the hopper in a drug packing paper or a container. The hopper has a curtain for preventing the medicine passing through the chute from jumping up or rotating in the hopper caused by drop and absorbing a kinetic energy.

Claims

1. A medicine feeding apparatus comprising:

a main body;

a plurality of tablet cases receiving medicines;

a chute received in said main body and through which the medicine discharged from said tablet case comes down;

a hopper received in said main body, provided in correspondence to a lower side of said chute and collecting the medicines; and

a filling apparatus received in said main body and filling the medicines collected by said hopper in a drug packing paper or a container,

wherein said hopper has a curtain for preventing the medicine passing through said chute from jumping up or rotating in said hopper caused by drop and absorbing a kinetic energy.

2. A medicine feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first curtain absorbing the kinetic energy of the medicine is provided in correspondence to an outlet portion of said hopper.

3. A medicine feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second curtain inhibiting and preventing the medicine from jumping up is provided in a direction (at a position) where the medicine coming down from said chute is reflected by the first contact hopper portion.

4. A medicine feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said second curtain is made of resin, and is rotatably held to the hopper.

5. A medicine feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein a gap through which the medicine passes is formed between said second curtain and the hopper.

6. A medicine feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the medicine feeding apparatus is provided with a partition member controlling a movement in a rotational direction of the medicine which is in contact with said hopper having a slope surface.

7. A medicine feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein a third curtain extending through said hopper and absorbing a kinetic energy in a rotational direction of the medicine is provided in said partition member.

8. A medicine feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said third curtain is made of transparent resin.

9. A medicine feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said third curtain and said first curtain are positioned on the same line.

13. A medicine feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said partition member and said roller screen member are made of stainless steel.

14. A medicine feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein a part of said first curtain faces to an outlet of said hopper.

10. A medicine feeding apparatus as claimed in clam 9, wherein said first curtain is constituted by a roller screen member in which one end is rotatably supported.

11. A medicine feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said roller screen member is constituted by a shaft portion supported to said partition member, and a plurality of absorbers in which one end is rotatably supported to the shaft portion.

12. A medicine feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said roller screen member is attached to a lower end of said partition member.

15. A medicine feeding apparatus comprising:

a main body;

a plurality of tablet cases receiving medicines;

a chute received in said main body and through which the medicine discharged from said tablet case comes down;

a hopper received in said main body, provided in correspondence to a lower side of said chute and collecting the medicines; and

a filling apparatus received in said main body and filling the medicines collected by said hopper in a drug packing paper or a container,

wherein said hopper has a first curtain provided in correspondence to an outlet portion thereof and absorbing a kinetic energy of the medicine, a second curtain provided in a direction (at a position) where the medicine coming down from said chute is reflected by the first contact hopper portion and inhibiting and preventing the medicine from jumping up, a partition member controlling a movement in a rotational direction of the medicine which is in contact with said hopper having a slope surface, and a third curtain provided in said partition member, extending through said hopper and absorbing a kinetic energy in a rotational direction of the medicine, and absorbs the kinetic energy of the medicine as well as preventing the medicine passing through said chute from jumping up or rotating in said hopper caused by drop.